Greenleaf Advisors, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, the Ohio State University, the University of Arkansas organized the Nutrient Management and Edge-of-Field Monitoring Conference in Memphis, TN in December 2015. 200+ of the nation’s agricultural leaders assembled at the Healthy Soils for Healthy Waters (HSHW) symposium to advance sustainable practices and supportive policies for feeding a growing world population while protecting the fertile soils and surrounding water resources we depend upon.

Proceedings from this event were published as a Special Issue on Edge-of-Field Monitoring for Nutrient Losses in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (Jan/Feb 2018).

Andy Ward, Andrew Sharpley, Kayla Miller, Warren Dick, James Hoorman, John Fulton, and Gregory A. LaBarge wrote this feature article on “An assessment of in-field nutrient best management practices for agricultural crop systems with subsurface drainage.”

National Geographic’s executive editor for the environment, Dennis Dimick, has come aboard as a keynote speaker for the Nutrient Management and Edge of Field Monitoring Conference held in conjunction with the Healthy Soil for Healthy Waters symposium from December 1-3, 2015 in Memphis, TN.

His post, “Do We Treat Our Soil Like Dirt?” stresses the importance of soil management and health, an issue central to Greenleaf Communities and Healthy Soils for Healthy Waters. Drawing attention to the vital responsibilities of soil, ranging from the growth of the food that feeds us to the quality of the water that sustains us, Dennis puts the priority of healthy soils into perspective. Simply stated, “the future rests on the soil beneath our feet.”

With the Healthy Soils for Healthy Waters symposium taking place the same week as World Soils Day, it seems only fitting that Dennis Dimick, along with a consortium of researchers, conservation professionals and farmers, are coming together to discuss and evaluate best management practices for protecting and preserving Earth’s humble hero – soil.

Confluence is a newsletter produced by the University of Arkansas, the University of Wisconsin and a consortium of twelve land-grant universities. It is a source of information on agricultural practices and nutrient reduction strategies. The Mississippi River Basin Conservation Network is home to the Confluence newsletter. Mike Daniels, PhD and Rebecca Power co-edit the newsletter.

Dr. Andy Ward summarized the objectives and comments from participants of the September 2014 Healthy Soils for Healthy Waters Workshop.

Please read his article on the Workshop at the Confluence website here.