WW-07402     Reviewed 2008  

Copyright ©  2003  Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Why Manage Soil Organic Matter?

If you were looking for productive farmland, you would want an ideal soil in which:

• crops would thrive, even through dry spells,
  
  
• roots would grow extensively,
  
  
• implements would pull easily, and
  
  
• the soil would resist erosion and compaction.

In other words, you would look for soil with high organic matter levels. Soil organic matter, and the soil organisms that live on it, are critical to many soil processes. It allows high crop yields and reduced input costs.

Yet some farmers neglect this valuable resource by tilling excessively or by not regularly adding back organic matter. Here is part of what happens to soil performance when organic matter levels decline.

What are you doing to your soil organic matter?

Building soil organic matter may be the most important thing you can do to enhance long-term soil performance. This publication will help you understand the dynamics of organic matter and will examine how you could improve soil organic matter on your farm.

The information given in this publication is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by University of Minnesota Extension is implied.

Produced by Communication and Educational Technology Services, University of Minnesota Extension.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this material is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact your University of Minnesota Extension office or the Extension Store at (800) 876-8636.