Rebuilding Soil and Soil Health
Today there appears to be a much broader interest in the results a “healthy” soil can provide, even for large agricultural operations. What makes up a healthy soil? Are there different requirements for some soils as compared to others – sand vs. clay for example? Are some soils barely healthy and others healthy and others very healthy? How could one tell, and does it even matter?
Healthy soils follow specific patterns of science. Science begins with observations. Learn how specific observations from biology, physics, and chemistry help identify healthy soils and indicate needed changes for those that are not.
What is the “Ideal Soil”? How can you define it and measure it to know for sure it is working toward its potential? What are the key requirements for a healthy living soil?
We will talk about what are some biological observations concerning a healthy soil from the context of taste, appearance, quality, and yields, as well as learning what is the greatest biological indication for soil health?
We will also explore how to probe the physical soil structure for immediate indications of air and water balance on each specific soil. We will also talk about how soil chemistry has a measurable influence on each biological soil environment. Lastly, we will talk about the steps to take to build or maintain a healthy soil based on these specific observations.
Neal Kinsey owns and operates Kinsey Agricultural Services, Inc., a company specializing in soil fertility management providing detailed soil audits determine specific fertilization programs based on each individual soil and its fertility requirements since 1973. He is the author of Neal Kinsey’s Hands-On Agronomy and is the recipient of the 2003 ACRES USA ECO-AGRICULTURE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. As a Soil Fertility Specialist he has taught and consulted since 1973 after completing a program of study developed and taught by Dr. William A. Albrecht. Consultations include clients with small gardens up to large farms both conventional and no-till. His program is based on the system of providing soil nutrients to correctly treat the soil and the plants that grow there, using soil chemistry to correct the soil’s physical structure to build the “house” for the biology to flourish. His consulting includes soils received for analysis and recommendations from over 75 countries, principally from the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, France and Mexico.
Contact Neal Kinsey at nealkinsey@gmail.com with any questions.
Registration will open mid June.