When local agricultural producers have questions, researchers in New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences strive to find solutions. The long-term soil health research and demonstration project, which began in spring 2021 and is hosted at the NMSU Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center, is the result of one such request.

“The project was inspired by the fact that many producers were asking about how different management practices affect soil health in the short and long term in the arid irrigated cropping systems,” said John Idowu, Extension Plant Sciences Extension specialist/Extension agronomist. “However, due to the lack of research information on the long-term impacts of soil health practices, we could not provide effective answers that address the needs of farmers in the region.” 

The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Soil Program funded the establishment of the plot at Leyendecker.

The purpose of the Healthy Soil Program is “to promote and support farming and ranching systems and other forms of land management that increase soil organic matter, aggregate stability, microbiology, and water retention to improve the health, yield, and profitability of the soils of the state.” NMDA also funded the purchase of some equipment used to measure soil health parameters.

A United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded project, “Sustaining Groundwater and Irrigated Agriculture in the Southwestern U.S. under a Changing Climate,” supported the hiring of a Ph.D. student to collect research data on the long-term soil health research and demonstration plots for the next four years.

“Another motivation for starting the project is to help producers in the region develop resilient cropping systems against the variable weather patterns that they are facing,” Idowu said. “Implementing soil health practices has been shown to help make cropping systems more resilient against climate change.

“From the long-term soil health site, we will learn how the different practices we are testing influence the sustainability of crop production in our region,” Idowu said. “We will learn how soil health practices are affecting the environment by documenting their impacts on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Another benefit of the project allows researchers to train farmers on how to incorporate soil health practices into their farming systems by hosting field days. In April, NMSU hosted the first such event that allowed farmers to visit the research site at Leyendecker to examine the plots and ask specific questions.

“The Biochar and Soil Health Field Day went very well,” Idowu said. “The field day featured a discussion of different soil health treatments. Participants walked through the field plots to examine the winter cover crops that were planted, and we did a field demonstration of soil compaction measurement with a penetrometer and infiltration measurement with a single-ring infiltrometer. We also demonstrated how to make biochar using the ‘Ring of Fire’ kiln during the field day and discussed how biochar amendment can improve soil health and sequester carbon in the soil.”

Additional benefits of the research site include offering valuable information on sustainable irrigated cropping systems and soil health management.

“We will also be incorporating digital agriculture into our production system by using sensor-based irrigation and drone-based monitoring for the early detection of stresses in crops,” Idowu said. “Digital agriculture will assist producers to improve their farm decision-making processes and enhance efficiency by targeting resources to where they are needed in a timely manner.”

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.