Soil Health for Producers in Virginia, West Virginia & Maryland

Healthy soil grows better crops, lowers input costs and helps your fields handle tough weather. The land‑grant universities in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland provide simple, proven guidance any operation can use.

What is Soil Health?

Soil health means your soil can function year after year as a living system that supports crops, livestock and people.

Learn more:

• Virginia - Virginia Tech / VCE – Soil Health & Cover Crops
• West Virginia - WVU Extension – Soil & Water (soil testing, pH & nutrients)
• Maryland - University of Maryland Extension – Soil Health (FS‑2025‑0754)

What are the Four Principles of Soil Health?

1. Keep the soil covered: Leaving crop residue on the surface or planting cover crops creates a protective “armor” that shields soil from erosion, wind exposure, moisture loss and big temperature swings. This cover helps rainfall soak in rather than run off and improves field trafficability in wet seasons. Both Virginia Cooperative Extension and the University of Maryland Extension emphasize that maintaining consistent soil cover is one of the simplest, most effective steps to build and protect soil health. VCE overview | UMD fact sheet
2. Disturb the soil less: Reducing tillage helps preserve soil structure, keeps beneficial microbes and earthworms active and reduces compaction. Less disturbance also lowers fuel and labor costs and improves long‑term infiltration, which is especially valuable during wet springs. Virginia Tech highlights reduced tillage as a cornerstone of its statewide soil‑health initiative, and WVU Extension reinforces that minimizing soil disruption supports better fertility management and water movement. Virginia Tech update | WVU guidance
3. Keep living roots in the ground: Keeping living plants in the field for as many months of the year as possible feeds soil organisms, stabilizes nutrients and builds soil structure naturally. Timely planting of cover crops, especially mixes with cereals or legumes, keeps roots growing through the off‑ VCE encourages growers to seed covers promptly after harvest, while UMD Extension explains how living roots boost organic matter and improve water‑holding capacity over time. VCE tips | UMD guidance
4. Add diversity: Different crop species contribute different root types, residues and nutrient needs, strengthening soil biology and reducing disease and pest pressures. Rotating crops or incorporating multi‑species cover‑crop mixes (for example, adding legumes for nitrogen or brassicas for deep rooting) helps soils become more resilient and productive. Both VCE and UMD Extension stress that diversity, aboveground and belowground, is key to balancing nutrients and improving long‑term soil function. VCE on diversity | UMD fact sheet

What are Some Quick Soil Protection Actions to Take This Season?

• Plant a cover crop right after harvest and terminate on time before spring planting. (resource)
• Drop one tillage pass or pilot strip‑till/no‑till on a small field. (resource)
• Test your soil regularly (pH, lime needs, P & K) and adjust rates to save money. (resource)
• Try a small multi‑species cover mix (add a legume) to build biology and capture N. (resource)

Where to Get Help (land‑grant & state programs)

• Virginia Tech / Virginia Cooperative Extension – Soil Health hub
• Virginia Tech news on soil‑health initiative (mentoring & BMPs)
• WVU Extension – Soil & Water (soil testing, liming, P management, salinity)
• WVU – Soil Testing (how and when to sample)
• University of Maryland Extension – Soil Health (FS‑2025‑0754)
• Maryland Dept. of Agriculture – Healthy Soils (funding program)

Did you know? Farm Credit of the Virginias customer‑owners can unlock even more soil‑health insights through the Digital Resource Hub, a members‑only library packed with practical guides, learning modules and farm management tools. LEARN MORE