Harsh Cold Affecting Soil

When walking to class this morning, I began to think about how these bitterly cold days affect soil in agricultural fields. During my research I found that the freeze-thaw that the soil has been experiencing recently can actually help break up shallow compaction in soils. I also found that the dryer the soil when it freezes, the deeper the freeze will travel into the ground, potentially causing issues with soil health. Although a stretch of cold days can seem bad for the soil, it actually has some great benefits such as slowing both the process of denitrification and the breakdown of organic matter. It also helps to rid of any soil-borne pathogens by freezing them while they are in their over-wintering stages. If you are worried about your soil health in the winter, cover crops are a great option to limit both wind erosion and add nutrients into the soil after a growing season.