Understanding Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture

What is the state motto of North Dakota?

• Strength through the Soil

• Forward

• Union, Justice, Confidence

• Liberty and Prosperity

By what year do we need to feed nine billion people according to the challenges faced in agriculture?

• 2025

• 2040

• 2030

• 2050

What has caused a significant loss of biodiversity in agricultural lands?

• Organic farming

• Crop rotation

• Monoculture practices

• Permaculture

What percentage of topsoil was lost in Walsh County, North Dakota from 1960 to 2014?

• 65%

• 40%

• 56%

• 25%

What is the result of not having soil aggregates?

• Higher crop yields

• Increased water infiltration

• Loss of soil to the watershed

• Decreased soil erosion

What is a major consequence of high synthetic fertilizer use?

• Increased biodiversity

• Propagation of weeds

• Improved soil health

• Higher water retention

What does nature's model of agriculture avoid?

• Monocultures

• Mechanical tillage

• Crop rotation

• Use of organic fertilizers

What is the first principle to follow in nature's model of agriculture?

• Minimal mechanical disturbance

• Use of synthetic inputs

• High biodiversity

• Continuous crop cover

What is the benefit of having living plant-root networks according to the speaker?

• Increased soil erosion

• Higher need for pesticides

• Optimized solar energy collection

• Reduced water efficiency

What has been the result of implementing sustainable practices on the speaker's operation?

• Increased soil health and profitability

• Higher government subsidies

• Decreased organic matter

• Lower rainfall infiltration