In Conversation: The Earth Beneath Our Feet, Wine and Soil: The Science and Magic of Terroir

Dr. Cathy Zabinski is a plant and soil ecologist and a professor in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University. She teaches courses in restoration ecology and belowground ecology. Her research has centered on roots and soil, especially the living parts of soil. Research in her lab has addressed soil health as affected by agricultural management and invasive species, the effects of disturbance and restoration practices on soil processes, and mycorrhizal ecology. She is the author of Amber Waves: The Extraordinary Biography of Wheat from Wild Grass to World Megacrop and is working on her second book on soils and wine.
Dr. Mary Murphy is an American historian who has taught courses on the history of gender, the North American West, and the history of food at Montana State University since 1990. She served as co-director and director of the Ivan Doig Center for the Study of the Lands and Peoples of the American West.