Filling Soil Health Prescriptions with Targeted Cover Crops

Abstract

Sustainable farming requires close attention to soil improvement. This project will let vegetable producers use the new Cornell Soil Health Test (CSHT) to identify what needs improvement, and select cover crops that specifically address those needs. Most of the project will be carried out on grower farms, expanding existing relationships that have been developed around soil health, and responding to growers’ desire to act on the new information they get from the CSHT. Most current cover crop recommendations are too general; we will provide locally appropriate targeted guidance for specific soil management goals.