MARATHON COUNTY, Wis. — Educators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are working with farmers to find ways to keep soil healthy.

Jamie Patton is senior outreach specialist with UW-Madison’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program. She said she’s dedicated her career to soil care.

“I’m really excited to talk about soils as well as water quality and talking about how we, as landowners, farmers and homeowners, can better manage our lands to preserve that soil,” said Patton.

She regularly finds herself in big holes in the ground during workshops throughout the state. The workshops are attended by farmers interested in learning how field management affects crop growth and water quality.

Patton said it’s all about how the fields handle water.

“That water’s being filtered as is moves down through these soils, so the soils are important to everybody who wants to eat and who wants to drink water. So, in general, soils are life,” she said.

Patton said what farmers plant plays a huge role in how much water the soil soaks up. She said crops and plants with longer root systems that go deeper in the soil are better for soil health and water quality; they soak up more water and retain more nutrients.

“What we don’t want is the water to run off the soil because when it runs off the soil, it can pick up sediment or soils with it and it can also take nutrients with it,” she said. “Those soils and nutrients end up in our surface water bodies, our rivers, our lakes, our streams, and can cause pollution.”

Patton said some farmers plant crops year-round to keep long root systems in the soil. She said this allows the soil to soak up water better, and it also protects top soil from erosion.

“Often times we will plant cover crops, so getting that crop that’s growing after our typical crop and grows through the winter to help provide that vegetation and the root growth all year long,” she said.

Patton said she’s noticed as the years go by, more farmers are attending the workshops. She said she knows the education she provides could save a farmer’s livelihood while protecting the water we drink.

“When we start to see crowds in that 30, 40, 80, 100 people coming out to a field day to share my joy and excitement, while I’m standing in a hole in the ground learning about the geology as well as the impacts of our management, is really important progress moving forward in environmental management,” she said.

Patton said that being in the ground is right where she needs to be, so others see what their management methods do to the soil.