July 24th, 2024
By Caro Roszell
Demystifying Soil Health Management Planning: Farmers Share Perspectives on a New England Peer-to-Peer Program
Farmers need support to stay on the land and keep that land in production. A primary function of AFT New England’s work is collaborating closely with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to bring resources to farmers. With “a once-in-a-generation investment in conservation on working lands” in the form of $19.5 billion to support the implementation of climate-smart farming and forestry practices, there has never been a greater need to broaden the reach of technical support services that make conservation planning accessible for farmers. Through creative collaborations like our New England Soil Health Management Planning Cohort Program, we help make NRCS supports available to farmers who need them.
In the Soil Health Management Planning Cohort Program (SHMP), farmers complete the Soil Health Management Planning process step by step over the course of a year. Participants in the SHMP receive instruction and readings on soil health concepts and learn skills, including field assessment of soil health outcomes, identification of soil health resource concerns, and evaluation of alternatives. Along the way, participants provide each other with feedback and help each other consider options for meeting soil health goals. Farmers receive a payment in recognition of their efforts upon completion of their plans. Soil health management plans provide a pathway for farmers to implement conservation practices, and, importantly, farmers can use plans to unlock cost-share opportunities that enable farmers to implement those practices.
About the Current Soil Health Management Planning Cohort Participants
So far, the SHMP serves 22 farmers from 19 vegetable, flower, fruit, and hemp farms in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Our first cohort in Connecticut started in September 2023, and our first Massachusetts cohort began in March of 2024. We anticipate running another three SHMP cohorts from September 2024 – September 2025 in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
In their first meeting in April 2024, Massachusetts cohort participants shared a wide range of reasons for applying to participate. At their roots, most participants wanted to learn new ways of thinking about their farms’ long-term soil health. A member of the Massachusetts vegetable farmer cohort demonstrated this motivation when they shared that they wanted to participate in the following:
Feel more confident in decision-making around soil health, especially on a multi-year scale… Right now, how I really approach soil is on an annual basis: ‘okay, where can I squeeze some cover crop this year?’ But I really think that expanding that on to a multi-year approach, especially with the seasons we’ve had in these past few years, has just felt so incredibly important.
Farmers participating in ongoing SHMPs express motivations that center on “farm-scale,” “production-oriented,” and “problem-solving” alongside concern for broader environmental and ecological concerns related to climate change, biodiversity, and air or water quality. Alice Coleman of Stony Hill Farm in Wilbraham shared that she was interested in the ways that New England soil health could not only increase the climate resilience of her sandy farm but also support greater insect diversity:
We have very, very sandy soil, and with the droughts and also excessive rain in the past few years, we’ve been trying to improve our soil structure and organic matter to make our farm more resilient. So, I’m hoping to address that, particularly in my planning. Also, I’ve been very focused on increasing the insect biodiversity on our farm. I get really excited about all the beneficial insects, but I realized last year, talking to one of our employees, that I really haven’t done much with soil biology. I know barely anything about what’s going on underground. I would really like to work on improving the biology, in addition to just the structure and the chemistry of our soil.
Six months farther along in the process, SHMP participants from Connecticut farms shared that the program demystified NRCS, rendering its processes more accessible and increasing their confidence in interacting with NRCS. One participant shared about a recent visit from NRCS to her farm; she said that the planner was “impressed” with the language she used to discuss her concerns about resources and specific soil health terms. “Because of this program,” she said, “I feel more empowered in my conversations with NRCS.”
The SHMP cohorts bring farmers from different networks and farming generations together. A beginning farmer in the Connecticut cohort shared that “because of this program, I feel more part of and integrated into the Connecticut agricultural community in a way I wasn’t before.”
Upcoming Opportunities for Participating in Future Soil Health Management Planning Cohorts
In September, we will launch two more cohorts for livestock producers in Connecticut and Massachusetts; applications are now open. Vermont and New Hampshire livestock farmers are also welcome to apply; cohorts for those states will start a little later (winter-spring 2024-2025).