What happens when living organisms die? They decompose. The basics of the life cycle are well known to most people. In the terrestrial carbon cycle, plants use photosynthesis to harvest energy from the sun and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing them as carbon-rich materials in their tissues.

A 7-year USDA study found that relatively low-level grazing does not compact the soil or significantly affect the amount of soil organic matter.

New enrollments for the Conservation Stewardship Program will be accepted through Feb. 27, 2015. The program is designed to reward farmers, ranchers and foresters for maintaining existing conservation, and also the adoption of additional conservation measures.

Tillage practices that conserve moisture, plants that use water more efficiently and soil with more organic matter have produced higher yields even in dry conditions, according to South Dakota State University soil scientist David Clay.

Brian Arnall, soil nutrient specialist at Oklahoma State University Extension, talks about soil nutrients and nitrogen-rich strips, which should appear soon in wheat fields.

Many growers have taken out their grassed waterways after tiling their fields, but South Dakota State University Extension says this doesn't prevent all soil erosion.

UC Davis and University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have described part of the network of genetic controls that allows a plant to grow for the first time.

The 19th Class of No-Till Innovators was recognized at the 23rd annual National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.