In American farm country, a grass-roots movement is spreading, a movement to keep more roots in the soil.
Big food companies are on board, and some of them are discussing a new eco-label for food, alongside “Organic” and “Fair trade,” that would reward farmers for adopting practices the build healthy soil – what many are calling “Regenerative agriculture.”
The roots of these cover crops, decaying in undisturbed soil, enrich the soil.
That’s probably because of big change #2. Farmers are now hearing about the virtues of healthy soil from some of the biggest, most powerful names in American agriculture.
They’re all talking about healthy soil as a way the farmers can help the environment.
A coalition of food companies and environmental organizations has set up a new organization, the Soil Health Partnership, which in turn has signed up a hundred participating farmers – including Deb Gangwish, co-owner of PG Farms in Shelton, Nebraska.
Proponents of such a label say it could encourage farmers to join the movement, paying them to help the soil.
