WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2015 - The Organic Center wants little baggies of topsoil from as many
U.S. organic farmers as possible to support a broad study comparing organic
matter composition in organic fields, pastures and forests with that in
conventionally farmed land.
The center is collaborating
with Northwestern University researchers who’ve already amassed soil samples
from conventional fields of every county in the country, explains Jessica
Shade, the center’s science programs director. Her team has only about 500 samples
from organic tracts. But with more than 14,000 organic farmers operating in the
U.S., she expects she can get a lot more, though the soil must come from
certified organic land. The project aims to quantify the sequestered carbon in
organic farm topsoil samples for comparison with corresponding conventional
samples to find differences in levels of humic acids, fulvic acids, and humin –
the particles that harbor the soil’s sequestered carbon. The research is aimed
at better understanding soil health.
So, Shade pleads: “Just two
tablespoons of soil in a zip-lock bag and send it to us.” Farmers can click here for instructions and a one-page sample submission
form.
#30
For more news, go to www.agri-pulse.com
