Many of our farms have declined to 1 percent or less organic matter in their soils. That’s alarming when the pasture land right next door likely has 5 to 6 percent organic matter. In my past newsletters, I’ve addressed over-tillage, lack of cover crops, and high intensity (chemical-dependent) farming all contributing to degradation of the soil so it fails to function properly. When the soil can’t function even more synthetic fertilizers are required to just to keep the crop growing.
Nature is available to help. Biologically active soils allow minerals to be mined faster and across wider spans, mitigate soil diseases, hold more water, store and hold nutrients longer, improve drainage, and do many other good things better. Seems like something everyone would want to take advantage of. We witness some of the biggest crop gains when organic products are combined with conventional products and practices. Simply put, there’s considerable room for much improvement.
One gram of dirt can contain 6 to 10 million organisms. Without them, nothing would grow. The microorganisms are after carbon. Plant roots will leak out carbon compounds that attract the microorganisms. In exchange, the microbes break down organic matter in the soil, which delivers nitrogen and phosphate in a form that the plant can use. The amount of C02 is directly proportional to how healthy that soil is. When you farm in ways that release carbon (tilling), or you don’t try to retain carbon (i.e. with cover cropping), or over application of synthetic nitrogen causes microbes to rip out and destroy carbon, soils will continue to wane.
Here’s the kicker, building up your organic matter in your soil will save you money in the long term, as you won’t need as much fertilizer as your soil improves. And the good news is that soil will come back if you give it a chance. It is very robust and resilient. We are only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we understand about how soil functions and its biology. However, for a host of reasons, we do know that more carbon in the soil is a good thing.
Good soil for plant growth consists of about half solid material (mostly mineral but with a crucial organic component) and half pore spaces filled with varying proportions of water and air. If we take the time to learn how to better improve our terrestrial resources, the soil will return the favor and take care of us. Andaman Ag carries a host of products that, when used in combination, help build soil organic matter, paving the way to the storage of carbon and increased microbiology. Please contact us for discussion as agriculture is our passion and pursuit.