Winter is often viewed as the “off-season” for most, but conservation never truly pauses. Your soil’s health continues working while the rest of us enjoy the snowfall and holidays. These colder months leading up to spring are an important window for setting up success for the next growing season.
Even in the cold, the soil remains alive! While microbial activity slows down, it doesn’t stop. Instead, microbes shift their role and start breaking down existing organic matter for energy rather than actively releasing nutrients. This process keeps the soil ecosystem balanced and helps ensure that nutrients will be available when springtime rolls around.
Cover crops are a key player in winter soil health. They serve as living covers that protect the soil from erosion that can be caused by wind, rain and even melting snow. These crops act as nutrient scavengers, capturing the remaining nutrients left behind from the previous growing season that might be lost through leaching. Cover crops also provide a strong defense against winter weeds, keeping fields clean and reducing management needs when spring planting begins.
Pastures benefit from conservation-minded winter management as well. One strategy is stockpile grazing. This allows producers to extend their grazing season and delay the start of feeding hay, which we all want to delay, since we had a drought for two years. Stockpiled forage maintains good nutritional value while providing a cost-effective way to feed livestock and preserve stored feed for later use.
Winter also offers the perfect opportunity to pause and plan for the next year. The off-season provides time to review field data, such as erosion spots, yields of pastures and crop grounds, trends and adjustments for the upcoming year. It’s the time to reflect on what has worked well and what could be improved in both cropping and grazing systems.
It’s also a season that is filled with educational opportunities. Many local groups and agencies host workshops and meetings that focus on conservation practices and farm management. For example, the Eastern Ohio Grazing Council, which includes the soil and water conservation districts from Harrison, Jefferson, Carroll, Columbiana, Stark and Tuscarawas counties, offer monthly winter meetings from January through March and monthly summer pasture walks from April through September.
Stay in touch with Eastern Ohio Grazing Council on Facebook to see when and where each event is held. The next meeting will be Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Harrison County Fairgrounds.
Winter may slow down our fields and come to rest, but it doesn’t mean the work of conservation practices stops. Treat this season as an opportunity, one of the most valuable times to protect your soil, plan for the year ahead, and keep your operation growing stronger.
So, remember winter isn’t the off-season, it’s a conservation season!
