Soil performance is a key element to the overall success of a farming operation. A soil's performance is directly related to a soil's quality or health.

A healthy soil will do a better job:

• Resisting erosion
• Cycling crop nutrients
• Supporting root growth
• Infiltrating water
• Sequestering carbon.

Many agronomic decisions affect soil health and performance including what crops are grown and in what rotation, the use of cover crops, tillage, fertilization and erosion control measures.

Read more about Soil Performance & Crop Residue

Also Residue Systems and Tillage Management

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Resources to help you save nutrients:

Soil Conditioning Index information

Economics of Residue: Iowa Learning Farm information sheet

Small Grain Cover Crops for Corn and Soybean
By Jeremy Singer, USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory
Tom Kaspar,USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory
Palle Pedersen, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University

A General Guide for Crop Nutrient
and Limestone Recommendations in Iowa
Iowa State University Extension publication

Nutrient Removal When Harvesting Corn Stover
ICM Newsletter, August 6, 2007

The Iowa Soybean Association On-Farm Network®