SOIL HEALTH PRINCIPLES

       Over time I have viewed a lot of video around and about soil health.  Occasionally you run across a jewel.  Recently I came across the 'Merit or Myth series'.  These are a series of short videos (≈3min each) produced in South Dakota through cooperation between ARS-USDA, various researchers, and growers around the state.   < Merit and Myth website >     
       These videos do a good job of explaining what goes into improving soil health.  This series is also a good introduction to Dr. Elaine Ingham's, 'The Soil Food Web', --the need for improving the biology of the soil.  Her video links can be found at: < Dr. Ingham's video link >  Some of the venues are hard to hear.
      These videos are compelling discussions on principals of no-till and soil health, but they don't tell us how to apply them in the Palouse.  The Principles are sound, but we have to figure out how to apply them in our climate conditions.

2017 CROP YEAR --- RAINFALL

     The total rainfall shows this to be a great year.  The crop does have potential but there are caveats.  We had a long period where the ground was frozen, and a lot of moisture ran off the fields.  We had a later than normal start for spring planting which has put those crops behind.  This spring we had our usual random low temperature nights.  The extent of the damage, if any, is not known.  We have had two short periods (3-4 days) of high temperatures (98-100+).  These have shortened our canola bloom.  What other damage the heat may have caused is unknown to me.
St. John / Ewan,  Rainfall (including a lot of snow) record on our farm for 2017 Crop Year.
       August 2016 ---> 0.16", September 2016 ---> 0.45",  October ---> 4.86",  November ---> 1.92",  December--->1.02",  January 2017 ---> 1.40",  February ---> 3.91",  March --> 3.81",  April ---> 1.58", May ---> 0.84",  June ---> 0.72",  July 2017 ---> 0.00,
       [ Crop year 2017 (Aug/July) = 20.67"]
   
     At Thornton, the business that was keeping a loose record of the rainfall quit December 2016.
 [update June 2018]    For the calendar year 2017:  August = 0.00, September = 0.69", October = 1.98", November = 2.96", December = 3.16".
                     [ Calendar year total 2017 ---> 21.05"]