The quality of your soil is paramount to plant and therefore stock productivity. 

Learn how to improve your soils and benefit from them.  This course examines:

• The properties of soil
• Testing
• How to manage and improve soil
• Soil problems
• Sustainability of soils and much  more.

Soil is the foundation for profitable farming. There are many things that can be wrong with soil (eg. poor nutrition, chemical imbalance, structural problems such as drainage, lack of microbial life etc). Often minor and relatively inexpensive treatments can make a huge difference to productivity, but the problems need to be identified first, and that requires a solid understanding of soil theory and management practice.

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Physical & Chemical Properties Of Soils
2. Soil Testing Methods
3. Sustainable Soil Management
4. Soils & Managing Earthworks
5. Land Degradation & Other Soil Problems
6. Container Growing
7. Soil Science & Health
8. Soil Management

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• Develop a broad understanding of the physical and chemical properties of soils.
• Develop skills in sampling and field testing soils for basic physical and chemical properties
• Understand the principles, methods and techniques of sustainable soils management.
• Understand the principles and practices of earthworks.
• Understand causes and remediation methods of land degradation and soil problems.
• Develop a broad knowledge in the use of growing containers for agriculture.
• Develop strong understanding of soil science and its impact on plant growth.
• Develop practical knowledge about managing soil for particular cropping uses.

• Define terms related to the production and management of agricultural soil, such as: manure, micorrhyzae, ameliorant, pore space, micro-nutrient, denitrification, ammonium fixation, chemo autrophic organisms, colloids, buffering capacity, leaching, compaction
• Create a compost heap
• Discuss ways that human activity can destroy soil structure
• Explain how pH affects nutrient availability
• Explain the function of different nutrients in soils/growing media, such at nitrogen and phosphorus
• Analyse a soil test report in order to evaluate the soil for horticultural or agricultural use
• Describe appropriate soil testing methods for different situations
• Compare the use of organic and inorganic fertilisers in different situations
• Develop a detailed nutritional management plan for a particular crop, following organic principles
• Identify suitable earth moving equipment for different tasks, and the conditions of use