Nov 16, 2021
In today's podcast we look at the synergistic collaboration
between a soil scientist and a pecan farmer.
Southern New Mexico is not an ideal landscape for pecans, which
grow best in warm, wet climates. But the industry is here, and
Josh Bowman has determined to grow a healthy and
abundant crop by focusing on the soil. Using cover crops and
grazing animals, he's been able to increase the life and organic
matter in the soil, and to produce a greater yield and a higher
quality nut—while using less water.
David Johnson was a contractor who at mid-life
decided to change careers and became a microbiologist, specializing
in the soil microbiome. He collaborates with farmers like Bowman to
increase the quality—and quantity—of the soil with an eye not only
to improved health and profits for the farmer, but also to climate
change mitigation as carbon is sequestered in ever-healthier soils.
Johnson and his wife Hui-Chun Su developed the Johnson-Su
bioreactor, a composting system that yields a potent, microbe-rich
compost that is a soil-friendly and cost-effective alternative to
synthetic fertilizers.