Download picture of of Mary Holm and Dr. Joe Storlien.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — On Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. Pioneer Public Television’s Prairie Yard & Garden (PY&G) program will focus on soil health through an unusual test. The episode will be repeated on Saturday, April 20 at 4 p.m. and Monday, April 22 at 1 p.m. and will be available for online viewing at www.pioneer.org/pyg immediately after broadcast.
Host Mary Holm visits with Dr. Joe Storlien, soil scientist from the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph to learn about the “Soil Your Undies” challenge that farmers are using to gauge soil health. Healthy soil means hungry soil, according to Dr. Storlien. With proper management, the ground should teem with millions of tiny life forms — bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, earthworms — all busy transferring nutrients, eating and decomposing organic material through nutrient cycling in processes that help plants thrive. Farmers across the midwest are being challenged to bury a pair of white, 100 percent cotton undies beneath their soil, come back two months later and dig them up. Sterile, lifeless soil will keep the underwear clean and intact whereas busy, organically thriving soil will eat away at the briefs, leaving nothing but an elastic strap.
Mary Holm of Morris has served as the host of PY&G for five years. PY&G is produced by the University of Minnesota, Morris in collaboration with Pioneer Public Television. Production sponsorship is provided by ACIRA, Heartland Motors, Diamond Willow Assisted Living and Shalom Hill Farm.
About the University of Minnesota, Morris
UMM has been ranked 19 times as a Top 10 Public Liberal Arts College by U.S. News and World Report. The student-centered public university features a 15:1 student to faculty ratio, affordable tuition, small class sizes and modern research facilities. For more information visit www.morris.umn.edu
About Pioneer Public Television
Pioneer Public TV is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station serving western and southwestern Minnesota, northwestern Iowa and the eastern Dakotas. The station can be viewed on KWCM Channel 10 in the Appleton area, KSMN Channel 20 in Worthington and K08QE-D in Fergus Falls as well as on dozens of cable channels and on satellite channels in the Twin Cities and Sioux Falls Designated Market Areas (DMA). Online programming is available at video.pioneer.org.
