June 13, 2007
Special Guest: Dr. Elaine Ingham, President and Director of Research at Soil Foodweb, Inc.

An interview with Elaine Ingham, PhD, author of the Compost Tea Manual 5th Ed., The Field Guide for Actively Aerated Compost Tea, and President and Director of Research at Soil Foodweb, Inc.

Our world is rich in life of all sizes. We live together and support each other in ways you may not be aware of. Good soil is not dead; it's alive with a huge array of organisms. If we want healthy food we need healthy soil, and for that we need healthy life within the soil. In this interview, you'll discover what organisms are present in the soil and on the foliage of your plants, which organisms benefit which types of plants, which organisms harm plants, and how can these organisms be managed to grow plants with the least expensive inputs into the system while maintaining soil fertility.

Topics Covered:

• What are all Those organisms doing in the soil?
• “Going biological” saves Money, reduces pesticide use and increases yields
• Growing method determines nutritional value of food
• Healthy soil – loaded with bacteria and fungi!
• Fungal/bacterial balance determines which plants can grow where
• Grass-roots question: how to Improve soil for pasture and hay?
• Raised beds – same principles?
• Is your soil sick? diagnostic testing and treatment
• Can we really eat soil bacteria? And is it helpful?
• How do we get the governments to support healthy soils, rather than chemical companies?
• Is it possible for anything to grow in las vegas?
• How can we Know which crops like which kinds of soil?

Ingham earned her Master of Science in microbiology at Texas A&M university and her doctoral degree from Colorado State University. Her doctorate is in microbiology with an emphasis on soil. She maintains a website where the results of work done at Soil Foodweb Inc. and her university research program are posted. Her publication, The Compost Tea Brewing Manual, is updated periodically to include the latest results in compost tea work. Elaine is a strong advocate of sound ecological testing of all genetically engineered organisms before they are released into the environment .

Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN Is the host of the Access to Health Experts interview series. She holds a doctorate and is board certified in Clinical Nutrition, is the author of Digestive Wellness, Digestive Wellness for Children, and Leaky Gut Syndrome. She’s the Director of Doctoral Studies at Hawthorn University, and the nutrition editor for Pilates Style Magazine. Dr. Lipski is the founder of several web-based health information sites including Innovative Healing and Access to Health Experts.