As spring approaches, National Soil Conservation Week is a great time to start thinking about the health of your garden or field.
One simple way to know the state of health of your soil is what Jim Tokarchuk, the Executive Director of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, calls ‘Soil Your Undies’.
“A very simple science experiment that anyone can do. By simply finding a pair of new cotton underwear, burying it in the soil starting in the spring then coming back in July and examining the stage of decomposition of the cotton product.”
By doing this experiment, it tells you, the state of biological activity in your soil. He says generally the more active the soil is the healthier it is.
With farmers using most of the soil, it’s vital that they implement best management practices to mitigate many problems that might occur.
“It’s not a free good. If you don’t look after it, it will decline. So things like the extent of tillage, the type of tillage equipment, the type of crop rotations you use, all have an impact on soil health. So we say to farmers across the country, think about that as you begin doing your planting.”
Tokarchuk says soil is a living breathing system that provides nutrients and water to crops, is a home for billions of organisms and produces 95% of the food we eat.
He also says the annual cost of soil degradation is estimated at over $3 billion each year in Canada and it will only increase if nothing is done.
