Question and Answer Time!

1.  What is this project’s direct connection to soil?

2.  How does soil make this project work? – be specific - show data, evidence, research.

                These first two questions are very easily linked to our project. We were digging directly into the soil to examine the soil. Soil pits are used to investigate and explore the a specific soil and help determine its characteristics. They can be used to examine root development, compaction effects, macrofauna activity and much, much more.

3.  Is there a way that soil management changes could improve this project?

                Soil management changes would not necessarily improve the project since the goal of the project is exploratory. Management changes would most certainly be able to be tracked and observed with the use of soil pits however.

4.  From this project, what did you learn about soils that you did not know before?

                Dr. Kleber showed us the old path of the Willamette river as we were driving out to the farm. It was obvious, once he showed us, where the old banks of the river had been. Mainly our time was spent reinforcing the things we were learning in class. We talked a lot about horizons, texture, good soil management, and more. We also talked about the origins of the soils in the Willamette Valley like the Missoula floods and erosion and transport of materials from both the Coast range and Cascades.

5.  What is the broader impact of the organization or project you helped with?

The Hyslop Crop Science Field Research Laboratory is home to agricultural laboratories, machinery and many acres of land which play a role in agricultural research and education for the College of Agricultural Sciences of Oregon State University. The soil pit that was dug out gives students hands on experience about soil development which plays a pivotal role in agricultural science and understanding how valuable and useful a particular soil may be, which is becoming more important as the world population grow.

6.  Soil description of the place where you worked - this must include a soils map and soil series

descriptions of important soils within the area.

                See post below.