How does soil health relate to clean, abundant water? Dr. Ryan Stewart is an Associate Professor in Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Ryan's research focus is on the interactions between water, soil, and plant communities. His sustainable water resource management work spans soil science, ecology, engineering, agriculture, and urban systems. He shares the science of measuring and quantifying soil health and the effects of management principles and practices on how soil functions. Ryan and his research colleagues identified 42 different indicators, but in our conversation emphasized the importance of systematically building soil organic matter and enhancing biology for plant life and water cycling.

For additional Tips and Resources and to pledge your commitment to restoring and maintaining soil health, please visit the 4 The Soil website at https://www.4thesoil.org/tips--resources.html and https://www.4thesoil.org/take-the-pledge.html.

A free downloadable version of the fourth edition of Building Soils for Better Crops: Ecological Management for Health Soils is available from USDA's Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE) at https://www.sare.org/resources/building-soils-for-better-crops/

The Virginia Soil Health Coalition welcomes your participation and collaboration in building and supporting soil health. To learn more, please visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/

4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Other partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and partners of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition.

Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest.

To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org. Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.