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PODCAST

4 The Soil: A Conversation

Soil. What is it, really? It’s more than the dirt under our feet and the ground we stand on.Soil is living and life-giving.Listen in as we unlock the mysteries of soil by speaking with people at the forefront of the soil health movement.“4 The Soil: A Conversation” is part of the 4 The Soil Awareness Campaign led by Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. The campaign’s purpose is to raise awareness of soil as a critical agricultural and natural resource for social,

science life sciences

All Episodes

17:11

Episode 24 - 13: Artful, Healthy Grains and Bread...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/06/25

Nicolas "Nico" Melas of Mill Song Bakery is a thought leader within Virginia's regional food systems and a catalyst with the expanding Common Grain Alliance. Nico and his family, along with a growing network of farmers, millers, bakers, and food businesses in Virginia and the greater Mid-Atlantic Region, are working through artful farming, milling, and baking to seed and feed a strong, resilient, diverse localized food grain economy. Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt talk with Nico about his journey in

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17:08

Episode 24 - Special: Soil Health and Music for...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/06/18

Ennis and Phil Carter of Flip Charts and Social Impact Studios bring together their expertise in social sciences and education to amplify a simple message that soil health and music are for everyone. We can all "literally" dig soil health and music in a multitude of ways. In part II, Ennis and Phil explain how memories and stories help us find common ground, connect dots, and stir our imaginations. Ennis spoke of the recent 4 The Soil coloring book developed by Social Impact Studios and the playful

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19:16

Episode 24 - National Soil Health Day Special: Music,...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/06/13

In anticipation of National Soil Health Day, Ennis and Phil Carter of Flip Charts and Social Impact Studios composed a fun 4 The Soil song to celebrate and emphasize how we can all take action for the soil and planet. Ennis and Phil bring together more than forty years of life and creative work. Their collaboration and creativity integrate music, culture, anthropology, graphic design, and community organizing. Ennis and Phil highlight how music and art translate our emotions and hearts into

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16:48

Episode 24 - 12: A Freshly Milled Perspective with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/06/04

The aroma of freshly milled and ground grain is distinct and inviting whether in preparing bread, pizza, or a vat of beer. Madelyn Smith of the Common Grain Alliance offers a freshly milled perspective on a range of topics needed to strengthen the regional food system and build the supply of regional grains to meet consumer demand. Madelyn says that bakers and chefs are often the best storytellers of why local grains are so important to their businesses, however, it is often the taste, flavor, and

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19:20

Episode 24 - 11: Reinvigorating the Local Grain...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/05/21

How can we reinvigorate the local and regional grain economy? What is possible if grain farmers, millers, maltsters, bakers, brewers, pasta makers, educators, and researchers dream and work together? Why are local, high-quality, sustainably raised small grains like rye, oats, and others not more easily available in the Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic Region marketplace? Mary Sketch Bryant, Jeff Ishee, and Eric Bendfeldt speak with Executive Director Madelyn Smith of the Common Grain Alliance (CGA)

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16:09

Episode 24 - 10: Emulating Nature: The Soil Health...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/05/07

Can we emulate nature with our soil health-building systems? Where do local small grains fit in the soil health puzzle? Ray Archuleta of the Soil Health Academy and retired soil health educator with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service discusses why working in concert with nature is important to farming. Ray is a big proponent of no-till farming and putting life back into systems. Tillage disrupts and kills soil fungi and sets the system back. Ray sees food and the health of the soil as

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18:48

Episode 24 - 9: Community, Dung Beetles, and a Good...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/04/23

Have you ever been on a walk and observed a dung beetle or two rolling a bit of dung down the path? Have you wondered what conditions make a good steady rain? While many things are out of our control, we can control some things if we are willing to learn and work together as a community.Dr. Elizabeth Heilman, Professor of Education at Wichita State University, elaborates on the power of observation in ecology and farming with Mary Sketch Bryant, Jeff Ishee, and Eric Bendfeldt, specifically as the

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18:53

Episode 24 - 8: Calm Your Lizard Down with Dr....

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/04/09

Are you resistant to change or risk averse? You may need to calm your lizard down and understand how important safety and security are to change, risk aversion, and the adoption of new behaviors. Dr. Elizabeth Heilman, Professor of Education at Wichita State University, talks with Mary Sketch Bryant, Jeff Ishee, and Eric Bendfeldt about how our "lizard brains" relate to farming and ranching. For farmers and ranchers, many day-to-day factors (i.e., markets, weather, public policy, etc.) are out of

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16:38

Episode 24 - 7: A Passion for Gardening with Bill...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/03/26

A passion for gardening and tasty, flavorful tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot peppers continues to drive Bill Patterson's experimentation with crop rotations, mulching, composting, and winter and summer cover crops in his home garden. Mary Sketch Bryant and Eric Bendfeldt talked previously with Bill about his conservation work with soil health and grazing lands. Bill is equally passionate about his home garden as he is about farmers' grazing lands.He uses his garden as an experimentation station to test

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16:59

Episode 24 - 6: For the Love of Soil with Bill "Pops"...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/03/12

A love and curiosity for soil sparked a fifty-year career in soil and natural resources conservation. Mary Sketch Bryant and Eric Bendfeldt talk with Bill Patterson, retired district conservationist and present grazing specialist with Virginia USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, about his career and to hear his insights on soil health and grazing. Bill is affectionately called "Pops" and has served as a mentor for many farmers and soil conservationists. Bill was recently recognized at the

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18:54

Episode 24 - 5: The Unintended Consequences of Deep...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/02/27

Are we there yet? Have we arrived at the intended destination? Have we reached the goal we set out for improving soil health and how soil functions? Have our good intentions of attempting to loosen the soil resulted in negative unintended consequences? In part one of our conversation with Dale Stricker of Regenerative Wisdoms, Dale stated that tillage and soil disturbance make farmers very susceptible to drought. However, in relying on deep tillage and subsoiling to remove a mechanical barrier

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19:19

Episode 24 - 4: Drought Resilience: Does Subsoiling...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/02/13

How functional and drought-resilient is your soil? Is your soil a week away from a drought and an hour away from a flood? Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom talks with Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt about ways to increase drought resilience moving forward. Dale draws on his experience and expertise as a farmer, cattle rancher, college soil science instructor, and current agronomist to provide sound information for restoring soil function so the soil can hold water and allow water to

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18:03

Episode 24 - 3: A Purposeful Soil Health Mindset with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/01/30

How does a purposeful mindset contribute to soil health and rebuilding soil fertility? What can we learn from culture, history, and mindset in storing our farm landscapes?Rebekah Slabach recently became the associate director for the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture within Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Formerly, Rebekah was an extension agent for agriculture and natural resources with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Halifax County. Rebekah reminds us that

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19:48

Episode 24 - 2: Fueling Agricultural and Community...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/01/16

What are the ingredients of change? How can you fuel and be an agent of change in your community? Rebekah Slabach serves as an extension agent of agriculture and natural resources with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Halifax County. Rebekah shares her early involvement with 4-H and Youth Conservation Camp as two educational opportunities growing up that sparked her interest and passion in agriculture and the environment. Rebekah sees her work with Extension to fuel and encourage positive change on

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18:43

Episode 24 - 1: The Power of Observation and A...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2024/01/02

The power of observation and a receptive mind are critical to farming, soil health, research, and all discoveries. Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt start the New Year and third season of the 4 The Soil podcast with another conversation with Dr. Stuart Grandy, Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment, at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). It turns out the most powerful tool farmers and gardeners have regardless of size is taking time to observe and reflect on what is

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18:55

Episode 23 - 26: What's Happening in the Soil Food...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2023/12/19

How does one measure and monitor what's happening below the ground in the soil food web? Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt caught up with Dr. Stuart Grandy, Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment, at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to discuss the diversity of soil life and emerging sensor technologies to probe soil organic matter, soil carbon, and overall health. Dr. Grandy outlines why core soil health principles are essential for encouraging fungal hyphae,

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19:32

Episode 23 - 25: A Healthy, Fertile Celebration of...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2023/12/05

Since October 2021, Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt have had sixty conversations about the health and fertility of soil as part of the podcast. To celebrate World Soils Day 2023, we are sharing three recaps of conversations that were quite memorable with Dr. David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle authors of What Your Food Ate and Growing a Revolution; Clare Tallamy of Virginia Tech's 2022 Soil Judging Team; and Lee Rinehart a grazing specialist with the National Center for Appropriate

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19:26

Episode 23 - 24: Balancing Community and Natural...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2023/11/21

How do we identify community and natural resource needs? What are people doing to thrive as well as survive? Executive Director Nelson Muiru of Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO) talks with Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt for a second episode on how they seek to balance the everyday social and financial needs of people and communities in the Central Highlands of Kenya in East Africa with important natural resource needs. Farming is a primary livelihood and source of sustenance

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19:26

Episode 23 - 23: Maximizing Biodiversity and Food...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2023/11/07

How do you work with communities and individual farmers to build trust and achieve multiple social, financial, and ecological goals? Executive Director Nelson Muiru of Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO) talks with Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt about how their organization seeks to maximize biodiversity, ecosystem services, and food security in the Central Highlands of Kenya in East Africa. Like many countries, Kenya is working to conserve and preserve non-renewable resources

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19:03

Episode 23 - 22: The Give and Take of Lawn and Soil...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2023/10/24

How do we improve lawn soil health by adjusting mower deck height? Can adjusting your lawnmower deck from three inches to four or more inches save you time and energy? Is genetically modified turfgrass in the future of your lawn?Extension Turfgrass Specialist Dr. Mike Goatley of Virginia Tech (Dr. Turf) talks with Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt about emerging and applied research in turfgrass and lawn management including developments in turfgrass breeding. For overall lawn care and health, Dr

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