Regenerative Agriculture. The Top of the Soil to You

As you can tell, I love to talk about living things like forests and pastures. I find them inherently beautiful and scientifically challenging to understand.  Beauty and mystery, combined, are irresistible.

As a kid, flying was not my passion. I dreamt of farming. My mother and father grew vegetables in a small but productive garden. My brother and I were put to work with hand tools. Dad felt a shovel, hoe, and axe were the best way to strengthen a boy’s arms for a good hockey shot.

The mulch pile, I was taught, was a magical pile of leaves and kitchen waste where we created fertilizer. After turning and watering the mulch pile it became apparent there were a lot of little critters living in the pile of scraps and leaves.  Little did I know how many or how important these little creatures and their smaller brethren are. I am not embarrassed by my lack of understanding because modern soil scientists are just realizing what transpires beneath our feet.

Despite the fact civilization is completely dependent on farming we have not always been wise in our farming habits.  Many of our founding fathers were successful farmers like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. They were insatiably curious to discover processes they could employ to make the soil productive long term.

Unfortunately, farming in the US was often a process of removing the trees, working the land until it played out and then moving on and repeating this process.

In 1840 Justus von Liebig made discoveries making crop productivity skyrocket.  But, inadvertently, he also led us down a dead-end alley.  He discovered that a plant primarily needs five things, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Water (H2O) Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K).  Simultaneously, Alexander von Humboldt brought back super manure from Peru called guano which is rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. The search for more natural high potency fertilizers became big business.

Eventually, chemists discovered artificial ways to supply farmers with N,P,&K. With the discovery of artificial chemical fertilizers Big Industrial Agriculture took off. In this unnatural progression, we now apply artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides routinely.  

The rich humus soil our ancestors sought when they immigrated here has been getting thinner and thinner, deader and deader since the age of chemical farming started. Additionally, the runoff of soil and chemicals has created huge dead zones in the oceans and algae blooms in our lakes.  Sometimes drinking water has been compromised by various chemicals.

We also know that each time a farmer plows or disks his land carbon is released.  In fact, it is estimated we have released half the soil carbon sequestered over eons up into the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, we failed to study the natural systems God gave us. There is a reason these have worked through the millennia. The plants and microbes and fungi have had millions of years to create an unparalleled symbiotic relationship.  What is heartening is that mother earth heals herself, and she heals fast with a little TLC.

What we know today is that all those little critters I saw as a boy, plus the tens of thousands I did not see (scientists estimate they have identified only 1 in 10), naturally bring to the soil N,P,&K in  rich humus. Additionally, the humus holds moisture and delivers minerals to plant’s roots.

When farmers use no till planting, plant cover crops, and alternate primary planting and diversify plantings, the soil not only becomes naturally richer, it sequesters enormous amounts of carbon dioxide.

Plants sequester carbon in a team exercise with soil microorganisms. The plants produce carbon rich sugars via photosynthesis. They release the liquid sugars through their roots. The fungi, bacteria, worms, and my little critters eat this sugar, storing the carbon in the soil and creating vital nutrients for the plants.

The conventional approach to agriculture, more fertilizer, more pesticides, more herbicides, and more fungicides is being challenged.  These chemicals are expensive and take a lot of fossil fuel to apply. Farmers have always known this. Now, via agricultural science, there are natural alternatives healthier for the soil, our personal health, the health of our rivers, lakes, oceans, and our climate. Soil scientists and agro-ecologists are fine-tuning regenerative agriculture. It is not only being adopted as a healthier process but simply better business. Here is a wonderful opportunity for any young man or woman to create an exciting career putting healthier food on everyone’s table while helping save the climate.

When I was a kid, I thought I was creating mulch by lifting and turning the mulch pile. Ha, ha, silly me. All the heavy lifting, all along, was being done by God’s micro-creatures.  Is it not mysterious our heaviest lifters are our lowliest friends?

If you want to speed the transition to regenerative agriculture search out organic foods at your supermarket or Northwind Food COOP. Or, buy locally. Ask you local farmer if he or she uses regenerative agriculture practices. It is estimated, since 1940 we have lost 50% of the nutrition in our food due to BIG AG farming practices. Spending your money wisely can make you healthier and create a healthier climate.

This column relies heavily on the book, “Drawdown” and the May 2019 edition of “The Nation”.

Here is a list of people whose work you may enjoy researching:

Agro Ecologists:

  Nicole Masters, at Integrity Soils, New Zealand

  Miguel Altieri, Professor at the University of California, Berkeley

  David Johnson, New Mexico State University Soil Scientist.

  Christine Jones, University of New South Wales, Australia

   Jerry Glover, at the Land Institute in Kansas

Regenerative farmer/ranchers:

   Gabe Brown, at Brown’s Ranch Montana

   Colin Seis, at Winona Property, New South Wales, Australia

Agro-ecological Institute:

  The Rodale Institute, Kutztown, Pennsylvania

A recommended read:

    The Hidden Half of Nature by

    David R Montgomery and Anne Bikle