Episode 24 - 7: A Passion for Gardening with Bill "Pops" Patterson of Virginia USDA-NRCS Part II
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
16h ago
A passion for gardening and tasty, flavorful tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot peppers continues to drive Bill Patterson's experimentation with crop rotations, mulching, composting, and winter and summer cover crops in his home garden. Mary Sketch Bryant and Eric Bendfeldt talked previously with Bill about his conservation work with soil health and grazing lands. Bill is equally passionate about his home garden as he is about farmers' grazing lands. He uses his garden as an experimentation station to test and observe the soil health-building principles. Bill emphasizes: "rotations, rotations, rota ..read more
Visit website
Episode 24 - 6: For the Love of Soil with Bill "Pops" Patterson of Virginia USDA-NRCS Part I
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
1w ago
A love and curiosity for soil sparked a fifty-year career in soil and natural resources conservation. Mary Sketch Bryant and Eric Bendfeldt talk with Bill Patterson, retired district conservationist and present grazing specialist with Virginia USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, about his career and to hear his insights on soil health and grazing. Bill is affectionately called "Pops" and has served as a mentor for many farmers and soil conservationists. Bill was recently recognized at the Virginia Farm to Table Conference for his lifetime achievement with the 2023 Carl Luebben Soil He ..read more
Visit website
Episode 24 - 5: The Unintended Consequences of Deep Tillage with Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom Part II
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
3w ago
Are we there yet? Have we arrived at the intended destination? Have we reached the goal we set out for improving soil health and how soil functions? Have our good intentions of attempting to loosen the soil resulted in negative unintended consequences? In part one of our conversation with Dale Stricker of Regenerative Wisdoms, Dale stated that tillage and soil disturbance make farmers very susceptible to drought. However, in relying on deep tillage and subsoiling to remove a mechanical barrier (i.e., a compacted layer or hardpan), farmers may exacerbate the problem, and tillage can result in ..read more
Visit website
Episode 24 - 4: Drought Resilience: Does Subsoiling Pay? with Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom Part I
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
1M ago
How functional and drought-resilient is your soil? Is your soil a week away from a drought and an hour away from a flood? Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom talks with Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt about ways to increase drought resilience moving forward. Dale draws on his experience and expertise as a farmer, cattle rancher, college soil science instructor, and current agronomist to provide sound information for restoring soil function so the soil can hold water and allow water to infiltrate. Does tillage and subsoiling pay and make soil more drought-resilient? Dale states that tillage a ..read more
Visit website
Episode 24 - 3: A Purposeful Soil Health Mindset with Rebekah Slabach of Virginia Tech Part II
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
2M ago
How does a purposeful mindset contribute to soil health and rebuilding soil fertility? What can we learn from culture, history, and mindset in storing our farm landscapes? Rebekah Slabach recently became the associate director for the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture within Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Formerly, Rebekah was an extension agent for agriculture and natural resources with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Halifax County. Rebekah reminds us that culture and history are part of agriculture and that managing soil health through changing weat ..read more
Visit website
Episode 23 - 26: What's Happening in the Soil Food Web with Dr. Stuart Grandy of UNH Part I
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
2M ago
How does one measure and monitor what's happening below the ground in the soil food web? Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt caught up with Dr. Stuart Grandy, Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment, at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to discuss the diversity of soil life and emerging sensor technologies to probe soil organic matter, soil carbon, and overall health. Dr. Grandy outlines why core soil health principles are essential for encouraging fungal hyphae, increasing the diversity of habitats, and enhancing food substrates needed to build a robust soil food ..read more
Visit website
Episode 23 - 2: The Stories Soils Tell with Clare Tallamy of Virginia Tech's Soil Judging Team Part II
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
2M ago
You might know soil remembers and has a long memory but do you know soils continually tell stories? Soils often tell an overarching story based on history and geology that includes how soils were formed due to factors such as parent material, climate, landscape position, time, and the presence or absence of soil organisms. Current and past management of topsoil and the soil ecosystem adds new chapters to a soil's history and memory. Clare Tallamy, a recent graduate of Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES), shared several stories from her experience as a member of V ..read more
Visit website
Episode 23 - 1: Down in the Pit with Clare Tallamy of Virginia Tech's Soil Judging Team Part I
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
2M ago
Do you have a vision and picture of what happens in a soil judging pit? Clare Tallamy, a recent graduate of Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES), shared her passion for soil health and soil judging in this episode. Clare was a member of Virginia Tech's Soil Judging Team and helped the team win its seventh collegiate national championship. Clare also distinguished herself as the individual winner at the 2022 International Soil Judging Contest that was held in Scotland. As an avid gardener growing up in Northern Virginia, Clare took a keen interest in soil science an ..read more
Visit website
Episode 22-1: Building Cultural Soil with Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman's Community of Businesses Part 2
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
2M ago
In this episode, Jeff Ishee, Eric Bendfeldt, and Mary Sketch continue their conversation with Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman’s Delicatessen and Community of Businesses. In Part 2, Ari builds on his metaphor of building our cultural soils, discussing the importance of playing the long game of fostering a healthy organizational ecosystem. To read Ari's recent reflections on the metaphor, please visit https://www.zingtrain.com/blog/the-importance-of-organizational-culture/ Also, please don’t forget to share your commitment and your organization's commitment to soil health and a healthy ecosystem by ..read more
Visit website
Episode 21-6: Rooted in and Tied to Love and Care -- Virginia's Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring
4 The Soil: A Conversation
by Eric Scott Bendfeldt
2M ago
In this episode, Mary Sketch of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and Jeff Ishee of On the Farm Radio talk with Virginia's Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring who shares her love for and tie to nature, forests, and soils; and how that love and those connections made a difference in her trajectory and career. Secretary Ring was introduced to gardening and nature by her grandparents and parents and the connections they made for her to land, water, and soil. Secretary Ring admits that she would "nerd out" on soil early on in her life because she was so intrigued with the biology a ..read more
Visit website

Follow 4 The Soil: A Conversation on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR