UC ANR promotes healthy soils

Hope Zabronsky demonstrated how soil aggregates from conventionally tilled fields compared to soil from fields using low-till or no-till farming practices.

UC ANR joined the California Department of Food and Agriculture and other organizations in highlighting the benefits of soil health and biodiversity for California Healthy Soils Week 2022.

During the week of Dec. 5-9, the UC Master Gardener Program hosted two Facebook Live webinars and UC Cooperative Extension co-hosted a Sustainable Nutrient Management & Soil Health Field Day in Salinas.

For the “Healthy Soil: In Nature Sometimes Less is More” webinar, Mike Corby, UC Master Gardener volunteer in Contra Costa County, shared insights for improving soil health in the garden. A recording of the 47-minute webinar is published on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Y9M5uQtzLyk.  

For “Harnessing the Magic of the Soil Food Web: Turning Dirt into Gold,” Kit Veerkamp, UC Master Gardener volunteer in El Dorado County, discussed why soil health matters and how to modify soils to improve plant health and reduce disease and pests. A recording of the 56-minute webinar is published on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Hqd-XDy81H0. 

Konrad Mathesius explained the soil formation process at Bogle Family Vineyards.

The Wine Institute, California Association of Winegrape Growers and Community Alliance with Family Farmers hosted representatives from CDFA, the California Legislature, the California Environmental Protection Agency, California Natural Resources Conservation Services, and other climate-focused agencies from around the state for a healthy soils tour of Bogle Family Vineyards in Yolo County. 

At Bogle Family Vineyards, Konrad Mathesius, UCCE agronomy advisor for Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties; and Hope Zabronsky, climate smart agriculture academic coordinator for the California Institute for Water Resources, gave presentations. 

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service hosts the Web Soil Survey, which provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. NRCS has soil maps and data available online for more than 95% of the nation's counties. Phil Smith, California NRCS area resource soil scientist, and Tony Rolfes, California state soil scientist, presented a webinar on how to use the Web Soil Survey and other web tools for gathering soils information and maps. The Web Soil Survey webinar is posted at https://youtu.be/cuEMuxLGQO0.

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