Soil Health Resources
Blogs, webinars and podcasts
Videos
Playlist
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Podcasts
Eliminating The Need For Synthetic Fertilizers
Dr. Kris Nichols has conducted innovative research on soil biology, understanding how to regenerate soil health quickly. She is the founder and principal scientist of KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration In Soils) Systems Education & Consulting Services. Dr. Nichols has also been the Chief Scientist at Rodale Institute and a Research Soil Microbiologist with the USDA. In this episode, Kris and I discuss how to harness the power of fungi to decrease the use of synthetic fertilizers, the symbiosis between bacteria and water retention, and climate-resilient crops. Click here to listen
Why Should We Care About Soil Health?
Dr. Hatfield is the laboratory director for the USDA’s National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment. He has also served on the faculty of the University of California-Davis and is a Past President of the American Society of Agronomy. In this short but very powerful episode, Jerry and I discuss the mechanics of improving plant efficiency in capturing water, nutrients, and light and put that into productivity. We talk about the role that the soil-plant continuum plays in not only developing the productivity but also the quality of the products that plant is harvested for. Jerry and I discuss the fundamental functions of the soil aggregate structure and the value of gas exchange and water infiltration.
Click here to listen.
Reshaping How Agriculture Sees Plant Nutrient Uptake With Dr. James White
In this episode, James and John discuss: How plants get nutrients through the rhizophagy cycle, Important microbes lost from commercial seed production, Indigenous wisdom in seed production, bacteria changing the behavior of fungal populations through nutrients, how endophytes benefit plants, reshaping agriculture to be based on how plants actually grow, and how plants cannot grow without microbes in their cells. Click here to listen.
The Learning Experience of Regenerative Ag with Dr. Allen Williams
In this episode, John and Allen discuss: The ideals we seek for a highly functioning soil, fungal vs bacterial dominate soils, primary drivers of ecosystem development, the relationships between mycorrhiza fungi, aggregates, and protozoa, implementing regenerative practices into your specific situation, the three rules of adaptive stewardship, and the performance of livestock in ecosystems Click here to listen.
Building Soil Health as a First Generation Farmer with Ryan Bivens
Meet first generation Kentucky farmer Ryan Biven and discover his unique path to farming. Discover his business model including both owned and rented land and explore his approach to soil health on that land. Explore Ryan’s practices with rotation and his experiences with cover crops. Click here to listen.
Building Soil Health for Soil Function
In this episode we wrap up season seven of the soil sense podcast with a well known and well respected farmer and long-time soil conservationist, Barry Fisher. Barry recently retired from his career at the USDA, where he most recently worked in the soil health division. In that capacity he met and spoke with farmers about soil health throughout the central part of the US. Since retirement, Barry manages his family farm in Greencastle, Indiana and has a consulting business where he does training and soil health education for organizations through Fisher Soil Health LLC. Barry discusses soil health principles, important considerations for transition to regenerative practices, and the essential role of a knowledgeable advisor. Click here to listen.
Sustainable farming practices prevent soil erosion, improve soil health
Since he began to farm while in high school, Greg Thoren has worked to keep soil in place. “Erosion is a very large factor. [There are] a lot of waterways, a lot of conservation practices that have gone in place in our county,” said Thoren, describing Jo Daviess County in the hilly northwest corner of Illinois. “By no means we’re ‘flat and black,’” he said. But the practices that help secure his soil improve his land in other ways. “Trying to prevent the erosion aspects of what we’re doing in our fields,” he said, “benefit us in so many different ways.” Click here to listen.
SHP members seeing soil health improvements
Participants in the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) are seeing improved organic matter and “a general uplift in their soil health” as a result of being in the program, according to Dr. Shefali Mehta, executive director of the SHP. The partnership is generating valuable data from farmers who are using sustainable farming practices in order to improve the health of their soil, said Dr. Mehta. “We are moving out of that start-up mode,” said Dr. Mehta, “to a much more stable, established program.” The goal of the program, she said, is to support farmer members of the SHP to be sure they come out of the program “in a much better place.” “How can we be more effective with soil health,” Mehta said, “in a way that’s economically viable for our farmers?”
Click here to listen.
Building Soil Health as a First Generation Farmer with Ryan Bivens
“The biggest asset a grower has is the land that he farms,” says Nathan Fields, vice president of production and sustainability at the National Corn Growers Association. From the Farm Bill Conservation Title to collaborative efforts among diverse groups and individuals, Fields supports anything that results in improved soil health. “Making sure that we’re taking care of that resource in the context of conservation measures has been something that growers have been engaged in for a long time,” he says, adding that commitment to soil health needs to continue. “Now,” he says, “we’re really beginning to understand a lot more of what those long-term benefits are.”
Click here to listen.
Building Soil Health as a First Generation Farmer with Ryan Bivens
Jerry Hatfield of Iowa State University talks about our food system, productivity and profitability.
Click here to listen.
Seven Generations of Stewardship with Susan Watkins
When it comes to sustainability, it’s hard to argue with results. For Virginia farmer Susan Watkins that means seven generations and counting of stewarding highly productive farmland. In this episode we get to talk about that rich history and the soil health building practices that she is implementing on her operation. We talk to Susan about their legacy of caring for the soil, how they transitioned to no-till over 20 years ago, how they incorporated cover crops about 15 years ago, and what she’s looking forward to next. Click here to listen.
Blogs
Soil Ur Undies 2024 Challenge!
Healthy soil contains billions of microbes. In fact, one teaspoon of healthy soil contains more microbes than there are people on the planet.
Test the health of your soil by taking the “Soil Ur Undies Challenge”.
Happy Earth Day! In honor of Earth Day, we are kicking off the 6th annual “Soil Ur Undies” contest! Test the soil on your farm for microbial activity by burying a pair of underwear. If your soil is microbially healthy, the Undies should be completely decomposed in 60 days.
Think your soil has what it takes? Then take the “Soil Ur Undies” challenge!
Polk SWCD “Biology for Soil Health Workshop”
Millions of living creatures bring “health” to the “soil.”
The microbiology of soil is a topic of intense scientific study in need of more attention.
During the workshop, Polk SWCD looked at soil samples, talked about the benefits of diverse microbiology and demonstrated how to build a Johnson-Su Composting system. The day concluded with a panel on successes and near misses from local regenerative farming practices.
Learn about what science has to say about increasing your soil’s health, structure, microbes, and more.
The goal of Polk SWCD is to protect water quality and conserve soil resources in Iowa.
To provide leadership that helps people improve, conserve, and sustain our natural resources while educating them on the importance and practicality of maintaining our environment and quality of life.
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