SymSoil Blog

Help us help you –  SymSoil is actively trying to shape emerging regulations to recognize the value of healthy soil.  The goal is to help family farms improve profitability by encouraging high quality on-farm composting and the restoration of soil biology.  SymSoil’s co-founder, Peter Hirst, is on several committees which are participating in the legal … Improving Profitability & Family Farms: The On-Farm Composting Working Group Read More »

There are more than a dozen agencies responsible for oversight of composting in California.  The current regulatory limits on materials and sale/distribution of finished compost have created an environment where most California farmers do not compost. Combined with other challenges, these regulatory limits have created a significant disincentive for farmers to use their agricultural waste … Finally, Regulators Respond to Farmers’ Needs for On-Farm Composting Read More »

Turn food scraps into high quality compost. The secret to success from Local Carbon Network

As a soil health company, we are passionate about the soil microbe biome. But since the microbes are invisible to the naked eye … how do you measure them? There are a number of approaches. We are publishing a series of articles on the pros and cons of each. This is a summary, of what … Soil Health Tests – Which One is Right For You? Read More »

Soil health is a function of biology, but how is that measured. Part of a series on measuring the soil microbe biome.

Microscopes are often recommended to biological farmers for evaluation of soil.

Thought leaders in vineyards are adding biological terroir to factors that influence wine flavor.

A tenet of biological farming with the soil food web is “Feed your soil and the soil will feed your plants”.  Applying management practices that develop and maintain desired microorganism levels and diversity, will feed the plants by cycling nutrients they need.  From a business standpoint, it’s important to know that applied material and labor … Soil Health – A Quick Low Cost F:B Ratio Analysis Read More »

California's regulations for on-farm composting are changing. Peter Hirst, a SymSoil co-founder, will be publishing insights regularly.

Actively Aerated Compost Tea (AACT) vs Compost Extract - What is the difference and when to use them.

8 things to improve soil health in your victory garden

In these unprecedented times, farmers and cultivators are finding themselves with the weight of this pandemic, and its resulting economic recession, on their shoulders. The demand for fresh organic produce is as high as ever, with many families looking to secure healthy foods that are high in nutrition and capable of boosting their immune systems … Efficiency and Optimization in Agriculture Today Read More »

Putting in a home garden? Make it a teachable moment for your children. High school and elementary school workbooks and textbooks by Matt Powers

Plants have a microbiome, a plant prebiotic, which serves iike a human probiotic. Bacteria live on and in plant roots.

Victory Gardens - a way to cope with stress and become more resilient and self-sufficient

Today the CARES Act was passed in Washington. includes money to replenish the U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation and money for emergency appropriation to support farmers and growers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lactobacillus johnsonii, a soil microbe added to SymSoil RC, appears to reduce the risk of lymphoma, cancer of the lymph system.

21st century farming tools are biology. Overview of the Soil Food Web (SFW) or soil biology. How the soil microbe biome and related soil organisms work together to make nutrients accessible for plants.

Converting agricultural waste into biochar, can improve farming results, sequester carbon and reduce irrigation needs.

The right tool to evaluate soil biology, is a microscope. Dr. Ingham, in a 4 minute video, tells what to look for.