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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 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 an agricultural and natural resource critical to social,

science life sciences

All Episodes

17:51

S5 - E23: A Fundamental Overhaul and Paradigm Shift...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/11/11

Changing course is never easy, especially if the change requires a complete overhaul at the most basic, fundamental level. Dr. Robin "Buz" Kloot of the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health and Soil Health Labs talks with Eric, Mary, and Jeff about this paradigm shift among farmers and within the soil science community.Buz explains how the shift in thinking and paradigms occurred. In many cases, people were focused more on the symptoms rather than the cause, for instance,

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17:21

S5 - E22: Encouraging a Hospitable Habitat for Soil...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/10/28

Did you know soil microorganisms of all sizes and shapes need water, air, shelter, and care to function and thrive? Dr. Ashley Jernigan, assistant professor and director of Virginia Tech's Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Crops Production Lab, returns to talk with Jeff and Mary about what farmers and gardeners can do to encourage a hospitable habitat for soil microorganisms.As a soil ecologist, Ashley recommends keeping track of your soil organic matter level and its aggregate stability, and how

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18:41

S5 - E21: Regenerating Worn Out Soils with Dr. Ashley...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/10/14

How do you regenerate and bring back life to worn-out soils? Does your garden soil just fall apart in your hands? Dr. Ashley Jernigan, assistant professor and director of Virginia Tech's Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Crops Production Lab, in visiting with Jeff and Mary, advises doing your own test in your garden or crop field with a shovel.As someone who enjoyed digging soil pits as a seven-year-old, Ashley recommends sampling to a six-inch depth to get a sense of your soil's tilth and aggregate

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18:56

S5 - E20: Soil Health beyond the Economic Rationale...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/09/30

Is the economic rationale of soil health always the top priority for farmers? Or, do other soil values rise to the top of farmers' minds, for example, having a healthy habitat for soil fungi? Kasper Krabbe, a doctoral student at Aarhus University in Denmark and a visiting guest scholar at Virginia Tech, returns to talk with Mary, Jeff, and Eric about his research into understanding farmers' intrinsic and extrinsic values in caring for soil. Kasper states that a deeper understanding of farmers'

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18:47

S5 - E19: Agroecological Dynamics of Soil Health with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/09/16

When you close your eyes, how do you envision your farm and soil ecosystem? What ideals, values, and priorities are part of your vision and farm business model? Kasper Krabbe, a doctoral student at Aarhus University in Denmark and a visiting guest scholar at Virginia Tech, talked with Mary, Jeff, and Eric about these questions and his research interest in farmers' perceptions and decision-making. Kasper is particularly intrigued by the human and cultural elements of farming and how context informs

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18:29

S5 - E18: Round Bale Grazing for Soil Health with Dr....

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/09/02

Feeding hay to livestock in the winter is very expensive, and often results in a sacrifice lot where manure gathers. At the same time, manure is considered gold because of its nutrient content, ability to supply organic matter, and to build soil life. In this second episode, Dr. Summer Thomas, education and outreach specialist with the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, takes us on a deeper dive into her research on the benefits of round bale grazing and how it pertains to the four core soil health

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17:59

S5 - E17: Everything Good Starts with the Soil with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/08/19

Everything good starts with the soil and a conservation stewardship mindset. In the 101st episode, Dr. Summer Thomas, education and outreach specialist with the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, explains how agriculture and soil health are good for everyone. As a third-generation farmer from Delaware, former watermelon queen, a trained soil scientist and educator, and an overall advocate for agriculture, Summer shares some of her earliest experiences of 4-H and FFA with Jeff, Mary, and Eric in public

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18:13

S5 - E16: Celebrating Our 100th Podcast Episode with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/08/05

During this 100th episode of 4 The Soil: A Conversation, Jeff, Mary, and Eric take a look back at some of the most memorable topics and guests. They share how (and why) the podcast started in 2021, and also offer their vision for the future of the podcast. To help us commemorate this milestone, please share how and why you are 4 the Soil with us and others. As always, we encourage you to cooperate with other farmers, graziers, and gardeners for peer-to-peer learning and to follow the four core soil

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17:53

S5 - E15: Building Confidence and Knowledge through...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/07/22

Building confidence and knowledge through mentorship is necessary for farmers to overcome fears and take bigger steps towards meeting their goals. Dara Booher wears many educational hats. Dara is the coordinator of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council's farmer-mentor program and the facilitator of the Virginia Farmer Mentor Network, a collaboration of Virginia State University, the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council, the Virginia No-Till Alliance (VANTAGE), and Virginia Tech's Eastern Shore

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18:38

S5 - E14: Youth Education and Soil Health with Dara...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/07/08

Soil and agriculture provide us with something every day. Dara Booher is an agricultural educator with Shenandoah County Public Schools and a farmer-mentor coordinator with the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. Dara loves talking to youth and others about soil and agriculture. In this episode, Dara shares her enthusiasm for youth education and soil health with Mary, Eric, and Jeff, along with many teaching and demonstration resources (e.g., Enviroscape,

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17:45

S5-E13: Seven Generations of Stewarding the Land with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/06/24

In this episode of the podcast, Jeff Ishee chats with Susan Watkins of Watkins Farms in Dinwiddie County Virginia, a 3500 acre farm growing soybeans, corn, and wheat. Susan shares information about the long history of her family far, their transition to cover crops and no till over twenty years ago, and their approach to cover cropping. She shares about the cost and labor savings that have come from transitioning to these practices. Watkins Farms is located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which

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17:31

S5 - E12: A Whole Community with Elizabeth McMullen...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/06/10

The three-year transition to certified organic farming can present a formidable challenge for farmers. A whole community working together can make the process smoother. In this second episode, Elizabeth "Liz" McMullen and Garland Mason of Organic Valley Cooperative (OV) share how the company and its farm membership nourish a whole community perspective to benefit existing farmer member-owners and reduce obstacles for farmers who are curious about organic production and joining the cooperative as

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18:29

S5 - E11: Common Ties: Cooperation and Sustainability...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/05/27

Public Relations Specialist Elizabeth McMullen and Sustainability Funding and Communications Specialist Garland Mason of Organic Valley Cooperative join Mary and Eric to share about the common ties that are essential to the farmer-owned cooperative. Cooperation and a strong commitment to the sustainability of small and mid-size family farms, local culture, and community are the most basic ties. In this episode, Elizabeth and Garland outline the history of Organic Valley and how the business started

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16:53

S5 - E10: Farmers Talking with Farmers with Anthony...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/05/13

Farmers talking with farmers is key to building soil health, encouraging innovation, and expanding peer-to-peer mentoring. Anthony Beery of Beery Farms and Cumberland Hay and Straw LLC shares his journey of learning, mentoring, and on-farm experimenting with Mary Sketch Bryant and Jeff Ishee. In the previous episode, Anthony talked about how he benefitted from his father's counsel and encouragement. Anthony provides similar mentorship to his children and fellow farmers through the Virginia No-Till

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16:16

S5 - E9: Soil Health is Attainable with Anthony Beery...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/04/29

Soil health is attainable. Anthony Beery of Beery Farms and Cumberland Hay and Straw LLC shares that message with Mary Sketch Bryant and Jeff Ishee based on his farming experience and journey. Anthony grew up in the Shenandoah Valley where he and his father Danny raised dairy cows and poultry. Anthony benefitted from his father's mentorship and encouragement to be open to new ideas and experimenting.Anthony and his family moved to Cumberland County in 2018 to begin custom crop production and start

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18:40

S5 - E8: Ins and Outs of Compost Tea with Nicky...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/04/15

In this episode, Nicky Schauder of Permaculture Gardens continues the conversation about permaculture and the ins and outs of compost tea with Mary Sketch Bryant, Marian Dalke, and Jeff Ishee. Nicky received two USDA-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Producer Grants to specifically research the benefits of compost tea and its effects on plant growth, yield, soil biology diversity, and the stability of soil health. Nicky's research question was does compost tea make certain leafy

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16:37

S5 - E7: Grow-It-Yourself (GIY) with Nicky Schauder...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/04/01

Nicky Schauder and her family started Permaculture Gardens to make permaculture and growing food accessible to everyone - especially families and children. Nicky shares her story and experience with learning, researching, and growing food with Mary Sketch Bryant, Marian Dalke, and Jeff Ishee. Nicky is constantly learning by experiment. Nicky is a two-time recipient of USDA-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Producer Grants for Research and Experimentation with permaculture and

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18:04

S5 - E6: Education first and foremost with Nicole...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/03/18

Nicole Shuman is a community agriculturalist and educator at Cornerstone Farm at Fairfield Middle School in Henrico County, VA. Nicole shares that education is the first and foremost goal of Cornerstone Farm. As a functioning farm, students and the school community learn what and how food is grown, while also gaining hands-on knowledge and experience growing food for a farmstand cost-effectively. Nicole outlined the big picture and how the farm provides additional service learning opportunities and

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18:13

S5 - E5: Hands-On Community Agriculture Work with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/03/04

Context is foundational to authentic, experiential learning, and understanding how to build soil health within a landscape context. Hands-on educational activities and programs help students of all ages better understand the context and real-life application of learning objectives, principles, and practices. Nicole Shuman is a community agriculturalist with Henrico County Public Schools. Nicole shares her experience with Mary, Jeff, and Eric and how she became interested in soil health and

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18:23

S5 - E4: Cultivating Wellness from the Soil Up with...

4 The Soil: A Conversation ·

2025/02/18

Clarenda "Farmer Cee" Stanley of Green Heffa Farms is someone who does not take health and wellness for granted but actively seeks to catalyze and cultivate wellness from the soil up. Farmer Cee is the founding CEO and owner of Green Heffa Farms, a black woman-owned Certified B Corporation, wellness brand, and herb farm based in North Carolina. Farmer Cee believes everyone can start on a path to wellness with care of the soil beneath their feet. In this episode, Farmer Cee shared with Mary, Jeff,

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113 results

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