Chris Bandura is a conservation cropping outreach specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension Crops and Soils Program. In the following Q&A, Chris describes his SHARE-funded project, “Benchmarking Soil Health in Wisconsin – Building Context,” and why supporting continuous root growth is his favorite soil health practice.
When did your research project begin?
Bandura: I started working on this project with Dr. Matt Ruark (professor in the UW-Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences and Extension specialist) in January 2024.
Prior to me joining this project, he and Ashley Waggoner (now SHARE engagement coordinator with the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center) had been working on compiling soil health data from a variety of research projects and survey projects for about a year or so. Honestly, the folks prior to me had the hardest job in getting data from a variety of places and forms consolidated into one place and format. Huge kudos to Ashley for taking on that job.
What are the primary objectives of your research project?
Bandura: Although there are several “small” objectives related to this project, I would say the overarching goal of our efforts is to provide Wisconsin farmers, crop consultants, and laboratories with context in the space of soil health testing. Historically, we have spent a lot of time discussing what soil health is, why it is important, and what we can do from a management perspective to improve and protect it. Aside from in-field measures such as soil penetrometers to measure compaction and infiltration rings to evaluate water infiltration rates, for example, we haven’t spent a lot of time discussing tools for evaluating soil health and function.
In our project we are working to provide folks with a means to compare soil health laboratory indicators from their farm to other farms around the state to bring context to their data. We are exploring inherent soil properties including drainage and texture class in addition to management factors such as cropping system diversity, manure and cover crop history, and tillage practice. Our goal is determining the effect that each property/practice has on soil health and function.
What do you want farmers/other stakeholders to know about your project?
Bandura: For starters we would like folks to know that this has been a very collaborative effort. There have been several graduate students, UW-Madison based faculty, and others involved in the original projects that allowed for this data to be available for us to summarize.
This project also is intended to serve the needs of Wisconsin farmers as they work toward building healthier soils and soil capacity to perform at higher levels. We all want ways to measure and test things, but without at least a basic understanding of what our soil health test data mean and what we can compare our test results to, there isn’t a lot of value in measuring these things. Our goal is to provide a basic level of understanding and hope it will help farmers.
What’s something new you’ve learned through your current SHARE-funded project or the SHARE collaboration itself?
Bandura: I am relatively new to UW- Extension, having been in my current role about 16 months. I knew there was a lot of interest and effort regarding soil health work, but I had no idea as to just how many individuals and organizations are investing so heavily in soil science and agronomy. Joining SHARE has opened my eyes to an immense amount of really interesting and impactful work, all revolving around soil health. Wisconsin is in good hands in the “soil health world” based on what I see coming out of all the different organizations that make up SHARE.
Why are you interested in soil health?
Bandura: I am interested in soil health because I think soils are our most valuable resource, both in the lens of agricultural productivity and in that of the other ecosystem services that soils provide. Soil health to me really means that we are talking about soil function; that is, managing our soils in a way that maximizes a soil’s potential to perform specific functions. Those functions range from supplying nutrients to crops; capturing and storing precipitation to reduce runoff, erosion, and flooding; and managing carbon in a way that enhances water-storage capacity and potentially reduces negative climate implications from the agricultural landscape. So, the better we know soil health and function, the better we can do.
Why are you interested in SHARE?
Bandura: SHARE is all about collaboration; putting a flag in the hill and working as a team to achieve some common goal. I really like that SHARE is made up of an extremely diverse group of scientists and outreach professionals who come from different backgrounds. SHARE focuses almost solely on soil health through collaboration and outreach, and that is something I am very passionate about.
"Roots are one of the best things we can do to enhance several soil functions including infiltration, biological abundance and diversity, soil-water holding capacity, surface compaction relief, and more."
What’s your favorite soil health practice (and why):
Bandura: The generalized practice of “continuous roots” is my favorite. I don’t want to just say “cover crops” or “more perennial rotations” because they are both great and help to achieve the same thing. Roots are one of the best things we can do to enhance several soil functions including infiltration, biological abundance and diversity, soil-water holding capacity, surface compaction relief, and more. It is hard to find a better practice for reducing soil loss than continuous roots.
Visit Crops and Soils – Division of Extension for more information.
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