Help us help you –  SymSoil is actively trying to shape emerging regulations to recognize the value of healthy soil.  The goal is to help family farms improve profitability by encouraging high quality on-farm composting and the restoration of soil biology.  SymSoil’s co-founder, Peter Hirst, is on several committees which are participating in the legal and regulatory framework that is changing. SymSoil – On-Farm Composting Solano, Napa, Yolo, Mendocino, Humboldt Counties Hiring now (Summer 2020) for Kern and Fresno Counties SymSoil is a soil health and offers on-farm composting ..read more

There are more than a dozen agencies responsible for oversight of composting in California.  The current regulatory limits on materials and sale/distribution of finished compost have created an environment where most California farmers do not compost. Combined with other challenges, these regulatory limits have created a significant disincentive for farmers to use their agricultural waste to improve their farm’s productivity. California’s State Water Resources Board has taken the lead in seeking a better solution – a way to remove the logjam that has caused very little on-farm composting ..read more

Every Spring, I call my father, who is a master gardener, for advice on making compost. I don’t know if it is the water here in Los Angeles, or the air in Texas, but I never make good compost, despite following his instructions closely. What Cynthia didn’t know was that food waste is particularly difficult to make quality compost with. It tends to rot without becoming that dark brown, rich material, with almost no smell, that gardeners value. Her father’s compost is probably a combination of green leaves, woody materials and biology from prior years of composting. A couple of years ago, Mike ..read more

As a soil health company, we are passionate about the soil microbe biome. But since the microbes are invisible to the naked eye … how do you measure them? Soil Health and its measurement There are a number of approaches. We are publishing a series of articles on the pros and cons of each. This is a summary, of what we have written so far. When complete, we will add a box comparing these various tests. Direct Observation by Microscopy The Soil Food Web Institute, and Dr. Elaine Ingham, recommends direct observations via microscope. This type of test involves finding and counting the numbers an ..read more

Living microbes are hardworking and benefit plants in many ways. Among other things, soil microbes Soil microbes interacting with plant roots and each other need to breath Increase water holding capacity of soil Release nutrients to plants (a.k.a. mineralization) – when the microbes die or through symbiotic relationships with plants Keep disease in check Enhance plant growth Store nutrients in their bodies to prevent leaching or volatilization from the soil (a.k.a immobilization) Excrete “glue” that binds soil together in a way that prevents erosion, decreases compaction, and increases water ..read more

The soil microbe biome works to cycle nutrients, breakdown and incorporate organic matter applied to fields, and aggregate soil particles.  The 7 types of life interact, as a complete ecosystem, with each other and plants to maintaining and improving soil health, and by extension, soil tilth and fertility.  Biological farmers have many tools to choose from for monitoring their soil microbe biome to evaluate the effectiveness of soil management practices.  One such tool is the light microscope – an instrument that can magnify an object hundreds of times to making even the small b ..read more

In fine wine, flavor reigns supreme.  The single most important factor is quality of the grapes, which is a function of their terroir.  The skill of the vineyard manager and the winemaker are important, but the vineyard’s terroir – the minerals in the soil, the amount and angle of the sunlight, the amount of water have always been critical to thinking about wine.  Recently, the most forward thinking vineyard managers have begun focusing on the estate’s  biological terroir. Wolfgang Hasselmann (Upsplash) These are not new ideas.  In 2006, Dr. Elaine Ingham and Carol Ann ..read more

A tenet of biological farming with the soil food web is “Feed your soil and the soil will feed your plants”.  Applying management practices that develop and maintain desired microorganism levels and diversity, will feed the plants by cycling nutrients they need.  From a business standpoint, it’s important to know that applied material and labor are having the desired effect because the input costs impact the bottom line.  SymSoil’s Soil Testing Lab in Fairfield can do this analysis for you, but often a quick test is sufficient to monitor your soil. But there is an inexpensive an ..read more

There are more than a dozen regulatory agencies in California, involved with regulating composting. Peter Hirst, SymSoil’s Director of Co-composted Product Development The regulations are currently in flux, but SymSoil’s Peter Hirst will be sharing his insights as the stakeholders develop new guidelines. He wanted to launch these posts on a philosophical note: Regulation in the classical sense means tuning, training and adjustment for maximum effectiveness, as in a well-regulated militia.   Regulation therefore includes, along with risks and demands, tremendous opportunity. This is w ..read more

You’ve heard great things about AACT, Actively Aerated Compost Tea, and have also heard of compost extracts. But most growers still are unclear on the differences. Which ones are better? How should they be used? What are the drawbacks? If you are involved in biologic farming in any way, you have likely heard of AACTs and almost certainly want to use your biologically active compost as efficiently as possible. Compost teas and extracts is a method of increasing the biodiversity in your soil that has been proven to be more effective than just topdressing. Think of biologically active, or Robus ..read more