Vermont NRCS will begin offering new financial and technical assistance for soil health this year. NRCS staff and Technical Service Providers (such as those who often write Nutrient Management Plans) will be trained to conduct in-field soil health analyses and recommend practices—now including soil carbon amendments (e.g. compost or biochar.) These will be much more in-depth analyses of the soil than the basic soil-chemistry tests required by the RAPs and used in Nutrient Management Planning. With these new conservation practices, NRCS hopes to encourage farmers and service providers to dig into their soil with an even deeper curiosity, for improvements in both yields and conservation.
Contact your NRCS staff person or the St. Albans NRCS office to learn more: 527-1296.