In this episode of The Crop Cast, Sean Nettleton sits down with Jason Schley and Bodie Kitchel to unpack one of the most misunderstood but important concepts in modern agronomy: WEOC (Water-Extractable Organic Carbon) — the true “currency” that fuels soil health, nutrient release, and long-term productivity.

The conversation dives into why WEOC isn’t a buzzword or sales term, but a metric that underpins every biological and chemical reaction in the soil. Through stories from the field, years of data, and clear analogies, the team explains how carbon saturation, nitrogen management, population stress, mineralization, and plant health all stack together into a systems approach. They challenge outdated agronomic assumptions, highlight the economic cost of mismanagement, and show farmers how building carbon, not just applying fertilizer, is the path to healthier soils, healthier plants, and more profitable acres.