covercropping

What are the resource concerns and aspirations for your farm and land? Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt catch up by phone with farmer, entrepreneur, and soil health champion Daniel Austin of Little Red Hen Farm and Green Sprig Ag. Daniel is a fifth-generation farmer in Franklin County and shares the history of how his interest and passion for soil health started with a loathe of picking up rocks and erosion. In a nutshell, he and his family grow, process, and package local grains (wheat, spelt, buckwheat, and open-pollinated corn) for as direct farm-to-table sales to families, bakers, millers, and brewers as possible. Additional enterprises of Little Red Hen Farm and Green Sprig Ag include a flock of sheep to graze on the rolling hills and the selling of cover crop seeds for food, feed, and conservation. Green Sprig Ag tailors cover crop sales to address farmers' and growers' resource concerns and priorities. For many people, the primary resource concern is the prevention and elimination of erosion. Daniel gives guidance on how he would walk through ways to address erosion concerns with a producer and landowner and how people can then possibly supply nitrogen, add the proper amount of organic matter, and prevent compaction with a cover crop mixture.

Green Sprig Ag is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains.in Franklin County, Virginia To learn a bit more about Little Red Hen Farm's and Green Sprig Ag's investment in soil health practices, please watch this video produced by the Common Grain Alliance at https://www.commongrainalliance.org/videos

Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and pledge your support for soil health at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://4thesoil/take-the-pledge

What is your passion? Where do you experience a sense of wonder and hope? Jeff Ishee and Mary Sketch Bryant talk with Kate Bracken and Craig Fracker of the Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardener Association about how they empower communities with research-based garden education from the soil up, and specifically about their HOPE (Helping Our Planet Endure) initiative. Kate and Craig as Master Gardener volunteers with Virginia Cooperative Extension share how their local association builds and maintains active interest among their community in the care of lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, gardens, and most importantly soils. Without soil, there are no gardens.

To learn more about Virginia Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and the Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardener Association's Hope from the Garden initiative, please visit https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/master-gardener/Become-a-Master-Gardener.html and https://www.hopeftg.org/

Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and pledge your support for soil health at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://4thesoil/take-the-pledge

In this Talkin’ After Hours Podcast Jo & Kate chat once again to Victorian cropper, seed grower & beef farmer Grant Sims.

Grant has driven farm health and productivity gains on his farm through adhering to a set of principles that have included the use of multi species cover crops, eliminating the use of 'icides' and largely replacing high input synthetic fertilisers with foliar fed biofertilisers.

This is our second podcast with Grant, last time we focused on multispecies cover cropping, this time around we decided to pick his brains on his other passion – and that is driving plant health through nutrition. Listen in, we know you'll enjoy it!

This podcast is supported though funding from Soil Wise. Soil Wise is funded by the National Landcare Program Smart Farms Small Grants – an Australian Government initiative. It is supported by Healthy Estuaries WA – a State Government program.

 

Cover crops have many different functions and benefits from adding biomass to alleviating compaction to providing habitat for beneficial pollinators. People may be hesitant to plant a mixture of cover crops if they have not previously planted cover crops. Mike Parrish, senior extension agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Dinwiddie County, discusses the ins and outs of cover cropping and how different cover crops can serve specific roles in farming, gardening, lawn renovation, and land reclamation. Mike highlights the benefits of buckwheat, cereal rye, and pearl millet. He discusses how winter and summer cover crop mixtures can provide a bridge throughout the growing season, be aesthetically appealing, and be a good source of specific types of pollen for honeybees.

Additionally, Mike has created a number of videos and resource materials to demonstrate the importance and extensive nature of Virginia agriculture. The Desktop Farm Day website that Mike developed to improve agricultural awareness and answer common farm questions can be accessed at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/desktop-farm-day/home

Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, pledge your support for soil health, and discover the recent 4 The Soil coloring book at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://www.4thesoil.org.

Farmers, gardeners, and homeowners can face different challenges in managing and building soil health. Mike Parrish, senior extension agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Dinwiddie County, encourages everyone to do their own research and side-by-side trials. Learning by trial and error allows for direct comparisons and works in a specific context. Mike works closely with commercial growers who grow everything from corn, soybeans, cotton, cereal rye, and other agronomic crops, but also provides educational programming to homeowners and other landowners who might have a problem with soil compaction, water holding capacity, or other common soil ailments.

Mike emphasizes that cover crops are applicable to cropland, a garden, and even a lawn where the soil is ailing and not functioning as it should. For gardeners and homeowners, Mike advises everyone to take advantage of Virginia Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener programs and resources.

Additionally, Mike does a fantastic job at communicating and educating just how diverse Virginia's agriculture is through videos and storytelling. In the course of the conversation, Mike discussed the Desktop Farm Day website he has developed to improve agricultural awareness and literacy about common farm questions and everyday activities, which can be accessed at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/desktop-farm-day/home

Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, join the 4 the Soil conversation, and read the latest Soil Health Tip Tuesday blog post at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://www.4thesoil.org.

How does soil actually function? Jon Stika of UnderstandingAg (recently retired from USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service) emphasizes that all of us as students, managers, and caregivers of soil need to understand how soil functions as a living ecosystem with biological, physical, and chemical processes. All of us must become students of what makes soil healthy. It’s that simple and there are no shortcuts. Jon states from this starting point farmers, graziers, gardeners, and landowners will then be able to treat the problems limiting soil health and not just the symptoms.

In Jon's career as a conservationist, agronomist, soil scientist, researcher, and teacher with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, an eye-opening experience was just how important biology is to the overall soil ecosystem and how carbon serves as currency to drive nutrient cycling, soil aggregation, and so many other processes.

Jon encourages people to not be overwhelmed by the complexity of the system but to start small, follow the four soil health principles, focus on one principle out of the four that can be improved, and experiment with that principle on a section of your farm, pasture, garden, or backyard.

A Soil Owner’s Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health is published independently by Jon through Amazon Books and is available on UnderstandingAg’s website.

Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, join the 4 the Soil conversation, and read the latest Soil Health Tip Tuesday blog post at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://www.4thesoil.org.

If you were an earthworm, what type of farm would you like to be living on? This question was posed to Mike Phillips of Valley View Farms in Mauzy, Virginia, who is a student of history and a champion of soil health. Jeff Ishee was able to catch up with Mike at a recent Soil Health and Cover Crop Field Day in Rockingham County to learn how Mike seeks to mimic nature in his farming and soil health principles.

Mike is always cognizant of keeping soil covered, nurturing soil biology, and managing his above and below-ground livestock. He encourages us all to know we are part of a system and that all living things are sacred. Therefore, we should manage our lives, farms, and soils to be in harmonious balance. Mike has been inspired by many people throughout his life and he is fiercely intent on inspiring others, particularly young and beginning farmers, to farm and live as part of the land and sacred system.

Context is a critical precept for customizing soil health to your farm and landscape. To learn more about Mike Phillips's passion for farming and care of the land, please take six minutes to listen to two of Virginia Cooperative Extension's Soil, Conservation, and Place videos at https://youtu.be/Sgbqt_AnA8s and https://youtu.be/HyW858Hb12k

Learn more and hear the conversation on our website www.4thesoil.org or wherever you get your podcasts! As always, we encourage you to do your part to build soil health on your farm, in your garden, and in your landscape.

The 4 the Soil: A Conversation podcast was collaboratively launched on October 12, 2021, to bring farmers, graziers, market gardeners, agricultural professionals, educators, researchers, conservationists, and community leaders together to hear and share stories about agriculture, soil health principles, and shared values. The First Anniversary Edition is aimed to be a "best-of" episode to celebrate the milestone and offer a sample of memorable conversations of the first year.

Special thanks to all of our guests and listeners. We hope you will join us in this celebration and continue to support and share the 4 The Soil: A Conversation podcast as we work together for the common good and health of the soil and the future.

Learn more and hear the conversation on our website www.4thesoil.org or wherever you get your podcasts! As always, we encourage you to do your part to build soil health on your farm, in your garden, and in your own backyard.

Will soil health work on your farm? That is a question that farmers often ask related to soil health-building principles and practices, particularly in relation to multi-species mixtures and diversified enterprises. Brian Downing of Crooked Row Farm is a second-generation farmer located in Randolph County in central North Carolina. He shares his perspective on farming by the square foot and making soil health work on his farm. Faced with a soil compaction resource concern, he began experimenting with cover crop mixtures, a diversity of livestock and crop species, and enhancing the carbon currency on his farm. Brian highlights the need to understand what is happening on your farm by the square foot and to realize your farm has its own micro-economy that requires investments and savings in carbon and soil health. Additionally, farming and soil health accounts require sound recordkeeping to know where, how, and if wealth and health are growing and accruing as part of a stable micro-economy that naturally includes deposits and withdrawals.

Learn more and hear the conversation on our website www.4thesoil.org or wherever you get your podcasts! As always, we encourage you to do your part to build soil health on your farm, in your garden, and in your landscape.

What do you want to accomplish on your farm, in your garden, or in business? Do you have a specific resource concern such as lessening tillage? Do you want to provide your family, friends, and customers with nutrient-dense food? Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff shared in the previous episode about keeping the soil alive and well. The conversation continues with Steve emphasizing that farmers need to learn all they can and understand how soil health concepts, principles, and practices are applicable to their individual farms and context. Similarly, Steve encourages farmers, graziers, and gardeners to visit with other farmers locally as well as virtually for camaraderie and peer-to-peer networking. There are many ways to learn and continue to self-educate ourselves as we face challenges of living longer than ever, and unfortunately, in many cases, being sicker than ever.

For more information about soil health for your farm, pasture, garden, or backyard, please visit the Virginia Soil Health Coalition's Tips and Resources website at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/resources-1. To take the pledge to follow and educate others about the four core soil health principles, please visit the 4 The Soil website at https://www.4thesoil.org/take-the-pledge.html.

To learn about Steve Groff's soil health journey, mindsets, and the changing context of farming, you can read his new book The Future-Proof Farm: Changing Mindsets in a Changing World, which is available online at https://stevegroff.com.

How can we purposefully enhance soil life? Lydia Fitzgerald is an integrated cropland agronomist with Virginia's USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Virginia Tech. Lydia grew up on a family farm in Nelson County, Virginia, and was inspired by her family to take active participation in Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school to dream of and pursue a career in agriculture and natural resources. In her outreach and education role, Lydia uses hands-on soil health demonstrations and research to encourage farmers, ranchers, market gardeners, and land managers to take an integrated approach to soil, crop, and natural resource management. Lydia shares that purposeful cover cropping and no-till systems that enhance deep root development and minimize disturbance are essential for enhancing soil life and resilience.

To learn more about educational and technical assistance programs as well as possible career opportunities with Virginia USDA-NRCS, please visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/va/home/

For additional soil health resources and information, please visit the Virginia Soil Health Coalition website at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/resources-1. To make your pledge towards improving soil health and to become an ambassador, please visit https://www.4thesoil.org/take-the-pledge.html

Keeping local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay clean requires everyone to be actively involved in protecting water quality, managing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, and building soil health. Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt caught up with Matt Kowalski of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) at a recent field day to talk about soil health and water quality. Matt serves as a watershed restoration scientist in Virginia for CBF and specifically focuses on agricultural best management practices and projects to restore wetland and riverside areas. Matt emphasizes that keeping water clean needs to happen farm by farm and lawn by lawn, and that we all can do our part to improve water quality and save the Chesapeake Bay.

To learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Mountains-to-Bay Grazing Alliance, please visit https://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/programs-initiatives/multi-state-grazers-alliance.html and https://www.m2balliance.org/.

For information about year-round lawn care and ways to possibly incorporate a legume like Dutch white clover into your lawn for water quality and pollinators, please visit https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/document/yardcare.pdf and https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/you-your-land-landscape

As always, please join the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and 4 The Soil movement. You can commit to doing your part to build soil health and protect water quality by taking the pledge at https://www.4thesoil.org/take-the-pledge.html

Soil is an amazing foundation for all of us. Soil nourishes, fuels, and sustains all life. In this episode, Janet Aardema and her daughter Sylvie of Broadfork Farm share their enthusiasm and experiences with farming and soil health as the basis for their business and educational outreach. Janet and Sylvie discuss how they use the core principles of soil health but also composting, permaculture, forest farming, and food recovery to capture carbon and decrease our carbon and ecological footprints. They elaborate on specific practices they use to keep the soil covered and maximize living roots as they grow more than fifty diverse vegetable crops but also how they are working with their peers and classmates.

To learn about Broadfork Farm's and Teens Acting for Carbon Capture's (TACC) ongoing work with soil health, vegetable production, and their educational efforts on climate resilience and mitigation, please visit their websites at https://broadforkfarm.net/ and https://tacc.earth/.

For additional resources on agriculture, soil health, and climate change, please visit the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) websites at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/

Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt spoke with Dr. Alan Franzluebbers at the 2022 Winter Forage Conference. Dr. Franzluebbers is a professor and researcher of soil ecology and management with North Carolina State University and USDA's Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) based in Raleigh. Alan played in the dirt at a young age and this early interest grew into a lifelong career in studying and researching soil microbial life. He speaks of how important soil organic matter and biology are to nutrient cycling and how earthworms are an indicator of resources for decomposition being present. Additionally, he encourages a whole-system view of agriculture to enhance diversity to improve soil structure and overall ecosystem activity.

Dr. Franzluebbers recommended 'Managing Cover Crops Profitably' published by USDA-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) to anyone interested in learning about cover cropping systems and soil health, which is a free online publication available at https://www.sare.org/resources/managing-cover-crops-profitably-3rd-edition/

For a list of Dr. Franzluebbers' recent research articles, please visit https://cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-sciences/people/ajfranzl

In this episode, Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt speak with Dr. John Galbraith, who is a renowned soil scientist at Virginia Tech in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. John discusses his background in agriculture and how he became a student and teacher of soil science, while he explores the diverse soil types found across the state (including the Virginia state soil!) and touches on the different soil characteristics. Remember to visit www.4TheSoil.org to sign the pledge today and access more resources on soil health!

Danya Tietelbaum of Queen's Greens in Amherst, MA joins Clara Coleman to talk about their journey from-and-back to Winter-only growing, low-tech infrastructure + mechanization, focusing solely on greens + a complete breakdown on Winter spinach, Summer cover cropping in high-tunnels, developing a sense of community even on a mid-scale farm, and farming towards a better quality of life.
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