Soil Analysis, Carbon Sampling and Designing for Resilience
Schedule
Sat May 10 2025 at 01:00 pm to 03:00 pm
Location
Nuestras Raices | Holyoke, MA
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POSTPONED AGAIN TO MAY 10th DUE TO RAINIn this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to accurately sample soils for comprehensive chemical analysis, including soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient profiles. We will analyze in situ the biological, physical and chemical properties of soils, including compaction, infiltration rate, soil texture and structure, surface biology, soil aggregate stability, root behavior, soil temperature and bulk density. This integrated approach provides a thorough understanding of soil health by combining quantitative data with qualitative observations. Participants will also have an opportunity to learn about Landscape Interactions’ collaboration with Red Fire Farm to transform a portion of their working landscape into a refugia for at-risk native bees, butterflies and moths through the incorporation of biodiverse, perennial and productive native plant communities.
Landscape Interactions is collaborating with NOFA/Mass Food Access on two community garden sites as part of Healthy Soil through Maximum Biodiversity, located at Tapley Court Apartments and Liberty Hill Townhouses.
About the Project: Join Landscape Interactions and NOFA/Mass for an array of hands-on workshops this season, as they partner with farmers and community gardeners across Western Massachusetts to implement a series of scalable, replicable designs and land management practices that incorporate biodiverse, native pollinator-supporting vegetation. Funded by a Healthy Soils Action Grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA),
Healthy Soil through Maximum Biodiversity aims to demonstrate that enhancing plant diversity and supporting at-risk pollinators leads to healthier soils, increased soil organic carbon sequestration and improved ecosystem function. Whether your farm is urban or rural, large or small-scale, your production livestock or vegetable-based, there are gleanings to take home from this project. Workshops offered in the 2025 season include soil analysis and on-site data collection, site preparation, native pollinator life cycle requirements, native plant and seed installation as well as short and long-term maintenance.
About Nuestras Raíces: Nuestras Raíces is a grassroots urban agriculture organization supporting BIPOC farmers and gardeners with 7 community gardens and a 30-acre farm La Finca that hosts 11 small farming and food businesses in Holyoke. They run several programs including a mobile produce market for food insecure neighborhoods, a prescription food box education program for Type 2 Diabetes funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a yearly community entrepreneurs business development workshop series, biannual ServSafe Manager Certification courses, and a wide range of youth-focused agricultural skills and leadership development programs. Through all of their work, Nuestras Raíces promotes food security and the development of small businesses in a majority Latinx community, providing opportunities for cascading mentorship between elders and youth to pass down agricultural skills and other cultural knowledge.
La Finca, Nuestras Raíces’ 30-acre farm, includes ten acres of annual field crops with a focus on Latinx cultural produce, a half-acre apple orchard, a quarter-acre diversified forest garden, four greenhouses of varying sizes, a farm store, an historically preserved barn, a stage and festival area, and various forest-scrub features including a riparian buffer with the neighboring Connecticut River. The farm hosts seasonal festivals, farm tours, agricultural classes and numerous other events throughout the growing season, including workshops for public school students.
MORE INFO: https://www.nofamass.org/event/soil-analysis-carbon-sampling-and-designing-for-resilience-2/
This is a FREE event.
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Where is it happening?
Nuestras Raices, 23 Jones Ferry Rd, Holyoke, MA 01040-5307, United States,Holyoke, MassachusettsEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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