Three and a Half Week Soil Intensive In Iowa

• Building Compost
• Creating Teas and Extracts
• Assessing biology through microscopy
• Site assessments and appropriate applications of composts, liquid composts and mineral amendments

What do increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, dead zones in the ocean, polluted water ways, soil erosion and low nutrient containing foods have in common? These are all results of poor agriculture practices.  In the last 60 years, modern agriculture has done more to alter land and waterscapes than it has in centuries.  It is time to go beyond conventional, beyond organic and far beyond sustainable methodologies and propel ourselves forward to create regenerative growing systems.  Building and stabilizing soil is essential to planetary health.  All life comes from this mysterious place and to it all life will return.

Please join our 4 instructors in the 2016 Living Soil Course that focuses on regenerative agriculture methods.  The foundation of the course is built on the combination of three agricultural tools: cover cropping(organic matter building) , mineral balancing and soil food web methodologies.   Students of this course will learn to build soil, create biological inoculums, apply biology to growing systems and learn to analyze life in soil and biological products through bright field microscopy.     We will address foundations of creating soil armor to stabilize soil and feed soil organisms.  Our students will be introduced to principles of balancing calcium and magnesium, as well as addressing mineral excesses in soils. 

Healthy soil stores massive amounts of carbon in plant life and organism life.  Healthy soil filters water as well as retaining and cycling nutrients to feed plants.  Healthy soil allows for plants to access the nutrients they need when they need them and where they need them.  Lace up your boots, bring your gloves, and don’t forget your notebook when you join us for this 3.5 week soil health intensive. Your tool box of knowledge will be expanded.  Let’s make this a decade where humans are known for building soil humus and growing food that is medicine. 

Instructor Bios:

Molly C. Haviland:  As a microherder, Molly understands how to cultivate beneficial soil organisms, merge them into growing systems, and encourage them to thrive in that location. Molly has consulted and offered courses in 20 states throughout America, and has recently began traveling the world to offer this information to compost operations, farmers and students. Molly aims to develop the highest quality compost and compost amendments designed specifically for the desired crop.  As the owner of Haviland Earth Regeneration (HER), her goals are threefold, (1) build soil humus as quickly as possible, (2) to grow food that is medicine and (3) to teach others how to do this for themselves.   Molly earned her BS degree in Sustainable Living from the Maharishi University of Management where she is an affiliate professor of the Living Soil course.  Molly has been under mentorship from Dr. Elaine Ingham since 2010 and gained her Soil Life Certification in 2012. She is a Soil Life Certification coach for the Environment Celebration Institute. 

Benjamin Ice: Founder/owner of Ice’s Soil Restoration, Ben delivers expert soil consultations  to farmers/businesses seeking to restore dynamic mineral balance and healthy soil biology into the soil.   He started his business  in 2009 to empower Grower’s to produce quality mineral dense food. The strategy is that mineral density will start in the soil and work it’s way through the plants, to the animals and back to the consumer.  His main focus is to educate Growers with the knowledge they need to make progressive decisions and to understand the value of mineralizing the soil. When he’s not on the farm or on the road he resides in Otsego, MN with his wife and 4 children. When life allows he enjoys hunting and fishing Walleye on Lake Millacs.  

Loida Vasquez: After years of working in corporate America, Loida realized that she wanted to do something meaningful to help the environment and all its inhabitants. That was when she decided to dedicate her time and efforts to healing our precious soil, without which, climate change continues at a rapid rate, contaminated run-off water kills life in our lakes and oceans, while healthy food can not be grown. 

Loida obtained a B.S. in Sustainable Living and a Living Soils consultant certification under the guidance of Dr. Elaine Ingham. 

She is now a professional Living Soils consultant devoting all her time to working with growing systems that heal the soil and so produce healthy food for humans and animals to consume, while reducing climate change via carbon sequestration. She is the owner of Regenerative Soil Services out of Las Angeles, CA.