The Key to Stimulating Soil Biology

AEA founder John Kempf discusses the value of soil biology in ensuring crops receive the necessary nutrients. Although cover crops are a useful tool in regenerative systems, and it is very important to keep soil covered, this video describes an alternative for dry environments in which water is scarce. To learn more about AEA and regenerative agriculture, visit www.advancingecoag.com/ or email [e-mail].

[@Hawthornenurse]

I'm a new farmer and decided to till up the existing cow pasture to start fresh grass. What would you recommend I add to the soil in the fall before seeding the new grass the following spring? We are in the high desert of Oregon.

[@asqirl8425]

Hi, I've been interested and experimenting with biochar. We did initial soil samples 6 years ago, added minerals brought the ph up from 5.8 to 6.4 . Better results every year. Back yard, drip water irrigation, adding char composted crop residues,leaves and grass. I do add worm castings and tea. Shell fish slurry was available and did show improved growth. Never had the time for fertilizers aside rock dust.

[@paulbraga4460]

😇is it possible for you to outline your practice with biochar? the full protocol i mean. how much per square area treated/charged first before digging it in? how deep was it incorporated? how was the rock dust used? mixed with the biochar? or did you add biochar to compost pile? etc...mygreathanks and blessings

[@asqirl8425]

@@paulbraga4460 great request. Firstly, as much as we can make. Right now, spring grass clippings and growth are cut. We have a downed alder tree with all the brush in the woods to make more char. We want the char layered in with the spring grass for fall compost. Timeline is never ending. Right now we have winter compost ( of the same make) yet to get into the garden. I am using a wheelbarrel for each 60 ft. row of crops. I have a row crop system here. 10 rows. Thats a 4" layer on each row. The best is getting 5-10 percent of the char compost into the top 4" of the planting row. I am adding lime, azomite feathermeal , humic acid, worm castings, Sea Crop, into the compost and turning it in. Half of the garden I'm doing by hand. The other half is full of grass and we will use a tiller to turn it up. I have drip tape in each row. context is applied here. I'm planting rows of crops at the drip line with this process.

[@paulbraga4460]

@@asqirl8425 mygreathanks and blessings ...will take time to read this

[@dennistaylor3796]

I just pulled my garlic over the weekend. I was thinking of adding rejuvenate to feed the soil while the plants are gone to keep feeding the soil bacteria. Planting broccoli starts soon

[@caroline61804]

Try Spectrum

[@bluejay3945]

Was there any testing of this corn farmers field prior to and after the treatments? I’d like to see how NPK was affected

[@krisspringer5254]

Hi does the principal of fall applying still apply to the same degree, when we are in central Saskatchewan with sub zero temp

[@dietrevich]

This assumes a winter cold period. How does this translate to climates such as Florida's? Will it work over fall and winter and spring for a summer crop under these types of climates?

[@jima3372]

Is rejuvenate available in Quebec Canada and do you list it as organic can you supply the paperwork ?

[@dennistaylor3796]

Fall soil primer: Spectrum, Spectrum, and Sea shield

[@compost_nerd]

So many questions 😊 When it is said ‘Three applications’, does it mean 3 fall applications, or three app,icarions in one year/season? How does it react with slurry, 30-40 tons per ha/year?

[@mmccrownus2406]

call AEA

[@mattcantrell5640]

In the dryland corn scenario, was there a good supply of organic matter already in the soil? Im curious if the response is as profound with varying OM levels. Thanks.

[@katipohl2431]

How to get the primers here in Germany?

[@carpediemjonah8110]

John like your research. What is the difference between your SEA STIM and your SEA SHIELD

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi carpe diem jonah, thanks for your excellent question. SeaStim is a liquid kelp extract that increases resistance to insect pests and boosts immunity to fungal pathogens. SeaShield is a cold processed liquid crab, fish, and shrimp concentrate that enhances plant vigor and resistance to pests and pathogens and develop strong cell membranes. You can find out more about these products on our Shop page (www.advancingecoag.com/store/All-Products-c20204119). - The AEA Team

[@safffff1000]

Good video for those needing something right away before the years of sustainability. The ones that need income to transition, the ones that need to see how biology can work. The ones to show the nay sayers family and neighbors he's not insane. Something short that people might watch when scanning youtube. A video that gets people to watch more longer videos from him. I want to know will this biology help stimulate seeds long buried in the soil, native species to grow again? I don't understand why the soil is bare even in Kansas, there have to be native species that hundreds of yr ago that kept the soil covered or when explorers 1st discovered the area it would have been desert not grasslands, so I don't see that as excuse.

[@paulnicholson8524]

Soil food web and earthfort.

[@Forevertrue]

I would be concerned about the cost but sure interested in getting a head start. Notice no mention of the cost.

[@mmccrownus2406]

@@Forevertrue Call AEA. It's cheap when compared to the effort of all the other high labor methods

[@ja5129]

Hi, Is your soil primer a combination of your seashell,spectrum and rejuvenate in a gallon..?

[@kathrinlarsson5804]

I wonder what rejuvenate consists of ? And what does it looks like and how does one apply it? Thank you 😋

[@xx7101]

You can buy as little as a 1gal and test it out

[@devikrupafarmbhujkucth7787]

How to make rejuvenate?

[@reallmccoy9043]

Can that mixture be used to deep root feed fruit trees and landscape plantings? Or is it best asa soil drench?

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

It can certainly be used that way, Reall McCoy. We most often use it as a soil application, though. You may find this information to be of help: www.advancingecoag.com/regenerative-soil-primer Thanks and good luck! - The AEA Team

[@amitrakshe5773]

How can I get this in India?

[@jacknissen6040]

what is “rejuvenate” ?

[@martin30884]

Are ok with adding Humic Acid to the soil?

[@JohnKempfVisionBuilder]

Indeed. We use humic substances that have not been denatured with an alkali extractions.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Chris, listen to this short video for our thoughts on humic acids. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXKyhoevp7ytfbc

[@leedza]

Sounds like an advert but there are some take home items. I guess this can be integrated with cover crops to speed up biological activity especially for those doing the conversion from conventional to no till with or without cover crop.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Our soil life goal: Speed up biological activity! 💩

[@JohnWilliams-iw6oq]

It is an advert, diversity is missing and the microbes need that diversity. I'd give this a miss.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

@@JohnWilliams-iw6oq A primary part of this program is Spectrum, a product that consists of microbes. www.advancingecoag.com/store/Spectrum™-c20204099 This soil building system is so effective because of the diverse elements it contains, including microbes, carbohydrates, and minerals.

[@amitrakshe5773]

Sugar released from plant is waste of plant?

[@shallowdrain5188]

Here is why drainage is very important in winter time for microbial activities in higher rainfall areas, my question is, why isn't it more talked about?

[@otivaeey]

Yes, john did talk a lot about drainage and stress on well-drained soil in his podcasts and youtube videos. You need to commit to watching them more.

[@mmccrownus2406]

Yeah, poor drainage/high rains is the worst thing for soil life. Per John

[@SasquatchBioacoustic]

And how do these "applications" reduce soil erosion during the winter season better than planting a cover crop?

[@JohnKempfVisionBuilder]

They are not intended to be a tool to primarily reduce erosion, and I don't believe they were presented that way. In this case, the farm isn't able to grow a cover crop because there isn't enough moisture for seed germination. Inoculants are not an alternative to cover crops, unless you are in a situation where you are unable to grow cover crops.

[@SasquatchBioacoustic]

@@JohnKempfVisionBuilder Oh, I was just misled by the comparison in the beginning of the video, where these inoculants were described as more cost-effective than cover crops. But, if they can't provide all the benefits of a cover crop, including erosion control, then wouldn't that be an invalid comparison?

[@karlsapp7134]

@@SasquatchBioacoustic context is soil biology, comparison is cover crop vs applied biology to build high levels of biology for quick production increase.

[@peterclark6290]

Biological activity is NOT roots and exudates and soil organic matter. Nor will soil treated with applications such as these develop maximum rain-holding capacity. It becomes another overhead cost reducing profit. The 5 standard rules of Regen (no mechanical disturbances, permanent humus layer (armour), always living roots, diversity, and some animal impact) are the long-term solutions. These products would be great for starter projects as long as they are are used to establish a Regen program; as one-of amendments like the Yeoman's plough is for compaction.

[@TS-vr9of]

Good looking corn, but not a fan of that bare crusted ground. That farmer needs to realize its not just about boosting yields with the cheapest product, If he had soil armor on the ground planting through V6 The additional moister, less evaporation, and cooler ground temps would boost his yield even more. AEA + soil health principles is that best way to go. no soil crusting and a better environment for soil microbes.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi T S, you're right that bare soil isn't ideal. Do you grow corn in Kansas, though? This farmer was just talking about how there's not enough water to grow a cover crop. AEA products help the plants to be resilient in the face of the environmental conditions that farmers are facing.

[@TS-vr9of]

@@AdvancingEcoAgriculture Thanks for the reply. Your right of course, covers can't always be grown every year. Going to have to get extra creative to get that ground covered, and get some diversity of roots and root exudates out on those corn fields.

[@TS-vr9of]

@@AdvancingEcoAgriculture This is something I've been thinking about for a while but is somewhat unrelated. When we have a warm moist spring some cereal covers seem to be happy to keep growing vegitativly till June. Is it possible to speed up the maturity of cereal covers through the application of foliar sprays? so they get to the milk stage earlier (early May)for easier roller crimp termination without the use of burn downs?

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

@@TS-vr9of This is a great question! A few tips: providing adequate micronutrients will help a crop ripen faster. Also, not overfertilizing it in a way that leads to vegetative growth. A good resource on vegetative versus reproductive nutrients is a short podcast episode by that name: Vegetative and Reproductive Nutrients with John Kempf. A foliar application of Accelerate when the crop is in flag leaf can also speed up the ripening process. If you're ever on a live webinar, ask this question to hear John's answer, since he'll probably go into depth on how it all works.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

The podcast episode: regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com/vegetative-and-reproductive-nutrients-with-john-kempf

[@beldengi]

Turned out to be a long ad. Sneaky.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

This ‘ad’ clearly describes how active soil biology, a result of healthy farming practices, can provide all the nitrogen requirements for a healthy crop. There are many effective ways to increase biological activity in soils, including cover crops, no-till, inoculants, or a combination of all of these. If you’re a farmer in a dry land region, and even if you’re not farming dry land, AEA products can reduce your nitrogen inputs. 😊

[@satorimystic]

This sounds too much like an AD for these products, seriously. 😑

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Satori, this video is an ad for these products! 😊 No apologies. We've developed a solution for the specific use case of inactive soil biology. It's our product, and we're proud to sell it!

[@satorimystic]

@@AdvancingEcoAgriculture Yes, I understand your motivation, and would appreciate your video more if it was clearly identified as an advertisement for your products in the title, or ... if it showed up where all the other clearly identified ADs are placed on KZbin 😉 Thanks for your reply 🙂

[@herranonym]

Second point to me is: to build a sustainable farm, we shouldnt bring in things from outside. The goal should be to establish a system (along with your products) within a couple of year that works without any outside input. But ofcource a nice example of your stuff Performance

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

@@herranonym For some farms, depending on the production goals and the owner's vision, your goal is possible, once we've rectified the years of misusing and chemically abusing the land, and the soil is once again performing at its best capacity.

[@TheCommono]

The real 'problem' is rather that it tries to not sound like an ad... ;O)

[@farmermatt629]

Anyone check soil tests after several years of using this product? I highly doubt it’s pulling nutrients from the atmosphere... more likely it’s making nutrients in the soil that aren’t available readily available.. resulting in lower and lower and lower nutrients... sure it might work for 2-3 maybe even 10 years but eventually you would go back to applying fertilizer and by that time it would likely take another decade to get it productive again... sounds like a great product for large farmers that rent land ... pay to much rent ... can’t afford fertilizer... because the rent is to high... and mine the soil robbing the land owner and the next generation of a productive piece of land...

[@michelangelou7]

It's biology is self sustaining, not depleting

[@farmermatt629]

Michael L well that didn’t answer any of my questions.... I should just take your word for it right?

[@farmermatt629]

Michael L report back yields in ten years and post soil tests and I’ll jump on band wagon if results are good btw no Haney test a real soil test

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Farmer Matt, if you want to understand the way healthy plants build healthy soil, here's a video you might like: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWaYg3qrerGaoqs Also, we have soil tests from farmers who have used the Regenerative Soil Health Program and are happy to share the results with you. 😃 (Note, they show no decrease in mineral levels after years of using this program, but rather the opposite.) Check an example here: drive.google.com/file/d/1t86rx1woPXeTliDz8NLpIl_06GfIq64u/view?usp=sharing

[@JohnKempfVisionBuilder]

When you consider the total mineral reserves contained in the top six inches of most agricultural soils, the crop removal rates will only deplete the nutrient levels in hundreds or thousands of years. Many soils will contain 7,000-9,000 pounds of P, and 32,000-40,000 pounds of K in the top six inches only. These complexed mineral reserves can be measured using a mining type soil assay, such as those done by Agat Labs. On most farms, we observe available levels if nutrients increase over time, and the few farms with more than two decades with limited or no fertilizer applications still see continued increases in mineral content as measured on Mehlich 3 or ammonium acetate extraction.

[@johannengelbrecht2168]

it's not sustainable, might work for a season or two, not in the long run, look at nature she always covers herself.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

We are not advocating for bare soil. What the video shows is that biology can provide a crop's nitrogen inputs, even for growers with severe climactic challenges that do not allow for cover crops.

[@entubaotraducciones272]

fertilizers are paying retirement funds that's the part it ain't that easy to turn around when talking in the $200B revenue per year worldwide. A big of a cat