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The vitality of Montana’s food, water, economy, and environment are rooted in the health of Montana’s soils. These soils and the people who steward them allow us to grow nutritious food, retain our limited water resources, and keep our communities resilient, thriving, and prosperous. Learn more about Montana Soil Health Week.
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Adapting to the FutureObserving soil content and assessing soil health is the newest of the watershed council's goals.
The watershed council wants to educate its members on the defining characteristics of what makes soil healthy and encourage practices to improve soil quality. Healthy soil is imperative for agricultural productivity and the preservation of wilderness areas. For ranchers and farmers, good soil health is profitable. Thriving soil means higher quality forage for livestock, better hay harvests, greater yields of crops, larger profits when herds go to market, decreased expenses for inputs like fertilizer and fewer problems with weeds and animal parasites. Good soil health is also an effective means of water conservation. In comparison to poor soil, well-composed soil facilitates water infiltration, which helps replenish and maintain groundwater sources, and act as a storage reservoir within the soil. This, in turn, promotes drought tolerance. Given the general importance of soil health to an agricultural community, like the Stillwater corridor, Stillwater Valley Watershed Council hopes to increase awareness for soil quality through education and by providing opportunities for soil testing. |
The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.” 
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