Category Archives: Soil

At last, the soil podcast is here!

I made a podcast. It’s the podcast I wish existed when I started farming and learning  about soil. I have tried to keep the episodes short and sweet, covering the basics while also delving into some pretty cutting edge science- some … Continue reading

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Tarps for killing cover crops: mid-project update

UPDATE 8/24/16: Please see follow-up post on this experiment. Initially, the title of this post was “The answer is clear: solarization is outperforming occultation for killing cover crops.” At the time I originally wrote it, clear tarps were killing cover crops … Continue reading

Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment, Rye, Soil temperature, Vetch | Tagged | 1 Comment

If you can see it, it’s too much

Sometimes, I feel like erosion is a big elephant in the room. It happens. It feels unlucky, it feels bad, and sometimes it feels inevitable. It is also still one of the biggest threats to long-term productivity and soil health … Continue reading

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Maine is the first state to pay tribute to soils during the International Year of Soils

The Maine legislature is the first in the nation to pay tribute to soils during the historic United Nations International Year of Soils. The soil beneath our feet is often overlooked, but the adoption of the Joint Resolution Recognizing the … Continue reading

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Under Cover: Rotational No-till and Mulching Systems for Organic Vegetable Farms in Germany

It sounds like there was a great turnout for Jan’s eOrganic webinar on the cut-and-carry mulch system he and his colleagues are using for organic vegetable production in Germany. My favorite quote: “You can completely screw up the system and … Continue reading

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Mark your calendars and get ready for an information deluge from Germany

Back in 2013, Ray and I got an inquiry from “a farmer in Germany” who was preparing a seminar on soil health and reduced tillage and wanted more information on what we were doing. He did not send a picture … Continue reading

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Happy International Year of Soils (& get your free sticker!)

Scientific American recently ran an interesting article about the possibility that other planets out there may be “better” than Earth for supporting life. That may be true, but our planet has plenty that should make us proud earthlings. Top among these … Continue reading

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