Biochar Boosts Nebraska Farmer's Soil Health

University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers see promising results from biochar trials.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 6:27am

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A highly structured abstract painting in soft greens, browns, and blues, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the complex interactions between biochar, soil microbes, water, and nutrients in a healthy soil ecosystem.Biochar's potential to enhance soil health and efficiency could make agricultural production more sustainable.Lincoln Today

After using biochar for just one growing season, Nebraska vegetable and cut-flower farmer Nash Leef says he's seen a dramatic improvement in the silty-clay soils of his farm. Leef, who works with the Lincoln Biochar Initiative, has found that beds treated with biochar score significantly higher on the Haney soil health test compared to untreated control beds.

Why it matters

Biochar, a type of charcoal, has shown potential to enhance soil microbial activity, water-holding capacity, and carbon sequestration. If biochar can help farmers save on fertilizer and water usage, it could make agricultural production more efficient and sustainable.

The details

Leef's farm, Salt Slope Farmers' Cooperative, is part of a 16-acre field trial led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Lincoln Biochar Initiative. The trial is testing the effects of biochar alone, biochar combined with municipal wastewater biosolids, biosolids alone, and conventional management practices. After one season, Leef's biochar-treated beds had a soil health score of 43.37, compared to 25.2 for the untreated control beds. Organic matter levels were also significantly higher in the biochar beds at 14.1% versus 4.1% in the control.

  • Leef has been involved with biochar in agriculture for more than 7 years.
  • The current 16-acre field trial began in 2026.

The players

Nash Leef

A co-owner of Salt Slope Farmers' Cooperative near Lincoln, Nebraska, and a part-time contractor with the Lincoln Biochar Initiative.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Researchers at the university are leading the 16-acre field trial on biochar in collaboration with the Lincoln Biochar Initiative.

Lincoln Biochar Initiative

A collaboration between the University of Nebraska, the Lincoln municipality, and the Nebraska Forest Service, experimenting with farm-scale applications of biochar.

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What they’re saying

“Using the Haney Test, which evaluates soil health indicators such as soil respiration and the ratio of water-soluble fractions of organic carbon and organic nitrogen (N) to formulate a soil health score, our beds treated with biochar score significantly higher than control beds where the charcoal product was not applied.”

— Nash Leef, Farmer

“If you can save fertilizer and water, you make your entire system more efficient...”

— Nash Leef, Farmer

What’s next

The Lincoln Biochar Initiative plans to continue monitoring the 16-acre field trial to further evaluate the long-term impacts of biochar on soil health and crop productivity.

The takeaway

This research suggests that biochar could be a valuable tool for farmers looking to improve soil health, reduce water and fertilizer use, and enhance the sustainability of their operations. As the technology continues to be studied and refined, more farmers may adopt biochar as a soil amendment.