Benefits of Healthy Soil

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To some people, soil is nothing but dirt. But for farmers who depend on their crops to feed their families and make a living, soil is a critical tool that can make or break a crop or even an entire season. The baseline need is a healthy soil that can grow and develop anything it holds – but soil itself is a complex ecosystem that contains countless microorganisms, which should all work together to create a productive and sustainable system of agriculture.

What Makes a Soil Healthy?

For all that we know about soil, there is likely even more to learn. New research is being done on the beneficial microorganisms that sit within soil, and we continue to learn more about how each one plays a role in the collective effort of soil’s complex ecosystem.

There are four main groups of soil microbes, each of which plays a critical role:

Bacteria: Because they can multiply quickly, bacteria are helpful for increasing yield and enhancing soil structure. They can also help retain nutrients while suppressing soil-borne pathogens and creating enzymes.
Fungi: When fungi are allowed to remain in soil, they can help with the rapid buildup of organic matter, nutrient cycling and retention, and the suppression of plant pathogens.
Protozoa: Through a complex relationship with bacteria, protozoa are able to enhance both soil structure and root mass.
Nematodes: While some nematodes are damaging, there are some beneficial species as well, which can actually neutralize their root-feeding counterparts.

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How Healthy Soil Is Better for Your Crops

As a producer, your goal should be to work with your crops and not against them. Spending every day fighting things like erosion and costly inputs can make agriculture more difficult than it needs to be. With healthy soil, your foundation is strong and you can focus on supporting and optimizing whatever you’re growing.

This foundation is borne from healthy soil, which is rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. With these readily available, your plants have all the nutrition they need to grow and resist disease. The superior soil structure also makes it easier for roots to grow and better absorb those nutrients, creating a positive cycle of growth.

From a purely economic perspective, all of this helps to improve the health and yield of your crops, which ultimately means more profit for you. And when this can be done with less work, it becomes a best-case scenario for both you and your customers.

Why Healthy Soil Is Better for the Earth

While the effect on personal and commercial crops is undeniable and critical, there is another key reason we believe in healthy soil at ROI Biologicals: sustainability. Healthy soil is one piece of a healthier planet, and the more we focus on our soil, the more we can make a positive impact on the world.

The use of a high-quality and healthy soil means that the food and products produced by that soil have increased health benefits for both people and plants themselves. As plants are given proper nutrition, they can better resist diseases and pests. Of course, this also improves productivity and stability for farmers.

Healthy soil also improves the quality of other important resources like water by filtering out pollutants and preventing erosion. As microbes flourish in this soil, biodiversity is supported and species stability increases, along with greater carbon absorption. Together, these benefits all lead to a safer planet and wide-reaching sustainability.

How We Keep Soil Healthy

When ROI Biologicals creates soil solutions, we are going beyond the typical chemistry project of other soils. Our focus is on soil that contains billions of organisms designed specifically for optimal soil structure, draining, nutrient cycling, plant growth, and more. By tapping into this complex and deep ecosystem, we can provide soil solutions that are of the utmost quality and safe for everyone. This is why our mission is to always be Better From The Ground Up.

With our products, we seek to teach growers everywhere about these organisms. It’s not only about their importance, but also how to maintain and repopulate them on their own land. Making use of healthy soil can benefit you, your customers, and the whole planet.