Is Your Soil Working Against You?

The Biological Risks Gardeners Overlook

With Steve Amerige, Crop Science doctoral student

NC State University

Date:  Thursday, February 26, 2026

Time: 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Eastern via Zoom 

(Registration is required to receive the Zoom link for the live presentation.  The presentation will be recorded.)

Cost:

GAONC Members- Free 

Non-Members - $10 (non-refundable) - once the recording is ready to view, we'll send you a link that will be valid for 30 days.  OR you can join GAONC ($20 annual membership fee), attend ALL of our presentations for free, AND have access to all of the recordings in our Video Library to view on demand.

About this Presentation:

Many common gardening practices unintentionally suppress the very microbes that protect roots, unlock nutrients, and stabilize soil structure.

In this session, we will unpack the structure and function of the soil food web and examine how carbon inputs, tillage, fertilizer pulses, and pH influence microbial balance. Special attention will be given to bacterial-dominant versus fungal-dominant systems and how they align with vegetables, turf, shrubs, and trees. Attendees will also learn how to read soil test results in a way that integrates chemistry and biology, allowing them to make informed, ecosystem-based decisions

The presentation will be recorded for 

members to view later in our Video Library.

About Our Speaker: 

Steve Amerige, Crop Science doctoral student, NC State University

Steve Amerige is a Crop Science doctoral student in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University whose research centers on applying machine learning and computer vision to improve crop disease identification and diagnostic accuracy. His work integrates field data, imaging systems, and synthetic data generation to strengthen the reliability and real-world performance of agricultural AI models.

A central component of his research involves developing interactive decision-support environments using a high-fidelity gaming and simulation engine. These virtual systems allow farmers and agricultural professionals to explore disease dynamics, test management strategies, and evaluate system-level tradeoffs in a realistic, risk-free setting. The goal is to support learning, scenario analysis, and evidence-based decision-making under practical constraints.

Steve is also a regular guest lecturer at NC State University, contributing to courses and workshops focused on digital agriculture, data systems, and applied analytics. In parallel, he serves as a North Carolina Extension Master Gardener and educator, producing soil health resources, horticultural publications, and applied training programs.

His professional background includes full-stack software development and infrastructure engineering in support of open-source and nonprofit agricultural initiatives. Across his work, he emphasizes transparency, reproducibility, and practical impact in digital agriculture systems.

*Approval of this presentation for continuing education credit is at the discretion of

your program.