East Kootenay farmers and growers are invited to a hands-on-field day exploring the living biology beneath their fields.
The event will be held at Spring Creek Ranch near Fort Steele on September 29 and is led by Robby Gass (MSc Organic Farming) the Founder of ALBA Regenerative Agriculture.
The field day will use live microscopy to magnify soil organisms, then connect what participants see below ground to practical questions about roots, nutrient cycling, water infiltration, pasture and farm management.
This comes as water management becomes an increasingly important issue for East Kootenay agriculture. About half of actively farmed land in the region relies on irrigation, according to the BC Climate Change Adaptation Program. The East Kootenay already experiences typically dry summers.
Forage and pasture account for about 95 per cent of cultivated land in the East Kootenay. Local producers will be given a chance to ask about soil function, water infiltration, roots and pasture resilience.
“There is an entire living world beneath our feet, and most of us never get to see it. When farmers can look at their soil, see the biology, understand what the roots and microbes are doing, and connect that to water, nutrients and plant health, soil becomes something we can observe and work with. That’s what I’m excited for farmers to experience at this field day,” said Natalie Forstbauer, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Heart & Soil Magazine.
Gass brings more than 30 years of experience in regenerative, organic and biodynamic farming, with training in soil microscopy and the soil food web.
“The microscope gives farmers another way to read what’s happening in their soil. My goal is for people to leave with a better understanding of their soil and practical questions they can start asking on their own farms,” added Gass.
Participants will explore soil food web basics, nutrient cycling, roots and forage, water infiltration, pasture management and live soil microscopy.
It’s open to ranchers, livestock and crop producers, hay farmers, market gardeners, home growers, agricultural advisors and anyone interested in understanding how living soil functions.
SOIL BIOLOGY FIELD DAY
Date and Time: September 29 at 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Location: Spring Creek Ranch at 7977 Mauscreek Road, Fort Steele, B.C.
Cost: $105 CAD including GST for two people with lunch included.
Advance registration is requested by September 26 to help organizers plan for lunch.
To register visit heartandsoilmagazine.com/soil-biology-field-day.
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