STAR Program
Colorado Soil Health Program
BVLCD are two of 17 Colorado Conservation Districts implementing the Colorado Soil Health Program. The program encourages producers to evaluate the specific context of their operation and field, decide what resources or practices they want to focus on, and then provides up to $5000/year matching funds to implement the farmer’s chosen practices. Participants gain familiarity and expertise with new practices and an increased understanding of the environmental and economic outcomes associated with them.
The Colorado Soil Health program is focused on the five principles of soil health:
Soil armor;
Minimizing soil disturbance;
Plant diversity;
Continual live plant/root; and
Livestock integration.
BVLCD had a busy year administering the Colorado Soil Health Program in 2024! Twelve of our producers, who piloted the program, wrapped up their third and final year of the program. In the meantime, we onboarded 10 new producers for the second round of this program, installing soil moisture sensors, taking soil samples, and paying out incentive payments for each of these new producers. Our round 2 producers are an excited bunch, eager to implement various soil health practices such as cover cropping, compost and biochar application, rotational grazing, weed management, interseeding, reduced tillage, and tree establishment.
