Soil Health Part I: What it is, Why it’s Important, and What Can Be Done | Salud del suelo, primera parte: ¿Qué es, por qué es importante y qué se puede hacer?
The concern over soil health is increasing in the face of climate change. Much of the world’s arable land is in jeopardy due to losses in soil structure, erosion, and overall soil health. Speakers in this session will define soil health principles, provide examples of farm management changes improving soil health, and define indicators that can be used to analyze farm level impacts.
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Speaker Bios
Shannon Cappellazzi, is the director of Research at GO Seed, recently hired to lead research into sustainable seed solutions to combat climate change. Her research has a broad directive, to increase the number of acres that are covered with cover crops or perennial systems by providing focused data that is useful for producers’ decision making process. She also serves as courtesy faculty at Oregon State University where she worked as the Manager of the Central Analytical Laboratory. Prior to GO Seed, Cappellazzi was the liaison for the western United States and the disciplinary lead for the Soil Health Institute’s North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements. Earlier in her career, she helped manage Wheelbarrow Creek Ranch and was an agricultural commodities trader for Wilbur-Ellis Company. She received her B.S. in Animal Science and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Soil Science from Oregon State University.
Dr. Patty Skinkis conducts applied research and provides outreach and education programs for the Oregon wine grape industry statewide. Her research program focuses on applied viticulture and whole plant physiology studies designed to understand causes and management of vine vigor/vine balance and impacts on fruit composition and wine quality. Her research also includes work on yield (from bud fruitfulness to crop thinning and vine balance), fine-tuning canopy management methods, sustainable viticulture production, and understanding factors that drive industry production decision-making. As Extension Specialist, Patty develops educational programs and informational publications for the industry statewide. Her outreach efforts include bringing industry members together in technical groups to foster information exchange between industry and academics. She also teaches undergraduate and graduate level viticulture courses at Oregon State University. Her efforts expand beyond Oregon, as she is a member of the National Clean Plant Network – Grapes Advisory Board, is an associated editor for the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture and Catalyst Journal, and served as a board member and executive board member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture.
Dr. Jen Moore recently started with the USDA-ARS Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit (FSCRU) in Corvallis, OR. Jen brings 25 years of experience in soil science research including work in soil health, carbon cycling, and microbial ecology on multiple cropping systems in the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and the Southern High Plains. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in soil science from Iowa State University and Oregon State University (OSU), respectively and currently is an adjunct faculty member with the Department of Crop and Soil Science at OSU. The focus of her research at FSCRU will be to investigate management strategies within the grass, forage, and cover crop seed production systems to optimize soil health, carbon storage, productivity, and profitability for Willamette Valley producers.
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