The promotion of soil health management is of critical importance in the Great Plains as the conversion of grasslands to row crops has been a growing concern over recent decades due to its environmental impacts, including soil degradation, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and loss of biodiversity.

This partnership with 30 farmers and ranchers will advance the understanding of how soil health management can improve resilience and water quality within the Lower Missouri River Basin. Major rivers like the Kansas and Platte rivers flow directly into the Missouri River, playing key roles in the hydrology of the basin. Land management in these tributaries contributes to nutrient runoff and sedimentation, which not only impacts contributions into the Gulf of America, but also impacts drinking water and recreation for large urban communities, including Kansas City and Omaha. 

By encouraging farmer and rancher collaborators to observe soil and water data first-hand from their own land and the surrounding community, they will understand the impact soil health management and managed grasslands can have on water quality and farm resilience.