New funding helps soil health research in Upper Peninsula

What's happening: Upper Peninsula farmers will receive even more information to help with agricultural efforts, thanks to funding for a new study on soil health. The study focuses on reduced tillage methods in organic vegetables and how they might positively affect soil health and greenhouse gas emissions.

The study will be conducted by Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center (UPREC) Director James DeDecker in Chatham, with additional collaboration from Northern Michigan University and Full Plate Farm, a local vegetable farm. Funding comes from the Maria Bayer New Initiatives Fund for Sustainable Agriculture, which helps various agricultural research programs conducted through Michigan State University.

Continuing agricultural research: UPREC just celebrated its 125th anniversary on Saturday, August 10, acknowledging hundreds of successful agricultural experiments conducted at the north and south farms in western Alger County.  Over the decades, MSU researchers conducted studies on plant growth during climate change, identifying which breeds of animals and plants can be most successfully raised in the unique Upper Peninsula climate and created a farm incubator program that has helped launched smaller mom-and-pop farming opportunities. 

What they're saying: "We are very happy to partner with the Bayer Fund to identify successful strategies for organic growers to reduce tillage and capture all the potential economic and environmental benefits of doing so, while producing bountiful vegetable crops,” DeDecker said. “Working with researchers at Northern Michigan University and local growers like Full Plate Farm will help ensure our work is relevant to U.P. stakeholders and the wider organic industry.”

What's next: DeDecker and the researchers will identify each field used in the study and start collecting baseline samples before implementing the next phase of the research program. The various approaches to soil preparation and weed control will be diligently recorded to help farmers implement whatever method proves to be the best for soil health in the area.