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!
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 18 minutes
- Episodes
- 109
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Episode 23 - 13: A Soil Your Undies Challenge with Elizabeth Baldwin and Meagan Dyer of VCE Page County
How can you really know your soil is alive, biologically active, and not sterile? Well, the answer is brief. Yes, really! Soil your undies, that is, bury a pair of your 100% cotton undies in an area …
00:20:04 |
Tue 20 Jun 2023
Episode 23 - 12: Make a Difference Where You Are with Taona Makunje Chigwenembe of Malawi Part II
We can all make a difference and construct the world we want to see and experience now and into the future. In part one, Taona Makunje Chigwenembe, the executive director of Creative Solutions for th…
00:19:55 |
Tue 06 Jun 2023
Episode 23 - 11: Catalyzing Creative Solutions with Taona Makunje Chigwenembe of Malawi Pt. I
Whether you live in the United States or Malawi in southeastern Africa, you can be 4 The Soil because soil health has national and international inspirations and applications. Soil health is foundati…
00:21:22 |
Tue 23 May 2023
Episode 23 - 10: The Ins and Outs of Cover Cropping with Mike Parrish with VCE Dinwiddie County Part II
Cover crops have many different functions and benefits from adding biomass to alleviating compaction to providing habitat for beneficial pollinators. People may be hesitant to plant a mixture of cove…
00:21:25 |
Tue 09 May 2023
Episode 23 - 9: Soil Health by Trial and Error with Mike Parrish with VCE Dinwiddie County
Farmers, gardeners, and homeowners can face different challenges in managing and building soil health. Mike Parrish, senior extension agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Dinwiddie County, en…
00:20:04 |
Tue 25 Apr 2023
Episode 23 - Earth Day Special: Nurturing Soil Health and Seeding Justice across Generations with Karen Washington of Rise and Root Farm
In celebration and recognition of Earth Day 2023, we are resharing a deeply meaningful and inspiring conversation with Karen Washington of Rise and Root Farm about soil health, intergenerational know…
00:19:17 |
Mon 24 Apr 2023
Episode 23 - 8: Soil Health and Career Inspirations with Beth Sastre of VCE Loudoun County
Who inspired you in your career and spurred your interest in soil health? Beth Sastre is an extension agent for commercial horticulture in Loudoun County with Virginia Cooperative Extension. Beth was…
00:18:45 |
Tue 11 Apr 2023
Episode 23 - 7: Getting to Know the 4 The Soil: A Conversation Team
Get to know your 4 The Soil: A Conversation podcast team. Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, Sarah Koth, and Eric Bendfeldt share their background and aha moments in learning about and building soil hea…
00:22:44 |
Tue 28 Mar 2023
Episode 23 - 6: Why I Farm The Way I Do with Becky Szarzynski of Mountain Glen Farm
Why do I farm this way? Context, values, and passion are all part of the equation and reason. Becky Szarzynski of Mountain Glen Farm is a well-spoken, highly knowledgeable young, innovative farmer in…
00:17:23 |
Tue 14 Mar 2023
Episode 23 - 5: Pasture Bouquets and Soil Health with Becky Szarzynski of Mountain Glen Farm
How do you work with nature to build soil health? Do diversity and pasture bouquets fit into your grazing management regimen? Becky Szarzynski of Mountain Glen Farm shares her own journey in building…
00:19:51 |
Tue 28 Feb 2023
Episode 23 - 4: Peeling the Layers of Soil Health Back with David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle Part II
Delving into soil health is like peeling the layers of an onion back: new layers to soil health are brought to light every day. David Montgomery and Anne Bikle share what they learned and synthesized…
00:19:53 |
Tue 14 Feb 2023
Episode 23 - 3: What Your Food Ate with David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé Part I
How do we nourish people rather than just feed them? Is there a more direct link between soil health and human health than we thought? David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé, authors of What Your Food At…
00:21:59 |
Tue 31 Jan 2023
Episode 23 - 2: The Stories Soils Tell with Clare Tallamy of Virginia Tech's Soil Judging Team Part II
You might know soil remembers and has a long memory but do you know soils continually tell stories? Soils often tell an overarching story based on history and geology that includes how soils were for…
00:19:41 |
Tue 17 Jan 2023
Episode 23 - 1: Down in the Pit with Clare Tallamy of Virginia Tech's Soil Judging Team Part I
Do you have a vision and picture of what happens in a soil judging pit? Clare Tallamy, a recent graduate of Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES), shared her passion for s…
00:18:56 |
Tue 03 Jan 2023
Episode 22 - 26: Happy Soil Biology with Jon Stika of Understanding Ag -- Part II
What are the foundations of happy soil biology? Jon Stika of UnderstandingAg, a part-time research professional at North Dakota State University's Dickinson Research and Extension Center, and author …
00:19:21 |
Tue 20 Dec 2022
Episode 22 - 25: Treat the Problem not just the Symptoms with Jon Stika of Understanding Ag -- Part I
How does soil actually function? Jon Stika of UnderstandingAg (recently retired from USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service) emphasizes that all of us as students, managers, and caregivers of so…
00:19:33 |
Tue 06 Dec 2022
Episode 22 - 24: Stories of Land and People with Lee Rinehart of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) Part II
Who inspired you in your soil health journey? Lee Rinehart sustainable agriculture specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) shared about two people who inspired him in hi…
00:18:24 |
Tue 22 Nov 2022
Episode 22 - 23: Appropriate Technology for Soil for Water with Lee Rinehart of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) Part I
What are appropriate and inappropriate technologies for soil to benefit water? Lee Rinehart of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) shares the history behind this question as well as…
00:20:01 |
Tue 08 Nov 2022
Episode 22 - 22: 'Soil is Meant to be Covered' with Mike Phillips of Valley View Farms
If you were an earthworm, what type of farm would you like to be living on? This question was posed to Mike Phillips of Valley View Farms in Mauzy, Virginia, who is a student of history and a champio…
00:18:35 |
Tue 25 Oct 2022
Episode 22 - Special First Anniversary Edition of 4 The Soil: A Conversation Podcast with Mary, Jeff, and Eric
The 4 the Soil: A Conversation podcast was collaboratively launched on October 12, 2021, to bring farmers, graziers, market gardeners, agricultural professionals, educators, researchers, conservation…
00:20:39 |
Wed 12 Oct 2022
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Virginia Tech and its Virginia Cooperative Extension. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.