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Community Agriculture Alliance: Moon Farms invests in soil health

Reece Melton
Community Agriculture Alliance
Moon Farms in Moffat County.
Community Agriculture Alliance / Courtesy Photo

Doyle Moon, an agricultural producer in Moffat County who manages Moon Farms, has taken serious steps to improve his farm’s soil health. The producer is enrolled in the second round of funding available through the Colorado Soil Health Program (CSHP), offered through the Colorado Department of Agriculture. He is excited to see positive results in his implemented practices to improve soil health since enrolling in the program. 

Moon Farms produces hay, various cereal grains, and cattle. Doyle has integrated the application of dry compost on his soil health field to improve overall soil organic matter and to combat the farm’s reliance on fertilizer. Though it will take time to draw clear conclusions on the long-term effect of compost on his farm, Doyle has already noticed changes in his soil’s water holding capacity, ability to combat erosion, and stabilization of the planting and production of crops. 

Doyle has also adopted the use of a no-till drill to minimize the disturbance of his arable farm land, where this year he planted oats. Upon observing increased production of this year’s crop and intentional leaving of excess stubble residue on the ground in his field, Doyle was able to integrate cattle on his soil health-managed field to utilize the remaining residue and directly add manure to the site.



All of these practices are part of the Saving Tomorrow Agricultural Resources (STAR) field assessment, a nationally recognized tool that allows farmers to be rated on their use of critical soil health practices such as Doyle’s. These ratings provide a snapshot for producers indicating where they stand in their soil health journey with better resilience for the farmer’s land and water and a better shot at continuing to farm into the future.

Doyle has worked closely with Nicole Boulger from the Colorado First Conservation District and Soil Health team members Reece Melton and the Colorado Department of Agriculture to ensure these practices are helpful to his operations and to provide technical assistance as they are implemented.



Doyle is thankful for his partnership with the Colorado First District, and especially thankful for Nicole, who has worked incredibly hard throughout Doyle’s first year enrolled in CSHP.  He looks forward to his soil test results and continued monitoring of his nutrient profile in his enrolled field moving forward as he implements these resiliency boosting soil health practices.


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