Reducing Disturbance 

Farmers practicing soil health say the road to soil health is a journey and not a destination, as you are constantly learning and adjusting along the way. This video series, “Cotton & Covers,” follows the soil health journey of three (3) coastal plain cotton producers as they share their stories and experiences to improve the health and productivity of their farms.
Strip-till and subsoiling are common practices for cotton production in the coastal plain soils of the southeast. Both systems cause soil disturbance and use a lot of fuel. In this episode, Zeb Winslow of Scotland Neck, North Carolina, Sonny Price of Dillon, South Carolina, and Burton Heatwole of Millen, Georgia, share how they have overcome these challenges by converting to a no-till farming system and planting cotton into multi-species cover crops. has helped them maintain yields and save money. This video is the second of six (6). Watch the full series today:
Video 1: Introduction
Video 2: The Benefits of Reducing Disturbance
Video 3: Getting Started with Cover Crops
Video 4: Incorporating Multispecies Covers
Video 5: Next Level Diversity
Video 6: Incorporating Livestock
“Cotton & Covers” is a production of the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton project of the Soil Health Institute. Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton seeks to expand adoption of soil health management systems on producers’ farms through farmer-focused education and training events delivered by Soil Health Institute scientists, partnering soil health technical specialists and farmer mentors producing cotton using soil health promoting practices. The project aims to improve soil health and expand sustainable cotton production. Additionally, the project seeks to quantify, expand, and verify the productivity and environmental benefits of the soil health management practices used by cotton producers. Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton is supported through the generosity of the Wrangler® brand, the VF Corporation Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation.