Dr. Mary Cole joins the Soil Food Web School Team to talk about Pathogenic Fungi & Plant Pathogens, problems of our making, not theirs! Fungi have a role and place in the diverse ecosystem that is Life on Earth. Fungi became known as ‘pathogens’ because of our monoculture style of agriculture. But fungi have an imperative role in sequestering carbon in the soil, holding water in the soil, and building resilience in the face of climate threats to agriculture. 

During Soil Regen Summit 2021: Hope for the Future, Ray Archuleta explained that regenerative cropping and grazing systems that emulate nature’s strategies (biomimicry) are healthier agro-ecosystems that self-heal, self-regulate and self-organize. He also explained how these healthy ecosystems can potentially eliminate the need for pesticides and man-made fertilizers.

Dr. Elaine Ingham and her colleagues discovered the Soil Food Web nearly 4 decades ago. She has been pioneering research on soil health ever since, working with farmers on 6 continents. To kick off the Soil Regen Summit 2021: Hope for the Future, Dr. Elaine Ingham explained how the Soil Food Web and Soil Biology works and how it is essential to soil health worldwide.

This module provides examples of how to use soils data in the conservation planning process. The presentation starts with Josh Odekirk, SE Area NRCS Wisconsin Area Resource Conservationist, explaining how soils influence conservation planning decisions. Josh provides examples of soil interpretations that are commonly used in the planning process. In the second half of the presentation, Adam Abel, WI NRCS State Grazing Specialist, explains the importance of considering soils when planning a grazing system.

This module provides a demonstration of the capabilities of Web Soil Survey and other tools for accessing soil survey data. Andrew Paolucci, NRCS WI Assistant State Soil Scientist/Soil Health Specialist, presents several tools for accessing soils data including the U.C. Davis SoilWeb applications, Soil Lab Data Mart, Official Soil Series Database and Web Soil Survey. A short demonstration of the Web Soil Survey Interface was presented with some helpful hits for finding reports and changing the map legend symbology.

This module provides an overview of soil survey map units. Jeremy Ziegler, SE Wisconsin NRCS Area Resource Soil Scientist, provides an introduction to soil survey, or soil mapping, the process of classifying soil types and other soil properties in a given area. Jeremy covers the kinds of soil map units, their composition and naming convention and the scale of soil surveys. This training was recorded as part of the Wisconsin Basic Soils and Web Soil Survey to Interpret Land Capabilities and Limitations training hosted on September 1, 2021.

This module provides an introduction to soil properties and interpretations. Jennifer Smith, WI NRCS State Soil Scientist, starts the presentation off with the definition of soil, a discussion of the five soil forming factors and a brief introduction to soil properties scientists use to describe and map soils. Kristin Foehringer, NW Wisconsin Resource Soil Scientist, then takes over, presenting an overview of several dynamic and inherent soil properties.

Prairie Strips: A New Conservation Practice for Farmers and Crop Consultants. Session 3 will cover prairie strips as habitat for beneficial insects.

Prairie Strips: A New Conservation Practice for Farmers and Crop Consultants. Session 2 will cover establishing and managing prairie strips.

Prairie Strips: A New Conservation Practice for Farmers and Crop Consultants. Session 1 will cover siting prairie strips for water quality and farm profitability.