Salinity doesn’t show up overnight—and it doesn’t go away with a quick fix.
In this two-part series, Shane Jordan helps us connect the dots between what’s happening this year and what it will take to respond effectively.
- Episode 1 explores why conditions are aligning for salinity to expand—wet years, rising water tables, and bare soil setting the stage.
- Episode 2 moves into practical strategies—how to rebuild function in the soil and begin turning the tide.
Together, they tell a single story:
Salinity is not a spot problem. It’s a system problem.
The Big Takeaway
What looks like a white patch in a field is often just the symptom.
The cause lies in how water moves across the entire landscape—and how management either accelerates or slows that movement.
Go Deeper
If you’d like to explore Shane’s thinking in more detail, these two articles expand on the ideas in this series:
These pieces dig further into the “why” and the “how,” including the limits of treating symptoms and the importance of whole-field thinking.
⭐ In this episode, Shane also discusses the Regenerative Pilot Program where the NRCS is investing $700 million to support regenerative agriculture. For more info, go here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/regenerative-pilot-program
About Shane Jordan
Shane Jordan is a Resource Conservationist with the NRCS Brookings Area Ecological Team, specializing in salinity management, soil health, and whole-farm conservation planning.
He grew up on a diversified farm in Iowa and holds a B.S. in Range Management from South Dakota State University. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Shane has worked across the Northern Plains in roles including range conservationist, district conservationist, and watershed project specialist. He served 23 years as District Conservationist in Redfield, South Dakota, working directly with producers to implement conservation systems on working lands.
In 2025, Shane was awarded the Hugh Hammond Bennett National Planner Award, one of NRCS’s highest honors. The award recognizes outstanding leadership in conservation planning, long-term commitment to working with landowners, and excellence in applying resource management to real-world agricultural systems.
Known for his practical, relationship-based approach, Shane emphasizes whole-system thinking—helping producers move beyond treating symptoms to addressing the underlying causes of resource challenges.
