Research Evaluates Relationship Between Adopting Soil Health Practices and Farm Profitability

Researchers at Kansas State University have been exploring the relationship between regenerative soil health practices and farm profitability across Kansas operations, and they presented study results at a soil health field day. “We found that farms with higher soil health scores tended to be more profitable,” reports project leader Jennifer Ifft. “But the key takeaway is that practices need to make sense for your area and your operation.” Commonly used practices include cover cropping and no-till. However, researchers found that profitability didn’t necessarily stem from adding more soil health practices. Instead, more profitable farms often benefited from lower expenses related to their soil health practices, rather than higher yields.