Managing Soil Functions for Productive, Healthy Environments

Dr. Doug Collins will discuss the importance of soils and how soil organisms encourage healthy soils. He will also discuss the effects of soil amendments and other management practices on soils.

Doug Collins is an Extension Professor and Soil Scientist with WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. Doug has a Ph.D. in soil science from Washington State University and an M.S. in Plant Pathology from Montana State University. He focuses on managing and monitoring soil fertility on diverse organic vegetable farms, composting systems, and evaluating soil quality in different vegetable cropping systems, including organic reduced tillage. Doug is also interested in soil variability across landscapes and biological indicators of soil quality. He has consulted on composting, organic waste management, and soil health in the Dominican Republic and Colombia and currently serves on the Board of Washington Organics Recycling Council and the WSDA Organic Program.