Originally Published by Conservation Districts Iowa
There are millions of reasons to dig deep into the health of soil – as in millions of living creatures that bring the “health” to the “soil”. The microbiology of soil is a topic of intense study by science – but one needing more attention – so Polk SWCD Watershed Coordinator Michael James organized a daylong workshop in July to share some of that science to farmers and landowners in central Iowa.
“For the past 20 years the scientific community has intensively studied the microbiology of soil,” James said. “What they have found is that soil biology influences the structure of soil, it influences nutrient cycling, and that soil biology interacts directly with plants to release nutrients, transport water and mitigate disease and pest pressure.” Held at the Middleswart Lodge Nature Center near Indianola, the “Biology for Soil Health Workshop” was co-sponsored by Polk SWCD and Midwest Soil Restore, which manufactures the “Johnson-Su” composting system, a method of putting “biology into the soil”, James said. He was assisted in managing the day’s events by interns Courtney Strousser from NRCS and Tess Kern from IDALS – both working with Polk SWCD.
“It’s this idea we’ve had over the last 50-70 years that soil is a chemical matrix that we put chemistry on, and we expect results based on a chemical interaction phase between the chemistry that we apply and the chemistry that’s in the soil,” said James. “What we now realize is that model is not 100% true. Biology plays a really important part in storing and releasing the nutrients that become bound to soil particles. For instance: phosphorus. Phosphorus becomes bonded to soil particles very quickly and becomes basically inaccessible by the plants – unless you have soil biology that can release that phosphorus back into the soil. If you’re working to keep that process of soil biology to release that phosphorus, then you don’t have to put as much phosphorus on the soil next time.”
Enrolled in an Iowa State University Master’s degree program, James used his contacts there for guest speaker suggestions, in addition to private industry experts from Green Cover Seed, Living Soil Compost Lab, and Midwest Soil Restore that included a demonstration of how the Johnson-Su compost system can be managed on the farm, by the farmer. “Midwest Soil Restore brought all their gear and all their equipment to show farmers that they could do this themselves.” Compost is generally thought of as a way to apply nutrients to the soil. However, the Johnson-Su compost method’s primary goal is to apply beneficial microbiology to increase overall soil health and function. The day also included a panel of three area farmers answering questions on successes and near misses in regenerative farming practices.
James advised farmer guests how attention to healthy microbiology in the soil can both protect the environment and profitability. “We now have a paradigm shift from soil being a chemical matrix that holds and releases the chemistry that we put to soil, to a living breathing zone of plant and micro biological interaction. This understanding is beginning to change the way that we farm. Instead of ignoring soil biology, we are now finding ways to promote it, and encourage benefits that it provides. With this new knowledge, farmers are finding ways to reduce the amounts and therefore the costs of nutrient applications, and they are finding ways to reduce their pesticide and fungicide applications. All this while maintaining or growing yields.”
The benefits for farmers and the community are extraordinary, said James. “Less nutrient pollution, lower farming costs, less chemicals in the environment and more nutrient dense foods.”
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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