ASSESSING SOIL HEALTH OF A REGENERATIVELY MANAGED SMALLHOLDER FARM IN THE NORTH SALUDA WATERSHED, SC

Soil degradation is a widespread issue caused by industrial agriculture practices and reduces soil health in agroecosystems. Regenerative agriculture management practices can improve soil health and quality. However, few comprehensive studies of soil health exist for regenerative, smallholder farms in the southeastern United States. This study assessed the soil health of Ultisols on Feather Creek Farmstead, a 1.3 ha smallholder farm near Marietta, SC, with regenerative fields, a conventional field, and forest cover. Regenerative management practices included cover crops, residue retention, crop rotation, and organic amendments. Soil samples were analyzed for soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON), aggregate stability, bulk density, inherent soil properties, macro- and micronutrients, and microbial diversity. The average SOC stock of regeneratively farmed fields (40 Mg C/ha) was similar to the conventionally farmed field (39 Mg C/ha), but both were lower than forest soils (57 Mg C/ha). The SON stock of regeneratively farmed fields (3.0 Mg/ha) was similar to the forest soils (3.3 Mg/ha). The conventional field had a higher SON stock (4.4). The average aggregate stability index was lower in regenerative (0.34) and conventional (0.38) than the forest soils (0.62). Measured and calculated bulk density was higher in the regeneratively farmed fields and the conventional field (~1.4 g/cm³) than the forest soils (1.1 g/cm³). Regenerative fields had higher pH, base saturation, macronutrient concentrations (Ca, K, Mg, Na) and P concentrations, but lower acidity, than the forest soils and conventional soils. However, cation exchange capacity (CEC) is similar for all three management areas. Regenerative fields had higher micronutrient levels than the conventional field and were generally lower than the forest. Both regenerative and conventional fields had higher class-level diversity of bacteria and fungi than forest soils. Compared to previous research, the collected samples have higher levels of SOC stock than traditional row crops and no-till farms in the southeast. This suggests regenerative practices may have improved soil health at Feather Creek Farmstead as data is limited from the conventional field.