This conference was held in early 2020, just before COVID-19 became a household word. The speaker insights are as relevant today as they were then. You can view playbacks on our sister site, at endofite.com. Watch the Playbacks Good Nutrition Begins On Farms and In Gardens. Hipocrates once recognized food as the best medicine. Of … Read more
Brackish Water is Toxic To Crop Plants About 97% of the fresh water on the earth is considered too brackish (too salty) for most agricultural use. Desalination, or purification, is of course possible. Mechanical desalination processes are widely known. But making desalination cost effective and environmentally friendly can be challenging. The National Acadamies tell us … Read more
Healthy Soils Require Amendments It is unrealistic to believe you can keep farming or gardening, and keep taking nutrients out of the soil without putting something back now and then. In the late 20th century, this was done with chemical fertilizers. No doubt, chemical fertilizers are still used today. When properly applied, qualified experts will … Read more
Today’s informed consumers are growing food at home to ensure that what they are consuming is both free of pesticides and rich in nutrients. These growers are quick to learn there are a lot of confusing so-called best practices for gardening, pest management, and soil amendments. No doubt, some of this confusion centers around over-anxious … Read more
Suzanne Ricketts of Plano Texas has always embraced healthy eating. Like so many of us, her understanding of what healthy eating represents has changed over the years. A pioneer in our Cultivating Victory movement, Suzanne recently joined us to discuss how interests in nutrition led her to permaculture. Today, she produces healthy produce year round … Read more
Every grower knows beneficial microbes like rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi can help plants produce strong, resistant, and resilient crops. Many growers know that having the right microbes in the soil can reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Far too many growers have fallen for the “bug-in-a-jug,” spending various sums of … Read more
Fungal superhighways operate underground to decompose minerals and nutrients from soil and deliver them to plants. For this reason, fungi are powerful, yet too often overlooked additions to plant production. Many industrial agricultural techniques damage these fungal communities, resulting in less than optimal crop yields, reduced crop nutrition, and increased need for agrochemicals. As a result, … Read more
Few characters I dealt with in my years as as a researcher were as colorful as Chuck Redman. Chuck was a retired solar energy technician who had dedicated many lab hours during his career to exploring the movement of adsorbed water. After retirement, Chuck had become fascinated with the hypothesis that significant amounts of … Read more
During World Wars I and II, families on the home fronts in many countries were encouraged to plant victory gardens. Home food production was recognized as fundamental to national security, and victory gardens became a source of national pride and patriotism. Food grown at home provided critical relief from the death, famine, and destruction created … Read more
