June 2021: National Soil Health Day

June 23, 2021 is not just a regular Wednesday. This next Wednesday is National Soil Health Day. Founded in 2002 by the International Union of Soil Sciences, this holiday celebrates “soil professionals, farmers and growers who are focused not just on soil conservation, but feeding and enhancing our global soil health”.

June is national soil health month, and the 23rd is the pinnacle of this celebration. According to SoilKit business owner Christina Woerner McInnis, soil health means “taking the parameters established by science and helping homeowners and landscapers meet certain ranges because the better their soil health, the better their crops are which leads to a better environment for all.” To put it differently, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service defines soil health and quality as “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.”

What this means at SoilKit

Here at SoilKit, we strive for this very goal every day. Christina McInnis says, “At SoilKit by AgriTech Corp. we empower the homeowner, landscaper, and hobby farmer with simple ways to improve their soil fertility, prevent runoff, improve organic matter, and sequester more carbon.” 

SoilKit CEO, Christina Woerner McInnis picking strawberries with her Father George Woerner

Christina continues, “As we approach Father’s Day this year, it is especially important that we recognize soil health, just as my Father continues to encourage me to do. Growing up on a farm, my Dad always encouraged me to value healthy soil. He inspired a curiosity in me that will be passed on through many generations.” Her father also taught her a lot about farming and soil health. She explains, “Dad taught me a long time ago a valuable principle he learned on the farm that spills over into life.  You need to work smarter and not always harder.  Dad uses soil health to provide a better crop with higher yields by simply letting science determine how to provide the right nutrients needed without overapplying.”

A huge goal of maintaining a healthy soil is ensuring the soil is sustainable for future generations. Father’s like Christina’s work hard at conserving soil quality and encourage others to do the same. 

Christina further explains what soil health means to her, and the complexity as well as the controversiality that comes with it. She says, “I run into so many people who have decided to quit fertilizing and/or have chosen to go the organic route.  While I have no problem with organic, I do have a problem with over-applying organic fertilizers that are high in phosphorus to soils that are already too high with the nutrient, and, as a consequence, it runs off to the waterways.  As for the people who completely stop fertilizing, it is shutting off the vital food source that is needed for optimal growth.  So many people do not know how to start with the basics – healthy soils.”

SoilKit’s philosophy has always been to help users maintain a healthy lawn and garden. Christina explains users can help by “starting with a soil sample, maintaining a balanced fertility plan and working to bring their organic matter level up to help sequester more legacy load carbon.”

This year, SoilKit encourages you to celebrate a step towards soil health advancement by submitting your best soil health photos to our gallery. What has grown in your soil this past year? What are you planning to grow? How are you controlling phosphorus runoff? You can submit by emailing your photos to [e-mail] or tagging us on Instagram @soilkit. We can’t wait to see them!