Soil Testing

DESCRIPTION

Learn from Dr. Yamily Zavala from the CARA Soil Health Lab about how to figure out what’s in your soil. She talks to Scott about how you can measure, monitor and improve your soil.

(48:30) December 23, 2020

RESOURCES

Find out more about the CARA soil health lab: https://www.carasoilhealthlab.ca/

Want to get out on your field and do some measurements? The CARA soil health lab has some videos demonstrating water infiltration and using a soil penetrometer here: https://www.carasoilhealthlab.ca/gallery-1

The NRCS also has great soil health and assessment resources. Methods to do a water infiltration test: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052494.pdf

And lots more tests to do for soil health assessment: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/health/assessment/

Dr Zavala and the farmers she works with in Alberta recommend getting a soil health mentor! If you’d like to join their WhatsApp group to talk about all things soil, email: shwhatsalb@gmail.com

GUEST BIO

Dr. Yamily Zavala

Dr. Yamily Zavala has extensive international experience in restoring soil fertility and improving cropping systems. Her work is supported by an education focused on agriculture and soils. Her passion for understanding and improving the health of soils has positively impacted the local agricultural economies where she has worked. In addition to applied research projects, she manages CARA’s Soil Health Lab in Eastern Alberta(CSHL). The Lab focuses on the evaluation of physical and biological soil properties and allows producers the opportunity for hands-on evaluation of their soils.

SPONSOR

Funding is provided in part by the Canada and Manitoba governments through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.