As a landowner or farm operator, you face many 

decisions when managing your natural resources. When 

it comes to improving soil health, consider installing the 

appropriate conservation practices listed in this handout 

to make the most direct impact. 

The following basic principles will help improve the 

health of your soil: keep the soil covered; minimally 

disturb the soil; keep a living cover throughout the year 

to feed the soil; diversify as much as possible using crop 

rotations and cover crops; and incorporate livestock into 

your system.

This brochure details 12 conservation practices that will 

help improve the health of your soil. Several of these 

practices, such as no-till and cover crops, also support 

Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy to reduce nutrients 

flowing into Iowa waters and eventually to the Gulf of 

Mexico. 

To learn more about improving soil health, visit the 

staff at your local NRCS office to discuss a long-term 

plan to address this important resource. A conservation 

plan can be developed to improve management for all 

resource concerns. NRCS staff and your local soil and 

water conservation district (SWCD) are available to help 

you make the right choices to protect your operation and 

resources.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Des Moines, Iowa

www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov

@IowaNRCS

CONSERVATION CHOICES

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Conservation practices that help improve soil health, reduce soil erosion, 

improve water quality, and provide other natural resource benefits.

Soil Health Practices
Conservation Practice Description How it helps Comments

Conservation Cover

Establishing and 

maintaining permanent 

cover of either introduced 

or native grasses, legumes 

and forbs for nesting cover, 

winter cover, brood cover, 

pollinator habitat, and food 

for wildlife.

• Reduces soil erosion.

• Improves water and air 

quality.

• Enhances plant diversity.

• Increases soil organic 

matter & overall soil health.

• Manages plant pests.

Contour Buffer Strips

Strips of grass or a mixture 

of grasses and legumes that 

run along the contour of a 

farmed field. They alternate 

down the slope of a field 

with wider cropped strips. 

Consider native grass and 

forbs for pollinators and 

beneficial insects.

• Reduces soil erosion, 

removing sediment, 

nutrients, and pesticides as 

they pass through.

• Buffer strips using native 

plants and grasses improves 

soil health in those areas.

• Pollinators & beneficial 

insects

Cover Crops

Crops, including grasses, 

legumes and forbs, for 

seasonal cover and other 

conservation benefits to 

the soil. They are planted 

prior to grain crop harvest 

or immediately after 

harvest. 

• Reduces soil erosion.

• Improves soil biology.

• Improves water infiltration.

• Traps, sequesters nutrients.

• Reduces weed competition.

• Provides livestock grazing.

• Increases soil organic 

matter.

Crop Rotation

Growing different crops on 

the same piece of land year 

after year in a planned, 

recurring sequence. This 

could involve a rotation 

to a small grain or a grass 

legume meadow.

• Reduces soil erosion.

• Rotating with alfalfa and 

other legumes reduces 

fertilizer needs.

• Reduces pesticide costs.

• Adds biological diversity to 

the soil.

• Improves water quality.

Photo by Anna McDonald

Soil Health Practices
Conservation Practice Description How it helps Comments

Forage and Biomass Planting

Planting grass and legumes 

suitable for pasture, hay, or 

biomass production.

This does not apply to the 

establishment of annually 

planted and harvested 

food, fiber, or other crops.

• Improves or maintains 

livestock nutrition and 

health.

• Provides forage supplies 

during periods of low forage 

production.

• Reduces soil erosion.

• Provides cover and habitat 

for wildlife.

Manure Management

Manage manure runoff 

by storing and containing 

it until conditions are 

appropriate for field 

application. See nutrient 

management for more 

information about applying 

manure.

• Manure is an excellent 

resource to enhance soil 

biology.

• Protects water quality by 

preventing runoff from 

livestock operations.

• Cuts fertilizer costs and 

reduces nutrient loss.

No-till/Strip-till

Performing no full-width 

tillage, regardless of the 

depth or timing of tillage 

operation. Long-term notill is needed to attain the 

full benefit. Most experts 

consider true no-till to be 

at least five years without 

tilling the soil.

• Reduces soil erosion.

• Protects water quality.

• Increases water infiltration 

& plant-available moisture.

• Adds organic matter to the 

soil as it decomposes.

• Reduces soil compaction.

• Fewer inputs saves money.

Nutrient Management

Managing the amount, 

source, placement, and 

timing of plant nutrients 

and soil amendments, 

which reduces the 

potential for nutrients to 

go unused and washing or 

infiltrating water supplies.

• Improves crop production.

• Reduces input costs.

• Protects water quality.

• Properly utilizes manure, 

biosolids, and other organic 

by-products as plant 

nutrient sources.

• Improves soil conditions.
Conservation Practice Description How it helps Comments

Pest Management

Follow integrated pest 

management practices 

to reduce crop and 

environmental damages 

from insects, weeds and 

diseases. Continuous use 

of the same pesticide can 

encourage resistance in 

pest populations.

• Scouting and spot 

treatment for threatening 

pests can save money.

• Improves water quality 

when precautions are taken 

to keep chemicals from 

leaving the field.

• Reduces over-application.

Prescribed Burning

Fire applied to managed 

grassland, forestland, 

pasture land, wildlife 

areas, or hayland within 

a prescribed set of 

conditions, dates, and 

with appropriate safety 

precautions to achieve a 

specific purpose.

• Controls undesirable 

vegetation.

• Controls plant disease.

• Improves plant production.

• Removes debris.

• Enhances seed production.

• Manages native plant 

diversity and composition.

Prescribed Grazing

Managing the harvest of 

vegetation using grazing 

animals. This is often 

achieved through a 

rotational grazing system 

where pastures are divided 

(with fencing) into four or 

more paddocks.

Improves or maintains:

• species composition and 

vigor of plant communities;

• quantity and quality of 

forage for grazing animal 

health and productivity;

• water quality and quantity.

Tree/Shrub Establishment

Establishing woody plants 

in non-forested areas 

by planting seedlings, 

container/potted plants, 

cuttings or by direct 

seeding.

• Reduces soil erosion.

• Produces woody biomass 

for energy.

• Improves air and water 

quality.

• Provides wildlife habitat.

• Stores carbon in biomass.

• Controls snow drifting.

April 2017

ISU Extension & Outreach

Soil Health Practices