🌱 Exciting Insights from the Latest Episode of “Secrets of the Soil”! 🌱
We just released Episode 57 of our podcast, featuring Laura Decker from MicroBIOMETER. Host ‘Regen Ray’ Milidoni dives into the future of soil health monitoring with Laura, discussing everything from cutting-edge soil testing technology to the profound connection between soil health and human well-being. Check out some key takeaways from our conversation:
🔬 Innovation in Soil Testing: Laura introduces their revolutionary device that uses a cell phone app to measure soil microbial biomass and fungal to bacteria ratio in just 20 minutes. This low-cost, user-friendly method empowers farmers to make quicker, data-driven decisions to improve soil health.
🌾 Holistic Farming Approaches: We explore the importance of shifting from corporate-owned farming to co-stewarding land within communities. By promoting the concept of “soil stewards” instead of just farmers, the episode emphasizes the critical role of maintaining soil biodiversity for sustainable agriculture.
🌍 Connected Ecosystems: Laura discusses how soil microbes directly impact plant nutrition and, consequently, human health. The episode highlights the need for integrating soil health practices into broader environmental and agricultural policies to support both ecosystem and human well-being.
Special thanks to our sponsor, Soil Connect, for making this episode possible! 🌿
Tune in, share your thoughts, and don’t forget to leave a review. Let’s continue to get our hands dirty and dig deeper into the world of soil together! 🌱🎙️
Who is Laura Decker?
Laura Decker is a professional with over 20 years of experience in various fields such as public accounting, corporate financial reporting and planning, small business development, and management. She is currently working at Prolific Earth Sciences, a company that specializes in innovative diagnostic testing. Laura is responsible for driving the growth of the company and promoting its mission, which is to enable soil stewards all over the world to use mobile technology and cost-effective soil tests to assess regenerative soil practices, improve soil health, and work towards increased soil carbon sequestration.
Laura’s role at Prolific Earth Sciences also includes educating regenerative growers and environmentalists about the importance of soil microbial biomass to soil health. She is passionate about the power of knowledge and data in helping soil stewards understand the importance of soil microbial life to the health of soil, the food grown on that soil, and the earth.
Outside of work, Laura enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and spending time in the Pacific Northwest.
In Episode 57 of “Secrets of the Soil,” host ‘Regen Ray’ Milidoni sits down with Laura Decker to delve into the transformative potential of soil health monitoring technologies and sustainable agriculture. This episode opens up a conversation about the intrinsic connection between humans and the soil, and it highlights innovative tools like MicroBIOMETER, which empower farmers to make informed decisions for a sustainable future.
The Therapeutic and Spiritual Connection to Soil
One of the profound themes discussed in this episode is the therapeutic and spiritual aspects of engaging directly with soil. Laura and Regen Ray explore how getting one’s hands dirty not only contributes to physical health but also fosters a deeper connection with the earth. This grounding experience can enhance mental well-being, providing a stress relief that modern life often lacks.
Ray emphasizes the power of this connection, encouraging listeners to spend more time outside, dig deeper, and develop a stronger bond with the natural world around them. This connection is more than just a pastoral romanticism; it underpins a larger movement towards regenerative agriculture, where farmers see themselves as stewards of the land rather than exploiters.
MicroBIOMETER: A Game-Changing Tool for Soil Health
At the heart of the episode is the discussion about the MicroBIOMETER, a tool developed by Laura Decker and her team. This innovative device allows users to measure soil microbial biomass and the fungal-to-bacterial ratio within just 20 minutes using a cell phone app. The accessibility and ease of use promised by MicroBIOMETER signify a breakthrough in soil health monitoring.
Traditional soil testing methods can be both time-consuming and complex, often necessitating lab equipment and specialized knowledge. In contrast, MicroBIOMETER simplifies the process, making it possible for farmers to obtain rapid, low-cost, and safe measures of soil biology. The app’s data storage capabilities, including sample notes and GPS tracking, further bolster its utility, enabling farmers to make informed, timely decisions.
Bridging Technology and Soil Management
Laura and Ray delve into the technological underpinnings of the MicroBIOMETER, highlighting the importance of integrating such tools with farm management software. This integration would facilitate a more holistic approach to soil management, allowing farmers to analyze various types of farming data in a seamless manner.
The episode discusses the necessity of user-friendly dashboards and robust API development to enhance data analysis capabilities. Furthermore, the ability to export and share data fosters a sense of community and collaboration among farmers, scientists, and soil enthusiasts.
Sustainable and Community-Driven Farming Practices
A compelling narrative in the episode is the shift towards community-oriented and sustainable farming practices. With large tracts of land in Australia often sold to overseas businesses due to a lack of local funding, the idea of co-owning or co-stewarding land emerges as a viable alternative. This “farm by the village” approach aims to decentralize land ownership and enhance community resilience.
Laura Decker and Regen Ray advocate for a paradigm shift from traditional farming to regenerative agriculture, promoting a model where soil health is prioritized. By viewing themselves as soil stewards, farmers can adopt practices that not only sustain but enhance the soil ecosystem. This holistic approach means looking beyond just crop yield and considering the long-term health of the soil and its broader environmental impact.
Soil Health and Human Health: An Inextricable Link
Laura and Ray touch upon the critical connection between soil health and human health. Soil quality directly influences plant nutrition, which, in turn, affects human diets and microbiomes. Laura underscores the significance of soil diversity in determining food quality and highlights the adverse effects of chemicals and poor soil nutrition on both plants and humans.
The conversation underscores the importance of nurturing a diverse microbial ecosystem within the soil. This diversity not only benefits crop yield and quality but also supports the broader goals of sustainable agriculture by reducing reliance on chemical inputs and enhancing soil resilience.
Nurturing Future Knowledge and PracticesaThe Role of Microbial Inputs and Prebiotics in Soil Fertility
In the latter part of their discussion, Laura and Ray emphasize the necessity of using microbial inputs and prebiotics to boost soil fertility. They share success stories, such as that of RioGen, a company using MicroBIOMETER to monitor and enhance the microbial activity within their soil. These inputs play a crucial role in maintaining soil health, thereby supporting robust crop growth and higher yields.
Empowering Farmers for a Sustainable Future
Episode 57 of “Secrets of the Soil” presents a compelling vision for the future of farming, wherein technology and community-driven practices convergonate with sustainable soil stewardship. MicroBIOMETER exemplifies the kind of cutting-edge innovation that can empower farmers to make well-informed, sustainable decisions. As Laura Decker and ‘Regen Ray’ Milidoni elucidate, maintaining soil health is not just about farming—it’s about fostering a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the earth that sustains us.
Listeners are encouraged to explore further, share their insights, and leave reviews to support the podcast’s mission of spreading awareness and knowledge about soil health and sustainable agriculture.
