Updated December 2, 2016:
Final Progress Report is downloaded n the File (optional) below

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Research and Extension Efforts at the Soil Health and Agriculture Research Extension (SHARE) Farm (Year 3)

Principal Investigators:
Dr. Abbey Wick, Extension Soil Health Specialist, NDSU Soil Science, Dept. 7680, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108; phone: 701-231-8973; fax: 701-231-7861; email: abbey.wick@ndsu.edu

Dr. Frank Casey, Director of the School of Natural Resource Sciences, NDSU, P.O. Box 5638, Fargo, ND 58108; phone: 701-231-8557; fax: 701-231-7861; email: francis.casey@ndsu.edu

Dr. David Ripplinger, Assistant Professor, NDSU Dept. of Agribusiness and Applied Economics, Dept. 7610, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108; phone: 701-231-5265; fax: 701-231-7400; email: david.ripplinger@ndsu.edu

Technical Support:
Chandra Langseth, Extension Research Technician
Rebecca Schewe, Masters level graduate student

FY Year End Report:
June 30, 2016; Executive Summary


The Soil Health and Agriculture Research Extension (SHARE) Farm in Mooreton, ND is funded primarily with commodity dollars with the goal of conducting field-scale soil health research and developing extension programming driven by farmer input.

Activities for 2015-2016: A perennial grass buffer strip was seeded in Spring 2015, an NDAWN Station was installed summer 2015, conservation tillage plots were added fall 2015, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Soil Health Partnership plots (cover crops) were added spring 2016.

Quantifying Salt Removal from Tile Drainage: For this study conducted from 2014-2016, soil cores were removed from the SHARE Farm to leach and collect salts from the cores in the lab. A total of 94 leaching events would be required to reduce salt levels from an EC of 4.5 to 0.7 mmhos/cm, which means 564” of precipitation with 94 wet-dry cycles.

NDSU Soil Salinity Economics Decision-Making Tool: Since 2013, NDSU has been evaluating soybean, corn and wheat yield response to salinity. Salinity levels where yields start to decline have been set at 1.1 mmhos/cm (soybean), 2.0 mmhos/cm (corn) and 4.5 mmhos/cm (wheat). Using these salinity thresholds and percent yield declines, an online tool was developed to help growers visualize salinity impacts on yields, revenue, input costs and returns.

Using baseline market prices and expected yields from 2016 Crop Budgets for the Southern Red River Valley prepared by NDSU Extension, the following revenues were calculated. At a soluble salt level of 5 mmhos/cm, expected per acre soybean revenues fall from $276 to $50 per acre, corn revenues fall from $472 to $305 per acre and wheat production falls from $314 to $278 per acre (Figure 2). The impact of salinity on profitability varies greatly by crop as it impacts revenue and costs. In fields with moderately or strongly saline soils, salt sensitive crops (like soybean) may no longer be viable as profitability is dramatically reduced.

Extension Programming: In 2015-2016, extension efforts focused on three areas: (1) soil health café talks, (2) field days and a two-day soil health bus tour and (3) web-based information.

Café talks were held in Sargent, Stutsman, Cass, and Grand Forks counties. Each café talk had between 15 and 35 attendees, which made for great discussion and new connections. In 2015, the Annual Soil Health Field Day was held at the Langseth farm where one set of conservation tillage plots are located (over 100 attended). In 2016, a Soil Health Field Tour highlighted commodity funded projects (100 attended). Thirty videos have been produced (8 of those videos in 2015-2016) since 2013, receiving over 15,800 views. A twitter account was developed (@NDSUsoilhealth) to reach additional growers. The webpage (ndsu.edu/soilhealth) continues to be updated and serve as a resource for farmers.