Good soil stewardship is the bedrock of our farms. We increasingly view soil not as an inert material requiring repeated feeding, but as a living ecosystem.
Our learning has been influenced by researchers and educators including Christine Jones, Elaine Ingham and Walter Jehne [3], whose work has encouraged us to explore plant–soil carbon relationships, soil food webs and the connections between soil, water and climate.
The objective is not simply to feed a crop. It is to create conditions in which the living soil can increasingly support the crop itself.
These researchers and educators have influenced our approach to plant–soil carbon relationships, soil food webs and the connections between soil, water and climate. Their work is acknowledged here as a formative influence; the views associated with them are not presented as representing universal scientific consensus.