Ray R. Weil

I am a Professor of Soil Science, and a lover of nature, the Earth, sound farming, the poetry of biogeochemical cycles and the dignity of honest human beings.

[WWF @WWF]

We often overlook the life beneath our feet.

But tiny animals like dung beetles keep soil healthy and our food systems strong. 🌱

As #COP16Colombia begins, let's push leaders to #ActForOurPlanet and protect the life which sustains us. 🌍 #NaturesTechnicians

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Removed from gas 50 years ago, legacy #lead still contaminates #forest #soils near roads. Tires also emit zinc to contaminate such soils. Zinc, not lead, bio-accumulated in #earthworms. @UMD_AGNR @JEnvironQual https://t.co/XWcGyHew41

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

#3 in #regenerativeag #organic corn without chemicals or tillage. Progressing nicely. https://t.co/YX6gLCqEE4 Organic crop follows 4 transition strategies. But everything has to be right. Shot footage at the nearest (& best) of 4 farms. Corn at other sites looks fair to failure.

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

@charlespaynter Charles, you're kind message made my day! Keep up the good work. 🙏

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Was humbled and excited to receive the #FoodShoot Global Groundbreaker prize yesterday! Felt like validation of my life's work to improve #soils for #farmers, #eaters, and the #Earth. #Sulfur2Protein. https://t.co/sLyn9nIsC4

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Stopping by the mailroom I saw this sign of a #soilartist hidden someplace in old HJ Patterson Hall! 🎨Beltsville silt loam tan, glauconite green, old #soilsurvey sample jars? Reminds me of when I found a handmade beta version of the Munsell #soilcolor book from the 1920s Bureau

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

ORGANIC REGENERATIVE FARMING #2: Soil Mulched & Full of Life as Organic ... https://t.co/thESZue7XS via @YouTube 10 days after no-till planting in high biomass living cover crop, corn emerges through protective mulch. No rain but soil is moist, full of visible life. Feels right.

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Was worried about the long vetch vines wrapping around the planter wheels, but this wasn't a problem. Here's a close-up of the planter action (which was followed by rolling).
Regenerative Organic Corn No-till Planting Green without Chemicals https://t.co/57H26slvLM via @YouTube

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Beautiful! Transitioning to #Organic #Grain (@USDA_NIFA)-corn bioassays 3 years of transition strategies. Amazing #soillife compared to tilled bare soil. Timing & equipment adjustment!
#PlantingGreen into Vetch-Rye #CoverCrop for Organic Corn https://t.co/m0IwIkWJgj via @YouTube

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Sadly, yesterday #regenerativeagriculture lost a pioneer: Dave Brandt died in an accident. He was down to earth but looked to the stars. I gave #soilhealth talks to ~200 farmers at Dave's field day in 2015. Here's him showing his 30 yr #notill soil after 3" rain. Let us carry on!

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

@USDA @UMD_AGNR This cover crop is part of a management strategy to #transition the land to certified #organicfarming so the cover needs to be killed mechanically, not chemically. Letting both species grow to full flower is a must for effective roller-crimping & #notill planting.

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Beautiful mixed rye-hairy vetch #covercrop soon ready to roller crimp. Each species helps the other & both help #SoilHealth & #corn crop. Thanks, @USDA NIFA & Kevin Conover of @UMD_AGNR research farm for timely interseeding vetch into soybeans, then drilling rye after harvest.

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

@thrivingag

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

My students having fun (and getting great communication practice) introducing #covercrops and their #ecosystem services to urban families at the @UMD_AGNR's open house. The level of interest was encouraging for the #USDA_NIFA #Thriving_Agric_in_Urban_Landscapes project!

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

@thedassaurav Saurav - What a great connection to make! I like the autonomous nature of the wood fiber spiral as it responds to rain. However, this technology seems more suited to tree seeds at 50 to 200 per hectare than to cover crop plants at 100,000 or more per ha.

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Our new paper shows aerial #Interseeding deep-rooted #covercrops early before #corn or #soybean harvest reduces #nitrateleaching on average even if stands aren't as uniform as those drilled later. Especially in wet fall (like 2018). https://t.co/R4ByOK42Zv

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

@JacksonRD Yes. What a great way to describe this finding!

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Deeply loosened permanent planting beds require double the labor in year1, but are #notill (and no-step) thereafter. Crop yields are doubled in the first growing season and for years after, while labor is lower due to no tillage or ridge construction.

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Many #African ag #soils have a root-restrictive #plowpan at ~10-30 cm depth, often caused by annual tillage on wet soils. #Foodproduction is constrained by #water & ##nutrients available in 0-20 cm of soil.

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

Thanks @IsaacChavulau of Tiyeni, for showing me a few of the 1000’s smallholder farmers who have adopted their permanent deep-dug bed system, with contour-tied furrows and compost in planting holes.
Video starts in standard ridged field and pans to Tiyeni https://t.co/DvvMcp8Oe4

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

@S_Seome Thanks for catching that! ...I just tweeted a link direct to the PDF:
https://t.co/IpYysikUAy

[Ray R. Weil @rayweil]

This link to the aerial seeding paper should work:
https://t.co/IpYysikUAy