Winter Zoom Discussion Series - 2025
Kootenay Soil Building Network (KSBN)
Each Kootenay farm has a unique soil type and different access to farm inputs to build soil. It’s expensive and the quest to build organic matter that produces abundant high quality crops is never ending. The Kootenay Soil Building Network (KSBN) is a venue for farmers to share their successes, questions, and tribulations with soil building in the Kootenays.
Regular online Zoom discussions in 2025 featured Kootenay farms who are forging ahead with soil building practices and feature guests to help discuss soil and field questions. Hosted and facilitated by Rachael Roussin with the Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors and Jeff Nimmo with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Recordings at a glance:
- January 15: Introduction and Soil Texture
- January 29: Nitrogen Availability
- February 5: Compost Quality and Quantity
The Kootenay Soil Building Network is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s Regional Extension Program – with financial support provided under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
Introduction to KSBN & Soil Texture
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
- Overview of the Kootenay Soil Building Network
- Soil textures in the Kootenays and how it impacts production
- How to measure progress overtime
Guest expert: Dieter Geesing, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Soil Team
Resource slides from Dieter Geesing: organic matter processes, soil aggregates
Nitrogen Availability
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
- Timing for N application for optimal plant growth
- Plant available N from different sources including alfalfa pellets, wood chips, composted livestock manure, plant based compost, feather & blood meal, fish emulsion etc…
- N retention and uptake:
- Nutrient uptake in cold and rainy weather on sandy soils
- Measurements: soil sample testing strategies (e.g.: haney, sap analysis, mineralizable N)
Guest expert: Josh Andrews, Nutrient Management Specialist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Nitrogen management resources:
- Fertilizer and cover crop calculator Oregon State University
- Cover crop specific guide on Nitrogen from cover crops
- Excell calculator that works for both organic fertilizers and cover crops ( ‘small farms and gardens calculator’ on the left-most column)
- Manure nutrient calculator with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, which allows you to enter custom compost analyses (not as refined as the N calculations in the above calculator)
Compost Quality & Quantity
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
- Interpreting a compost analysis
- What to look out for when purchasing compost
- Pros and cons of having compost as a farm’s primary farm input for fertility management
Guest expert: Dieter Geesing, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Soil Team
Resource slides from Dieter Geesing: microbial processes, organic matter, feedstock and compost categories
The Kootenay Soil Building Network is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s Regional Extension Program – with financial support provided under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
