Clemson Public Service and Agriculture Clemson soil nutrient management specialist Bhupinder Farmaha and master’s student Mitchell Rich study how utilizing cover crops and conservation tillage in cotton fields may be just what the doctor ordered for healthy soils. Three common strategies — conservation tillage, diversified crop rotations and cover crops — are used to improve soil health. Earth’s population is expected to increase by more than 2 billion people by 2050 and, to help ensure there is enough food and fiber to go around, keeping soils healthy is crucial. Bhupinder Farmaha, a soil nutrient management specialist at Clemson’s Edisto Research and Education Center, believes utilizing cover crops and conservation tillage in cotton may be just what the doctor ordered for healthy soils.