On The Field: Does Tilled Soil Really Warm Up Faster?
The video pits conventional tillage against cover‑cropped, biologically active fields to ask whether a freshly tilled seedbed truly warms faster in spring. Doug Vos explains that tilled soil indeed reaches higher daytime temperatures, but it also loses heat rapidly after sunset, creating a wide diurnal swing. By contrast, fields with living roots or cover crops retain more consistent temperatures, provide greater pore space, and improve moisture and oxygen availability. A quick shovel test illustrates the difference: a monocrop with little aggregation shows compact, crust‑prone soil, while a cover‑cropped plot displays visible aggregates and better structure. Vos likens the stable, warm soil to a “room full of people” that maintains temperature, and notes that winter‑grazed cover crops keep biology alive, reducing deep freeze. For growers, the steadier warmth of biologically active soils can shorten planting windows, improve seed germination, and lower erosion risk, making cover crops a strategic tool for both yield stability and long‑term soil health.
I Drove 15 Hours for This… Now I’m Farming for the Next 6 Generations
A sixth‑generation Texas cattle and row‑crop farmer traveled 15 hours north to Indiana to attend the Soil Health Academy’s regenerative‑agriculture program. The immersive experience, focused on water quality and small‑grain production, gave him a hands‑on view of soil‑health techniques that...