Reprinted from "AgriEnergy Resources, Spring, 1998

Update: James Barlow was a co-founder of Soil Foodweb, Inc. in 1996.  He left the lab in 1999 to found his present company, Soilweb Inc. Jim is the innovator of the  Soilweb® crop production programs that offer" prescriptions" for tested biological products that will be best in each situation for growers..

This article describes the value and functions of soil life in the root zone soil that is stimulated by the Soilweb® programs.

February AgriEnergy speakers Elaine Ingham and James Barlow of Soil Foodweb, Inc. in Corvallis, OR., are experts on the structure and function of the complex soil foodweb.  With their data of over 25,000 soil samples from riparian, forest, and agricultural systems, SFI can assess soil organism populations and types in many areas of the country.

The food chain we're all used to is seen above ground, with herbivores, primary predators and secondary predators, is mirrored below ground in the soil, says Jim Barlow, crop consultant and general manager of SFI, "Nature works that way everywhere you look," says Barlow.  "That's the exact same thing happening under your corn, except you haven't been able to appreciate it."

Organisms accidentally destroyed by excess tillage, herbicides and salt fertilizers can not perform the functions necessary for Renewable Farming. "Why do we continue to see more and more and more disease problems in agriculture?" asks Elaine Ingham. "Because we're killing the beneficial microbes and we're not putting back those nutrients the organisms need to grow on, and we put ourselves into that disease cycle.  We increase disease because we don't really understand what's going on in this below ground system.  We need to get the good bacteria and fungi back into that system."  To pay for land through agricultural production we use practices that accidentally kill the organisms as a necessary evil, Ingham recognizes: "But realize that you need to do something in your soil to get back the good guys and not keep favoring the pathogens," she insists. "That's part of what we want to do here -- put back the food in those ecosystems to grow the beneficial bacteria and fungi, or inoculate the soil with the 'good guys' in order to make sure that they're there."

New techniques in microscopy allow SFI to directly examine soil samples to inventory organisms and determine their activity level. "We'll crunch these numbers and give you a report, a visual indication of what's high and what's low and where you are. It's a new window into the soil," says Barlow. "We now have the patterns and know what organisms need to be present under any particular major plant, in any region of the country at any time of year," says Barlow. "We have everything we need to make a new category of tool for farming." Defining proper soil life balances for each crop and soil type, inventorying those organisms and interpreting the lab numbers is crucial for identifying the right soil replenishing products, says Barlow.  "We're at a historical time in the turn of the century where we can begin to bring in the soil biota test as a companion analysis sheet, along with the soil fertility sheet," says Barlow. "We can also take good compost and test the various values and different aspects of quality, and see if you are bringing with it a broader diversity of all of the good guys that will seed your soil with species that may be absent otherwise." Rather than just buying products that promise higher yields, biological products need to be tested against the soil biota criteria for each locality to optimize plant productivity.

"We need to build the equivalent of a pharmacy," adds Barlow. "Then we can select a biological product because we know what it does.  We're beginning to take the hiss out of the snake oil."  And biological inputs are needed to "re-seed" soils deficient in soil biota, because of the intimate and sensitive nature of soil organisms. The soil biota recycle organic matter, feed and protect plants against pathogens, fix nitrogen, build soil structure, and must be present in just the right ratios around the root structure to make the system work. "Elaine and I have had the opportunity to compare many companies during our travels, and AgriEnergy Resources is one of the most outstanding groups I've ever seen," Barlow remarks. "They're making a very sincere effort to bring this kind of technology and product along to help agriculture move along in its destiny to be more biological." Barlow adds: "AgriEnergy is producing a number of products that from experience are proving helpful to a lot of farmers, and I encourage you to continue using these products. We look forward to collaborating to make this even better.

"Now we have the tools to bring the soil biota into balance and we can bring this into agriculture.  I think you're going to see nice yields, good soil structure, efficiency in fertilizer use, better plant health, and better quality in your crop." In our next issue, we’ll examine the interactions that make up the soil foodweb, and how you can apply this new technology of measuring and improving your soil.

Page 7 Spring 1998 AgiEnergy Resources                                                  

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