Here we have one of the worlds most well travelled and well respected agricultural advisors ,Steve Larocque, in an African soil pit. Steve has very dark sunglasses on and has still been able to pick the distinct horizon change on the pit face behind him. He has always been a talented Canadian with eyes in the back of his head. This soil pit is near the Athi River in Kenya. The cracking clay soil type (Vertisol) is very similar to the soils on Steves own farm at Three Hills in Alberta, Canada. The pictured soil type has just grown a 4 tonne malt barley crop. The farm is just south of Nairobi at a farm called “Swara Plains” run by the energetic Australian, Stuart Barden. The soil is a high pH, calcium rich clay with high organic matter (4.1%) and a high CEC (52). Many of these soils have lateritic layers deeper in the soil profile which looks to be evident in the photo. Not sure. Will have to ask Steve the more technical soil question? (Steve has just told us that it is a layer of volcanic ash !)