A Celebration of Community, Flavor, and Sustainability

Soil to Plate at Odd Fellow Hall

At Soil Regen, we believe that food is more than just sustenance; it's a bridge that connects us to each other and to the land. Every meal tells a story of tradition, culture, and the environment from which it comes. 🌾 This philosophy is at the heart of our upcoming Soil to Plate event, where we invite you to explore the profound connection between the food on your plate and the soil that sustains it.

On November 6, 2024, we’re gathering at Odd Fellow Hall in Wichita, KS, for an evening that showcases the best of local and regenerative farming. This event features a four-course meal crafted by talented chefs Julian Lars Langston and Gerard Rodriguez, who have masterfully paired each dish with locally sourced, regeneratively grown ingredients. Central to this evening is special guest Gail Fuller from Fuller Farms, a pioneer in regenerative agriculture and a provider of the exceptional beef that will highlight the menu.

Why Farm-to-Table Matters in Regenerative Systems

Farm-to-table dining isn’t just a trendy catchphrase—it’s an essential part of a sustainable and regenerative future. In a regenerative system, the relationship between the farmer, the land, and the community is strengthened through mindful stewardship and responsible practices. By prioritizing local, sustainably grown food, we support farmers like Gail Fuller, who use innovative approaches to nurture the soil, improve biodiversity, and create resilience against environmental stressors.

Gail’s journey is a testament to how regenerative agriculture can transform a conventional farm into an ecosystem teeming with life. His farm, Circle 7 by Fuller Farms, emphasizes soil health through no-till farming, diverse crop rotations, and cover cropping. By integrating livestock such as cattle, sheep, and poultry, he enhances nutrient cycling and soil structure—practices that have significantly increased the farm’s organic matter and reduced its carbon footprint.

The Deeper Connection

When we share a meal, we share a piece of our heritage and open doors to understanding and empathy. Moreover, food connects us to the land. The ingredients we use are gifts from nature, cultivated by farmers who work tirelessly to bring them to our tables. By appreciating where our food comes from, we develop a deeper respect for the earth and the people who nurture it. 🌱👩‍🌾

Farm-to-table dining plays a critical role in this cycle by encouraging consumers to become more aware of their food choices. When people experience meals that are thoughtfully prepared from local, regeneratively sourced ingredients, it sparks conversations about sustainability, health, and the interconnectedness of our ecosystems.

Join Us in Honoring the Land

Soil to Plate is more than a dinner—it’s a movement that celebrates the bonds we create through food and honors the land that sustains us. By attending, you’ll not only enjoy a unique culinary experience but also hear from Gail Fuller himself as he shares stories and insights about regenerative practices and their impact on farming and community building.

Join us in celebrating this powerful connection between the soil and our plates. Come ready to be inspired, enlightened, and well-fed. Let’s deepen our collective respect for the earth, champion the hard work of farmers, and savor the flavors that only regenerative farming can provide. 🌿✨

Register today at https://www.agsoilregen.com/event-info/soil-to-plate-exclusive-dinner-event

Celebrating the Soil Health Revolutionaries on National Ag Day

Today is National Ag Day, a time to recognize the hard work of farmers, ranchers, and everyone involved in providing food, fiber and renewable resources for the world. At Soil Regen, we want to dedicate this year's National Ag Day to the pioneering agricultural producers who are thinking outside the box and leading a revolution in soil health and regenerative practices.

The old conventional model of industrial agriculture has been highly productive, but often at the cost of soil degradation, erosion, and long-term resilience. We've learned that simply taking from the soil without giving back is unsustainable. Fortunately, many innovative producers are changing the narrative.

These soil health trailblazers are diversifying their operations with practices like cover crops, no-till/reduced tillage, adaptive multi-paddock grazing, integrated crop-livestock systems, and incorporating perennial crops and prairie strips. Rather than viewing soil merely as an inert growing medium, they understand that soil is a living ecosystem—the foundation for thriving farm ecosystems and human communities.

By focusing on building soil health and biological resilience, these regenerative producers are restoring dynamic nutrient cycles, improving water infiltration and moisture retention, increasing biodiversity above and below ground, drawing down atmospheric carbon, and so much more. The benefits are multi-faceted and highly impactful, from the farm scale to the global scale.

Transitioning to these new holistic, systems-based approaches takes courage, wisdom, and long-term vision. It means challenging longstanding assumptions and confronting obstacles and risks in the short-term. But these pioneers clearly see the warning signs of sticking with the increasingly brittle and high-input status quo.

So to all of the soil health trailblazers out there—we celebrate you on this National Ag Day. Your entrepreneurial spirit, open-mindedness, willingness to experiment, and grit in the face of adversity are truly inspiring. You represent the future of productive, profitable, and ecologically regenerative agriculture. Every bite and fiber we consume owes a debt of gratitude to your hard work in restoring soil health.

From all of us at Soil Regen and on behalf of soil microbes and earthworms everywhere: Thank you for your vision and leadership. We're proud to support you as you quite literally blaze new ground in regenerative agriculture. Here's to building a future where prosperous farms, vibrant soils, and thriving communities become one and the same.

Illinois Dust Storm

We are so upset by the tragic loss of life caused by the Illinois dust storm this week. Do we believe this is the fault of the farmers in the area? NO. However, as a community we need to help educate producers on regenerative practices and the benefits of soil health. This community includes agronomists, land-grant universities, NRCS, scientists, extension, and most importantly, farmer to farmer education. As David Brandt, Ohio No-Till Farmer, stated, "We need to work together to make sure this tragedy never happens again." Our prayers go to the families of those involved in this horrific incident.

Winds at the time were gusting between 35mph and 45mph, the National Weather Service said.

“It’s very flat, very few trees,” meteorologist Chuck Schaffer said. “It’s been very dry across this area really for the last three weeks. The farmers are out there tilling their fields and planting. The top layer of soil is quite loose.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/01/illinois-dust-storm-crashes

The benefits of regenerative agriculture are many, including reducing wind and water erosion. Our topsoil is a precious resource and we must protect it.