Measuring Water Infiltration in Agricultural Soils

Whether they’re experiencing drought or heavy rains, farmers and graziers know that healthy soils retain water better than depleted soils. Soil aggregation creates porous space, which ensures that rainfall stays in the soil instead of running off into waterways. In this video, Lisa Blazure of the Pennsylvania Soil Health Coalition and NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Lee Rinehart discuss soil water conditions and demonstrate how to assess infiltration rates during the Columbia and Luzerne County Conservation Districts Soil Health Field Day. The field day was held at Chapin Farms, a no-till grain farm in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania.

This video is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

This video is also supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2019-38640-29878 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number SUB00002302. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.