POLK SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
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Soil Conservation

Cover Crops

Soil health management is a growing concern for many farmers, ranchers, and land managers in Oregon and Washington. Cover crops can be an integral part of a soil health management system by adding plant diversity to a crop rotation. Cover crops have the potential to increase soil microbial diversity, feed the soil food web for a longer period, and provide plant residue which can help with soil moisture management, reducing temperatures, preventing surface crusting, and suppressing weeds. According to the NRCS Cover Crop Practice Standard (340), purposes of a cover crop include: reducing erosion from wind and water, increasing soil organic matter content, capturing, recycling or redistributing nutrients in the soil profile, promoting biological nitrogen fixation and reduced energy use, increasing biodiversity, suppression of pests and/or weeds, soil moisture management, reducing particulate emissions into the atmosphere, and minimizing and reducing soil compaction.

Cover Crops for sustainable crop rotations

Published by Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) this document serves as a concise and informative jumping off point for any and all things cover cropping related. The document also embeds several other resources that producers may find useful, but a clearinghouse of cover cropping data and information can be found on the SARE Website: https://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Topic-Rooms/Cover-Crops
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Cover Crop calculators and selection tools

With so many variables, from cost to what species or mix to plant, deciding to implement cover cropping in any form may seem daunting and cost prohibitive on the surface. luckily, several guides and  have been produced via research at OSU, NRCS, SARE, Etc. that can help producers select species, estimate costs, and determine benefits. These tools have come to be known as Cover Crop Calculators, see the accompanying list to select the best for your farm.
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  • NRCS PNW CC Selection Tool (Requires Microsoft Access)
  • OSU Smaller Farms Calculator (1000 sq ft units)
  • OSU Larger Farms Calculator (Acre units)

Soil Testing and fertilization guides

Soil tests are undoubtedly one of the most useful and informative pieces of data that producers and landowners have access to. These tests can guide fertilizer and nutrient applications, help to explain issues in particular areas of a field, and more importantly, can be used to track and establish long term trends in soil health, if tests are taken and analyzed on a regular (annual or bi-annual) basis. Resources to help landowners and producers through the process of taking and interpreting soil tests can be found below, but typically, a producer will take the samples according to established guidelines, they will aggregate and securely store the samples to limit potential contamination, send them to a lab of their choosing (for a fee), and then the results are sent back via mail or email. Producers can use these results to guide their decision making if they're familiar with soil testing, but others will opt to work with an agronomists, soil scientists, SWCD staff, and NRCS Soil Conservationists to help interpret and guide their decisions.    

Collecting Soil samples & Soil Testing Labs

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Soil test interpretation and pasture FERTILIZATION guide

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POLK SOIL & WATER
CONSERVATION  DISTRICT

YOUR LOCAL SOURCE OF CONSERVATION INFORMATION AND ​EDUCATION IN POLK COUNTY, OREGON SINCE 1966

Contact us

580 MAIN STREET,  SUITE A,
DALLAS OR, 97338
​
PHONE: 503-623-9680
OFFICE HOURS: MON.-FRI., 8:00am - 4:30pm
Staff Email & Extensions

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The Polk Soil & Water Conservation District complies with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran’s status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 
  • Home
  • Our District
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Minutes and Agendas
    • Committees
    • Operational Documents
    • Employment Opportunities
    • History
  • Technical Assistance
  • PROGRAMS & FUNDING
    • Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
    • OAK WOODLAND & SAVANNAH RESTORATION (RCPP) >
      • RCPP Grant
      • Oak Woodland Management
      • Traditional Ecological Knowledge
      • Native Seeds
      • Native Plants
    • Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Grant Programs
    • Conservation Easements
    • Successful Projects
    • Disaster Assistance
  • Get Involved
    • District and Community Events
    • Local Work Group Meeting
    • Volunteer - Native Plant Sale
    • Volunteer - Friends of Trees
    • Attend Board Meetings
    • Community Science
    • Join the Board
    • Make a Donation
  • Stay Informed
    • Resources >
      • Agriculture >
        • Oregon’s Agricultural Water Quality Program
        • Small Farms >
          • SOIL CONSERVATION
          • Livestock
          • Organic Operations
      • Forestry >
        • Emerald Ash Borer
        • Conifer Focused Forestry
        • Oak Woodland Management
      • Invasive Species >
        • IMap Invasives
        • A-List Priority Weeds
        • The "B" Rated Weeds
        • Aquatic Animal Invaders
        • Reed Canary Grass info
        • Medusahead
        • Biological controls for noxious weeds in Oregon
      • Wildlife >
        • Save Salmon : No Spray Buffers
      • Water Conservation
      • Native Plants
      • Traditional Ecological Knowledge
      • Rural Living Handbook
      • Resources for Youth
    • Cultivating Publication >
      • Cultivating Archive
    • Conservation Spotlight Podcast
    • Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    • News & Announcements
    • Virtual Events Library
    • Our Partners
  • Native Plant Sale