​World Soil Day is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and sustainable management of soil resources. This year's emphasis is on soil lost to erosion. Wind, storm water runoff, oxidation and erosion by other means result in annual soil losses upwards of 24 billion tons globally and 1.7 billion tons in the USA alone. The muck soils of western Palm Beach County are particularly vulnerable to oxidation and local growers have long employed tactics like flooding fields during the summer, planting windbreaks, cover cropping, and adding soil amendments as part of their Best Management Practices to help build healthy soils and deter erosion. In fact, the Everglades Agricultural Area is now home to an annual flooded rice crop of nearly 25,000 acres. You too can build healthy soil for your yards, gardens, and landscapes by composting kitchen and yard waste. You can also implement other Florida Friendly Principles like reducing storm water runoff as another way to benefit soil health by limiting erosion. Find out how to implement these and other Florida Friendly Principles here: https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/