This Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) Program brings together myriad soil science and health professionals and experts to celebrate the first annual Ohio Soil Health Week. The event includes a morning breakfast with planned talks from soil health researchers, farm managers from across Ohio, and representatives from OEFFA. Mainly, the speakers will present on the theme of soil health in diverse landscapes in Ohio, including on production agriculture fields, gardens, livestock grazing paddocks, prairies and grasslands, and lawns and landscaped areas. The speakers will discuss how healthy soils hold more water, reduce run-off, and protect water quality. They’ll describe how healthy soil practices build soil fertility reducing the need for fertilizer and providing a positive return on investment for farmers. Additionally, the event will educate attendants both in-person and online (through a YouTube livestream) about how healthy soil practices can sequester carbon to mitigate harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and build on-farm resilience. All participants, regardless of in-person or virtual attendance, must register online. The cost of attendance for non-students is $25, $5 for students, and free for all virtual livestream participants. The price of in-person registration includes a coffee bar and a breakfast buffet.

In honor of the inaugural Ohio Soil Health Week, the Nature Conservancy is hosting a webinar with Danielle “Dani” Kusner, who teaches about the soil and human microbiomes at Deep Soil LLC, empowering farmers and consumers to make choices that heal the soil and their bodies. She is a Certified Crop Advisor and expanded her expertise into human health as a Certified Terrain Advocate through The Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health. Dani earned a degree in Sustainability Studies from The University of Dayton in 2008 and since then, has been on a journey of transforming soils and food production through people's connection with Mother Earth. Register for the free webinar here.

Join Licking County Soil & Water Conservation District for bacon, eggs, and soil health! Attendees will receive a free breakfast while learning how to use Web Soil Survey to create a personalized soil map. The hosts will share information about cover crops, soil health, and drought assistance programs, and attendees will have the opportunity to take their own soil test. The meeting will provide fertilizer re-certification credit. No registration required.

Let's celebrate Ohio Soil Health Week with a special focus on the Miami Valley. Local organizations such as The Foodbank, Inc., The Ohio State University Extension Montgomery County Office, Central State University Extension Southwest Office, and Five Rivers MetroParks are collaborating to provide their programs at The Foodbank's Urban Garden. Exploring the innovative approach to tackling hunger through soil health, the tour of The Foodbank, Inc.'s Urban Garden shines a light on sustainable solutions in the Dayton area. The OSU Extension's demonstration of the Soil Moisture "Robot" and insights on interpreting soil test results lay the groundwork for understanding soil's vital role. Further discussions with Five Rivers MetroParks delve into the potential of soils as carbon sinks, offering a dual benefit of climate change mitigation and enhanced soil fertility, while the compost kitchen initiative demonstrates practical steps for waste reduction and soil enrichment. CSU Extension complements this knowledge with a deep dive into the benefits of cover crops and soil biology alongside practical soil infiltration tests, offering a holistic view of soil health. Register for free here.

To celebrate Ohio Soil Health Week, the Living Art and Ecology Lab at The Ohio State University’s Department of Art invites you to a short, juried exhibition seeking to appreciate those who feed us through building and maintaining our soils. Artists are invited to submit work that explores soil as community: from microbes and mycelium, to plants and people, and beyond. Artists working in all mediums are welcome to apply. Submissions are due by October 20th at 11:59 p.m. Registration not required.