SPEC’s Urban Farmer Field School
Back again this year, SPEC is putting on a series of classes for urban growers of all abilities. This Thursday I’m teaching the introductory level Growing Food in Small Spaces, […]
Author Archives: The Loam Ranger
The Living Science of Soil: Past, Present, and Future
The PRSSS presents their 31st Spring AGM and Workshop: The Living Science of Soil: Past, Present, and Future. The event will draw on the knowledge of senior soil scientists from […]
Sacred Ground: the Agricultural Land Reserve
The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is a provincial land use zone that prioritizes agriculture and is managed and maintained by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). Despite all the press the […]
5 tools for dirty jobs
Soil science may just be the missing link for new food producers. On top of managing organic matter through composting, it’s also important to understand the inherent characteristics of the […]
Pedology: where it all begins
The term “pedology” is the kind of word that makes eyes glaze over. In my first soils course, I couldn’t wait to be done with the unit. It was full […]
Not Good Enough
I recently hit a road block while writing up the Results section of my thesis. Despite having talked about my findings, and shown off some pretty diagrams I’d put together, […]
SPEC’s Urban Farmer Field School
The Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) is holding a series of classes for urban farmers, along with anyone wanting to take their gardening to the next level. The Urban Farmer […]
“Technologification” of Food Production
It is clear that our current food production system is not sustainable. The good news is that we have a choice in how we will move forward. When I see […]
PRSSS AGM and Workshop: Soil & Technology
TEDx Terry Talks at UBC 2012
In November 2012 I participated in a TEDx event (“x” stands for independently organized) coordinated by the Terry Project at UBC. The theme was “ideas that students are excited about”; […]
Soil in the City 