Seeding Soil’s Potential
Building Soil Health
At Wrangler, our supply chain doesn’t begin with fabric or cotton. It begins with the land itself.
While cotton cultivation practices typically disturb and degrade the soil, an emerging set of farming practices build the soil's capacity to function as a vital ecosystem and sustain plants, animals, and humans.
In Wrangler's first ever position paper report, "Seeding Soil’s Potential," we summarize the research on soil health in cotton production which finds there is both economic and environmental value in building healthier soil.
How Do You Build Soil Health?
Research shows three farming practices, used together, are the foundation for building healthier soils. Together, these practices add three times more organic matter to the soil, which allows water to permeate the soil better and makes more nutrients available to the plants.
- COVER CROPS
Planted to produce biomass, reduce erosion and nutrient loss, and enhance soil structure when cash crops are not growing. Cover crops are not typically harvest, but instead are terminated mechanically or with herbicide prior to planting cash crops.
- CROP ROTATION
A well-accepted approach for managing pests and diseases, thus reducing the need for pesticides. Planting a different crop into the soil each year also nourishes the biological ecosystem below the ground, creating more favorable growing conditions for crops.
- CONSERVATION TILLAGE
A range of practices that reduce soil disturbance from plowing and maintain a minimum of 60% residue cover on the soil surface throughout the year; this prevents erosion and nutrient loss. Common conservation tillage methods include no-till and strip till, where only a very narrow strip of land is tilled for planting.
Learn more by downloading Seeding Soil's Potential
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