Joseph Amsili
Extension Associate, Soil Health Program and Graduate Student (Van Es Lab), School of Integrative Plant Science Soil and Crop Sciences Section
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Contact Information
1001 Bradfield Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
jpa28 [at] cornell.edu
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree
Cornell University
Science of Earth Systems, minor in Soil Science
2013
- Master’s Degree
The Pennsylvania State University
Soil Science, minor in Biogeochemistry
2018
- Bachelor’s Degree
Joseph in the news
News
Report
Betts Farms, owned by Bob, Dawn, and Thom Betts, has been on the forefront of vineyard middle-row soil management for the past decade, continuously improving soil health on their 185 acres of Concord vines. In contrast to standard Concord viticulture practice, where middle-row grass and weeds are burned in late spring to ensure optimum vine fertility, growers like the Betts are establishing cover crops to alleviate soil compaction, reduce erosion, build soil organic matter, and foster life in the soil. Bob Betts initially planted cover crops to correct the negative effects of soil compaction on water infiltration, root proliferation, and vine productivity, but he soon saw additional benefits in soil structure and the biological health. After 11 years experimenting on a 5-acre vineyard block, Betts saw results that convinced him to incorporate cover crops on all 185 acres.
News
To fill that research gap, a team of soil scientists in Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), conducted a state-funded project to characterize soil health across New York state agricultural lands. Published in...