Clay Pope shares some studies that show how soil health practices implemented in priority watersheds can result in improvements in water quality while also reducing greenhouse gases. Pope also shares a new tool from American Farmland Trust that can help folks involved in conservation work more easily identify how much of a positive impact soil health practices are having in helping mitigate climate change.

Cover crops combined with no-tillage systems can increase soil organic carbon, which could help slow the effects of climate change on farms, according to a recent study by University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment scientists.

The microbial activity in cover crops can provide soil fertility benefits and reduce the loss of nutrients but may not provide as much carbon sequestration as expected, says a researcher at Iowa State University.