1. To Long-Term High-Yield Cropping By Gary Gross (Rose, 2013)

2. The Farmer’s Greatest Asset (Camel Valley, 2013)

3.  Loss of Soil Organic Matter Regular Deep Tillage Lack of Cover Crops  Soil Compaction Heavy Foot & Vehicle Traffic Loss of Macro-Aggregates  Saline & Sodic Soil Conditions Over Use of Synthetic Fertilizers High EC Irrigation Water (Eickmeier, 2012)(Nguyen, 2011)

4. Soil Organic Matter (SOM) is any plant or animal material within the soil profile that goes through decomposition Besides adding plant nutrients to the soil it is the main source of Organic Carbon in the soil Highly productive soils have between 2% to 10% SOM (Bot, 2005)(Roach, 2013)

5. Negative Effects When SOM < 2 %  Increases Soil Bulk Density Soil Salinity Nutrient Leaching  Decreases Soil Porosity Macro-aggregation Water & Air Infiltration Microbial Biomass Crop Yields (Youngman, 2010) (Jackson, 2004)

6.  Decreases: Soil Bulk Density Soil Salinity Nutrient Leaching  Increases: Soil Porosity Macro-aggregation Water & Air Infiltration Microbial Biomass Crop Yields (Wang, 2013) (Jackson, 2004)

7. By Incorporating “Green Manure” cover crop, Animal Manure and/or Compost into the soil In continuously cropped soil it take approximately 2.2 Tons/acre per year to maintain SOM at constant levels (Sullivan, 2003) Crop Biomass Tons/acre (Dry Weight) Total N (lb/ac/yr) Hairy Vetch1.15 – 2.590 – 200 Crimson Clover1.75 – 2.7570 – 130 Sweet Clover1.5 – 2.590 – 170 Field Pea2 – 2.590 – 150 Alfalfa3.6 – 7.4130 - 220 Rye1.5 – 5- Barley1 – 5- Oats1 – 5- Sorghum-sudan4 - 5- Table 1. Biomass and Nitrogen Fixation of Selected Cover Crops (SARE, 2007) (Rosenberg, 1996) (Miyamoto, 2008)

8. Ensure C:N ratio is between 15:1 – 25:1 to prevent nutrient immobilization Incorporate OM at least 6 weeks before planting the season’s cash crop to allow time for mineralization Can use to incorporate OM into the soil: Inversion Tillage Minimum tillage techniques Ripper Plough “Sundance” System No-Till Flail mower Rolling Stalk Chopper (Sullivan, 2003)

9.  Causes: Regular Deep Tillage Foot & Vehicle Traffic Loss of Organic Matter within the Soil  Effects: High Bulk Density Micro-Aggregation Reduced Infiltration Water Air (Ontario, 2009) (Arthur, 2013)

10. Increase SOM Between 2% - 10% with Plant and Animal Waste Grow Deep Rooting Cover Crops that Act as a “Biological Plow” Depth (feet)Cover Crop 5 – 7 Red Clover, Lupine, Radish, Turnips 3 – 5 Common Vetch, Mustard, Black Medic, Rape 1 - 3 White Clover, Hairy Vetch, Rye, Sorghum- sudan 3 - 15 Alfalfa (Wyland, 1996) (SARE, 2007) (Sullivan, 2003) (Sullivan, 2003) Table 2. Average Rooting Depth of Selected Cover Crops

11.  Inhibits: Soil Permeability Soil Enzymatic Activity Plant Uptake of Ca, K, N & P  Disrupts: Plant Water Uptake Plant Gas Exchange Photosynthesis (TNAU, 2013) (Tejada, 2006)

12.  Standard Practice Check Field Drainage Amend Soil with Lime Leach Out Salts with Water  Dryland Situation Green Manure Reduces ESP Animal Manure Increases Soil Biochemical Properties (Clark, 2008)(Tejada, 2006)

13. Increases Production Cost by 5% On-Farm Trials in CA, Concluded that the Addition of Organic Matter is a Commercially Viable Culturing Practice due to the Added Benefits Associated with it (Solutions, 2013) (Wyland, 1996)

14. Organic Matter SourceCost/acre Cover Crop Seed & Sowing $28 Dairy Manure $33 Liquid Manure $32 On-Farm Compost $5 - $32 Off-Farm Compost $272 (Elliott, 2012) (Rynk, 1992) (Sullivan, 2003) Table 3. Cost of Select Organic Matter Sources & Application

15. The Soil Needs Organic Carbon to Live & be Healthy Plants Need a Living & Healthy Soil to Thrive (Veganicpermaculture.com, 2011) (Feffer, 2012)

16. (Paassen, 2013)

17. Arthur, E. (2013). Density and permeability of a loess soil: Long-term organic matter effect and response to compressive stress. Geoderma, 236-245. Bot, A. (2005). The importance of soil organic matter: Key to drought-resistance and sustained food and production. FAO Soils Bulletin 80. CamelValley. (2013). Camel Valley: Gallery. Retrieved April 21, 2013, from Camel Valley Vineyard: http://www.camelvalley.com/gallery/vineyard Clark, J. K. (2008). Mustard cover crop in a vineyard. University of California. Eickmeier, J. (2012, February 16). Photo of the Day. Retrieved April 21, 2013, from MYGLOBALMASTERS: http://www.myglobalmasters.com/category/blog/page/8/ Elliott, A. (2012). 2012 fertility recommendations. 1-4. Feffer, J. (2012, Oct 13). From pacific pivot green revolution. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from John Feffer: http://www.johnfeffer.com/from-pacific-pivot-to-green-revolution/ Howard, S. A. (1956). An Agricultural Testament. India: Earthcare Books. Jackson, L. E. (2004). On-farm assessment of organic matter tillage management on vegetable yield, soil, weeds, pests and economics in California. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 443-463. Miyamoto. (2008). Nitrogen Fixation. Cornell University Cooperative Extension: Fact sheet 39, 1-2. Nguyen, B. T. (2011). Comparative study of soil properties under various cultivation regimes of different crops. Soil Research, 595-605. Ontario. (2009, March 12). Compaction - Soil diagnostics. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Ontario Ministry of Agriculture: Food & Rural Affairs: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/english/soil-diagnostics/compaction.html Paassen, R. (2013). Boerenkool. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Shutterstock: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic- 23052913/stock-photo-dutch-winter-landscape-with-farmland-full-of-kale-a-k-a-boerenkool-a-typical- dutch-winter.htmlhttp://www.shutterstock.com/pic-

18. Roach, M. (2013). Cover crops: feeding the soil that feeds me. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://awaytogarden.com/cover-crops-feeding-the-soil-that-feeds-me Rose, T. G. (2013). Living Mulch. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://thegreenrose.tumblr.com/post/14999926691/living-mulch-system-improves-soil-health-and-pest Rosenberg, R. J. (1996). Alfalfa forage production. SOREC, 1-5. Rynk, R. (1992). On-Farm Composting Handbook. Northeast regional agricultural engineering service, 1-204. SARE. (2007). Managing cover crops profitably, 3rd edition. SARE Publication, 1-244. Solutions, C. C. (2013). Cover Crops That Pay. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Cover Crop Solutions: http://www.covercropsolutions.com/ Sullivan, P. (2003). Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures. ATTRA, 1-6. Tejada, M. (2006). Use of organic amendment as a strategy for saline soil remediation: Influence on the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 1413-1421. TNAU. (2013). Stress Management: Salinity. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from TNAU Agritech Portal: http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/agriculture/agri_salinity_about.html Veganicpermaculture.com. (2011). Living Mulch Management. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Veganicpermaculture: http://veganicpermaculture.com/agroecology.html Wang, D. K.-H. (2013). Sustainable pest management laboratory. Hawaii. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/WangKH/cover-crop.html Wyland, L. (1996). Winter cover crops in vegetable cropping system: Impact on nitrate leaching, soil water, crop yield, pest and management costs. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 1-17. Youngman, M. (2010, October 15). From drought to flood - water images across the globe. Retrieved April 21, 2013, from Puliter Center: on crisis reporting: http://pulitzercenter.org/slideshows/water-ar