Soil Carbon Science 101

Organized by the Center for Technical Development. Recorded on October 6th, 2023

Carbon has been getting a lot of attention in agriculture these days. You may have heard terms like “carbon farming,” “regenerative agriculture,” or “climate smart practices” to describe farm management that sequesters carbon and mitigates climate change.

This exciting movement has led to new policies, programs, and funding for farmers and farm advisors. It has also led to some confusion over what is possible or practical to achieve.

In this webinar, Dani Gelardi of the Washington State Department of Agriculture will provide an overview of soil carbon in agriculture, with an emphasis on our current scientific understanding.

Dani will attempt to answer the questions:

What is soil carbon?
How is it accumulated and stored?
How is it impacted by agricultural management?
Why is it so difficult to measure?
Why is it so important for climate change mitigation and adaptation?

This article was published by the Washington Soil Health Initiative. For more information, visit https://wasoilhealth.org. To have these posts delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the WaSHI newsletter. To find a soil science technical service provider, visit the Washington State University Extension website or the Washington State Conservation District website.