Garden-Fresh Bruschetta

“The soil is the ‘creative material’ of most of the basic needs of life. Creation starts with a handful of dust.” Healthy Soil = Healthy Food

~ Dr. William Albrecht, Ph.D. Soil Scientist, 1888–1974

For many years, the discussion about healthy soil and nutrient-dense foods has been limited to agronomists, nutritionists, scientists, organic farmers, foodies, and others on the fringes of mainstream agriculture. Books and articles about soil health, nutrient-dense foods, and regenerative agriculture are now the hot topics of conversation.

What does that really mean? To date, there’s no universally accepted definition of “regenerative” farming or soil health. We have talked to many experts in the field, and each has his or her own ideas about what this means. One thing the experts, social media advocates, and scientists agree on is that it is time for agriculture to move beyond “sustainable.” This practice of giving back what you take just isn’t enough. After all, a farmer’s largest asset is his ground, the soil he tills and relies on to provide a harvest.

Soil is not just “dirt.” Soil filters our drinking water, for example, and supports the plants that feed, clothe, and shelter us. “Without soil, we’d be hungry, naked, and homeless,” quips Clay Robinson, Ph.D., a New Mexico soil scientist who has taught tens of thousands of school kids about soil in the persona Dr. Dirt. We would also be “breathless,” he adds, “because it’s the plants growing in soil that produce our oxygen.”