Soil, the living world beneath our feet

Everyone is curious about the life in the soil and the food web, 

yet we can’t see the "microbiome" in the soil. Gardeners love soil and have so many questions about it – how to test it, how to compost, how to enhance soil structure and fertility. For those in the "growing" world, we wonder if the difference between dirt and soil is just semantics. Turns out, it's not just semantics! Soil is a living environment...whereas dirt is basically dead soil, according to scientists. Soil is the earth’s delicately structured biological skin(video). Every terrestrial ecosystem and the food you eat sprouts from soil. (95% of food comes from soil).

• Soil anchors and feeds forests, prairies, and farmed fields.
• The amazing difference between dirt and soil is that soil contains mycorrhizae, a beneficial fungi, which lives beneath our feet. Click here for Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott photos and description of this beneficial fungi.
• Soil is habitat for many burrowing animals and harbors an amazing biodiversity of microbes, insects, arthropods, and worms, many yet to be scientifically described. 

Growing a Revolution

• Soil is essential to the water cycle as it filters and gradually releases water year-round to streams, rivers, and lakes.  

• Soil decomposes fallen leaves, feces, dead animals and plants into soil organic matter while recycling the nutrients that plants need to grow. Increasing soil organic matter is one way to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and address climate change.
• David Montgomery talks about bringing our soil back to life, and with one third of the arable land laying dormant, soil is a lifeline to healing the planet and feeding the hungry.
• Whether one is a serious scientist, or food activist, a farmer or a backyard gardener, the following references and link resources will open a new world, one going on right under our feet. 

To understand how Canyon County soils influence plant growth, check out this class  https://bit.ly/2cSoils    offered on Zoom.

Further links: 
Great videos, interactive games from Smithsonian Environmental Research Center http://forces.si.edu/soils/ 

Soil Health Awareness: Sponsored by the US Government, this site provides information for educators. USDA Natural Resources link