Importance of soil health recognized at national convention

The American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America, collectively known as the "tri-societies," invited a National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) initiative called the Soil Health Partnership (NHP) to give five presentations at the annual convention.

The tri-societies' 2016 International Annual Meeting, held Nov. 6-9, brought together more than 4,000 agriculture professionals, educators, scientists and students. This year's theme was "Resilience Emerging from Scarcity and Abundance."

“Our level of participation with this critical group of scientists was unprecedented this year, and demonstrates the scientific community is paying close attention to the agricultural and environmental strides we can make through better soil health,” Nicholas Goeser, SHP director and NCGA director of soil health and sustainability, said. “It’s important to our mission to engage with this group of scientists.”

Following the conference, SHP took part in the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) event. It was also held in Phoenix Nov. 9-10. The event was focused on soil research.

SHP staff worked with the FFAR scientific program. The "Healthy Soils, Thriving Farms Challenge Area" was focused on increasing soil health through health-promoting practices.

“Having a seat at the table at both of these events is an opportunity to create awareness on smart soil practices and research needs,” Goeser said. “Science and data are powerful drivers of change.”