Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
#1 Know your systems
Boost your farm’s productivity with Johnson-Su composting! Learn how to restore soil fertility, increase crop growth, and improve water efficiency using simple, effective compost techniques.
Interview with David Johnson, Molecular Biologist and Hui-Chun Su of JohnsonSu Composting Bioreactor
👉 SUBSCRIBE to Heart & Soil TV @HeartandSoil
Heart & Soil shares the world’s leading voices in regenerative agriculture, soil science, organic gardening, and nutrient-dense food.
If you want to grow healthier soil, healthier food, and a healthier planet — you’re in the right place.
🌍 Explore the Heart & Soil ecosystem
📖 Heart & Soil Magazine
heartandsoilmagazine.com
🌱 Growers Circle — our learning community for farmers & gardeners
heartandsoilmagazine.com/membership
🌎 The Soil Summit
thesoilsummit.com
🗝️ KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Incubate your biological inoculants.
• With the Johnson-Su compost bioreactor, you can inoculate your land at the rate of 2 lbs per acre.
Johnson-Su compost bioreactor
• 100% aerobic composting, so air infiltration rate is very important
• 70% moisture content. If any plants are growing in your compost, you have the wrong moisture content.
• Vermicomposting. Add worms after any high-heat phase.
• No-turn. Allow fungi to flourish.
• Don't let the compost freeze or dry out.
• 1 bioreactor can take in 2000 lbs of material to make 700 lbs of finished material, which can treat 350 acres.
• In any system you use, follow the instructions fully. Learn the basic principles of the system. After you’ve had success, innovate.
• Restore your soil fertility with quality compost.
• Improve the growth of crops, and increase plant-water-use efficiency, soil’s water-holding capacity, soil microbial-carbon-use efficiencies, and soil carbon storage capabilities.
• With a good system of composting, you can significantly increase farm and ranch productivity and profitability due to better plant, soil, and ecosystem health.
• Rebuilding a soil’s microbial community population, structure, diversity, and biological functionality will also provide a robust and practical mechanism to reduce atmospheric CO2 within a regenerative agricultural system.
• Observation is key to success! Ask why things happen.
ABOUT DAVID JOHNSON @davidjohnson1910
David C. Johnson PhD is a molecular biologist researching how the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, employing Biologically Enhanced Agriculture Management or BEAM “systems”, promotes development of beneficial soil microbial communities that improve farm and rangeland productivity and profitability, food security, and provide a cost-effective and common-sense path to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
Dr. Johnson receives funding support from non-profit foundations like the Globetrotter Foundation, the Thornburg Foundation, the Laird Norton Family Foundation, the MightyArrow Family Foundation, and Cruces Creatives to work with growers that wish to transition to BEAM. He also conducts research and collaborates with other researchers and stakeholders in collecting, analyzing, and compiling data in “whole system approaches” to better understand the mechanisms of how and what makes biologically-balanced living systems that continue to improve productivity and regenerate fertility.
Research Focus: David's research, in soil microbial community structure and function, has opened a window for viewing the interdependence between plants and soil microbes.
Mentioned in this Interview
Dr. Elaine Ingham. See her Soil Summit • Biodiversity, Cultivating Life conversation FIX YOUR COMPOST.
Jo Tobias. See her Soil Summit • Biodiversity, Cultivating Life conversation in RESTORING AND MAINTAINING SOIL HEALTH WITH THE POWER OF COMPOST
💚 With love, Heart & Soil
We help you farm and garden better
#heartandsoilmagazine #composting #compost #compostathome
#thrivingecosystem
#1 Know your systems
Boost your farm’s productivity with Johnson-Su composting! Learn how to restore soil fertility, increase crop growth, and improve water efficiency using simple, effective compost techniques.
Interview with David Johnson, Molecular Biologist and Hui-Chun Su of JohnsonSu Composting Bioreactor
👉 SUBSCRIBE to Heart & Soil TV @HeartandSoil
Heart & Soil shares the world’s leading voices in regenerative agriculture, soil science, organic gardening, and nutrient-dense food.
If you want to grow healthier soil, healthier food, and a healthier planet — you’re in the right place.
🌍 Explore the Heart & Soil ecosystem
📖 Heart & Soil Magazine
heartandsoilmagazine.com
🌱 Growers Circle — our learning community for farmers & gardeners
heartandsoilmagazine.com/membership
🌎 The Soil Summit
thesoilsummit.com
🗝️ KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Incubate your biological inoculants.
• With the Johnson-Su compost bioreactor, you can inoculate your land at the rate of 2 lbs per acre.
Johnson-Su compost bioreactor
• 100% aerobic composting, so air infiltration rate is very important
• 70% moisture content. If any plants are growing in your compost, you have the wrong moisture content.
• Vermicomposting. Add worms after any high-heat phase.
• No-turn. Allow fungi to flourish.
• Don't let the compost freeze or dry out.
• 1 bioreactor can take in 2000 lbs of material to make 700 lbs of finished material, which can treat 350 acres.
• In any system you use, follow the instructions fully. Learn the basic principles of the system. After you’ve had success, innovate.
• Restore your soil fertility with quality compost.
• Improve the growth of crops, and increase plant-water-use efficiency, soil’s water-holding capacity, soil microbial-carbon-use efficiencies, and soil carbon storage capabilities.
• With a good system of composting, you can significantly increase farm and ranch productivity and profitability due to better plant, soil, and ecosystem health.
• Rebuilding a soil’s microbial community population, structure, diversity, and biological functionality will also provide a robust and practical mechanism to reduce atmospheric CO2 within a regenerative agricultural system.
• Observation is key to success! Ask why things happen.
ABOUT DAVID JOHNSON @davidjohnson1910
David C. Johnson PhD is a molecular biologist researching how the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, employing Biologically Enhanced Agriculture Management or BEAM “systems”, promotes development of beneficial soil microbial communities that improve farm and rangeland productivity and profitability, food security, and provide a cost-effective and common-sense path to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
Dr. Johnson receives funding support from non-profit foundations like the Globetrotter Foundation, the Thornburg Foundation, the Laird Norton Family Foundation, the MightyArrow Family Foundation, and Cruces Creatives to work with growers that wish to transition to BEAM. He also conducts research and collaborates with other researchers and stakeholders in collecting, analyzing, and compiling data in “whole system approaches” to better understand the mechanisms of how and what makes biologically-balanced living systems that continue to improve productivity and regenerate fertility.
Research Focus: David's research, in soil microbial community structure and function, has opened a window for viewing the interdependence between plants and soil microbes.
Mentioned in this Interview
Dr. Elaine Ingham. See her Soil Summit • Biodiversity, Cultivating Life conversation FIX YOUR COMPOST.
Jo Tobias. See her Soil Summit • Biodiversity, Cultivating Life conversation in RESTORING AND MAINTAINING SOIL HEALTH WITH THE POWER OF COMPOST
💚 With love, Heart & Soil
We help you farm and garden better
#heartandsoilmagazine #composting #compost #compostathome
#thrivingecosystem
