Soil management not only impacts crop yields, but also has a huge impact on the environment. For organic farmers, soil balancing has become a widely used method for soil management. Soil balancing is done by managing base cation saturation ratios, which can be an overwhelming concept to understand. As such, our multidisciplinary team at Ohio State University is offering several opportunities for people to participate in phone-in events designed to provide conversations about the basis and practice of soil balancing. Researchers will be on hand to provide input and answer questions but the main focus will be to hear from callers and learn from their experiences. The phone-in conversations are a three-part series beginning this month. Dates and topics, as well as a register link, are listed below.
Soil Balancing: From Renegade Grass Roots Past to Open Future
October 17, 2018 | 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. EST
The history and current use of Soil Balancing provides a rich opportunity to examine the different ways that farmers and scientists develop and use their knowledge. Join us to discuss what the concept and practice of Soil Balancing currently means to farmers, researchers, and consultants, and to brainstorm ways in which improved soil management can strengthen sustainably-minded farm management.
Soil Balancing: What do the Numbers Say about its Effects on Soils, Crops, Weeds, and Farms?
November 14, 2018 | 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. EST
Everyone uses numbers to make decisions, although the numbers people have and the ways they use them often differ. These differences can spell both excitement and challenge when trying to understand and use Soil Balancing. Join us to discuss Soil Balancing by the numbers, as farmers, consultants, and researchers discuss the numbers we have and the numbers we wish we had.
Soil Balancing: The Questions Matter
December 12, 2018 | 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. EST
“You don’t know enough to know what you need to know.” This recent recollection by a farmer after their encounter with a more experienced one reminds us that the questions matter. Much is said, written, and claimed about Soil Balancing but all is still not clear about it. If there is to be a more useful knowledge base about Soil Balancing—shared by farmers, consultants, and researchers alike—new questions and new ways of addressing them must be shared and accepted by many. Join us to discuss and shape where investigations of Soil Balancing should go next and how.
REGISTER HERE