The Soil Is The Answer

The Soil Is The Answer

The Soil Is The Answer. I'm Greg Martin with Washington Ag Today.

I've been hearing a lot about soil lately. A lot of research has been done on how to get the best bang for your buck out of dirt. Kate Halstead with WSU Snohomish County Extension talks about a pair of classes that will help you understand your soil better.

HALSTEAD: I think pretty much that anybody that's in the agriculture business will have to agree that it all starts with the soil and if you don't have good soil it's so much more difficult to end up with a good quality food product when you are done and when I say good soils I mean working with what you've got to ensure that you've got the best possible.

Amendments or cover crops are just some of the things you can do to enhance the soil. Halstead says that's the best way to get the beneficial organisms that live in the soil to help grow good crops.

HALSTEAD: We figured that any good gardening or agriculture class should start with a good grounding in what makes a good soil and how do I get there.

The classes are designed more for gardening and small acre farmers but really anyone who wants a better understanding of how to improve soil should attend.

HALSTEAD: If you've got lousy soil in there you're not going to get much. If you've got great stuff in there you'll be amazed how much you can get out of a very tiny little space. Most folks don't do any sort of testing as a general rule to begin with.

She says it's best not to wait until you have a problem to test. For details on the class visit snohomish.wsu.edu.

And that's Washington Ag Today. I'm Greg Martin, thanks for listening on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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