Oct. 1, 2015-In celebration of the International Year of Soil 2015 (IYS), the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is coordinating a series of activities throughout the year to educate the public about the importance of soil. October’s theme is “Soils and the Products We Use.” In SSSA’s October 1 Soils Matter blog post, experts explain the relationship between our food and the soil.

According to Tom Rice, SSSA’s monthly leader for October’s IYS theme, “many of us have lost this connection with our food. Food comes in boxes and shrink-wrap, and rarely as raw, natural ingredients! We may have misconceptions of how the food was grown, or what are the best products to use. Being aware of where your food comes from can lead to a greater appreciation for your food. It takes a lot of hard work to make your meal possible.”

Engaging with farmer’s at local farmer’s markets, buying local food from food co-ops, and visiting farm days are all good ways to reconnect with your food supply.

To read the entire blog post, visit http://soilsmatter.wordpress.com.

As part of their celebration of IYS, SSSA is developing a series of twelve 2-minute educational videos. October’s “Soils and the Products We Use” video can be viewed at www.soils.org/iys/monthly-videos. Educational materials can be viewed at www.soils.org/iys.

Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA has soils information on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12^th grade, www.soils4kids.org.