Scientists have unlocked a new ingredient to help improve soil health

A good crop starts with healthy soil, and one company is turning its attention to a unique ingredient for answers.

“We take soil samples, isolate certain strains of algae, and then use that to help generate activity in the soil through feeding the microbiome. The algae serve as kind of the basic building block of the food chain if you will. And we see changes from, you know, biological, physical, and chemical changes in the soil, talking about things like enhancing soil health, improving soil fertility, looking at soil structural changes,” said Dave Booher.

Booher says the end goal is to improve soil and plant health while increasing productivity.

Related Stories
The Pet and Livestock Protection Act now moves to the Senate for consideration.
“So, this assistance will help in the short-term, but that shouldn’t be confused with the long-term solution.”

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Farm legal expert Roger McEowen reviews the history of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and outlines how shifting definitions across multiple administrations have created regulatory confusion for landowners.
Leslee Oden, president of the National Turkey Federation, and Jay Jandrain, CEO of Butterball, joined us in the studio on Monday to discuss the history, significance, and expectations surrounding this year’s presidential turkey pardon.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) estimates that the move will save farmers and ranchers $2.5 billion each year. The group warns that new methods for calculating the adverse-effect wage rate would result in lower pay for foreign workers.
Higher rail tariffs and tighter Canadian supplies will keep oat transportation costs firm into 2026.
These “USDA Foods” are provided to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) nutrition assistance programs, including food banks that operate The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and are a vital component of the nation’s food safety net.