Why You Should Care About Dirt
How often does dirt cross your mind? Not nearly enough, I’d imagine. If anything, our soil is at best an afterthought, even when we interact with it regularly. When we grew much – or even some – of our own food, the connection between the ground and the dinner plate was strong. We knew where it came from. By comparison (and without any judgment), when dinner is handed to us via a drive-thru window, what, where, or how it was grown, raised, or fed isn’t what we’re thinking. We’re buying convenience – at least temporarily. Ultimately, we know the soil is what produces the fruits and vegetables we enjoy, and that it’s responsible for growing the grass and grains animals feed on, but we’re still disconnected from the dirt. Maybe soil needs better PR or an expensive ad campaign – something to give dirt the credit it deserves. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can to amplify the role healthy soil plays in our food and, conversely, how we suffer when our dirt isn’t taken proper care of. If you haven’t cared enough about dirt today, allow me to tell you why you should.
When it comes to the food we eat, the things that matter most – from what each plant yields to the nutrition it packs – depend heavily on the dirt it’s grown in. What is true in other areas of life is mirrored in our relationship with food: what’s happening below the surface is extremely significant even if it isn’t obvious at the moment. But this much we know: the quality of our air and water, and the health of our animals and plants, are all contingent on the condition of our soil. This fact was better understood when we were actively involved in our food system. Many of our parents or grandparents knew this. They enjoyed the wealth of benefits that came with it too. Hypertension, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes – the things many doctors refer to as “lifestyle diseases” – weren’t a part of the medical landscape at the same rates they are today. Certainly, a lot of that had to with what they ate and how it was grown.
So what’s changed? Quite a few things.
Erosion – the product of heavy winds and rain as well as unsustainable land management practices – reduces the fertility of the dirt, making it harder to grow anything, much less support healthy crops. Currently, our planet is experiencing soil erosion faster than new soil is being formed. We should be very concerned about this.
Compaction – the increased densification of the ground – is caused in large part by heavy machinery. Compaction displaces air in the soil and leads to oxygen and water deficiency. While compacting may be important for the purposes of construction or building, it makes for degraded soil poorly performing fields.
Contamination – the effect of agricultural chemicals and improper waste disposal – has had one of the most devastating effects on our soil and left much of the ground stripped bare of its nutrients. While many farmers were sold on the weed-killing wonders of products like Round-Up, few if any were adequately informed of its destructive side-effects – for the dirt or themselves.
It’s all a little overwhelming and it may seem like the bad news is outweighing the good. That may be true in the world of industrial agriculture, where factory farming continues to rely on means and methods of production that harm the planet, animals, and humankind in varying degrees. But thankfully that isn’t the only way food is being grown or raised – not around the world and not in Texas.
We’re seeing a return to our roots – literally and figuratively – in farmers of all ages and backgrounds. There’s an admission that newer doesn’t necessarily mean better and that the future may very well be found in the past. Regenerative Agriculture, a process that enhances the natural functions of soil through conservative tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, and composting, is gaining momentum around the state (I’ll include links below). As the success of a regenerative approach spreads, more farmers are making the switch.
At Texas Real Food, these are the people we trust to reconnect us to a better way of eating and living. Why? Because they’ve reconnected themselves to the soil. They’re grounded and we need more of that. These farmers, ranchers, and the food entrepreneurs that support them, have given us an option – a way to choose better health and less disease for ourselves and our families. The answer is right there in the dirt, where it’s always been, just waiting for us to remember we should care about it in the first place.
For further reading, see what some West Texas farmers are doing with Regenerative Agriculture, and follow the work of Parker Creek Ranch here. Mandy and Travis Krause are doing incredible things with a regenerative approach outside of San Antonio. You can also learn about the work of Farmer’s Footprint and the help they’re bringing to farmers ready to make the change.
