Soil as a living system

To Dr. Berg, soil isn’t just dirt. It’s a living ecosystem made up of minerals, microbes, gases, water, and insects—all working together to nourish the plants we eat.

On the farm, natural predator-prey dynamics are used to maintain this balance. Beneficial insects like springtails help control pests and fungi, reducing the need for harmful pesticides and herbicides. After each harvest, composted organic matter from plants and livestock is added back to the soil, completing the nutrient cycle and regenerating fertility.

Microorganisms

Microorganisms play a key role in decomposition (the break down of organic matter) and the cycling of nutrients and water to our plants and crops. Decaying organic matter provides microorganisms with energy for their growth and supplies carbon for the formation of new cells. As microorganisms help break down organic matter, they release essential nutrients and carbon dioxide into the soil, fix nitrogen and help transform nutrients into mineral forms that plants can use through a process called mineralization. In addition, as these microorganisms move through the soil, they aerate it, helping to improve soil drainage and soil structure.

Insects

The soil developed on Dr. Berg’s farm maintains an ecologically balanced environment with predator-prey dynamics using tiny insects, such as springtails, to control harmful fungi and pests. This is an essential part of keeping the farm free of harmful pesticides and herbicides. After harvest, the soil is regenerated with organic matter from the compost of livestock and plant residues to restore the nutrient cycle.

Pesticides & Herbicides

Heavy treatment of soil with pesticides and herbicides can cause populations of beneficial soil microorganisms to decline. For example, plants depend on a variety of soil microorganisms to transform atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates, which plants can use. Common landscape herbicides disrupt this process: triclopyr inhibits soil bacteria that transform ammonia into nitrite; glyphosate reduces the growth and activity of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil and 2,4-D reduces nitrogen fixation by the bacteria that live on the roots of bean plants, reduces the growth and activity of nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae, and inhibits the transformation of ammonia into nitrates by soil bacteria. Mycorrhizal fungi grow with the roots of many plants and aid in nutrient uptake. These fungi can also be damaged by herbicides in the soil.