I’ve recently been certified as a consultant (and lab tech) by the Soil Food Web School . One main reason I invested four years of my time studying with the school: Elaine Ingham, Ph.D.
I don’t want to “believe” science–I want to know it, which means I needed someone to show me how to understand how healthy soil functions and what happened to our food and farms–and our Earth–to make them so unhealthy. Dr. Elaine’s school does just that. Most important to me, if you visit the school’s website and scroll to the bottom of the main page, you’ll see the Publications tab. This is the science, peer-reviewed etc., behind the school’s syllabus and courses. I appreciate having these resources.
When I first heard Dr. Elaine talk about the soil food web and her research, at the Mid-Atlantic region’s regenerative agriculture conference Future Harvest 2020, I was immediately hooked into her descriptions of how soil biology and plants symbiotically live together to create health–in natural environments and also in restored agricultural environments. In some ways, the paradigm and the necessary paradigm shift in thinking about farming is simple. But simple is not a synonym for easy! It does take work–to shift your thinking, to shift your agricultural practices.
A farmer recently asked me for resources to better understand the science behind what we’ll soon be doing with experimental plots in his hay and wheat fields. Here are the resources I shared:
Short, promotional videos from the Soil Food Web school that explain basics and also case studies—go to the main website of the Soil Food Web school, then scroll all the way to the bottom and click the link for Case Studies and Media:
Soil Regen Summit 2022. Note that videos from 2021, 2022, and 2023 are available—some of the best cutting-edge science and regenerative ag thinking available. Well worth figuring out how to sign up to have access. The most amazing talk might be Rick Clark’s in 2022. See: https://www.soilregensummitcollection.com/
The Science of Returning Life to the Soil—Elaine Ingham, a youtube video of one of her talks—that goes into a lot of detail:
Another regen farmer doing really good work—Cory Miller, Grass Valley Farms:
Here’s to farming and farmers willing to take the leap!!
Living Systems Soil 