The life in the soil is the centerpiece of the entire farm.  Without that life, we would be raising ordinary produce.  Take earthworms, for example.  Their role in the soil is huge!!  They prefer a soil that has plenty of calcium since the soil will be more open and porous.  As earthworms eat the organic matter that is in the soil, their worm castings can be eleven times richer in nutrient value than what they eat.  This is due to the secretions in their digestive tracts.  They also mix and aerate the soil.  A recent test in Ohio showed that a two inch rain can be absorbed in twelve minutes when the soil has a high population of eathworms.  A soil without earthworms can take 12 hours to absorb a two inch rain.

A good earthworm population is between 30 and 300 per cubic meter.  They are a sign of healthy soil.  As much as fifteen tons of soil per acre goes through earthworms each year.  The earthworm castings add as much as eight tons of nutrients per acre.

A gram of soil can contain 10,000 species of life.  Some, the mycorrhizae fungi, are the microbes that live in a symbiotic relationship with the root.  While getting energy from the root, they in turn, make the nutrients of the soil available to the plant.  Others, such as the actinomycetes, give the soil the fresh smell, and play a critical role in organic matter decomposition and humus formation.

Obviously, like so many other things in life, we can't begin to understand the complex story of all the life in the soil.  We know what remains from the biological party is humus.  Humus and soil health are indivisible.  All we really need to know is what can be done to foster soil life and production of humus.

The first step is to add the elements that are missing from the soil.  Ten years ago, when we began to add calcium to the soil, we saw earthworm population take off and the flavor of our produce soar.  Now, as we pay attention to the other elements in the soil as well, we are seeing more dramatic results.

The second step is to make sure we bring snacks to this biological party.  Our constant green manure and cover crops will keep this life going.  However, how the cover crops are incorporated into the soil is of supreme importance.  To make the organic matter source constant, I need to keep that matter shallow and near the surface.  That will be our experiment in the coming years...to find the best method of doing that.

The concept of creating a healthy, non-eroding soil that produces nutrient dense food is our major goal.  It is a journey that will evolve over the coming years.