Ice cream treat!!

It's our tradition to host high school students from NC School of Science and Math (NCSSM) in CAALS 3D program. Among of other hands-on lab experience, this is one of the important activities that they need to learn.

Global Food Security Summer Institute

I recently attended the inaugural Global Food Security Summer Institute at Purdue University. The program was organized by Dr. Gebisa Ejeta, a world-renowned sorghum breeder and winner of the 2009 World Food Prize. Dr. Ejeta is a remarkable man and spending time with him was a great honor. The program consisted of a series of lectures, practicums, group projects, and field trips related to issues pertinent in the study of food security. The extension of appropriate technologies and agricultural trade policy were heavily discussed. The program will occur again next year and I highly recommend it for individuals interested in global food security.

Teaching kids what it's like to be cool soil scientists

Ahoy Matey - Pirates Ahead!

Ahoy Matey! I am marooned at the filming location for the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. (Don't send rescue) Hampstead Estate is located on the north side of Dominica, affectionately called "The Nature Island". Most of the island is rural and mountainous. One of the very few sandy beaches is here. Unfortunately, after soil sampling they make us swim for our rum!

Soil sample site #4 - coconut farm.  I'm working hard - I swear.  

 A pile of coconut husks.  Looks like good compost, huh?

The Lab Goes Wild!

Greetings from the island of Dominica!  The Grossman lab seeks new adventures in the land of pirates!  Tony Kleese of Earth Wise Company invited us to soil sample on a historic coconut farm called Hampstead Estate.  While we here we are evaluating how to integrate cover crops on an organic farm in the tropics.  Mangoes, Pineapples, Bananas, Coconuts, and Rum - Oh My!  It's a rough job..... but somebody has to do it.

 

Calling all soil geeks:  These are Smectite rich soils.  Smectite is associated with the shrink swell clays common in the tropics.  There is no sticking the average soil probe down in there.

Old mango grove on Hampstead Estate.

CEFS Field Day Fun

May 3rd was the CEFS field day and many of our lab members came out for the fun in the (very hot) sun, with Matt, Erika, Arun, Sean, Sarah – even JiJY! – in attendance. Three busloads of participants visited our field site, where I gave a brief snapshot intro to the cover crop termination experiment, and the field staff then demoed the roller crimper on the blocks that will not be used for data collection this summer. The group really enjoyed seeing the roller-crimper in action!