Episode 22 - 9: From Playing in Dirt to a Soil Ecology Career with Dr. Alan J. Franzluebbers of North Carolina State University and USDA-ARS

Apr 26, 2022 · 16m 28s

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Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt spoke with Dr. Alan Franzluebbers at the 2022 Winter Forage Conference. Dr. Franzluebbers is a professor and researcher of soil ecology and management with North...

Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt spoke with Dr. Alan Franzluebbers at the 2022 Winter Forage Conference. Dr. Franzluebbers is a professor and researcher of soil ecology and management with North Carolina State University and USDA's Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) based in Raleigh. Alan played in the dirt at a young age and this early interest grew into a lifelong career in studying and researching soil microbial life. He speaks of how important soil organic matter and biology are to nutrient cycling and how earthworms are an indicator of resources for decomposition being present. Additionally, he encourages a whole-system view of agriculture to enhance diversity to improve soil structure and overall ecosystem activity.

Dr. Franzluebbers recommended 'Managing Cover Crops Profitably' published by USDA-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) to anyone interested in learning about cover cropping systems and soil health, which is a free online publication available at https://www.sare.org/resources/managing-cover-crops-profitably-3rd-edition/

For a list of Dr. Franzluebbers' recent research articles, please visit https://cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-sciences/people/ajfranzl

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Author	Eric Scott Bendfeldt
Organization	Eric S. Bendfeldt
Website	-
Tags	#4thefuture #4thesoil #4thewater #agroforestry #covercropping #energizewithdiversity #farming #green #healthysoil #keepsoilcovered #managingcrovercrops #minimizesoildisturbance #soilecology #sustainability #usda-ars #usda-nrcs #usda-sare #virginiacooperativeextension #virginiatech #vt-spes