Image: Great Soil Structure in Stehly Crop Field in Eastern, SD (21480483232)

Description: On October 25, 2014, Craig Stehly, checked the health of the soil in his farm fields. Due to his careful management, the soil has a beautiful black coloring with a high percentage of organic matter. In this autumn 2014 image, the primary crop growing season was past, however, the cover crop was still actively growing with live roots just beneath the soil surface. Live roots are important in the soil ecosystem to help the microbial organisms. The microorganisms living in roots and in the soil can shield plants from a wide variety of threats. Stehly has diversity by adding cover crops to his corn, soybeans, and wheat his cropping rotation under a no-till farming system. Learn more about healthy soils from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service or visit the NRCS' Secrets in the Soil web page: www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/hea...

Photo by Heidi Rients, District Conservationist, Mitchell, SD, for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service serving Davison/Hanson Counties.
Usage Terms: Public domain