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Purpose of This Workbook
In general, we rely on soils to:
•
Modify Earth’s atmosphere by emitting and absorbing gases
•
Absorb, hold, release, alter, and purify most of the water in terrestrial systems
•
Act as a living filter to clean water before it moves into an aquifer
•
Process recycled nutrients, including carbon, so that living things can use them repeatedly
•
Serve as media for growth of all kinds of plants
•
Provide habitat for animals that live in the soil
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Serve as engineering media for construction of foundations, roadbeds, dams, and buildings
What Do We Expect from Soil?
Discussion – Soils and You
1.
Which of these expectations are most important for your operation?
2.
What other expectations can you think of?
3.
Which of these expectations are you interested in changing or promoting?
4.
How will you prioritize what activities to do?
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There are no “good soils,” there are no “bad soils.” There are, however, uses for which some soils
are well suited and uses for which the same soil is severely limiting. Or stated differently, some uses
will demand significant inputs and management (and money) to sustain. For example, very gravelly
sandy soils may be severely limiting for the production of corn, but are well suited as source of
material for building roadbeds. Clayey soils with high shrink-swell clay minerals are poorly suited
standard house foundations, but likely well suited to growing pasture grasses.