BF 110: Soil Health

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

In 2024, this course will be offered live for 6-weeks on Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00 PM (Eastern) from January 17 – February 21. While we encourage live attendance, so you have the opportunity to engage with presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in the online classroom to watch anytime. Once 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. Join us!