Since 2019, Kiss the Ground has supported 30 farmers and ranchers across California and Minnesota with soil health training, soil testing, and mentorship to adapt their management decisions to produce positive ecological, financial, and social outcomes aligned with the principles of regenerative agriculture.
Through this three year program, each producer will consider their unique context in which they are farming, and the values they prioritize as part of their operation. This process will help identify and clarify the interconnectedness of a holistic food system, through the lens of the individual producer, and reveal the unique potential they can each contribute to the revolution of our agricultural system.
In partnership with SoilLife, we collect a robust set of soil health indicators: pH, soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen, structure, texture, bulk density, water infiltration, and microbial biomass and diversity (PFLA).
Our aim is to help farmers and ranchers deeply understand and incorporate the principles of healthy soils, water cycles, nutrient cycles, and community dynamics into their decision making process and deepen our collective understanding of the needs and capacities inherent to different producers, systems, crops and regions. We hope this will create more thought leadership on the front line of soil health and regenerative agriculture, leading the way towards a new future of food production.