Soil Microbes “Key to the function of agricultural systems”

Dr. Kristine Nichols was the Chief Scientist at the Rodale Institute, an independent research institute for organic farming, from 2014 to 2017. Her training and research focus on the microbes living in soil and how to make soil more productive.

The Rodale Institute was founded in 1947 in Kutztown, PA by J.I. Rodale. Inspired by the nitrogen fertilizer shortages during World War II, Rodale wanted to develop practical methods of rebuilding soil fertility. Today, the institute focuses particularly on compost, soil health, weed and pest management, livestock operations, organic certification, wastewater treatment, and climate change. It is home to the longest running comparative study of organic and chemical agriculture, started in 1981.

Dr. Nichols double majored in Plant Biology and Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Minnesota. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Environmental Microbiology from West Virginia University and ultimately a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Maryland. After graduating, Dr. Nichols started working at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a Soil Microbiologist. She served as Chief Scientist at the Rodale Institute from 2014 to 2017, where she examined the impacts that crop rotation, tillage practices, organic production, cover crops, and livestock grazing have on soil aggregation, water relationships, and glomalin, a molecule produced by fungi that improves soil productivity.

Food Tank had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Kristine Nichols about how soil microbes affect agriculture and about some of the trials the Rodale Institute are conducting.

Food Tank (FT): What is the importance of soil microbes to agriculture and how are they affected by different agricultural systems and changing climates?

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