Conservation District:
Penn State Extension:
NRCS:
Dig a Little, Learn a Lot - NRCS Healthy Soils Are Full of Life - NRCS Principals for High Functioning Soils - NRCS Healthy, Productive Soils Checklist for Growers - NRCS Farming in the 21st Century: a practical approach to improve soil health - NRCS Carbon to Nitrogen Ratios in Cropping Systems- NRCS Value of Soil Health - NRCS Iowa Soil Health Key Points - NRCS Five Questions Landowners Should Ask Their Farmers about Soil Health - NRCS What is a Soil Health Management System? - NRCS
FACT SHEETS
Dig a Little, Learn a Lot - NRCS
Healthy Soils Are Full of Life - NRCS
Principals for High Functioning Soils - NRCS
Healthy, Productive Soils Checklist for Growers - NRCS
Farming in the 21st Century: a practical approach to improve soil health - NRCS
Carbon to Nitrogen Ratios in Cropping Systems- NRCS
Value of Soil Health - NRCS Iowa
Soil Health Key Points - NRCS
Five Questions Landowners Should Ask Their Farmers about Soil Health - NRCS
What is a Soil Health Management System? - NRCS
ASSEMENT TOOLS AND RESOURCES
NRCS Cropland In-Field Soil Health Assessment
NRCS Tech Note for cropland in-field assessment
NRCS Cropland In-Field Assessment video
NRCS Pasture Condition Score Sheet
Maryland Soil Health Assessment
South Dakota Soil Health Assessment Card
Soil Health Indicators - quick photo reference
Soil Health Indicators & Tests - NCAT
Estimating Soil Texture by Feel
SOIL BIOLOGY
Soil Microbes Help Save Plant Growing Input Costs (Included in the library above)
Beneficial Insects (Included in the library above)
Farming with Soil Life: A handbook for supporting soil invertebrates and soil health on farms
Farming with Soil Life video series
Soil Organisms fact sheets by Jim Hoorman
Understanding Soil Biology & Nutrient Recycling
Intro to the Soil Food Web - Urban Worm Company
TEACHER & STUDENT RESOURCES
Teacher's manual for understanding soil health and watershed function
The Little Regenerative Farmer book
General agricultural information (suggested by a student named Ainsley)
The ABCs of Soil Health - NRCS
NRCS General Soil Education website (including soil-related lesson plans)
NRCS Soil Health Educators Guide website
HOMEOWNERS & BACKYARD GARDENERS
Building Healthy Soils in Home Gardens - PA Soil Health Coalition
Soil Health in Raised Beds - Penn State Extension
How to Manage Common Weeds Without Chemicals video - by Soil Shepherds
Soil Health Academy no-till gardening blog post
Cover Crops Are an Easy Way to Improve Your Garden's Soil - Lancaster Farming article
Backyard Soil Health Q&A with Dr. Steven Mirksy - USDA-ARS YouTube video
ORGANIC MANAGEMENT
Penn State Farmer to Farmer Case Study videos
Transitioning to Organic Production - SARE
Growing Organic No-till Garlic video - Beech Grove Farm
Soil Health and Organic Farming Guidebooks - Organic Farming Research Foundation
Rodale Institute Soil Health webpage
LAND LEASING AND CONSERVATION PRACTICES
Landowner Help website - recorded webinars and resources
Agricultural Conservation Lease Builder - step-by-step help for developing leases
Long-Term Leasing Booklet & Ag Leasing 101 - PA Farm Link
Five Questions Landowners Should Ask Their Farmers about Soil Health - NRCS
BOOKS WE LOVE
The Art and Science of Grazing by Sarah Flack
The Complete Guide to Restoring Your Soil by Dale Strickler
Cows Save The Planet by Judith Schwartz
Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David Montgomery
Farmacology by Dr. Daphne Miller
For the Love of the Soil by Nicole Masters
A Growing Revolution by David Montgomery
Grow Your Soil! by Diane Miessler
Life in the Soil by James Nardi
One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka
Plowman's Folly by Edward Faulkner
Soil Biology Primer by multiple authors including Elaine Ingham
Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture by Stirling, Hayden Pattison, and Stirling
What Your Food Ate by Anne Bikle & David Montgomery
NATIONAL VIDEO PRODUCTIONS
Soil Carbon Cowboys (included in the library above)
The Living Soil (included in the library above)
The Science of Soil Health series by the USDA NRCS
Kiss The Ground (trailer is included in the library above)
Common Ground (trailer is included in the library above)
To Which We Belong (included in the library above)
GRAZING
Building Healthy Pasture Soils - NCAT
PA Grazing Lands Coalition resource webpage
How to Assess Soil Health on Grazing Lands Using a Shovel and a Knife - NCAT YouTube video
Grazing Support & Mentorship in Pennsylvania
PSU Integrating Grazing into Cropping Systems: Grazing Cover Crops for Soil Health
PSU Integrating Grazing into Cropping Systems: Cover Crop Species & Crop Rotations
PSU Integrating Grazing into Cropping Systems: Infrastructure
PSU Integrating Grazing into Cropping Systems: Livestock Class Considerations
GENERAL RESOURCES
Soil Health in Field & Forage Crop Production (Higher Quality PDF or Faster Download PDF)
The ABCs of Soil Health- NRCS
Advancing Eco Agriculture webinars
Web Soil Survey – Custom Soil Maps & Reports
Getting Started with Web Soil Survey
Soil Health Demo by Leroy Bupp (PA No-Till Alliance)
Pasa Sustainable Agriculture soil health resource page
Green Cover Seed - Custom cover crop mix calculator and webinars
Green Cover Seed Resource Website
No-Till Farmer Magazine free eGuides
Soil Health Research list compiled by Jim Hoorman
ACRES Healthy Soils Problem Solving Booklet
Optimizing Managed Grazing for Soil Health - Soil Health Institute & NRCS
One Good Idea website
PENNSYLVANIA FARMER TESTIMONIALS AND INTERVIEWS
Deploy Cover Crops to Drop Your Herbicide Use
Steve Groff, Cedar Meadows Farm (Lancaster County) - No-Till Farmer
Leroy Bupp, Bupplynn Farm (York County) – No-Till Farmer
No-Till Pioneer on a Mission for Soil Health
Leroy Bupp, Bupplynn Farm (York County) – Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Focusing on Profits, Not Yields
Lucas Criswell, Criswell Acres (Union County) – Farm Progress
Lucas Criswell & Jim Hershey (Union & Lancaster Counties) – No-Till Farmer
Using Untreated Seed to Boost Beneficial Insects
Lucas Criswell, Criswell Acres (Union County) – No-Till Farmer
Dave Graybill, Red Sunset Farm (Juniata County) – Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Fine-Tuning Fertility for Top Yields
Dean James, Don Cotner Farms (Northumberland County) – No-Till Farmer
Connections Between Soil Health & Nutrition
Jennifer Montgomery & Greg Boulos, Blackberry Meadows Farm – Pasa Sustainable Agriculture
Jim Harbach, Schrack Farms (Clinton County)
Jim Harbach, Schrack Farms (Clinton County) – Dairy Herd
Harvesting Sunlight to Feed Soils
Jim Harbach, Schrack Farms (Clinton County) – No-Till Farmer
Planning and Research is Necessary for No-Till Success
Jim Hershey, Hershey Farms (Lancaster County) – No-Till Farmer
60” Corn Rows Make Space for Cover Crops
Ben Peckman, Slate Ridge Farm (Franklin County) – Farm Progress
Water In, Slugs Out, Inputs Down, Profits Up
Ben Peckman, Slate Ridge Farm (Franklin County) – No-Till Farmer
Feeding Worms, Microbial 'Livestock' Transforms No-Till Fields
Dave McLaughlin, Little Germany Farm (Perry County) - Cover Crop Strategies
Behind the Scenes with a Local Beef Farmer
Dave & Holly Albert, Misty Mountain Farms (Lycoming County) - Dirt to Dinner
PODCASTS
Advancing Eco Agriculture podcasts
Joel Myers - the history of Pennsylvania no-till
Rodale Farming Systems: Watershed Impact Trial
The Graziers Grapevine by the PA Grazing Lands Coalition
Ryan Graham, Butler County farmer: Every Day is Earth Day for Farmers
Interseeding Covers Into Corn at V4-V5 for No-Till Success, John Wallace, PSU
OTHER RESOURCES
NATIONAL VIDEO PRODUCTIONS
Soil Carbon Cowboys (included in the library above)
The Living Soil (included in the library above)
The Science of Soil Health series by the USDA NRCS
Kiss The Ground (trailer is included in the library above)
Common Ground (trailer is included in the library above)
To Which We Belong (included in the library above)
GENERAL RESOURCES
Soil Health in Field & Forage Crop Production (Higher Quality PDF or Faster Download PDF)
The ABCs of Soil Health- NRCS
Advancing Eco Agriculture webinars
Web Soil Survey – Custom Soil Maps & Reports
Getting Started with Web Soil Survey
Soil Health Demo by Leroy Bupp (PA No-Till Alliance)
Pasa Sustainable Agriculture soil health resource page
Green Cover Seed - Custom cover crop mix calculator and webinars
Green Cover Seed Resource Website
No-Till Farmer Magazine free eGuides
Soil Health Research list compiled by Jim Hoorman
ACRES Healthy Soils Problem Solving Booklet
Optimizing Managed Grazing for Soil Health - Soil Health Institute & NRCS
One Good Idea website