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Soil health action team reports demonstrations, producer survey and grant application
Summary
Larimer County’s soil health team reported demonstration events, producer survey results showing many producers already use soil-health practices, and a pending grant application to fund field days and a multi-year soil-testing research project.
Larimer County staff and partners told commissioners Feb. 10 that soil-health outreach and demonstrations in 2024 drew producer interest and that the county’s soil-health action team is pursuing additional field-days and a research publication pending grant funding.
Heidi Pruis and representatives of the CSU Extension soil-health team summarized last year’s events and survey work, saying producers requested more on-farm demonstrations and public soil-health education.
Why it matters: Soil-health practices affect carbon storage, water use and long-term agricultural resilience. Expanding demonstration and education can help producers adopt conservation practices that are both climate-resilient and productive.
Key details
- Demonstrations and attendance: The county hosted a Soil Health Day at River Ranch Farm in Loveland in June 2024 with 44 participants; organizers reported 88% of attendees said they felt more confident about implementing soil-health practices after the event. A Farmers Market Soil Health Day and the NoCo Farm Hop (Aug. 11) reached additional audiences, and a Grama and Grow grant-writing workshop drew roughly 70 producers.
- Producer survey: A Larimer County producer survey found many producers are already implementing soil-health practices; presenters said the survey results will help shape upcoming soil-health events and resources.
- Research and grant application: The soil-health group applied to a Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant to fund next year’s field days and to publish findings from the Citizen Soil Health program, which includes eight years of soil testing across about 50 farms in Boulder and Larimer counties. Grant results were expected in April 2025.
Commissioner questions and context
Commissioners emphasized the importance of public education and asked whether producers’ practices and parcel sizes were being tracked; presenters said the Forest Service and partners are compiling GIS data to map completed forest-restoration treatments and that prioritization tools such as watershed-scale analyses are being used by local coalitions.
What’s next
If the SARE grant is funded, the soil-health team will hold additional field days and publish current research from the Citizen Soil Health program; ongoing coordination with extension and partner organizations will inform future programming. No formal county vote occurred during the presentation.
Sources: Update by Heidi Pruis and CSU Extension soil-health materials presented to Larimer County Board of County Commissioners, Feb. 10, 2025.
