Agriculture Is Focus Of The International Year Of Soils For March

Mar 11, 2015

As part of the 2015 International Year of Soils (IYS) celebration, CropLife America (CLA) is pleased to recognize the importance of soil in agriculture. Soil provides a foundation for plant growth, yet less than 11% of the world’s land surface is arable. Protecting this remaining land is vital as it can take more than 500 years to form just two centimeters of topsoil, a nutrient-filled layer crucial for crop growth. Through the use of crop protection products, farmers can practice conservation tillage to avoid soil disruption and keep topsoil healthy and productive.

“With an ever-decreasing amount of arable land, it is imperative to keep soil healthy,” commented Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA. “Precision agriculture and the advancement of crop protection products allow farmers to properly adjust and react to varying conditions in their fields. This exactness is the basis of modern agriculture—giving farmers the ability to increase yields while reducing the environmental impact.”

The Soil Science Society of America has developed unique monthly themes to showcase the diverse value of soil with March recognizing how Soils Support Agriculture. Educators can download activities as well as a PowerPoint presentation and a video, co-sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy, to help teach students about the significance of soil in agriculture. Topics include how plants obtain nutrients, the impact of erosion and the importance of practices such as precision agriculture.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.