So excited to be in St George for this soil conference! We'll get started tomorrow and I'll get some fun pictures :)

In my adventures in Soil and biological health, there are two concepts that battle in my mind for the "Most Important Discovery" in the last century. Those are Rhizophagy and Redox. (If you want to read about Rhizophagy, you can find that here: https://www.facebook.com/dharmalanden/posts/pfbid034eMXBfwwvGryah1VL7Jn2SvhQcdSr9GTKmbWAqmgaxn2bFk6Uh9bHBJ8Ahf72X9jl ) Rhizophagy in many ways is more fun, intuitive, and directly applicable to our garden and farm endeavors. It's the way plants EAT! It directly connects us to our plants and the cycles we participate in with them. In contrast, Redox is so fundamental, so core to *Everything*, and so in your face in every moment that it was entirely missed - until about 10 years ago. (Which again, is the blink of an eye in the pursuit of scientific truth.) So what is Redox? Redox is the measurement of the electrical charge found in every natural system. Your body, your plants, the atmosphere, the soil, the ocean - they all have what we call a "Redox Potential". Redox is a compound term for Reduction vs Oxidation. At its root, it's the quantifiable balance of Electrons and Oxygen. You may have heard about "Oxidative Stress" in human health or soils. That's Redox. It balances on the fundamental premise: A gain of an Oxygen atom is a loss of an Electron (energy). This is the most clear example I know - When you eat food, it gives you energy. Then you go for a run. You breathe heavily during your cardio workout. You intake a lot of Oxygen. At the end - you have *Less Energy*. You brought Oxygen into the system of your body, and used up the Electrons your body had available. Now you're tired and need more food - which provides more Electrons. Everything works on this orienting axiom. -When you till the soil, you add oxygen to it. This causes a *release* of energy, which plants can catch some of, but by the end of the season the soil is "spent". This is because the tillage lowered the overall energy of the soil system.

Hope to catch you in the comments! Looks like an amazing group for a conversation.

Just watched your presentation. I liked that you're adapting methods to your local environment. It really opens the door for others to think outside the box.