Soil Health Team Strengthening Collaborative Efforts

Jul 10, 2023

Building and maintaining healthy soils is not solely the responsibility of agricultural producers, both in rural and urban areas, but it is a collective effort that requires the involvement of everyone.

The concept of soil health has evolved over time, just like everything else. It is now known that healthy soil is a thriving ecosystem, teeming with diverse micro and macroorganisms. These organisms play a crucial role in nutrient cycling through decomposition, by promoting soil aggregation and by contributing to better soil structure and resilience. Healthy soils lead to healthy crops and animals, thereby, supporting vibrant and robust communities.

Carolina Córdova, assistant professor and statewide soil health specialist at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, hosted the first soil health statewide leadership team meeting June 23 with Aaron Hird, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service soil health specialist, and Ariel Freidenreich, U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service research soil scientist.

The primary objective of this meeting was to strengthen collaborative efforts between the university and federal and state agencies in the field of soil health.

“We are thrilled about the potential collaboration opportunities that lie ahead and are committed to playing an active role in the formation of the Statewide Soil Health Team,” Córdova said.

The three statewide soil health specialists will meet quarterly, ensuring ongoing communication and fostering the exchange of important information regarding needs, projects and activities in which all can participate and contribute with their expertise and respective support team.

This collaborative initiative aims to identify ways in which the university, USDA-ARS and USDA-NRCS can actively support and contribute to a wide range of activities, events and projects throughout Nebraska. They enthusiastically welcome the opportunity to continue and extend their active engagement with other soil health leaders to serve diverse communities across the state, both urban and rural.

Córdova, Freidenreich and Hird believe that building stronger soils is a shared responsibility. By collaborating with experts and diverse stakeholders across Nebraska, the Soil Health Team aims to drive impactful change and ensure a sustainable future for our soils and the communities they support.

Source : unl.edu

Video: How to fix a leaking pond.

Does the pond leak? Ummmm....possibly a tiny bit. Well, more than a bit...ok, the darn thing leaks like a sieve!

QUESTIONS ANSWERED: Damit is not plastic. Therefore, there are no microplastics. I wish I had not mentioned plastic, but that is a very common polymer and I mentioned it as an example of a polymer. A polymer is simply a chain of repeating molecules, or "monomers." Cellulose is a polymer of glucose molecules. Starches are also polymers of various molecules such as fructose, maltose, etc. We have many polymers inside our bodies. In other words, just knowing something is a polymer doesn't make it bad, toxic, harmful, etc. However, this also doesn't mean all polymers are safe.

The specific polymer used for Damit is a trade secret, however, it has been closely scrutinized by multiple health and safety authorities. This includes the governmental authorities of Australia, the USA, Europe, and Asia. Not only have they determined that is safe to use in earthen ponds, and not harmful to fish, but it is considered safe to use in human potable water systems in all of these areas. And of course, they know the exact makeup of the polymer when making this determination. I'm told that the same polymer is in use by many municipalities to keep potable water storage tanks leak free. I can't tell you exactly what the polymer is, because I don't know, but given the confidence with which the governmental authorities have authorized its use, I would bet it is made of a monomer that we are exposed to all the time, like fructose or something.

It also breaks down in a matter of years, and does not accumulate in the environment. The end products of breaking down are CO2, water, and base minerals like potassium. The SDS reports no need for concern with ingestion, inhalation, or contact. If in eyes, rinse with water.

End result, can I say for sure that it is 100% safe? No, I don't know exactly what it is. But given people who do know exactly what it is, and have scrutinized it, have approved it for use in human potable water systems, I'm pretty comfortable putting it in an earthen pond.