Soil Health Grant Offers Cover Crop Evaluations and the Cornell Soil Health Test
Carol MacNeil, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
The weather extremes of drought or heavy rains have resulted in poor crop production in some fields the last several years. Soils need to be in the best health to support crops through these challenging conditions. Covering 100% of your acres with the best cover crops/combinations, and reducing tillage, can reduce your risk of crop loss or low yields over the coming years.
The Cornell Vegetable Program just received a two year grant to work with vegetable, potato and dry bean growers in the Cornell Vegetable Program Region to increase or diversify their cover cropping, and/or to reduce tillage. For cooperating growers soil sampling, soil testing, and interpretation for the Cornell Soil Health Test (CSHT) will be free. Evaluation of biomass, weed growth, nitrogen produced, crop response, etc. can be done for new cover crop plantings being tried. Reduced/zone-tilled crops planted side by side with conventional crops can also be evaluated. Field days are part of this grant, as is assistance for grower discussion groups/grower-to-grower networking.
In order to be a cooperator in this grant program, growers and their fields need to be in the Lake Ontario Watershed (most of CVP region is). Growers also need to be state and federal program eligible, which can be accomplished this winter. To do this, first get farm and tract numbers established with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). Farm practices need to be in compliance with the 1985 Food Security Act Highly Erodible Land and Swampbuster provisions, determined by Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) staff. Growers should be ready to identify a natural resource concern (i.e.- excessive erosion, a need to improve soil health due to compaction, etc.).
This winter is the perfect time to visit local NRCS and/or county Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) offices to work on this paperwork with staff, so the CVP can do sampling for the Cornell Soil Health Test in April. A big advantage of completing the paperwork for program eligibility is that growers can then apply for cost-sharing for new cover cropping practices (new cover crops or combinations) and/or reduced tillage practices, with the next funding cycle. More money than ever is available as an incentive for adoption of good soil health practices.
Additional Resources:
Federal program opportunities
Location of the nearest FSA and/or NRCS office
Location of the nearest SWCD office
If you have questions about soil health and farm in WNY, contact Carol MacNeil.
Asparagus
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Horseradish
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Radishes
Rhubarb
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Squash- Winter
Sweet Corn
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Upcoming Events
2026 NYS Dry Bean Meeting and Cutting Event
March 20, 2026
Geneva, NY
The Cutting Event will be held in the morning, followed by lunch, and the NYS Dry Bean Meeting in the afternoon.
DEC recertification credits available for the NYS Dry Bean Meeting portion of the day: 2.0 in categories 1a, 10, 21, and 23.
Harmonized GAP Plus+ Plan Writing Session
March 20, 2026
Newark, NY
Join us for this specialized workshop to cover requirements for this specific audit. Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are increasingly being asked to have the Harmonized GAP Plus+ audit to satisfy some large buyer's requirements.
2026 Rochester Urban Agriculture Conference
March 21, 2026
Rochester, NY
Join us for our annual Rochester Urban Agriculture Conference, a day of learning and connections featuring interactive workshops, community knowledge sharing, Fruition's Gift of Seed Experience, horticulture tables and displays, and more!