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 soil need to understand how soil functions as a living ecosystem with biological, physical, and chemical processes. All of us must become students of what makes soil healthy. It’s that simple and there are no shortcuts. Jon states from this starting point farmers, graziers, gardeners, and landowners will then be able to treat the problems limiting soil health and not just the symptoms.

In Jon's career as a conservationist, agronomist, soil scientist, researcher, and teacher with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, an eye-opening experience was just how important biology is to the overall soil ecosystem and how carbon serves as currency to drive nutrient cycling, soil aggregation, and so many other processes.

Jon encourages people to not be overwhelmed by the complexity of the system but to start small, follow the four soil health principles, focus on one principle out of the four that can be improved, and experiment with that principle on a section of your farm, pasture, garden, or backyard.

A Soil Owner’s Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health is published independently by Jon through Amazon Books and is available on UnderstandingAg’s website.

Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, join the 4 the Soil conversation, and read the latest Soil Health Tip Tuesday blog post at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://www.4thesoil.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.