Soil talks and are we listening? Franklin D. Roosevelt once stated, “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”

DIBS reached out to the “pioneers of organic agriculture research” at Rodale Institute to see what soil has to say.

How important is healthy soil for the growth of food?

RODALE: Healthy soil is critical to the production of healthy food. Food gains its nutrients, vitamins, minerals from the soil it’s grown in. If we don’t take care of our soil, our food will suffer, and human health will be in danger.

How do you get healthy soil?

RODALE: Healthy soil needs to be treated like the resource it is. This means not using harsh chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides that kill the critical bacterial and fungal networks deep within the soil. This “organic matter” helps plants reduce disease, absorb water, and retain nutrients, and is the biggest part of healthy soil.

What sort of minerals do we find in soil that is beneficial?

RODALE: Healthy soil contains nutrients like nitrogen that is essential to plant growth. When the soil is degraded with the use of chemicals, nitrogen needs to be put back on the soil through the use of fertilizers, which are often synthetically-based and can run off into creeks and streams and pollute our water. When soil is healthy, it also contains a healthy network of mycorrhizal fungi that hold the soil together and prevent erosion.

What are the hazards to healthy soil?

RODALE: The main hazards of the ones in use every day in conventional, industrial farming systems: pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. While these chemicals claim to only kill weeds and pests, it also kills every living thing within the soil, ruining the carefully balanced microbiome that plants rely on in order to grow successfully.

Talk about the importance of soil microbiome in the productivity of crops, climate change, and health.

RODALE: Results from Rodale Institute’s long-term side by side comparison trials, like the Farming Systems Trial that has been running for over 40 years, have shown that organic soil not only produces the same amount of food as conventional soil after a transition period but that organic food has higher levels of nutrients. Organic crops have also been shown to perform better in the case of extreme weather, a growing concern as the climate changes and weather patterns become unpredictable. Regenerative organic soil also holds more carbon due to its bacterial and fungal networks, making a regenerative organic food system a viable solution to fight against climate change.

Talk about how soil microbes differ enormously from region to region.

RODALE: Soil types, as well as management practices, differ by region. That’s why Rodale Institute is opening Regional Resource Centers in agricultural hubs like Iowa, California, and Georgia to conduct research in regenerative organic methods in a variety of soil types, climates, and weather patterns.

What sort of discoveries or experiments is Rodale Institute finding or doing in regards to the soil?

RODALE: Rodale Institute has many research projects occurring at our farm in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, and beyond. Our longest running comparison trial, the Farming Systems Trial, compares organic and conventional grain systems like corn, soybeans, and wheat, and has been running since 1981. Recently, we began the Vegetable Systems Trial, a side by side comparison of organic and conventional vegetable production systems that will run for over 20 years. This trial is focused on determining the difference in nutrient density caused by agricultural management. We also conduct research on farming practices and water quality in our Watershed Impact Trial, study the viability and uses of industrial hemp for the soil and beyond, as well as various research projects on the role of livestock, compost, and much more.

What does Rodale do to keep their soil healthy?

RODALE: Rodale Institute integrates regenerative organic practices like composting, natural pest management, cover crops, and crop rotations to keep the soil healthy. We also practice organic no-till management, using a technology called the roller-crimper that was developed by our CEO Jeff Moyer decades ago. The roller-crimper terminates cover crops without chemicals while creating a mat of the cover crop residue in the field, which then acts as a shield to protect seeds and block weeds from growing. This allows our organic fields to have fewer weeds without losing any carbon that is typically lost from tilling the soil.

What are the signs of healthy or unhealthy soil?

RODALE: Healthy soil is dark and sticks together—a clump of organic soil submerged in water will keep its shape. In contrast, unhealthy soil is pale, dry, and crumbles easily, providing less room for the plants to grow and eroding much more easily in extreme weather than organic.

What can WE (regular citizens) do to help keep the soil healthy?

RODALE: Buy organic! Look for products with the USDA Certified Organic label and know that your food was grown with practices that support healthy soil and healthy people. You can also look for products with the “Rodale Institute Approved” label; this is Rodale Institute’s seal of approval on products that we know were grown regeneratively, going above and beyond in sourcing practices and maintaining a priority on healthy soil. Coming Spring 2020, consumers will also start to see the Regenerative Organic Certification, developed by Rodale Institute and partners like Patagonia and Dr. Bronner’s. This “gold standard” goes beyond the USDA Organic label to not only prioritize soil health, but also animal welfare and social fairness.

Regular citizens can also get involved in organic farming near them. Rodale Institute offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, as well as internship programs for those interested in starting a career in organic agriculture. You can also support Rodale Institute with a one-time or recurring donation to help us continue doing the important research that grows the organic movement and proves that healthy soil = healthy food = healthy people.

Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been growing the organic movement through rigorous research, farmer training, and consumer education since 1947. Headquartered in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, Rodale Institute operates a 333-acre certified organic experimental farm that hosts numerous research trials and projects, as well as a farm share program for underserved communities, and consulting services for farmers across the country. For seventy years, the Institute has been researching the best practices of organic agriculture and sharing findings with farmers and scientists throughout the world, advocating for policies that support farmers, and educating consumers about how going organic is the healthiest option for people and the planet. Rodale Institute holds workshops, events, training programs, and is open to the public year-round. Learn more at RodaleInstitute.org.

For more information, below are some links provided by Rodale

1.Soil Health - What Is Healthy Soil?

2. No, The Organic Label is Not A Marketing Scam

3. Truth About Organic

4. Carbon Sequestration

5. Farming Systems Trial

6. Organic Farming Practices

DIBS chatted with Nicole Shelly owner of Radish Republic a premium urban grocery store, specializing in local food from small farms and businesses in our area of the Lehigh Valley and the SE region of PA.

Their mission is to change the image of local food away from inconvenient, hard to find or buy. While introducing a new way to access local agricultural products, we are encouraging people to “be rad, eat local”.

Location: ArtsWalk 27 N. 7th Street, Allentown, PA 18101 | Open Daily 11 am - 7 pm

Check out their website for produce list and online orders

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Please introduce yourself.

My name is Nicole Shelly, I have been a business owner in the Lehigh Valley since 2007 when I moved with my husband from Philadelphia to start a market garden called Godshall Farm. We have had 3 children since that time also.

When did you start the Radish Republic, how did this idea come about and talk about the process of opening up a business?

Radish Republic had a soft opening October 11, 2019 and our grand opening was November 4, 2019. Three years ago, besides running our farm, we started a second business to operate Fresh Fridays, a farmers’ market in downtown Allentown. It happened to rain every single Friday that first year and after 15 years of attending farmers’ markets, that was our last. The customers of the market said they wanted a grocery store downtown and that the market hours were not long enough. We put in a proposal to City Center Allentown for a grocery store that year. The idea was approved, but it took a long time to get the exact location, size and set up just right.

Why is our mission for the Radish Republic important?

I think our mission is important because small farms in the Lehigh Valley are not thriving. It is almost impossible to make a living farming in this area and most farmers rely on off farm income. There is pressure and problems coming from so many angles. Farm land is disappearing and the Lehigh Valley is threatened to become one big warehouse.

How does a local farm get the opportunity to sell in your store? Do you seek them out and handpick them or do they seek you out?

We are working with people who are open to wholesaling. It is a different way of sales than most small farms are used to. We have very high quality standards also, so we can’t work with low quality products. We were doing an online store for a while and it gave us the opportunity to get familiar with the products available and who has long lasting, high quality products. We are big fans of anyone who is making shelf stable products out of their farm products. Labeling and packaging is very important also.

What responsibility does a business owner have to a community?

I think we have a responsibility to give them what they want and are asking for. It may not always be in line with my personal tastes or values or even what I am comfortable with, but if that is what the want, I have to do it.

Are you an all organic grocery store?

We have many organic products, but we are not strictly organic. We prefer local over organic. Not everything available locally can be grown organic in our climate, like tree fruit. We get the cleanest food we can find locally. For other things that aren’t local, we may have to choose affordability over organic.

What sort of produce or items do you have at Radish Republic?

Seasonal, local vegetables from small farms in the Lehigh Valley, we fill in with produce and products from Lancaster Farm Fresh and we have some staples like avocados, bananas, lemons and limes that aren’t local. We will be getting more fruit in the near future that will not be local as the Winter sets in.

How does it feel operating a small farm fresh store in the downtown area of a city?

It was a bit surreal on the first day because we had been working on it for so long. We like being a part of the urban fabric of an up and coming city.

Why the name Radish Republic?

A republic is something made for the citizens of an area and we made this store for the people of downtown Allentown. We worked with City Center on the name and there were a few more words besides Radish at first, but then I was thinking about the branding of some of the other things in downtown Allentown like Fresh Fridays and Lively lunches. I woke up one morning and Radish Republic popped into my head. You can read a bit more on our website as well.

What plans for the future of the market- like what exciting things can customers expect coming up

We are still filling our shelves with local products. It has been a process of connecting with all the wonderful products from farms and small businesses, so more products in general. They can also look forward to events like how to and cooking classes. Also having our producers doing sampling and demos. We are still working on getting our EBT set up so people can use SNAP benefits.

Lastly and most importantly, what is your favorite fruit, vegetable, and grain?

I will have to pick apples for fruit because they are the perfect snack. I have always loved vegetables even since I was a kid and it changes which ones I like the best. I think eating any vegetable that is in the peak of its’ season is the best choice. It is easier to pick ones I don’t like that much- but I still eat them-like beets and radishes. I don’t know if it’s a grain, but I love pasta.