Joe Smillie is the senior vice-president of Quality Assurance International, a leading organic certification agency. He is co-author of the books The Orchard Almanac and Rodale's Chemical-Free Yard & Garden, and is a founding member of the Organic Trade Association, and the International Inspectors Group. He lives in Richmond, Vermont.Grace Gershuny, in addition to her position on the staff of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program, has worked for many years as an educator, organizer, and market gardener. She is nationally known in the alternative agriculture movement, is the author of Start With the Soil, and Compost, Vermicompost and Compost Tea: Feeding the Soil on the Organic Farm as well as co-author of The Rodale Book of Composting and The Soul of Soil. She is on the faculties of the Institute for Social Ecology and Goddard College, and lives in Barnet, Vermont.

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• 1. Understanding the Soil EcosystemOrganic matter and humus Physical factors: Soil structure and tilthChemical factors: nutrient cycles and balancesbiological factors; The living soil community2. Observing and Evaluating Your SoilRecordkeeping Monitoring tilth: reading the field Looking beneath the surface Evaluating biological health: looking at life forms3. Soil Management PracticesManaging physical factors: drainage, irrigation, tillage, and cultivationOrganic matter and humus management Animal manuresCompostingGreen manures and other soil-improving cropsRotations Using off-farm nutrient sources 4. The Marketplace and Organic Certification