The Hidden Biosphere - Most of the species, and at least 1/2 of the mass of the earth's living ecosystem is microscopic, invisible to the human eye. It is now thought that there are 4000 unique species (mostly unidentified) of bacteria within a single gram of soil alone. As farmers, we participate within an immense soil - microbial system, which has been quite literally, 100's of millions of years in the making.

We know less about life in the earth under our feet than we do about the far side of the moon. Yet every plant and animal you can think of depends on this vast hidden ecosystem. Earthworms are bio-indicators of the soil's fertility. In temperate climates they are the third most important component of the soil's biomass, representing between 1-3 t/ha depending on whether they are agricultural or forest soils. Aristotle, more than 2,000 years ago, qualified the role of earthworms as "the intestines of the soil", thereby recording their vital role in soil fertility.