22-4: Investing in Soil Health, Balancing Soil Fertility -- Robert Shoemaker of Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

In this episode, Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt speak with Robert Shoemaker, nutrient management specialist with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Robert discusses the work of DCR in partnering with agricultural producers across the state, the intersection of soil health and water quality, and some of the conservation practices that DCR works with farmers to implement that build healthy soils and protect the watershed. He also shares the role of soil testing in understanding the state of your soil fertility “bank account” and the need to monitor withdrawals and deposits.

For more information about the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Division of Soil and Water Conservation visit https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/ and to learn more about the 47 soil and water conservation districts visit https://www.vaswcd.org/.

4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Other partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and partners of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition.

Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest.

To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org. Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.