Soil is our thing, but our commitment to the soil connects to a whole lot of big issues that matter to us, too. Here are just a few of them:
Regenerative Agriculture : Our farm choices are part of a bigger conversation among people who are seeking to improve the quality and health of the land and soil. In a culture that more frequently treats the land as a commodity to be used up and left behind, this approach to agriculture has a very different bottom line. The Rodale Institute has a great introduction to what we mean by regenerative agriculture.
Watershed Health : The quality of our soil means that it is able to better absorb and retain rainwater. This means there’s less run-off into our local watershed, and less need for irrigation. As local groundwater is increasingly contaminated with the nitrates used by conventional agriculture, the costs of the ways people farm are borne by everyone.
Climate Change : Regenerative farming practices sequester carbon in the soil and can help reverse climate change. Read more about a this research from the Rodale Institute.
Biodiversity : Most people call them weeds, but we actually like the diversity of plants that grow on our farm. And while many think of insects as pests, we are fine with their presence on our farm. We delight in the wildlife that comes to our property, from turkeys to swallows to rabbits. We are working to plant an even greater variety of trees in our shelter belts. If you come to visit the farm, you will find it teeming with life.
Community: Our very lives and our rural communities also grow out of the soil. Our methods of food production connect producers and consumers in ways that lead to healthy people and communities.
SaveSave