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 [REF], 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.