From Soil to Supper, a student presentation on good soil management took place Monday at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Exposition Hall center stage. In association with Bermudian Future Farmers of America (FFA), students of John Wardle's Bermudian Springs High School Agricultural Education classes chose soil management as their topic in the FFA's presentation and display competition.
The presentation with display took the audience through a small town's mindset on soil usage. A soil scientist comes to town and teaches the importance of proper soil treatment. The people friendly science lesson includes two farmers, the scientist, a fertilizer specialist and a school's cook. The scientist warns them against over tilling and not rotating crops which are big causes of soil erosion.
"Dirt has always been here, and it'll always be here," said the narrow-minded farmer whose soil mismanagement was causing his crops to fail. As learned in the presentation, however, soil will not always be here.
Soil is composed of three parts: oxygen, sediment and nutrients. As the Bermudian FFA students explained, farmers need to practice crop rotation in order to return nutrients back to the soil. Different nutrients are depleted by every crop, so a good rotation allows used nutrients to return to the earth.
Farmers need to cut back on tilling or practice a no till method. This involves digging up less soil to improve soil quality for years to come. Soil erosion is an issue that can be solved through the no till method and keeping plants that hold soil together intact.
Bad waste from fertilizer can pollute ground water supplies and seep into plants through their roots, consequently the presentation highlighted a push for more natural fertilizers.
The purpose of the presentation was to show people the true importance of soil. People depend on it for everything from socks on our feet to carrots on our plates. Narrator and Bermudian Springs High School junior, Nicole Myers, said, "I would love it if people would think about what is under their feet."
These students also want people to realize that FFA is not an average club with a bunch of bored kids. The organization tries to make a difference.
As for John Wardle, Bermudian Springs High School Agricultural Ed teacher and Bermudian FFA moderator, he sees the presentation at Farm Show as a great opportunity.
"While they're doing, they're learning," he says on the students' participation. The same can be said for the audience. While they are watching, they are learning.