Investing in the Vitality of Your Farm
The health and productivity of the soil forms the basis for any farm’s success, profitability, and ecological sustainability. Successful farmers need to develop a holistic approach to preserving and building soil health and fertility. Stewardship of the soil is arguably the most important job of any farmer or gardener.
Target Audience
All levels — This course is for field crop, vegetable, and livestock producers. We expect that students will have some experience in managing soils, even if minimal. Farmers looking for more productive soils to increase forage and crop production will benefit from taking this course.
Course Objectives
Through this course, participants will:
- Know how soil properties affect growing crops and pasture
- Learn how to “read the land” and improve the four ecosystem processes
- Determine appropriate soil practices to improve soil health
- Begin work on a soil health improvement plan for their farm
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the online interface of the course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from presenters and ask questions in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinar Schedule
This course is not being offered live during 2022-2023, but you may enroll to take it as a self-paced course.
While we encourage
live attendance so you have the opportunity to engage with the presenters and
ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in our online classroom for
students to watch anytime. Once you have enrolled in this course, you will
retain access to all materials indefinitely, and can return to participate in
the live webinars in future offerings of the course if you wish.
Your Instructor
Elizabeth Marks is a certified educator with Holistic Management International (HMI). She serves as a biologist for the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) in the Hudson Valley (New York) where she works with landowners to improve soil health and biological diversity on their farm or forest. In addition she is an instructor for NY’s Beginning Women Farmer Program and has taught workshops on Holistic Management principles. Elizabeth received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Mount Holyoke College. She lives in Chatham in a net-zero, energy efficient home she designed herself.
Course Curriculum
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StartCLASS: Week 1 Webinar Slides, Join Link, and Recording
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StartREADING: Course Text Pages 3-35, 49-67
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StartVIDEO: Soil Health 1-Minute Lesson
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StartVIDEO: Understanding Cation Exchange Capacity and Other Soil Terms
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StartFORUM: Introduce Yourself; Meet Your Fellow Farmers
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StartACTIVITY and FORUM: Map Your Soils
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StartACTIVITY: Determine Soil Texture by Feel
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StartACTIVITY: Start Your Soil Health Plan
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StartRESOURCE: Estimating Soil Moisture by Feel and Appearance
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StartCLASS: Week 2 Webinar Link, Slides, and Recording
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StartREADING: Course Text Pages 37-45, 69-74
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StartREADING: Improving Ecosystem Processes on a No-Till Organic Farm in NY
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StartVIDEO: The Mineral Cycle Explained
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StartVIDEO: Regeneration of Our Lands - Gabe Brown TEDx
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StartFORUM: Ecosystem Process Improvement?
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StartACTIVITY: Start Your Soil Health Plan