Focus on Soil Health

Apr 19

by Mary(Clair) Birkemeier Stehman

We have made it our aim to build the best, most biologically diverse, functional and resilient

soil possible in our orchard. With soil health at the center, we make all our practical on site

decisions, regarding farming practices and inputs.

Over the years, this has led to beautiful soil here at Meridian! We had the great honor of a visit

from soil scientist Dr. Shannon Cappellazzi over the summer. Dr Cappellazzi dug into several

spots in the orchard and looked at our soil; her insights were inspiring. Really healthy,

regenerative, organically farmed soil-especially where diverse cover crops are used, looks and

feels alive. It’s dark, rich, and crumbly, often described as having a “chocolate cake” texture,

thanks to high levels of organic matter and stable aggregates. When you dig into it, you’ll

notice an earthly, slightly sweet smell caused by active microbial life. The soil is threaded with

fine roots from cover crops, and you may see earthworms, fungal strands (mycelium), and

other organisms moving through it. Instead of being compacted or dusty, it holds moisture well

while still draining easily, with plenty of pore space for air and water. A living cover crop

canopy above protects the surface, reduces erosion, and continuously feeds the soil below with

root exudates, creating dynamic, resilient system where nutrients cycle naturally and the solid

structure improves year after year. This is what we are going for!

Rotating sheep through a hazelnut orchard can be an incredibly effective and elegant way to

stack functions in a regenerative system, where soil health is the focus. As they move through

in managed rotations, the sheep naturally keep grasses and understory vegetation (like

emerging suckers) in check, reducing the need for mowing while preventing overgrowth that

can compete with trees or be problematic come harvest. At the same time, they deposit

manure and urine in a dispersed, low-impact way, feeding soil microbes and accelerating

nutrient cycling. Their hooves lightly disturb the surface, helping incorporate organic matter

and improve seed-to-soil contact for cover corps without causing compaction when properly

managed. This constant pulse of grazing and rest stimulates deeper root growth in plants,

increases plant diversity, and builds soil structure and carbon overtime. The result is a more

biologically active, resilient orchard ecosystem-where trees, livestock, and soil life work

together to enhance fertility, suppress pests and create a thriving, self-reinforcing system.

We have many obstacles to overcome here at Meridian, especially regarding filbert worm

management, fungal blights and grass overgrowth. However, our soil is beautiful! The sheep

and cover crops have been a wonderful addition to our farm, and I feel strongly like we must

keep focusing on what we are FOR, or the problems will distract us from the beauty of our mess

and overshadow the bigger picture of our aim: focus on soil health.

Clover Cover