Integrated Approaches to Selecting Management Strategies for Soil Health.

In Extension, we are looking to maximize our impact and improve our efficiency in reaching producers and other groups.  Therefore, evaluating on-farm approaches to improve soil health should be done with significant contributions from combinations of producers, consultants and specialists.  Using resources in all three areas, for example, a respected producer, an established consultant and a specialist with technical skills and access to Extension programs has the potential to reach and impact a high number of producers regionally.  This model uses multiple levels of information transfer, where producers are learning from and watching each other, consultants are carrying information from on-farm trials at one location to other clients and specialists are using information in field days and workshops.  Extension specialists are also able to refer to real-world examples of approaches being taken by local producers, which add credibility to programs.  Another benefit is having producers test the soil health building management practices at field scale using their equipment and labor.  In a time when funding can be limited, this allows specialists to monitor on-farm practices and continue to provide technical support with little monetary inputs.  Thinking outside of the box when it comes to Extension efforts to streamline the information transfer process is essential in a time when non-renewable soil resources have the potential to be negatively impacted at a rapid rate by current practices.