Soil Health Microscopy Courses for this Summer

CT NOFA is offering additional microscopy training this summer. 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.

Virtual Sessions

Registrants attend all three virtual sessions, held on the following evenings from 5:00pm-6:30pm via Zoom. Participants who register after these sessions have started, or for any participants who are unable to attend a session, recorded versions will be made available.

• June 5
• June 12
• June 19

In-Person Sessions

Registrants choose ONE of the following locations/dates for in-person training

• June 23: Keney Park Sustainability Project in Windsor, CT
• July 20: The Hickories farm in Ridgefield, CT
• August 10: UConn campus in Storrs, CT

For more information about the course, visit our Soil Health program page.

Or click here to register now!