Soil Health Microscopy Courses for Spring 2024

Spring microscopy course offerings are now full! Click here for information about upcoming summer and fall courses.

CT NOFA is offering microscopy training this spring! 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.

Course cost is $600 and includes a microscope (yours to keep, provided at the in-person session) as well as all course materials, including:

• OMAX Digital Compound Microscope (plus slides, slip covers, pipettes, test-tubes, etc.)
• 3 Live Online Training Sessions (1.5 hours, each)
• 3 hour In-Person training (3 students per instructor)
• Virtual support up to 3 months after course, for any questions/clarifications
• Virtual tutorials (short videos available as reference material after course completion)

How it Works

Participants attend 3 virtual sessions and 1 in-person session. At registration, you will be asked to choose your preferred in-person location from our available schedule.

Virtual Live Training, 5:00pm-6:30pm via zoom – registrants attend all 3 sessions, Wednesdays in April

• April 10
• April 17
• April 24

In-Person Training, 11:00am-2:00pm – registrants choose 1 session from the list, below

• Saturday, May 4^th – Common Ground High School, Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center, 358 Springside Ave, New Haven, CT THIS SESSION IS FULL
• Thursday, May 9^th – MA Farm Bureau, 249 Lakeside Ave, Marlborough, MA THIS SESSION IS FULL
• Saturday, May 18^th – Ocean Hour Farm, 152 Harrison Ave, Newport, RI THIS SESSION IS FULL
• Saturday, June 1^st – Massaro Community Farm,  41 Ford Rd, Woodbridge, CT THIS SESSION IS FULL
• Saturday, June 8^th – Falmouth Public Library, 300 Main St, Falmouth, MA THIS SESSION IS FULL

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. For more information about the course, visit our Soil Health program page.

REGISTRATION FOR SUMMER AND FALL TRAININGS COMING SOON. FILL OUT THE FORM, BELOW, TO GET UPDATES.