I went to the Georgia Arboretum in Jackson County last week to watch some kids dig up dirt.
Actually, it was a Future Farmers of America soil judging event. Some 150 junior high and high school ag science students from several schools in North Georgia competed to determine the quality and characteristics of the soil in four specially dug pits. They examined the soil for texture, permeability, erosion vulnerability, topsoil thickness, subsoil depth and other features. They then determined the soil’s suitability for various uses such as forests, crops and pasture, and how to conserve the soil and protect it.
It was uplifting to see young people showing deep respect for soil. Soil ranks with air and water as crucial for life. As a Georgia 4-H Club manual notes: “lt is essential … that we conserve our soils so future generations can survive.”
Our food supply begins in the soil. It nurtures the green plants that are at the bottom of our food chain. More basic, a teaspoon of healthy topsoil may harbor billions of microbes divided among 5,000 different types, thousands of species of fungi and protozoa, nematodes, mites and other organisms.
This amazingly complex ecosystem just below our feet is crucial for processing nutrients and minerals vital for plant growth. It filters and cleans much of our air and drinking water by retaining dust and pathogens, and it is a huge force in regulating carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
Sadly, millions of acres of Georgia’s productive topsoil were degraded or washed away during the past three centuries due to poor farming and forestry practices. Countless more acres have been buried under asphalt and concrete. So now, soil protection is more urgent than ever.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The Draconid meteor shower will reach a peak on Sunday of about 20 meteors per hour. Look to the north as the sky darkens.
The moon will be new on Monday. Mercury is low in the east just before sunrise. Brilliant Venus is very low in the west just after dark and sets about an hour later. Mars is in the south at dusk. Jupiter is low in the west at dusk and will appear near the moon Thursday night. Saturn is low in the southwest just after dark.
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