Soil Health
SOIL MICROSCOPY: ZOOMING IN ON HEALTHY SOIL
The Problem
Dangerous levels of carbon in Earth’s atmosphere derive not only from burning fossil fuels, but also from land use changes. Estimates suggest that agriculture is responsible for one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions globally.
Our Response
Farmers can and must be part of the solution to climate change. With changes to farming, ranching and gardening practices, we can reverse the global trend of soil carbon losses and instead return atmospheric carbon back to the soil. Building soil carbon and soil health increases the profitability and climate resilience of farms by making soils more drought and erosion resistant while reducing input needs. And, it is a climate change mitigation strategy that simultaneously increases the security of our watersheds, ecosystems and food systems.
Microscopy Training
CT NOFA is offering microscopy training! Participants will view various soils and composts, looking at the different soil structures and the microbes that thrive in healthy soil. Demonstrations include how to prepare a slide for viewing, what you might find and how to evaluate your findings. Participants will be trained to analyze the following:
- Bacteria : Fungi ratios – what they mean and why they’re important
- Aggregate structure in soil/compost
- Bacteria numbers and diversity
- Quality of fungi and what that means for your soil
- Predators – identify and quantify both aerobic and anaerobic microbes
- Compost tea and extracts – microbial populations that exist in real time
Throughout the training we will discuss ways to create healthy, living soil using regenerative agriculture techniques. At the completion of the training you will be ready to use your microscope to evaluate soil and compost, with the ability to store the information in written and visual form, to share, and compare with future samples.
Training includes:
- OMAX Digital Compound Microscope
- 3 Recorded Virtual Training Sessions (can be viewed at any time)
- 1 In-Person training (select your date/location, below)
Course cost is $600, which includes a microscope (yours to keep, provided at the in-person session) as well as all course materials.
Please direct questions to Monique Bosch.
2025 Winter Microscopy Locations
Microscopy Training in Newport, RI (Ocean Hour Farm)
Take control of your soil’s health! CT NOFA is excited to offer microscopy training at Ocean Hour Farm in Newport, RI, this January. Course Overview Participants will view various soils and composts, looking at the different soil structures and the microbes that thrive in healthy soil. Demonstrations include how to prepare a slide for viewing,…
Microscopy Training in Great Barrington, MA (Bard College at Simon’s Rock)
Take control of your soil’s health! CT NOFA is excited to offer microscopy training at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA, this January. Course Overview Participants will view various soils and composts, looking at the different soil structures and the microbes that thrive in healthy soil. Demonstrations include how to prepare a…
Microscopy Training in Ridgefield, CT (The Hickories Farm)
Take control of your soil’s health! CT NOFA is excited to offer microscopy training at The Hickories Farm in Ridgefield, CT, this February. Course Overview Participants will view various soils and composts, looking at the different soil structures and the microbes that thrive in healthy soil. Demonstrations include how to prepare a slide for viewing,…
Microscopy Training in New Haven, CT (Common Ground High School)
Take control of your soil’s health! CT NOFA is excited to offer microscopy training at Common Ground High School in New Haven, CT, this February. Course Overview Participants will view various soils and composts, looking at the different soil structures and the microbes that thrive in healthy soil. Demonstrations include how to prepare a slide…
Microscopy Training in Tyringham, MA (Woven Roots Farm)
Take control of your soil’s health! CT NOFA is excited to offer microscopy training at Woven Roots Farm in Tyringham, MA, this March. Course Overview Participants will view various soils and composts, looking at the different soil structures and the microbes that thrive in healthy soil. Demonstrations include how to prepare a slide for viewing,…
Microscopy Sessions in Action!
Microscopy Testimonials
For me it was a refresher, but I couldn’t have started using a microscope again without this training. So valuable to be able to create a slide that shows the life in the soil, and how to identify the microbes that make up the soil food web. I teach about this all the time when I give presentations on soils to different groups.
Cynthia Rabinowitz (Executive Director, Northwest Conservation District)
In May of 2023, the NOFA-NY education team had the great privilege to participate in soil microscopy training with Monique Bosch through CT-NOFA. The virtual training time let us get familiar with microscopes, learn to identify aggregates, fungal hyphae, nematodes, and some soil structure basics. The in-person training at Bard College was incredible! We found our own soil samples and analyzed them with students from the college, allowing us to test our teaching skills and gain confidence. I highly recommend Monique and this program. I have been able to work with farmers and gardeners now to look at their soil structures and teach them about what they see.
Samantha (NOFA-NY)
At Assawaga Farm, our microscope is an indispensable tool for maintaining and improving our soil's health. We use it to assess the biology of many things on the farm including potting soil, compost, teas, as well as general soil tests from our fields, and it allows us a better understanding of what the soil and crops need to be healthy, productive, and sustainable. Looking at our farm through a microscope opens up a whole new perspective that we use to inform our decisions.
Alex Carpenter (Assawaga Farm, Putnam, CT)
2023 WORKSHOPS
In partnership with UConn Extension, this event included an exhibition of low and no-till farm equipment, methods, and results for all scales of farming. Workshops covered best methods for no-till seeding, crimping, etc., along with cover crop implementation for soil health improvement.
USDA NRCS, CTRCD, and CT NOFA met at Green Village Initiative’s Reservoir Community Farm in Bridgeport to educate about support for urban farms and organizations. Leaders in the industry were on hand to explain ways to get funding for urban farm infrastructure.
2022 WORKSHOPS
permaculture with sefra alexandra
September 2nd, 2022
Soil Health at Hillandale Farm
October 27th, 2022
2021 WORKSHOPS
Sub-Edge Farm Field Day
May 25th, 2021
Assawaga Farm Field Day
September 20th, 2021
2020 WORKSHOPS
Assawaga Farm Field Day
May 30th, 2020
Massaro Community Farm Field Day
September 29th, 2020