Most of us don’t realize that soil is teeming with unseen life. It is a highly complex, living ecosystem that sustains 95 per cent of our global food supply, stores three times more carbon than the atmosphere, and is home to a quarter of all terrestrial biodiversity.
If learning about soil excites you, you might be interested in attending the upcoming Soils & Crops in Focus – Critical Resources from Coast to Coast to Coast conference. Set to take place next month at the University of Guelph, the event will feature keynote sessions, tradeshow, posters, workshops and field tours
“It’s an annual event, but it goes to different universities every year,” said Dr. Kari Dunfield, one of the members of the local organizing committee for the conference this year.
The soil conference brings together researchers, students, agronomists, and farmers to discuss all things soil. Dunfield herself is a professor of microbiology at Guelph and has attended the conference many times before.
“I’ve attended lots of times. And the last time it was at Guelph, I think, was over 10 years ago. So it’s been a while since it’s been in Guelph.”
Set to take place from June 20-25, Tickets can be purchased online in advance for a single day or for the entire event.
This year’s conference is a collaboration between the Canadian Society for Agronomy and the Canadian Society of Soil Science, with the theme “Soils and Crops in Focus.” A unique feature is the variety of keynote speakers, with a couple from the United States.
“We have keynotes like Dr. Whendee L. Silver from University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Donald L Smith who’s from McGill, and then Dr. Sieg Snapp, who is from Washington State,” said Dunfield.
“They give an hour-long keynote at the beginning of every morning. It’s a really good way to have these experts talk about research from other countries.”
Lord of the Rings fans will not want to miss Dr. Sieg Snapp’s talk on June 24. Titled On thinking like a hobbit to future proof agriculture, Snapp’s talk will focus on linking science with local knowledge, the strength of diverse perspectives, and the power of nature, making comparisons to how hobbits came to the notice of the other races in Middle-Earth during a troubled time.
Throughout each day, there will be workshops on various topics, including one on Cover Crops: Building Soil Health, Sustainable Yields and Agroecosystem Resilience.
June 20 will be a pre-conference day, kicking off the event with friendly competition in the form of a soil-judging contest. The unique opportunity is open to students only. In the morning, participants will receive training at the University of Guelph, with guest lectures from experts in bedrock geology, quaternary geology, and the soils and landscapes of Ontario, to understand the soil landscape of the location they will visit later in the day.
“There are teams of students that get together and set up some soil pits where they dig down and have different types of soils, and the students have to go in and characterize the soil pit,” explained Dunfield.
“Whoever does the best job wins the soil judging contest.”
She added that this training could prepare students to participate at an international level. In four years, Canada will host the prestigious World Congress of Soil Science in Toronto.
“We’re trying to get more interest, so that we can have people interested and have a great team for the World Congress,” said Dunfield.
Beyond soil judging there are a plethora of other opportunities for students to be involved in the conference.
“There’s lots of ability for students to be giving talks about their research and do things like posters and stuff about their research,” said Dunfield
Many of her own students are attending the conference this year. While there are many activities geared more towards students and researchers, anyone interested is welcome to register and attend the conference.
“We’re really excited to host it in Guelph. I think Guelph is a really good venue and it allows a lot of people to come,” said Dunfield.
“We’re really excited to host everybody.”
