S6 - E8: Healthier Communities, Stronger Economies, and Hippos with Jeff, Mary, and Eric

Soil health is a foundation for healthier communities, stronger economies, and more resilient landscapes. And yes, hippos can be major pests. During this episode of 4 The Soil: A Conversation, Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt share who and what is for(4) the soil.  Celebrating Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, is a great way to build on that foundation.  Tune in, subscribe, and like anywhere you get your podcasts or 4thesoil.org/podcast (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3...) As always, we encourage you to cooperate with other farmers, graziers, and gardeners for peer-to-peer learning and to follow the four core soil health principles:  1) Keep the soil covered -- Cover crops are our friends; 2) Minimize soil disturbance -- Be gentle, take it easy; 3) Maximize living roots year-round -- Keep roots growing; and 4) Energize with diversity -- Thrive with diversity. You're invited to join an online presentation and conversation with previous podcast guest Bob Jones Jr., co-owner and chief executive officer of The Chef’s Garden in Huron, Ohio! "The Chef’s Garden: The Flavor of Health and Resilience" Monday, April 20, 2026 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. (EST) Online via Zoom REGISTER HERE: https://tinyurl.com/VAF2T-ChefsGarden... (https://tinyurl.com/VAF2T-ChefsGarden...)   To enjoy recent 4 The Soil blog posts and additional upcoming educational webinars and field days, please visit https://www.4thesoil.org/blog and https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/. For questions about soil and water conservation practices and outdoor educational conservation activities for youth, call or visit a USDA Service Center (https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/loca...) , a Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and...) office, or your local Virginia Cooperative Extension (https://ext.vt.edu/) office.   4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Other partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and partners of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest. To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.ou...) . Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.