Earth Week: Celebrating Organic Soil
We’re celebrating Earth Week by going underground. Literally.
Stay tuned for a week of short videos featuring farmers, soil scientists and compost connoisseurs who know their stuff about what makes organic farming work. 🪱🌱 From exploding soil to over-wintering broccoli that holds the ground in place, you’ll learn how healthy, organic soil powers the food we eat and the planet we love.
EXPLODING SOIL = A GOOD SIGN
What happens when soil is packed with organic matter, active biology and a whole lot of cover crop magic? It crumbles. It shatters. It explodes 💥 in the best possible way.
Join Oregon State University Soil Scientist James Cassidy in this satisfying soil moment as he shows what happens when organic farming practices build structure, hold water and set up the next generation of plants for success.
This is what healthy soil looks like.
THE ART OF ON-FARM COMPOSTING
Two organic farming pros geeking out over finely sifted compost? Of course—it’s Earth Week. ♻️
At Gathering Together Farm, compost isn’t just tossed together, it’s made on-farm with care, intention and a little ingenuity.
🎥 Watch GTF’s farm manager, Crosbie Walsh, walk OGC’s Joey Staub through the farm’s compost making recipe. A mix of leaf mold, rabbit manure and a custom-built trommel sifter take compost from rough to refined. The result? Clean, fine-textured compost, perfect for seed starts. They're building healthy soil the organic way. 🌱
ROOT SYSTEMS & MICROBIAL SUPERPOWERS
Did you know that plants team up with bacteria to feed themselves and build better soil?
In this short (and wildly cool) clip, Oregon State University Soil Scientist James Cassidy breaks down the incredible underground science behind the role the roots of cover crop play in healthy soil. We’re talking root nodules, rhizobium bacteria, anaerobic environments and hemoglobin?! Yes, the same stuff in your blood. 🤯
A COVER CROP WITH A BONUS HARVEST
What do you grow when the fields are soaked, and the markets are slow? For some organic farmers in the Northwest, the answer is Purple Sprouting Broccoli. 💜
On a soggy farm walk last month, OGC’s Joey Staub talked us through how hearty crops like PSB 🥦 can act like a cover crop, feeding the soil, holding it in place during winter rains and reducing erosion. 🌧️ The best part? It’s not just good for the soil. It’s a cash crop that helps fill the hunger gap —that tough stretch between winter and spring harvests.
IT ALL STARTS WITH SOIL.
Soil is an important part of the organic farming magic that’s making the planet healthier—from the ground up. 🌍
OGC’s Mike Dill meets up with Soil Scientist James Cassidy at Oregon State University’s student-led organic garden to learn how soil is a powerful tool for thriving plants and planet.