Explore the Science of Soil Health

Following the popular “Soil Health Lessons in a Minute” video demonstrations, NRCS and film maker Robin “Buz” Kloot, PhD, have once again teamed up to develop a series of short videos—this time focusing on the science of soil health. Buz, who is a Research Associate Professor at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, made a cross-country trek in the fall of 2013 to interview some of the nation’s leading researchers and experts—in order to more fully understand the science of soil health.

The Science of Soil Health: Season 1

Episode 1: Series Trailer

Episode 2: Getting a handle on mineralizable N in soils

Episode 3: Changing the way we think about microbes

Episode 4: What happens when you till?

Episode 5: Cover crops and moisture

Episode 6: Simulating rainfall on pastures

Episode 7: Understanding the value of legumes and nitrogen-fixing microbes

Episode 8: Using cover crops to soak up nutrients for the next crop

Episode 9: Night crawlers and soil water flow

Episode 10: Fighting plant disease with microbes

Episode 11: Without carrot or stick

The Science of Soil Health: Season 2

Episode 1: Soil feeds plants and vice versa

Episode 2: Compaction

Episode 3: Precision cover cropping

Episode 4: The Weil Brassica Research Team

Episode 5: Dynamic Cropping Systems

Episode 6: The Science of Soil Health: Systems in Agroecology

Episode 7: Natural Systems and Weeds

Episode 8: The Science of Soil Health: Using Insects to Manage Pests

Episode 9: The Science of Soil Health: Mimicking Nature in the Lab

The Science of Soil Health: Season 3

Episode 1:Cycle, re-cycle, repeat: Carbon’s journey through the soil powers life as we know it

Episode 2:Breathtaking symbiosis…

Through respiration, soil microbes provide key benefit to plants, scientist says

Episode 3: The Science of Soil Health: Going Deeper

Episode 4: The Science of Soil Health: Going Deeper, Part 2

Episode 5: The Science of Soil Health: Finale, Part 1

Episode 6: Bringing the science of soil health home: Chapter 1 – Introduction

Episode 7: Chapter 2: Understanding the basics: Buz’s ‘fab-five facts of healthy soil

Episode 8: Chapter 3: Minimize Disturbance, or "Do Not Disturb!

Episode 9: Chapter 4 - The Great Cover Up: How Nature Protects and Enriches the Soil

Episode 10: Chapter 5- Mix it Up! Managing for Diversity