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The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet
Thousands of years of poor farming and ranching practices - and, especially, modern industrial agriculture - have led to the loss of up to 80 percent of carbon from the world's soils. That carbon is now floating in the atmosphere, and even if we stopped using fossil fuels today, it would continue warming the planet. In The Soil Will Save Us, journalist and bestselling author Kristin Ohlson makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for "our great green hope"—a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon—and potentially reverse global warming.
As the granddaughter of farmers and the daughter of avid gardeners, Ohlson has long had an appreciation for the soil. A chance conversation with a local chef led her to the crossroads of science, farming, food, and environmentalism and the discovery of the only significant way to remove carbon dioxide from the air—an ecological approach that tends not only to plants and animals but also to the vast population of underground microorganisms that fix carbon in the soil. Ohlson introduces the visionaries—scientists, farmers, ranchers, and landscapers—who are figuring out in the lab and on the ground how to build healthy soil, which solves myriad problems: drought, erosion, air and water pollution, and food quality, as well as climate change. Her discoveries and vivid storytelling will revolutionize the way we think about our food, our landscapes, our plants, and our relationship to Earth.
As the granddaughter of farmers and the daughter of avid gardeners, Ohlson has long had an appreciation for the soil. A chance conversation with a local chef led her to the crossroads of science, farming, food, and environmentalism and the discovery of the only significant way to remove carbon dioxide from the air—an ecological approach that tends not only to plants and animals but also to the vast population of underground microorganisms that fix carbon in the soil. Ohlson introduces the visionaries—scientists, farmers, ranchers, and landscapers—who are figuring out in the lab and on the ground how to build healthy soil, which solves myriad problems: drought, erosion, air and water pollution, and food quality, as well as climate change. Her discoveries and vivid storytelling will revolutionize the way we think about our food, our landscapes, our plants, and our relationship to Earth.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2014
231 people are currently reading
4893 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
March 7, 2014
I have to give it five stars-- it's my book!
June 13, 2019
If only 11% of the world’s crop land, land that is typically not in use, improved its community of microorganisms... the amount of carbon sequestered in the soil would offset all our current emissions of carbon dioxide.
- summery from a report to NASA
You have my complete attention because that is the most hopeful sentence I have read this year.
I loved this book! It was entertaining, interesting, global, and above all excitingly hopeful.
I was amazed to find myself starting a conversation on soil at the dog park this morning! I just took in the compact stony dirt, the exposed roots, and declared, “If we don’t add three inches of top soil the trees will die. If the trees die, the park dies.”
This got everyone’s attention. The park is useless without the shade of the trees. I even suggested using the storm down trees as mulch to start that growth. They listened! Now we’re mobilizing to do something!
Published in 2014 this book interviews mavericks who have since gone on to publish their own books. I want to read them all!
Come on everyone, soil advocacy is the new green!
September 23, 2015
This book is long on promises, subtle digs, profound questions, and vague generalizations, and very short on specifics. The author seems to understand a few things about the soil, and can write, but what exactly does she know? At the end of the book we have assurances and bold declarations but not much that is concrete.
There are several red flags at the outset. There is a bibliography for each chapter, but no footnotes. There is no index. It is as if the author wants to make it as difficult as possible for people to track down any specifics. We can continue to read, hoping that perhaps it will become clear in the end, but it never does. We just have a continuing report of glittering generalities. “Weeds are what Mother Nature lays down to protect her precious skin” (p. 153). There is very little that is scientific and the author even takes digs at science, quoting a “scientist” as saying that the “farmers and ranchers are way ahead of the scientists on this stuff” (p. 153).
Speaking of contempt for science, she devotes an entire chapter, plus further references, to Allan Savory, who is famously in combat with scientists who are unable to replicate his supposedly amazing experiments with intensive grazing. A number of people have tried to replicate Savory’s methods in very objective ways, but without success, and the consensus among scientists seems to be that there’s nothing substantial here. The debate over Savory has been going on for decades and to me he seems to be just another con artist. Every time a study comes along that casts doubt on his methods, well, there’s something wrong with the study.
The author, to her credit, does mention that there are people who aren’t happy with Savory, but offers excuses as to why Savory has not yet been vindicated. Savory’s approach needs a five-year test, but the scientists only pursued it for three. “But even though the Savory approach hasn’t been proved to a skeptical scientific mainstream, many ranchers have been impressed enough by Savory’s ideas to attend his training sessions and turn their own lands over to holistic management” (p. 74). In other words, his success as a huckster outweighs the fact that his ideas haven’t been confirmed.
Here’s the clincher for me: On page 161–162, she casually drops the fact that someone has solved the problem of soil erosion. “‘Experts say it takes nature 1,000 years to make an inch of soil,’ Collins told me. ‘But Louie was building one to two inches of soil in a year and changing the soil profile at depth.’” It seems that Abe Collins is a rancher promoting grass-fed beef, and if Louie is to be trusted, he has figured out how to generate topsoil at a thousand times the natural rate of soil formation.
Really? If this claim is true, she could have written the entire book just about this claim, but she drops it right there without further elaboration. One of the key problems of the soil around the world is rampant soil erosion, which affects both industrialized and traditional countries alike. In the United States and Europe, according to David Pimentel, we are losing soil at 10–20 times the rate of natural soil formation, and it is even worse in Africa and Asia. The author shouldn’t make a statement that she has overcome the problem of soil erosion, which has eluded humans for millennia, without devoting some substantial attention to it.
At best this book is a publicity campaign for grass-fed beef, complete with the proper digs at scientists and the government, but lacking specifics. It is determined to assure people that farmers and ranchers are really wise people, despite the fact that overgrazing by livestock is historically the greatest destroyer of the land known in history. We need something better than this.
There are several red flags at the outset. There is a bibliography for each chapter, but no footnotes. There is no index. It is as if the author wants to make it as difficult as possible for people to track down any specifics. We can continue to read, hoping that perhaps it will become clear in the end, but it never does. We just have a continuing report of glittering generalities. “Weeds are what Mother Nature lays down to protect her precious skin” (p. 153). There is very little that is scientific and the author even takes digs at science, quoting a “scientist” as saying that the “farmers and ranchers are way ahead of the scientists on this stuff” (p. 153).
Speaking of contempt for science, she devotes an entire chapter, plus further references, to Allan Savory, who is famously in combat with scientists who are unable to replicate his supposedly amazing experiments with intensive grazing. A number of people have tried to replicate Savory’s methods in very objective ways, but without success, and the consensus among scientists seems to be that there’s nothing substantial here. The debate over Savory has been going on for decades and to me he seems to be just another con artist. Every time a study comes along that casts doubt on his methods, well, there’s something wrong with the study.
The author, to her credit, does mention that there are people who aren’t happy with Savory, but offers excuses as to why Savory has not yet been vindicated. Savory’s approach needs a five-year test, but the scientists only pursued it for three. “But even though the Savory approach hasn’t been proved to a skeptical scientific mainstream, many ranchers have been impressed enough by Savory’s ideas to attend his training sessions and turn their own lands over to holistic management” (p. 74). In other words, his success as a huckster outweighs the fact that his ideas haven’t been confirmed.
Here’s the clincher for me: On page 161–162, she casually drops the fact that someone has solved the problem of soil erosion. “‘Experts say it takes nature 1,000 years to make an inch of soil,’ Collins told me. ‘But Louie was building one to two inches of soil in a year and changing the soil profile at depth.’” It seems that Abe Collins is a rancher promoting grass-fed beef, and if Louie is to be trusted, he has figured out how to generate topsoil at a thousand times the natural rate of soil formation.
Really? If this claim is true, she could have written the entire book just about this claim, but she drops it right there without further elaboration. One of the key problems of the soil around the world is rampant soil erosion, which affects both industrialized and traditional countries alike. In the United States and Europe, according to David Pimentel, we are losing soil at 10–20 times the rate of natural soil formation, and it is even worse in Africa and Asia. The author shouldn’t make a statement that she has overcome the problem of soil erosion, which has eluded humans for millennia, without devoting some substantial attention to it.
At best this book is a publicity campaign for grass-fed beef, complete with the proper digs at scientists and the government, but lacking specifics. It is determined to assure people that farmers and ranchers are really wise people, despite the fact that overgrazing by livestock is historically the greatest destroyer of the land known in history. We need something better than this.
August 28, 2019
Catch-up Review 1 of 4:
I finished reading this many weeks ago, but I've been slacking on reviewing (and reading, and life) lately, so I'm not sure quite how up to my usual standards this review will be.
What's that? Yes, I DO have standards, thank you very much. (RUDE.)
ANYWAY (:P), I decided to listen to this after reading Naomi Klein's book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate and being thoroughly depressed about the state of the world (by which I mean all of the aspects of it) and also specifically the Earth and its life sustaining ability (at least in terms of, you know, the life currently relying on it), and I'm glad that I did. I learned quite a lot of stuff about improving the quality and health of the soil, and how much that benefits the entire ecosystem.
This is not a book that will entirely counter the depression and frustration and despair and desperation and anger that Naomi Klein's book roused in me, but it does help... more than a little. She shows how beneficial this kind of farming and gardening and land maintenance is, and how letting the soil exist in its natural state, with a variety of plants and bugs and fungi and worms and organisms, letting animals graze and trample the shit out of it and into it - but briefly and then move to another section, and NOT tilling and weeding and fertilizing and plowing and mono-culturing crops is SO much better for not only the crops, but the environment as a whole. Plants growing, dying, feeding the ecosystem that naturally exists if we don't come in and mess it up, actually sequesters carbon in the soil, prevents erosion, prevents blight, prevents poor drainage and worries over drought... It's so much more than I would have ever thought.
I was really happily surprised to learn how many people are already doing their land maintenance and farming this way, and how many people are interested in starting to do it after seeing the benefits and results. Not all of the people who have changed the way that they maintain their land are doing so for altruistic "Save the soil, save the inhabitability of the planet" reasons (and some don't even "believe" in climate change, as though that's a thing to "believe" in when we can see it happening around us...), but who cares? Be selfish, cut costs, save yourself time and money and labor as long as you're improving and helping at the same time.
I wish that there was more of a how-to section to this book though. Yes, I understand the premise, but Ohlson also drills into us that there's a right way and a wrong way, but doesn't specifically go into a lot of the details of what that is. Just how well the RIGHT way works.
I eventually (probably next year) want to start my own little garden plot and try my hand at growing my own veggies and such, and that would be really helpful. Welp... Youtube it is. It's how I've learned most of my most useful life skills for after the zombie apocalypse. (Like two-at-a-time knitting. NOW, when it's cold and the zombies are out, I will have TWO mittens because I won't get to the end of one and give up out of apathy at the thought of starting all over. OR... get to the end of the second and find out that somehow, I have one regular mitten and one warped hand-sock. )
Anyway. I really enjoyed this, and I highly recommend it to other people who might be interested in the nerdliest of the climate change books. Soil was never something I ever thought of, but now I can't help but notice it everywhere I go.
SIDE NOTE: I'm not joking about that last bit. Last week, my friend found a dead cat in her yard, and I helped her to give him a proper burial when nobody claimed him (pretty sure it was someone's pet, not a stray). So, as we were digging the hole for him in the woods, I couldn't help but notice how amazing the soil was - so many worms and bugs, so dark and rich and delightfully sweet smelling. It was some good, healthy soil, man. I hope that kitty rests well in it.
RIP Kitty!
I finished reading this many weeks ago, but I've been slacking on reviewing (and reading, and life) lately, so I'm not sure quite how up to my usual standards this review will be.
What's that? Yes, I DO have standards, thank you very much. (RUDE.)
ANYWAY (:P), I decided to listen to this after reading Naomi Klein's book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate and being thoroughly depressed about the state of the world (by which I mean all of the aspects of it) and also specifically the Earth and its life sustaining ability (at least in terms of, you know, the life currently relying on it), and I'm glad that I did. I learned quite a lot of stuff about improving the quality and health of the soil, and how much that benefits the entire ecosystem.
This is not a book that will entirely counter the depression and frustration and despair and desperation and anger that Naomi Klein's book roused in me, but it does help... more than a little. She shows how beneficial this kind of farming and gardening and land maintenance is, and how letting the soil exist in its natural state, with a variety of plants and bugs and fungi and worms and organisms, letting animals graze and trample the shit out of it and into it - but briefly and then move to another section, and NOT tilling and weeding and fertilizing and plowing and mono-culturing crops is SO much better for not only the crops, but the environment as a whole. Plants growing, dying, feeding the ecosystem that naturally exists if we don't come in and mess it up, actually sequesters carbon in the soil, prevents erosion, prevents blight, prevents poor drainage and worries over drought... It's so much more than I would have ever thought.
I was really happily surprised to learn how many people are already doing their land maintenance and farming this way, and how many people are interested in starting to do it after seeing the benefits and results. Not all of the people who have changed the way that they maintain their land are doing so for altruistic "Save the soil, save the inhabitability of the planet" reasons (and some don't even "believe" in climate change, as though that's a thing to "believe" in when we can see it happening around us...), but who cares? Be selfish, cut costs, save yourself time and money and labor as long as you're improving and helping at the same time.
I wish that there was more of a how-to section to this book though. Yes, I understand the premise, but Ohlson also drills into us that there's a right way and a wrong way, but doesn't specifically go into a lot of the details of what that is. Just how well the RIGHT way works.
I eventually (probably next year) want to start my own little garden plot and try my hand at growing my own veggies and such, and that would be really helpful. Welp... Youtube it is. It's how I've learned most of my most useful life skills for after the zombie apocalypse. (Like two-at-a-time knitting. NOW, when it's cold and the zombies are out, I will have TWO mittens because I won't get to the end of one and give up out of apathy at the thought of starting all over. OR... get to the end of the second and find out that somehow, I have one regular mitten and one warped hand-sock. )
Anyway. I really enjoyed this, and I highly recommend it to other people who might be interested in the nerdliest of the climate change books. Soil was never something I ever thought of, but now I can't help but notice it everywhere I go.
SIDE NOTE: I'm not joking about that last bit. Last week, my friend found a dead cat in her yard, and I helped her to give him a proper burial when nobody claimed him (pretty sure it was someone's pet, not a stray). So, as we were digging the hole for him in the woods, I couldn't help but notice how amazing the soil was - so many worms and bugs, so dark and rich and delightfully sweet smelling. It was some good, healthy soil, man. I hope that kitty rests well in it.
RIP Kitty!
May 1, 2014
The Soil Will Save Us is a very good introduction to the issues of soil carbon depletion. Being a new wannabe farmer, I have been doing my best to become educated about current issues and form my opinions about GMO crops, the local movement, "organic" farming, and now soil health. This book brings to light many issues that farmers face with crop health and how improving soil health may be the answer.
Also, Ohlson tells of many of the front runners in the polictical aspects of soil carbon and how funding to researchers could help prove that farming practices could help reverse the Greenhouse Effect in the climate.
I highlighted many names of farmers and researchers that are beginning to revolutionize the industry with soil-friendly farming that follows the pattern that nature has already provided but farmers interrupted many years.
However, the writing was a bit monotonous, not as entertaining as I would have liked for a book that markets itself as a documentary and not an educational book. I would still recommend this book to others who would like a basic understanding of environmental health issues associated with farming practices.
Also, Ohlson tells of many of the front runners in the polictical aspects of soil carbon and how funding to researchers could help prove that farming practices could help reverse the Greenhouse Effect in the climate.
I highlighted many names of farmers and researchers that are beginning to revolutionize the industry with soil-friendly farming that follows the pattern that nature has already provided but farmers interrupted many years.
However, the writing was a bit monotonous, not as entertaining as I would have liked for a book that markets itself as a documentary and not an educational book. I would still recommend this book to others who would like a basic understanding of environmental health issues associated with farming practices.
January 25, 2015
This is the second consecutive book I read about land health. The first was Courtney White's "Revolution on the Range" so I was familiar with the Quivira Coalition before picking this up. This book reinforced many of the same ideas, though this one spends time discussing continuous no-till as well. The book makes a lot of interesting points but I would have been more skeptical of it had I not read "Revolution" first, as that book gives more detailed arguments about soil health. I think the most interesting point was that restoring carbon/organic matter in the soil increases soil health, improves water-holding capacity, and removes carbon from the atmosphere. I'm not a soil scientist, but even with my limited knowledge of nitrogen-fixing and soil, the argument makes sense. I'm not sure if restoring 3% organic matter to all farmland worldwide would really remove all the post-industrial CO2 in the atmosphere but it certainly seems like we could put a pretty serious dent in the number. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the future of humanity, but definitely don't stop with this book or simply accept her conclusions.
September 7, 2014
From reading John Michael Greer, I've been sold for a while on the need for sustainable agriculture. So when I heard about this book, I was anxious to read and learn how soil science might be progressing to answer this need. Unfortunately, what I found here was a story about people working on a theory for saving the world based mostly on anecdote and faith than scientifically verifiable data. I am all for exploring the methods advocated. However, I remain very skeptical that they can make a big difference in atmospheric carbon dioxide or that they are a pathway to sustaining the current world population. Instead, I view the potential more as advanced subsistence farming. In a book, I like optimism, but I prefer a presentation that is more balanced and realistic.
June 18, 2014
I'm going to give this book five stars because it was a terrific eye opener. I am passionate about microbiology and have been particularly focused on the human microbiome. This book opened up the microscopic community of the soil and the earth and atmosphere as a whole. Content was eye-opening and a true delight. Narrative was playful, grounded, and brought me into the word of agriculture, agri-science, and agri-business, and painted a thoughtful picture of the intersections of all of these. Narrative was not perfect, but I hope all will read this and I will watch for anything else by Kristin Ohlson for sure.
January 9, 2025
Not the best read but has some interesting thoughts!
November 29, 2018
The Good:
--I always have an ongoing science/environment read, one that is light and flows like a fiction; this book worked just fine.
--Always refreshing to move beyond chemical reductionism and sterile-obsessed modernity and consider the biology/ecology of life… in this case, soil. Yes, dirt. It turns out there is a delicate ecosystem where plants sequester carbon to feed micro-organisms, which in return help plants absorb certain nutrients and flourish.
--One is reminded of the complex ecologies involving the human body, such as gut flora and the development of the immune system.
--So, the two key outcomes of better soil health:
1) Carbon sequestration: in terms of addressing climate change, simply reducing carbon emissions does not address the excess carbon already released.
2) Growing healthier plants: improved agriculture and ecological restoration (particularly against erosion).
--Unpacking agricultural practices is fascinating… For example, considering how grazing animals fit into a balanced ecosystem, and how changes in their behavior (e.g. from tightly-packed herds running from predators to sedentary farmed livestock) affect the ecosystem (yes, soil health…)
The Missing:
--As this was my “fun read”, I expected brushed-over topics. So… intriguing topics I’d like to hear more about:
1) The history and relationships of agribusiness, farmers, regulators, and environmentalists, with focus on the experience of farmers during the “get big or get out” corporate push to export for world market. Also, how farmers perceive urban-funded scientists and climate change. I’ve been eyeing these in-depth books for a while:
-The Social History of Agriculture: From the Origins to the Current Crisis
-Farming For Profit In A Hungry World: Capital And The Crisis In Agriculture
-The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of the World's Food Supply
--Big stats deserve big analysis:
2) Historical analysis of human carbon/ecological footprint… unpacking “75% of deforestation happened before 1850”, etc.
--The details are beyond me, but still curious:
3) Theory of Ice Age every 10,000 years and relations with human demographic/agricultural trends since 8,000 years ago.
--I always have an ongoing science/environment read, one that is light and flows like a fiction; this book worked just fine.
--Always refreshing to move beyond chemical reductionism and sterile-obsessed modernity and consider the biology/ecology of life… in this case, soil. Yes, dirt. It turns out there is a delicate ecosystem where plants sequester carbon to feed micro-organisms, which in return help plants absorb certain nutrients and flourish.
--One is reminded of the complex ecologies involving the human body, such as gut flora and the development of the immune system.
--So, the two key outcomes of better soil health:
1) Carbon sequestration: in terms of addressing climate change, simply reducing carbon emissions does not address the excess carbon already released.
2) Growing healthier plants: improved agriculture and ecological restoration (particularly against erosion).
--Unpacking agricultural practices is fascinating… For example, considering how grazing animals fit into a balanced ecosystem, and how changes in their behavior (e.g. from tightly-packed herds running from predators to sedentary farmed livestock) affect the ecosystem (yes, soil health…)
The Missing:
--As this was my “fun read”, I expected brushed-over topics. So… intriguing topics I’d like to hear more about:
1) The history and relationships of agribusiness, farmers, regulators, and environmentalists, with focus on the experience of farmers during the “get big or get out” corporate push to export for world market. Also, how farmers perceive urban-funded scientists and climate change. I’ve been eyeing these in-depth books for a while:
-The Social History of Agriculture: From the Origins to the Current Crisis
-Farming For Profit In A Hungry World: Capital And The Crisis In Agriculture
-The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of the World's Food Supply
--Big stats deserve big analysis:
2) Historical analysis of human carbon/ecological footprint… unpacking “75% of deforestation happened before 1850”, etc.
--The details are beyond me, but still curious:
3) Theory of Ice Age every 10,000 years and relations with human demographic/agricultural trends since 8,000 years ago.
May 25, 2014
The author presents an introductory lesson on soil health and the benefits of agriculture that employs methods to retain and restore carbon to the soil. She does this mostly through case studies of farmers pioneering these methods.
The case studies were very interesting and informative, and I can see this book being a great introduction into soil management for new farmers or gardeners. Particularly enlightening is her presentation of the unbelievable complexity of the soil ecosystem - truly we do not know even a fraction of what we do not know about, which is terrifying considering we rely on it completely to sustain us. What is clear is that our current industrial agriculture system depletes carbon from our soil (effectively 'mining' it) which is a key element in soil ecosystem, resulting in loss of biodiversity, mineral content, and eventually erosion and loss of useful farmland.
My reason for docking a star from this point is that the author pitches this book as being a model for addressing atmospheric carbon (and thus global warming) by sequestering carbon in farmland - a great win-win. Unfortunately, she never presents any data or justification of the scale that would be required to make a meaningful impact.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in methods of agriculture which do not employ destructive technologies such as herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer, and tilling. I found it to be hopeful to see so many examples of new farming techniques which restore soil viability while being economically viable, a good sign for the future.
The case studies were very interesting and informative, and I can see this book being a great introduction into soil management for new farmers or gardeners. Particularly enlightening is her presentation of the unbelievable complexity of the soil ecosystem - truly we do not know even a fraction of what we do not know about, which is terrifying considering we rely on it completely to sustain us. What is clear is that our current industrial agriculture system depletes carbon from our soil (effectively 'mining' it) which is a key element in soil ecosystem, resulting in loss of biodiversity, mineral content, and eventually erosion and loss of useful farmland.
My reason for docking a star from this point is that the author pitches this book as being a model for addressing atmospheric carbon (and thus global warming) by sequestering carbon in farmland - a great win-win. Unfortunately, she never presents any data or justification of the scale that would be required to make a meaningful impact.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in methods of agriculture which do not employ destructive technologies such as herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer, and tilling. I found it to be hopeful to see so many examples of new farming techniques which restore soil viability while being economically viable, a good sign for the future.
July 17, 2025
I've had this book for more than a few years and finally decided to tackle it. It offered a mixed reading experience for me. The first half was engaging and informative, especially in its exploration of effective farming practices. I also liked the sections that highlighted how farmers and scientists are working to understand what the soil truly needs to thrive. The focus on sustainability was a key point for me.
However, with that said, the second half of the book felt like a shift in tone and focus. Rather than continuing the exploration of practical solutions and positive changes, it veered into criticism and finger pointing. I agree that change is necessary but the tone became more accusatory and less constructive. I'm just never a fan. It felt like this book was suddenly aimed at a different audience.
Overall, I appreciated the first part. It was insightful. This book came out over 10 years ago and maybe the author and the researchers were among the first to bring attention to this back then. There has been considerable more light shed on the "business" side of agriculture in the last few years. Changes still need to be made and dialogue is necessary to get there. There is a place (and an audience) for the last half, but if it had been a lecture, I would have slipped out the back. So 4 stars for the first half, 2 for the second...and that brings me to 3.
However, with that said, the second half of the book felt like a shift in tone and focus. Rather than continuing the exploration of practical solutions and positive changes, it veered into criticism and finger pointing. I agree that change is necessary but the tone became more accusatory and less constructive. I'm just never a fan. It felt like this book was suddenly aimed at a different audience.
Overall, I appreciated the first part. It was insightful. This book came out over 10 years ago and maybe the author and the researchers were among the first to bring attention to this back then. There has been considerable more light shed on the "business" side of agriculture in the last few years. Changes still need to be made and dialogue is necessary to get there. There is a place (and an audience) for the last half, but if it had been a lecture, I would have slipped out the back. So 4 stars for the first half, 2 for the second...and that brings me to 3.
February 9, 2022
What an important book for our time. Another powerful reminder that if humans would just get out of the way and/or look past our blindsighted need for more, nature has the power to heal. Worth the read...and the reflection on what we can do personally to support farms that support real soil, and in turn, real food.
August 16, 2014
At last, a book offering a glimmer of hope to pierce the all-pervading environmental gloom!
Author Ohlson digs deep into topics like soil science, mob-herding, no-till farming and cover crop husbandry to outline how we might yet undo the damage we’ve done to our ecosystem.
Better care of the land means healthier crops and animals, fewer flash floods, greater drought resistance, fewer chemical inputs, fewer issues with run-off and – best of all – massive amounts of carbon sequestration.
Modern agriculture, she says, has led to the loss of 80 billion tons of carbon from the world’s soils and her hope is that scientists, researchers and agrarian free-thinkers, working with nature, can put it back.
Much of what’s written in the book has its roots in far earlier layers of knowledge. As Ohlson points out, Pliny the Elder knew all about composting.
Pastoralists have long practiced crop rotation, green manuring, animal grazing and companion planting and many an old-time gardener grew up with the mantra “feed the soil, not the plant”.
What’s new is our grasp of the complex microbiological activity going on beneath our feet. Full understanding remains a massive challenge, but the progress of soil science is starting to yield answers - and some spectacular results.
Examples of regenerative farming, where overworked land has been carefully managed and restored to rich earth, are as compelling as they are heartwarming.
And the people behind it - the scientists, foodies and farmers harnessing partnerships between plants and microorganisms - are the book’s heroes.
Up against them are skeptical minds and the political and financial might of Big Ag. In 2009 the sector spent $133m on lobbying, that’s almost as much as the nation’s defense contractors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
If the odds look unfavorable, then Ohlson suggests a grass roots campaign waged on the unlikely battleground of America’s lawns could be a turning point.
“What we do with our urban green matters, whether it’s in our yards or in our parks or even our highway median strips,” says Olson. And lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the country, taking up three times as much space as corn.
It’s going to take much more than that, of course, but it’s a start. And with farmers and ranchers trying to work the land in a more enlightened way, the seeds of the next agricultural revolution have been sown.
Author Ohlson digs deep into topics like soil science, mob-herding, no-till farming and cover crop husbandry to outline how we might yet undo the damage we’ve done to our ecosystem.
Better care of the land means healthier crops and animals, fewer flash floods, greater drought resistance, fewer chemical inputs, fewer issues with run-off and – best of all – massive amounts of carbon sequestration.
Modern agriculture, she says, has led to the loss of 80 billion tons of carbon from the world’s soils and her hope is that scientists, researchers and agrarian free-thinkers, working with nature, can put it back.
Much of what’s written in the book has its roots in far earlier layers of knowledge. As Ohlson points out, Pliny the Elder knew all about composting.
Pastoralists have long practiced crop rotation, green manuring, animal grazing and companion planting and many an old-time gardener grew up with the mantra “feed the soil, not the plant”.
What’s new is our grasp of the complex microbiological activity going on beneath our feet. Full understanding remains a massive challenge, but the progress of soil science is starting to yield answers - and some spectacular results.
Examples of regenerative farming, where overworked land has been carefully managed and restored to rich earth, are as compelling as they are heartwarming.
And the people behind it - the scientists, foodies and farmers harnessing partnerships between plants and microorganisms - are the book’s heroes.
Up against them are skeptical minds and the political and financial might of Big Ag. In 2009 the sector spent $133m on lobbying, that’s almost as much as the nation’s defense contractors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
If the odds look unfavorable, then Ohlson suggests a grass roots campaign waged on the unlikely battleground of America’s lawns could be a turning point.
“What we do with our urban green matters, whether it’s in our yards or in our parks or even our highway median strips,” says Olson. And lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the country, taking up three times as much space as corn.
It’s going to take much more than that, of course, but it’s a start. And with farmers and ranchers trying to work the land in a more enlightened way, the seeds of the next agricultural revolution have been sown.
May 14, 2014
This is a thoughtful exploration of recent trends in farming and ranching. Topics range from Alan Savory's mob herding to no-till farming with animals and cover crops to the benefits of outright carbon farming as a means for farmers to add income. The farmers she interviewed often ended up selling land or giving up leases, as they no longer needed as much land to support themselves once they switched to less invasive practices. The scientists she interviewed described an arc of amazement as they learned how much carbon and water were being stored in the soils that were being managed in ways that imitated nature. The conclusion that the author arrives at is that we could sequester most of our CO2 surplus in the soil while feeding the world more effectively on less land, if we would change our agricultural practices. Very interesting, and very readable.
January 2, 2024
This is a book we all need right now. A book that talks about one of the big, hard environmental issues of our times, not with doom and gloom, but with a certain amount of guarded optimism. One with an important message – we have the means at hand to not only slow, but stop, and ultimately reverse the carbon load we've been putting into the atmosphere. And it doesn't require massively expensive Rube Goldberg machines to either inject carbon deep underground or shoot it into space or whatever. The complex, self-replicating machinery that will convert atmospheric carbon dioxide to sequestered carbon already exists and will do the work for free if we just let it. And if we do a little to help it along, the improved health of Earth's soils will bring so many side benefits along the way – better flood control, better drought resistance, better pest resistance, improved agricultural yields without reliance on commercial fertilizers or pesticides.
For the agricultural community, heavy with climate change deniers, these aren't just side benefits, but are the main goal. And hypothetically, if a given farmer participates in a credit-based carbon farming program, she can collect a check for every unit of carbon she sequesters in her new, healthier soil – an incentive to anyone, believer or not. And can do it while still reaping all the benefits of a productive farm. That's the beauty of these ideas – everyone from the farmers to the environmental groups to the USDA is interested in transitioning from conventional farming right past “sustainable agriculture” to the new buzzword you'll encounter throughout this book – “regenerative agriculture.” And making the mental shift from “soil quality” to “soil health.” Who wouldn't want productive farms + healthier soils + more resilient, biodiverse farmlands + higher yields + sequestering excess carbon? (Well, there are a lot of ideologues among the farming community who will dig in their heels and ignore all the other benefits if they hear the phrase “global warming,” so maybe don't mention that part to them.) There are so many benefits that the only real losers are the big commercial sellers of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. And I can't feel sorry for them.
This was also a fun and exciting book for me personally because it took me back to the kinds of things I was interested in when I was an undergrad bio major attempting a double major in environmental science. There's of course a healthy dose of soil science, but along the way it also dabbles in the biology and biochemistry of early Earth (additional recommended reading: The Vital Question). It's all couched in the accessible language of pop science journalism, because Ohlson herself isn't a scientist – she's a journalist, the granddaughter of farmers, and the daughter of avid gardeners. So, no. To respond to some critical reviewers, it isn't a heavily footnoted scientific paper – it's an easy-to-read work of pop science journalism. I don't count that as a strike against it. Its purpose isn't to stand up to peer review in a scientific journal, but to communicate certain big ideas to the general public, and it succeeds wildly at that. And Ohlson brings a strong sense of personal narrative to the text as well – a must for engaging with the public.
The second half of the book is decidedly less fun and exciting, examining the stranglehold big agribusinesses like Monsanto, Novartis, Archer Daniels Midland, and ConAgra have on the ways and means of conventional farming, and how trying to make agriculture more sustainable, let alone regenerative, means going up against these 600-pound gorillas and their vested financial interests in the way things are currently done. They're putting shareholder profits front and center on their priority list, and putting all their weight against the door barring the way to better soil health. But it ends on an optimistic note. Not even the 600-pound gorillas can stifle the interest that's springing up and the information that's being shared in the 21st century. The farmers, particularly the ones who've been in it for generations, can see what conventional farming methods have done to their land. (Exhibit A: Mad Cowboy.) Farmers, regulators, scientists, and environmentalists are rubbing shoulders at farming conferences and realizing many of them are interested in the same things, more than they would have thought possible 20 years ago.
I see a lot of reviewers criticizing the lack of scientific verification of Allen Savory's holistic approach to land and livestock management, or the methods being applied by innovative farmers in North Dakota and western Australia. But the fact is, lots of scientists have run up against similar problems anytime they try to test ideas on a systemic basis rather than a piecemeal basis. T. Colin Campbell discussed this issue in some detail in the context of nutritional research in The China Study. The problem is, traditional scientific methods are biased against studying any complex system holistically, and are much better suited to studying individual trees, one at a time, in isolation, than to studying the whole forest. And it's ridiculously hard for anyone who says they want to study anything holistically to get funding because “that's not good science.” Especially when the powers that control research funding are beholden to the 600-pound gorillas. So you're left with a pile of anecdotal evidence, which readers will snidely disparage.
Random thought: What would no-till farming mean for women farmers in less industrialized countries, who are right now spending hours of back-breaking work tilling by hand with hoes because they don't have either the upper body strength or the hours of uninterrupted time required to drive an ox pulling a plow over their fields? I vread about this in Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - plowing equipment is designed for men and inordinately difficult for women to use both due to the differences in their hands and arms and also because of the demands of childcare - it's extremely difficult to wrangle an ox and a pack of children at the same time. Tilling by hand with a hoe is harder on your own body and takes a lot longer, but you can stop when needed to deal with children and other household tasks. In Invisible Women, the focus was on the need for more female-friendly tilling equipment and methods, but what if you could advance your farming techniques right past the tilling process entirely and free women farmers from the need to do it at all? Maybe women can and should be the leaders of this agricultural revolution.
For the agricultural community, heavy with climate change deniers, these aren't just side benefits, but are the main goal. And hypothetically, if a given farmer participates in a credit-based carbon farming program, she can collect a check for every unit of carbon she sequesters in her new, healthier soil – an incentive to anyone, believer or not. And can do it while still reaping all the benefits of a productive farm. That's the beauty of these ideas – everyone from the farmers to the environmental groups to the USDA is interested in transitioning from conventional farming right past “sustainable agriculture” to the new buzzword you'll encounter throughout this book – “regenerative agriculture.” And making the mental shift from “soil quality” to “soil health.” Who wouldn't want productive farms + healthier soils + more resilient, biodiverse farmlands + higher yields + sequestering excess carbon? (Well, there are a lot of ideologues among the farming community who will dig in their heels and ignore all the other benefits if they hear the phrase “global warming,” so maybe don't mention that part to them.) There are so many benefits that the only real losers are the big commercial sellers of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. And I can't feel sorry for them.
This was also a fun and exciting book for me personally because it took me back to the kinds of things I was interested in when I was an undergrad bio major attempting a double major in environmental science. There's of course a healthy dose of soil science, but along the way it also dabbles in the biology and biochemistry of early Earth (additional recommended reading: The Vital Question). It's all couched in the accessible language of pop science journalism, because Ohlson herself isn't a scientist – she's a journalist, the granddaughter of farmers, and the daughter of avid gardeners. So, no. To respond to some critical reviewers, it isn't a heavily footnoted scientific paper – it's an easy-to-read work of pop science journalism. I don't count that as a strike against it. Its purpose isn't to stand up to peer review in a scientific journal, but to communicate certain big ideas to the general public, and it succeeds wildly at that. And Ohlson brings a strong sense of personal narrative to the text as well – a must for engaging with the public.
The second half of the book is decidedly less fun and exciting, examining the stranglehold big agribusinesses like Monsanto, Novartis, Archer Daniels Midland, and ConAgra have on the ways and means of conventional farming, and how trying to make agriculture more sustainable, let alone regenerative, means going up against these 600-pound gorillas and their vested financial interests in the way things are currently done. They're putting shareholder profits front and center on their priority list, and putting all their weight against the door barring the way to better soil health. But it ends on an optimistic note. Not even the 600-pound gorillas can stifle the interest that's springing up and the information that's being shared in the 21st century. The farmers, particularly the ones who've been in it for generations, can see what conventional farming methods have done to their land. (Exhibit A: Mad Cowboy.) Farmers, regulators, scientists, and environmentalists are rubbing shoulders at farming conferences and realizing many of them are interested in the same things, more than they would have thought possible 20 years ago.
I see a lot of reviewers criticizing the lack of scientific verification of Allen Savory's holistic approach to land and livestock management, or the methods being applied by innovative farmers in North Dakota and western Australia. But the fact is, lots of scientists have run up against similar problems anytime they try to test ideas on a systemic basis rather than a piecemeal basis. T. Colin Campbell discussed this issue in some detail in the context of nutritional research in The China Study. The problem is, traditional scientific methods are biased against studying any complex system holistically, and are much better suited to studying individual trees, one at a time, in isolation, than to studying the whole forest. And it's ridiculously hard for anyone who says they want to study anything holistically to get funding because “that's not good science.” Especially when the powers that control research funding are beholden to the 600-pound gorillas. So you're left with a pile of anecdotal evidence, which readers will snidely disparage.
Random thought: What would no-till farming mean for women farmers in less industrialized countries, who are right now spending hours of back-breaking work tilling by hand with hoes because they don't have either the upper body strength or the hours of uninterrupted time required to drive an ox pulling a plow over their fields? I vread about this in Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - plowing equipment is designed for men and inordinately difficult for women to use both due to the differences in their hands and arms and also because of the demands of childcare - it's extremely difficult to wrangle an ox and a pack of children at the same time. Tilling by hand with a hoe is harder on your own body and takes a lot longer, but you can stop when needed to deal with children and other household tasks. In Invisible Women, the focus was on the need for more female-friendly tilling equipment and methods, but what if you could advance your farming techniques right past the tilling process entirely and free women farmers from the need to do it at all? Maybe women can and should be the leaders of this agricultural revolution.
February 3, 2024
The soil will save us and is currently saving us. This is a dense book with a lot of interesting stories about soil science from interviews with farmers, scientists, and conservationalists. You will probably not remember all the scientific details but the over arching message is resounding. The life beneath our feet is vast, incredible, and benevolent. We owe it to our future generations to take care of our soil, which takes care of our planet.
February 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this book, even though it’s largely focused on American soil (legislation, laws etc) the principles apply worldwide and there’s a feeling of hope throughout the book which I will take forward with me when nurturing the soil in my own garden.
July 19, 2021
Somewhere in primary school we learn that through the process of photosynthesis, plants use chlorophyll to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, combine it with sunlight and convert it to carbon sugars which the plants use for energy. The oxygen is released back into the atmosphere and the plant consumes some of the carbon while depositing the excess in the soil around its roots in the form of humus. The carbon molecules provide structure to the soil, creating tiny air pockets and allowing the soil to absorb rainfall. The carbon also attracts tiny organisms which create their own mini-ecosystem and confer other benefits on the plants. In fact, up to 95% of our species diversity may be found below the soil. Various bacteria and nematodes control pests and attract other beneficial organisms to the plants.
The loss of carbon from our soils dates back to the first agriculturalists who abandoned the hunter-gathered lifestyle in order to grow crops and manage livestock in a fixed location. Plowing and ripping land exposes soil carbon that in many cases has laid underneath the soil line for thousands of years to the air where the carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and ends up in the upper atmosphere. Previously livestock roamed the earth, eating grass and plants and dropping manure to fertilise the soil, never staying long in one place to avoid predators. It is estimated that the world’s soil has lost up to 80 billion tons of carbon.
There are various schemes proposed to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere to manage the impact of global warming, but photosynthesis is one the most efficient and cost effective available. Over the past few decades, farming practices aimed at improving soil quality through minimum tilling, planting of cover crops and intensive grazing in small areas have increased carbon levels in soils. Farmers who are using these regenerative agricultural practices benefit not only from the increase in yields, but the reduction in costs as less diesel, fertilizer and pesticides are required. Some farmers are also starting to benefit from carbon credit schemes.
In The Soil will Save Us, Kristin Ohlson explains the carbon cycle and interlinkage of plants, animals and soil. She travelled extensively to interview and see some of the results of regenerative agriculture and is able to convey the technical information in a very accessible manner. We visit experimental plots in Ohio, farms in Australia, Zimbabwe and North Dakota, and along the way receive an assessment of the impact of US agricultural policy on farming methods. A fascinating book about the nexus of soil, food security and global warming.
The loss of carbon from our soils dates back to the first agriculturalists who abandoned the hunter-gathered lifestyle in order to grow crops and manage livestock in a fixed location. Plowing and ripping land exposes soil carbon that in many cases has laid underneath the soil line for thousands of years to the air where the carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and ends up in the upper atmosphere. Previously livestock roamed the earth, eating grass and plants and dropping manure to fertilise the soil, never staying long in one place to avoid predators. It is estimated that the world’s soil has lost up to 80 billion tons of carbon.
There are various schemes proposed to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere to manage the impact of global warming, but photosynthesis is one the most efficient and cost effective available. Over the past few decades, farming practices aimed at improving soil quality through minimum tilling, planting of cover crops and intensive grazing in small areas have increased carbon levels in soils. Farmers who are using these regenerative agricultural practices benefit not only from the increase in yields, but the reduction in costs as less diesel, fertilizer and pesticides are required. Some farmers are also starting to benefit from carbon credit schemes.
In The Soil will Save Us, Kristin Ohlson explains the carbon cycle and interlinkage of plants, animals and soil. She travelled extensively to interview and see some of the results of regenerative agriculture and is able to convey the technical information in a very accessible manner. We visit experimental plots in Ohio, farms in Australia, Zimbabwe and North Dakota, and along the way receive an assessment of the impact of US agricultural policy on farming methods. A fascinating book about the nexus of soil, food security and global warming.
December 28, 2016
I had the expectation for this book. I thought it was going to be a science book or a book that would get into the details and teach you how to heal soil. The author writes a lot about the people she has met and gives their history, which I am not interested in. She also writes about policy, practices and the influence of institutions in the USA.
I just found there was a lot of stuff in this book that I was not interested in and not enough about how to actually improve soils health. For example, in one chapter she writes that a farmer improved his soil by planting just three cover crops. However, she never mentions what those three crops where.
I just found there was a lot of stuff in this book that I was not interested in and not enough about how to actually improve soils health. For example, in one chapter she writes that a farmer improved his soil by planting just three cover crops. However, she never mentions what those three crops where.
January 21, 2021
This book completely changed my perspective. I now love worms and have a broader understanding about soil and how important it is to sustain our planet.
November 30, 2020
Generally the Agriculture industry is seen as a source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this book we look at one of the elements of Agriculture as an opportunity for carbon capture and storage.
The title caught my attention to learn more about it, though Kristin managed to teach me a lot about the subject, I felt there was more to learn than what the book shared.
So the 3 stars are related with the expectations I had about the book not matching the inside.
However, the soil can actually help us save our Planet
The title caught my attention to learn more about it, though Kristin managed to teach me a lot about the subject, I felt there was more to learn than what the book shared.
So the 3 stars are related with the expectations I had about the book not matching the inside.
However, the soil can actually help us save our Planet
October 6, 2020
An interesting read about soil health and carbon sequestration. There were some interesting ideas presented here that I hadn't been aware of before (farming without tilling, rotating cover crops, etc), but I also don't know what to think of Ohlson's huge support of Alan Savory's practices, which have received quite a lot of criticism. Some good discussion points in here, though.
February 1, 2024
Very optimistic book about how the soil can help us fight climate change. Discusses the complex communities of microbes and fungi that support the plants living above, and making healthy soil. Modern agriculture depletes the soil of its microbiome, and stored carbon. Very informative book that will cause you to view soil completely different afterwards.
January 18, 2021
Interesting anecdotes and some science about the potential positive impact of sustainable farming and land management. If you’re reading about climate change / sustainability, definitely worth adding to your list.
April 20, 2021
This week I want to become a soil biologist.
May 31, 2023
I appreciated Ohlson’s optimistic tone on climate change and her excitement around the potential of soil to greatly impact the overall carbon-sphere. At times I felt that she maybe referenced too many agriculturists / environmentalists, although I’m sure she was just trying to provide abundant research/perspectives. But overall, I loved the concept of prioritizing healthy soil for numerous environmental and human health benefits!
“When we interact with nature mechanistically and assume we need only remove or change one cog to fix a problem, we are bound to incur unintended consequences that are often worse than the problem.”
“When we interact with nature mechanistically and assume we need only remove or change one cog to fix a problem, we are bound to incur unintended consequences that are often worse than the problem.”
July 15, 2023
I highly recommend this book. The author has a very conversational tone and while it took me a little bit to get used to, it makes the research and facts shared much more accessible. This book made me think not only about soil but also about how to work with others who have opinions that vary greatly from your own. It discusses the positive AND negative effects that we have on the natural world and how we can work together to help solve the problems we are facing.
April 22, 2025
I wanted to love this book but it just didn’t cut it. There’s some good information there, but there’s also a lot of contradictions, unclear presentation, and too much focus on just a few specific areas rather than flushing out (or providing at all) explanations. Maybe it’s just been too long since it was published and I have the disadvantage of having a degree in soil science, but when the author uses present tense “he burns all his grass” and then within the same paragraph states, “he doesn’t burn all his grass” how are we supposed to know what the actual methodologies and findings are when the tenses aren’t even correct. Vague generalizations with no clear solution when the title implies there may be some sort of solution just don’t cut it for me.
July 24, 2018
A quick look into how reclaiming our land (and getting out of the way) can help create better production of food, preserve more water, and reduce carbon emissions.
Ohlson sets out take on you a journey of discovery regarding the who is who in land management and carbon sequestration with scientists in South Africa, farmers in Australia, ranchers in the States, horticulturists in major downtown areas with high traffic, and interested parties all over. This is not an educational read/ a hard read this is the introduction to soil management, Ohlson earnestly keeps things moving by playing the everywoman character; keeping you entertained as she drives on the left and shows up late for conferences. It keeps the tone light while you are wrapping your mind around the fact that we have lost close to 50% of our carbon in the last 200 years.
But while that might make you cringe, the rest of the story is upbeat. We ARE seeing a difference. The hard fact finding, concept proving work was already completed. All we have to do is create the tipping point: pushing the government to look at carbon sequestration seriously, saying no to big agriculture lobbyists, etc.
What I loved about this is how time and time again Ohlson showed how beneficial partnerships gain advantage: be it the plants and microbes below the soil, the Ranchers and Farmers above it, or the colorful examination of the state of farming in a Big Agriculture /Big Pharma world.
Some fun thoughts:
- Of the total global deforestation that's taken place over the more, 75% occurred before 1850
- "The history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cars for it's soil." FDR - Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936. Created at the end of the Dust Bowl
- "I don't put hay out for my cattle anymore. You put a bale of hay out for a cow and you turn her into a welfare recipient. My cows work for a living" Greg Judy, mob grazer, after 5 years he was so successful that he was able to quit his non-farm job. (Also during this entire chapter the song "The Farmer and the Cowman" was running through my head)
Ohlson sets out take on you a journey of discovery regarding the who is who in land management and carbon sequestration with scientists in South Africa, farmers in Australia, ranchers in the States, horticulturists in major downtown areas with high traffic, and interested parties all over. This is not an educational read/ a hard read this is the introduction to soil management, Ohlson earnestly keeps things moving by playing the everywoman character; keeping you entertained as she drives on the left and shows up late for conferences. It keeps the tone light while you are wrapping your mind around the fact that we have lost close to 50% of our carbon in the last 200 years.
But while that might make you cringe, the rest of the story is upbeat. We ARE seeing a difference. The hard fact finding, concept proving work was already completed. All we have to do is create the tipping point: pushing the government to look at carbon sequestration seriously, saying no to big agriculture lobbyists, etc.
What I loved about this is how time and time again Ohlson showed how beneficial partnerships gain advantage: be it the plants and microbes below the soil, the Ranchers and Farmers above it, or the colorful examination of the state of farming in a Big Agriculture /Big Pharma world.
Some fun thoughts:
- Of the total global deforestation that's taken place over the more, 75% occurred before 1850
- "The history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cars for it's soil." FDR - Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936. Created at the end of the Dust Bowl
- "I don't put hay out for my cattle anymore. You put a bale of hay out for a cow and you turn her into a welfare recipient. My cows work for a living" Greg Judy, mob grazer, after 5 years he was so successful that he was able to quit his non-farm job. (Also during this entire chapter the song "The Farmer and the Cowman" was running through my head)
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