Topics will include:

• beneficial soil functions (water infiltration and holding capacity, natural fertility, disease suppression, and carbon sequestration)
• organisms of the soil food web (who eats whom and why it matters)
• requirements of healthy soil ecosystems
• basic soil health principles
• how all of the above relate to best management practices such as conservation tillage, cover crops, and organic amendments

Hands-on Exercises will include: identifying soil organisms, using a penetrometer, conducting slake & soil infiltration tests.

At the end of the workshop, those interested may stay (until as late as 4:30 pm) to run some of the following tests on their own soil samples:

• bring approximately one-litre sample of your own soil to the workshop.
• using microscopes provided, and with assistance in using them from workshop staff, you’ll be able to view your own soil at 400x magnification to get a better understanding of the micro-organisms in your soil.
• take the fencerow/woodlot challenge where you can test your soil’s ability to absorb rain and keep its structure in wet conditions as compared to samples taken from fencerows and woodlots in your region (slake and infiltration tests).

If you plan to participate in the bonus session, please note this on your registration form so that further soil sampling instructions can be provided in advance.

Registration Form — The Biology of Soil Health