The Plan
Today, I know exactly what I’m going to do: catch up on yesterday's blog….. And research. Pascal and Stephanie are busy all day with clients so that leaves me with time to do more research on topics Pascal has suggested to me. After finishing researching Jill Clapperton up next on my list is Christine Jones. I’m assuming she is going to be of a similar mindset as the rest in the idea that the soil is living and breathing and crucial for good farming. Overall I'm excited to have a good productive day where I can learn when I want about what I want...within the scope of what Pascal has given me at least.
What I Learned
Because of the way today went I was able to research a few topics in-depth. These topics being a bit of Jill Clapperton (I was just finishing her up) as well as Christine Jones and soil humus. After briefly talking with Pascal about Jill I think I need to do more research because he said her main point is about the soil web though in the video I watched, it only briefly mentioned this idea, not talking about it for more than a minute. In my time researching, I did manage to find another video of her and her ideas though I was planning on watching it only if I had spare time. Though seeing as the first video I watched was ineffective, I plan to watch it tomorrow. Out of all the research I’ve done, her one, 30-minute video was the hardest to understand due to its complexity and how much she jumps around from subject to subject. Following my research on Jill, I read an article from Cristine Jones about liquid carbon, which is a term she coined meaning plant sugars. Her article I also found hard to follow, though I was a able to understand a lot more of her ideas more than Jill’s. I caught many of her minor points but failed to understand the overarching point of her paper; I plan to ask Pascal some questions about it tomorrow. One thing that I did find interesting in her article was how she claimed that once plants reach a Brix level over 12 (which is what Pascal said was ideal level for the apples) the plants essentially become immune to pests and diseases as they are better able to form symbiosis with microbes who provide substances needed for their protection. I’m unsure as to how this works though, and plan on asking Pascal later on. Additionally, in Christine's article, I found another topic to research: soil humus. Upon studying, I found out it most simply is the organic matter which comes from decomposing plant/animal matter. She claimed that this making of soil humus is the only way of making deep topsoil, which is, according to what I've researched, crucial to successful crops.
Reflection
Due to the absence of any plan or meeting, I felt I was able to get a lot done and catch up on needed research. I really value the current schedule we have of meeting with someone one day and researching the next because it allows me to study topics from the previous day that I did not understand, in addition, it allows me time to look over my notes and really absorb what I've learned. My hope is that one day, while I am still here in France, using on of these research days, I will be able to catch up on all the topics Pascal has given me because once that is done I will be able to maximize my potential for learning as I will have a greater knowledge and be able to ask better questions in addition to better keep up with the concepts that are explained to me. That’s the dream, now all I have to do is put it into action; easier said than done.