In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’re talking to Italian soil Scientist Dr. Adriano Sofo to shed some light on the importance of soil macrofauna, earthworms, beetles, ants, and the like, and their roles in building healthier soil for more sustainable agriculture. Dr. Adriano Sofo is an assistant professor in the University of Basilicata in Matera, Italy. Cited more than four thousand times, his research interests include plant-soil interactions, biogeochemistry, and environmental...

In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’re talking to one of the pioneers in developing probiotic technology, Dr. Matthew Wood, to shed some light on what efficient microbes (EM) are, what they do to the soil, and how our soils can benefit from adding them. Dr. Matthew Wood earned his Bachelor’s degree in Soil and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his Master’s degree working under Dr. Teruo Higa from the University of Ryukus in Okinawa, Japan. His work in...

In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’re talking to soil scientist Dr. Kurt Spokas of the United States Department of Agriculture to walk us through what biochar is, what it can potentially do, and what its limitations are when it comes to applying it to agricultural production. Dr. Kurt Spokas is a soil scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture who has dedicated years of research on the impact of farming practices on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other greenhouse...

In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’re talking to Dr. David Laird of Iowa State University to shed some light on what it means to have clay soil, what its benefits and drawbacks are on agricultural production, as well as de-mystifying some common misconceptions on clay soils. Dr. David Laird is a professor at Iowa State University Department of Agronomy. As a soil scientist, he has authored and co-authored more than 120 journal articles and book chapters on many subjects, most notably...

In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’re talking to 3Bar Biologic’s Dr. Jane Fife to shed some light on microbial biologics, realistic expectations of what they can do to our soils and our crops, and a little bit about the biological products industry. Dr. Jane Fife is the Chief Science Officer at 3Bar Biologics as well as an Adjunct Faculty at The Ohio State University. With more than twenty years of applied research experience, she is a proven leader in research in agricultural...

In this episode of In Search of Soil, we have Dr. Gary Harman of Cornell University on the show to talk about what Trichoderma is, what it does to the soil and all the benefits that it brings to plants and crops. Dr. Gary Harman is a Professor Emeritus at Cornell University College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science. His fields of specialization include biological control systems, plant-microbe interactions, and fungal genetics. With more than forty years’...

In recent years, there’s been a visible shift of farmers and growers, especially the younger ones, moving into more regenerative agricultural practices. That as may be, there are still a sizeable amount of growers who are firm in their conventional practices for one reason or another. In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’re talking to Dr. Gabe Kenne of the University of South Carolina to share a bit about trialing different growing practices involving tillage, no-till, and cover crops,...

As farmers and growers, one of the number one things we need to take good care of to ensure good production is our soil. Now, there are a ton of practices and amendments available that supposedly make our soils healthier, from compost to compost teas, to biochar, to a lot of other things. Consequently, one such amendment that’s coming more and more into light these past few years is live microbial amendments. Microbial amendments help both stimulate and improve the microbial fauna in the...

In this episode of In Search of Soil, we have Dr. Johannes Lehmann, one of the leading scientists in the field of soil biogeochemistry. We’ll be talking about and be questioning everything that we know—or think we know—about humus, biochar, and soil organic matter with insightful, thought-provoking discussions. Dr. Johannes Lehmann is a professor at Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a profound interest in advancing studies on biogeochemical cycles of carbon and...

In this episode of In Search of Soil, we have biochar scientist and citizen scientist advocate Francesco Tortorici to fill in those knowledge gaps and encourage you to push forward with being a responsible citizen scientist. Francesco Tortorici is an engineer by trade, and since 2014, he has worked with the Port Townsend designing and building biochar filters that remove heavy metals from stormwater runoffs. He and his wife Joan founded Olympic Biochar in 2015 with the goals of promoting...

Francesco Tortorici talks about how biochar can prevent nutrients from leaching out of the soil.  More on Francesco: https://www.olympicbiochar.com/ WATCH FULL EPISODES  YouTube https://bit.ly/watchISOS Follow Diego @diegofooter - https://www.instagram.com/diegofooter

Francesco Tortorici gives advice on making biochar in a cone kiln.  More on Francesco: https://www.olympicbiochar.com/ WATCH FULL EPISODES  YouTube https://bit.ly/watchISOS Follow Diego @diegofooter - https://www.instagram.com/diegofooter

Francesco Tortorici talks about why you should consider applying biochar to the soil.  More on Francesco: https://www.olympicbiochar.com/ WATCH FULL EPISODES  YouTube https://bit.ly/watchISOS Follow Diego @diegofooter - https://www.instagram.com/diegofooter

Thanks for the support through the first 10 episodes.  Please take some time to rate and review the show on iTunes. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-search-of-soil/id1535285404   LISTEN TO OTHER PODCASTS: The No-Till Market Garden: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-no-till-market-garden-podcast/id1441886206 Farm Land: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/farm-land/id676930917 Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock...

Randy Ritchie, CEO, and founder of Malibu Compost talks about charging what you need to for your products. Learn about Malibu Compost - https://www.malibucompost.com/ WATCH FULL EPISODES  YouTube https://bit.ly/watchISOS Follow Diego @diegofooter - https://www.instagram.com/diegofooter

Randy Ritchie, CEO, and founder of Malibu Compost gives advice on starting a compost business. Learn about Malibu Compost - https://www.malibucompost.com/ WATCH FULL EPISODES  YouTube https://bit.ly/watchISOS Follow Diego @diegofooter - https://www.instagram.com/diegofooter

Randy Ritchie, CEO, and founder of Malibu Compost gives his thoughts on why some compost is so bad. Learn about Malibu Compost - https://www.malibucompost.com/ WATCH FULL EPISODES  YouTube https://bit.ly/watchISOS Follow Diego @diegofooter - https://www.instagram.com/diegofooter

We’ve heard and talked about compost and compost teas. We’ve also talked about all the different ways to go about making your own compost and compost teas. But say that you just don’t have the time to make your own, you’d probably just hop on over to the municipal composting site and grab a truckload and go home.  How can you tell that the compost you got is actually good quality compost? Does it matter? That’s what our guest, Randy Ritchie, is going to talk about in this episode of In...

Carbon sequestration, carbon emission, carbon building. Soil carbon, organic carbon, and accessible carbon. They all keep popping up here and there in the farming space, but what exactly do they all mean? With carbon being thrown around everywhere, it’s understandable to get confused somewhere along the line. Which is why today’s guest, Dr. Bruno Basso of Michigan State University, will shed some light and hopefully clear up the mist surrounding carbon, its different forms, and how...

Dr. Bruno Basso talks about the differences in above and below soil carbon decomposition. Learn about CIBO Technologies - https://www.cibotechnologies.com/ WATCH FULL EPISODES  YouTube https://bit.ly/watchISOS Follow Diego @diegofooter - https://www.instagram.com/diegofooter