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4 The Soil: A Conversation - Podcast

4 The Soil: A Conversation

Soil. What is it, really? It’s more than the dirt under our feet and the ground we stand on.

Soil is living and life-giving.

Listen as we unlock the mysteries of soil by speaking with people at the forefront of the soil health movement.

“4 The Soil: A Conversation” is part of the 4 The Soil Awareness Campaign led by Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. The campaign’s purpose is to raise awareness of soil as an agricultural and natural resource critical to social, economic, and environmental health.

Hear and learn from farmers, agricultural professionals, conservation leaders, master gardeners, and many more on how and why to be 4 The Soil.

The podcast is a collaboration of Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation, Virginia Cooperative Extension, On The Farm Radio, USDA-NRCS, and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition with specific funding from the Agua Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Virginia Tech’s Department of Agriculture, Leadership, and Community Education’s Community Viability grant program.

Stay tuned for the release of our first episode in October!

Science Life Sciences Education
Update frequency
every 13 days
Average duration
18 minutes
Episodes
109
Years Active
2021 - 2025
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Episode 24 - 7: A Passion for Gardening with Bill

Episode 24 - 7: A Passion for Gardening with Bill "Pops" Patterson of Virginia USDA-NRCS Part II

A passion for gardening and tasty, flavorful tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot peppers continues to drive Bill Patterson's experimentation with crop rotations, mulching, composting, and winter and summer …
00:16:38  |   Tue 26 Mar 2024
Episode 24 - 6: For the Love of Soil with Bill

Episode 24 - 6: For the Love of Soil with Bill "Pops" Patterson of Virginia USDA-NRCS Part I

A love and curiosity for soil sparked a fifty-year career in soil and natural resources conservation. Mary Sketch Bryant and Eric Bendfeldt talk with Bill Patterson, retired district conservationist …
00:16:59  |   Tue 12 Mar 2024
Episode 24 - 5: The Unintended Consequences of Deep Tillage with Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom Part II

Episode 24 - 5: The Unintended Consequences of Deep Tillage with Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom Part II

Are we there yet? Have we arrived at the intended destination? Have we reached the goal we set out for improving soil health and how soil functions? Have our good intentions of attempting to loosen t…
00:18:54  |   Tue 27 Feb 2024
Episode 24 - 4: Drought Resilience: Does Subsoiling Pay? with Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom Part I

Episode 24 - 4: Drought Resilience: Does Subsoiling Pay? with Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom Part I

How functional and drought-resilient is your soil? Is your soil a week away from a drought and an hour away from a flood?

Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom talks with Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeld…
00:19:19  |   Tue 13 Feb 2024
Episode 24 - 3: A Purposeful Soil Health Mindset with Rebekah Slabach of Virginia Tech Part II

Episode 24 - 3: A Purposeful Soil Health Mindset with Rebekah Slabach of Virginia Tech Part II

How does a purposeful mindset contribute to soil health and rebuilding soil fertility? What can we learn from culture, history, and mindset in storing our farm landscapes?

Rebekah Slabach recently bec…
00:18:03  |   Tue 30 Jan 2024
Episode 24 - 2: Fueling Agricultural and Community Change with Rebekah Slabach of Virginia Cooperative Extension Part I

Episode 24 - 2: Fueling Agricultural and Community Change with Rebekah Slabach of Virginia Cooperative Extension Part I

What are the ingredients of change? How can you fuel and be an agent of change in your community? Rebekah Slabach serves as an extension agent of agriculture and natural resources with Virginia Coope…
00:19:48  |   Tue 16 Jan 2024
Episode 24 - 1: The Power of Observation and A Receptive Mind with Dr. Stuart Grandy of UNH Part II

Episode 24 - 1: The Power of Observation and A Receptive Mind with Dr. Stuart Grandy of UNH Part II

The power of observation and a receptive mind are critical to farming, soil health, research, and all discoveries. Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt start the New Year and third seas…
00:18:43  |   Tue 02 Jan 2024
Episode 23 - 26: What's Happening in the Soil Food Web with Dr. Stuart Grandy of UNH Part I

Episode 23 - 26: What's Happening in the Soil Food Web with Dr. Stuart Grandy of UNH Part I

How does one measure and monitor what's happening below the ground in the soil food web? Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt caught up with Dr. Stuart Grandy, Professor of Natural Reso…
00:18:55  |   Tue 19 Dec 2023
Episode 23 - 25: A Healthy, Fertile Celebration of World Soils Day 2023

Episode 23 - 25: A Healthy, Fertile Celebration of World Soils Day 2023

Since October 2021, Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt have had sixty conversations about the health and fertility of soil as part of the podcast. To celebrate World Soils Day 2023, w…
00:19:32  |   Tue 05 Dec 2023
Episode 23 - 24: Balancing Community and Natural Resource Needs with Nelson Muiru of KENVO Part II

Episode 23 - 24: Balancing Community and Natural Resource Needs with Nelson Muiru of KENVO Part II

How do we identify community and natural resource needs? What are people doing to thrive as well as survive? Executive Director Nelson Muiru of Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO) talks with Jeff I…
00:19:26  |   Tue 21 Nov 2023
Episode 23 - 23: Maximizing Biodiversity and Food Security with Nelson Muiru of KENVO Part I

Episode 23 - 23: Maximizing Biodiversity and Food Security with Nelson Muiru of KENVO Part I

How do you work with communities and individual farmers to build trust and achieve multiple social, financial, and ecological goals? Executive Director Nelson Muiru of Kijabe Environment Volunteers (…
00:19:26  |   Tue 07 Nov 2023
Episode 23 - 22: The Give and Take of Lawn and Soil Health with Dr. Mike Goatley of Virginia Tech Part II

Episode 23 - 22: The Give and Take of Lawn and Soil Health with Dr. Mike Goatley of Virginia Tech Part II

How do we improve lawn soil health by adjusting mower deck height? Can adjusting your lawnmower deck from three inches to four or more inches save you time and energy? Is genetically modified turfgra…
00:19:03  |   Tue 24 Oct 2023
Episode 23 - 21: Every Blade of Grass is a Study with Dr. Mike Goatley of Virginia Tech Part I

Episode 23 - 21: Every Blade of Grass is a Study with Dr. Mike Goatley of Virginia Tech Part I

President Abraham Lincoln stated in 1858 that "Every blade of grass is a study; and to produce two, where there was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure." The profit and pleasure of turfgrass sti…
00:19:45  |   Tue 10 Oct 2023
Episode 23 - 20: Knowing Your Why for Farming and Soil Health with Daniel Austin of Green Sprig Ag Part II

Episode 23 - 20: Knowing Your Why for Farming and Soil Health with Daniel Austin of Green Sprig Ag Part II

Like author Simon Sinek, Daniel Austin of Green Sprig Ag and Little Hen Farm encourages people to start with their “why.” Doing so will help people understand their motivation and refine their purpos…
00:18:19  |   Tue 26 Sep 2023
Episode 23 - 19: From Picking Rocks to Marketing Local Grains with Daniel Austin of Green Sprig Ag

Episode 23 - 19: From Picking Rocks to Marketing Local Grains with Daniel Austin of Green Sprig Ag

What are the resource concerns and aspirations for your farm and land? Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt catch up by phone with farmer, entrepreneur, and soil health champion Daniel …
00:18:44  |   Tue 12 Sep 2023
Episode 23 - 18: Hope from the Garden with Kate Bracken and Craig Fracker of Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardener Association

Episode 23 - 18: Hope from the Garden with Kate Bracken and Craig Fracker of Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardener Association

What is your passion? Where do you experience a sense of wonder and hope? Jeff Ishee and Mary Sketch Bryant talk with Kate Bracken and Craig Fracker of the Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardener Associat…
00:19:50  |   Tue 29 Aug 2023
Episode 23-17: Sowing the Next Generation of Stewards with Kathy Yoder of Vine & Fig, Part II

Episode 23-17: Sowing the Next Generation of Stewards with Kathy Yoder of Vine & Fig, Part II

How do we encourage stewardship of the land and our communities in the next generation? In this episode, Jeff Ishee, Eric Bendfeldt, and Sarah Koth continue their conversation with Kathy Yoder, the E…
00:20:20  |   Tue 15 Aug 2023
Episode 23-16: Seeds of Change: Enhancing Food Access, Local Food Systems, and Childhood Education with Kathy Yoder of Vine and Fig

Episode 23-16: Seeds of Change: Enhancing Food Access, Local Food Systems, and Childhood Education with Kathy Yoder of Vine and Fig

Healthy soil means healthy plants which means healthy people and a healthy planet. In this episode, Jeff Ishee, Eric Bendfeldt, and Sarah Koth speak with Kathy Yoder, the Education Outreach Program D…
00:20:06  |   Tue 01 Aug 2023
Episode 23-15: Soil as Infrastructure and Learning by Doing with Carl Stafford of VCE Culpeper County

Episode 23-15: Soil as Infrastructure and Learning by Doing with Carl Stafford of VCE Culpeper County

Soil is important infrastructure on our landscapes and in our communities. Jeff Ishee, Eric Bendfeldt, and Mary Sketch Bryant talk with Carl Stafford of Virginia Cooperative Extension in Culpeper Cou…
00:19:10  |   Tue 18 Jul 2023
Episode 23-14: Grazing with Intent with Carl Stafford of VCE Culpeper County

Episode 23-14: Grazing with Intent with Carl Stafford of VCE Culpeper County

What does the health of plants and animals have to tell us about life underground? In this episode, Jeff Ishee, Eric Bendfeldt, and Mary Sketch Bryant talk with Carl Stafford of Virginia Cooperative …
00:19:24  |   Wed 05 Jul 2023
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