Tunnel trouble: increasing many things, but not yield

How do we build organic matter on farms without over-fertilizing our soils? And what are realistic goals for increasing organic matter? In this episode, Natalie Hoidal interviews Dr. Nic Jelinski, a soil scientist at the University of Minnesota. They talk about soil formation, how organic matter accumulates in soil, broadening our metrics for soil health, and how different practices like compost additions and cover crops contribute to organic matter in the longer-term. 

Across the Great Lakes region, we see vegetable farms with very high levels of soil phosphorus. In this episode, Natalie Hoidal interviews four ecologists who study nutrient leaching in freshwater ecosystems to understand how much it matters for vegetable farms to have high phosphorus levels in their soils, and what we can do about it. 

High tunnel crops often look great for the first few years, but as tunnel soils begin to build up salts and alkalinity, we begin to see plant health problems around years 3-5. In this episode, Natalie Hoidal interviews Dr. Elsa Sanchez and Thomas Ford from Penn State about trends they've seen in high tunnel soils, and strategies for dealing with common problems. 

In this special mid-winter offering, three university researchers agreed to be interviewed and recorded for this live and in-person show. They were Marty Chilvers, specializing corn and bean diseases; James Dedecker, specializing wildlife management; and Zsofia Szendrei, specializing in insect pests of vegetables. This show is brought to you by Fartless Beans, and Heavy Metal Tube Man.

In this special mid-winter offering, three operations agreed to be interviewed and recorded for this live and in-person show. They were Blake Farms (Armada, MI), specializing in fruits, vegetables, and agritainment; Hoopers Farm Garden (Traverse City, MI), specializing in cut flowers for events; and Will Forage for Food (Grass Lake, MI), specializing in wild food tourism and educational events.