Category: Press Release

For Immediate Release on December 4, 2023

In celebration of World Soil Day, December 5, the Soil Health Institute (SHI) announced the release of a free phone application, Slakes, to empower and engage citizens around the world to measure aggregate stability: one of the most common indicators of soil health. Soils with greater aggregate stability are more resistant to wind and water erosion, and are linked to improved water capture, infiltration, and storage, contributing to improved water management and agricultural productivity.

“Improving soil health benefits all,” said Dr. Cristine Morgan, SHI’s Chief Scientific Officer.

“I am excited to see our team and partners make credible soil health measurement technology readily available to anyone with a smartphone.”

The Slakes app uses a smartphone camera to take a picture of three dry soil aggregates before and after exposing them to water for 10 minutes. The app then automatically calculates an aggregate stability value. Weaker aggregates will slake (or break apart) more easily, while stronger aggregates will slake less, indicating better soil aggregation and healthier soil.

“The Ida and Robert Gordon Family Foundation has been a long-time supporter of the Soil Health Institute because SHI brings us catalytic ideas that can scale,” said Roberta Gordon, President & CEO of the Ida and Robert Gordon Family Foundation. “Slakes is a great example.”

SHI envisions that this application will be used by the public, K-12, and college educators in their curricula, as well as conservation professionals, farmers, advisors, and industry/policy stakeholders who are interested in quantifying the impact of management on soil health.

“As one of the top commercial bank agricultural lenders in the U.S., Wells Fargo is a proud supporter of the Soil Health Institute and the development of Slakes,” added Robyn Luhning, Chief Sustainability Officer at Wells Fargo. “Maintaining soil health is an important part of supporting climate resiliency for our customers and communities.”

SHI recommends measuring aggregate stability using the Slakes app as part of a minimum suite of measurements to assess management induced changes in soil health. Aggregate stability index values from Slakes can be compared across management practices to measure improvements in soil health.

“Everyone should be able to analyze their soil quickly, inexpensively and accurately” added Dr. Alex McBratney from the University of Sydney in Australia.

“Which technology for doing this is more accessible and fun than a free app on your mobile phone?”

The Slakes app is available on Google Play and the App Store, and its development was made possible due to a partnership with the University of Sydney and the generous financial support from Wells Fargo Foundation and The Ida and Robert Gordon Family Foundation.

To download Slakes please visit https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/slakes/ and contact info@soilhealthinstitute.org to learn more about potential integration into your organization.

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being. Accordingly, the Institute brings together leaders in soil health science and the industry to conduct research and empower farmers and other landowners with the knowledge to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. The Institute’s scientific team holds doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, with specialties in carbon cycling, nutrient cycling, water cycling, nutrient management, soil microbiome, farmer/adviser education, ecosystem services, soil-plant relationships, on-farm economics, and others. The team follows a comprehensive strategy for advancing adoption of regenerative soil health systems, as briefly described in this 5-minute video: https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-strategy/.

Healthy soils are the foundation for restoring our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help farmers and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale. Visit www.soilhealthinstitute.org to learn more, and follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Morrisville, North Carolina – September 14, 2023

The Soil Health Institute (SHI) and Cargill are coming together to advance implementation of regenerative agriculture practices through the promotion of water stewardship within agricultural supply chains. This 3-year, $3 million partnership will equip farmers, conservation planners, and sustainability experts across North America with innovative tools to enhance drought resilience, improve soil health, and encourage sustainable water use.

“Climate change-induced extreme weather events, including drought, heavy precipitation, and elevated temperatures, have dramatically intensified operational risks for farmers and the broader food, fiber, fuel, and beverage sector,” said Wayne Honeycutt, president and CEO of SHI.

“Through this partnership, we’re expediting adoption of regenerative systems by offering stakeholders practical insights to assess improvements in water storage and availability resulting from changes in on-farm practices.”

Recent SHI research has demonstrated that increases in available water holding capacity (AWHC) associated with soil organic carbon gains from soil health practice implementation can lead to twice as much water storage in the topsoil compared to previous estimates. This important finding, currently available as a set of mathematical equations, provides a scientifically robust framework to measure the impact of soil health management on water storage. Continuing efforts supported by this partnership will make this data more accessible to farmers and sustainability experts, enabling farmers to estimate how many more inches of water their soil can capture during the growing season due to improved soil health.

Ashley McKeon, director of regenerative agriculture at Cargill, affirmed, “We strongly believe that regenerative agricultural practices can play a pivotal role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and water stress on our agricultural systems, which is why we are committed to advancing regenerative agriculture across 10 million acres of agricultural land in North America by 2030. Building on more than five years of partnering with the Soil Health Institute, we are empowering farmers and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain with the tools they need to make informed decisions that contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.”

This partnership between SHI and Cargill will enable farmers, businesses, researchers, governments, and other sustainability experts to assess their progress toward water stewardship objectives and build industry convergence around the value of soil health in enhancing drought resilience and sustainable water management. Both partners are committed to ensuring free, fair, and equitable access to project tools and resources, facilitating widespread adoption and benefits. Learn more about SHI’s research here.

The collaboration will also support Cargill’s global sustainability priorities, including the company’s goal to advance regenerative agriculture across 10 million acres of agricultural land in North America by 2030. Learn more about Cargill’s commitments here.

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being. Accordingly, the Institute brings together leaders in soil health science and the industry to conduct research and empower farmers and other landowners with the knowledge to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. The Institute’s scientific team holds doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, with specialties in carbon cycling, nutrient cycling, water cycling, nutrient management, soil microbiome, farmer/adviser education, ecosystem services, soil-plant relationships, on-farm economics, and others. The team follows a comprehensive strategy for advancing adoption of regenerative soil health systems, as briefly described in this 5-minute video.

Healthy soils are the foundation for restoring our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help farmers and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale. Visit www.soilhealthinstitute.org to learn more, and follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

About Cargill

Cargill helps the world’s food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients and families with daily essentials — from the foods they eat to the floors they walk on. Our 160,000 team members around the world innovate with purpose, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, sustainable way.

From the feed that reduces methane emissions to waste-based renewable fuels, the possibilities are boundless. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing. It’s how we’ve met the needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home for 158 years — and how we’ll do so for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

MORRISVILLE, N.C., August 9, 2023 – Today, the Soil Health Institute and National Association of Conservation Districts announced the results of a nationwide study that demonstrates how improving soil health can help farmers build resilience and improve profitability across a diversity of soil types, geographies, and cropping systems.  

“We know practices like cover crops and no-till benefit the environment by storing soil carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving water quality,” said Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, President and CEO of the Soil Health Institute. “However, investing in soil health is also a business decision. This project provides farmers with the economic information they need to feel confident when making that decision.” 

This multi-year and data-driven collaboration among the Soil Health Institute (SHI), the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assessed the economics of soil health management systems (SHMS) for a range of crops including canola, chickpea, corn, cotton, dried bean, grain sorghum, millet, pea, peanut, rye, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and wheat. Some of the operations also raised dairy cows, beef cattle, chickens, and hogs. SHI and NACD conducted extensive interviews with 30 farmers with an established history of successful implementation of a wide range of SHMS, including cover crops, no-till, reduced till, strip till, planting green, rotational grazing, livestock integration, and manure incorporation across 20 states. Interviews were designed to learn about farmers’ experiences with adopting those systems and to evaluate their economics by comparing the costs and benefits before and after practice adoption.  

“Increasing the efficiency as well as resilience of farms and farm communities has never been more important,” said Jeremy Peters, NACD Chief Executive Officer. “We recognize that farmers must weigh the costs, risks, and overall benefits when introducing new practices into their operations. This project shows that soil health management systems are both feasible and profitable. Conservation Districts can provide hands-on technical assistance to producers to design a system of practices that make sense for their land, while helping enroll producers into programs that offer financial incentives that fit their business model.” 

Key findings include: 

• Across 29 farms, SHMS increased net farm income by an average of $65/acre (1 organic farm was excluded due to high revenue from price premiums). 
• On average, when implementing SHMS, it cost producers $14/acre less to grow corn, $7/acre less to grow soybean and $16/acre less to grow all other crops. 
• Yield increases due to SHMS were reported for 42% of farms growing corn, 32% of farms growing soybean, and 35% of farms growing other crops.  
• Farmers also reported additional benefits of adopting SHMS, such as decreased erosion and soil compaction, earlier access to fields in wet years, and increased resilience to extreme weather. 

“Soil health management practices help producers increase profits, reduce costs, and limit risks while conserving our nation’s resources,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “The results experienced by these 30 diverse farmers from across the country show the financial benefits of implementing soil health management systems across many different production systems, and highlight how critical voluntary conservation programs are to the viability of U.S. agriculture.” 

Individual farmer videos, 2-page economic factsheets, and 1-page narratives have been created for each of the 30 farmers interviewed to support soil health education and outreach. Results from the wide range of farms, production systems, and geographies included in this national study indicate that many more farmers may also benefit economically from adopting SHMS, thereby expanding the associated on-farm and environmental benefits for farmers and society. 

For more information about the economic case studies, including videos, producer narratives and fact sheets, please visit: https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/economics-of-soil-health-systems-on-30-u-s-farms/ 

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission to safeguard and enhance the vitality and productivity of soil through scientific research and advancement. We bring together leaders in soil health science and industry to help farmers, ranchers, and landowners adopt soil health systems that build drought resilience, stabilize yield, and benefit their bottom line. The Institute’s team of scientists, holding doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, has developed highly effective soil health targets and standardized measurements to quantify progress at achieving regenerative and sustainable agricultural systems, and leads the cutting-edge fields of carbon sequestration and decoding the soil microbiome. Healthy soils are the foundation for rejuvenating our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help agriculture and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale.  Learn more at www.soilhealthinstitute.org. 

About the National Association of Conservation Districts

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nearly 3,000 conservation districts across the United States, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 75 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit www.nacdnet.org.  

About the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service:

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides one-on-one, personalized advice on the best solutions to meet the unique conservation and business goals of those who grow our nation’s food. NRCS helps landowners make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the health of our air, water, and soil. NRCS also generates, manages, and shares the data, research and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science. In simpler terms, NRCS’s focus is “Helping People Help the Land.” For more information, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

FOR RELEASE Thursday, May 18, 2023

MORRISVILLE, N.C., May 18, 2023/PRNewswire/ — “Living Soil” – a groundbreaking film produced by the Soil Health Institute in 2018 – has reached a milestone of over 4 million views. The documentary has been watched in over 130 countries and has won numerous awards, including “Outstanding Excellence in Direction, Editing, and Cinematography” at the Women’s International Film Festival (2021) and “Best of Show for Environmental Films” by the Docs Without Borders Film Festival (2022). It was made possible through the generous support of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

“We are thrilled that ‘Living Soil’ has been so well-received,” said Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, president and CEO of the Soil Health Institute. “We believe the documentary’s success demonstrates the growing awareness of the importance of soil health and the need for regenerative soil management.”

“Living Soil” tells the story of how enriching the soil enhances life on our planet. Directed by Chelsea Myers of Tiny Attic Productions, the film takes viewers on a journey across the United States, showcasing the collaborative work of farmers, scientists and policymakers to protect one of Earth’s most vital resources: soil. The locales featured range from the lush landscapes of Oregon, to the sunbaked fields of California and the vast green acres of the Midwest, to the waterfront farming and fishing communities in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

“Soil is a living and dynamic system that supports 95 percent of all food production. It filters our water, sequesters carbon and is the foundation for biodiversity,” Dr. Honeycutt said. “However, in the last 150 years, we’ve lost half of the organic matter that makes soil productive. The societal and environmental costs of soil loss and degradation in the United States alone are estimated to be as high as $85 billion every year.”

As we face the challenges of feeding an ever-growing population while mitigating and adapting to climate change, humanity is depending on our soils to provide as much food by 2060 as has been consumed in the past 500 years. “Living Soil” is a call to action to improve soil health, thereby improving farmer livelihoods, water quality and the environment.

The Soil Health Institute encourages everyone to watch the documentary and join the movement to safeguard the health of our soils.

Watch the film for free at https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/living-soil-documentary/ 

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to safeguard and enhance the vitality and productivity of soil through scientific research and advancement. We bring together leaders in soil health science and the industry to help farmers, ranchers and landowners adopt soil health systems that build drought resilience, stabilize yield and benefit their bottom line. The Institute’s team of scientists, holding doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, has developed highly effective soil health targets and standardized measurements to quantify progress at achieving regenerative and sustainable agricultural systems. Additionally, they lead the cutting-edge fields of carbon sequestration and decoding the soil microbiome. Healthy soils are the foundation for rejuvenating our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change and help agriculture and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale. 

Visit our website to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook. 

For media inquiries, contact Byron Rath at brath@soilhealthinstitute.org  

For Immediate Release  

September 27, 2022: The Soil Health Institute (SHI) congratulates all recently announced USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Grant recipients. As an implementing partner across five selected projects, SHI will work alongside a wide variety of organizations to assist farmers, ranchers, and landowners on their journey toward improved soil health and climate resiliency. Funding made available through this historic investment will enable SHI to advance the establishment of place-based Soil Health and Carbon Targets, provide farmers with measurable goals based on what is achievable for their soils and production systems, increase access to soil health training and availability of on-farm economic analyses, and leverage our work across projects to create communities of practice to support successful adoption of regenerative soil health systems that contribute quantifiable economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. SHI is a partner on the following projects:  

1. Farmers for Soil Health Climate-Smart Commodities Partnership. Led by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, this project will accelerate long-term cover crop adoption by creating a platform to incentivize farmers across 20 states. The platform will quantify, verify, and facilitate the sale of ecosystem benefits, creating a marketplace to generate demand for climate-smart commodities. 

2. Climate SMART (Scaling Mechanisms for Agriculture’s Regenerative Transformation). Led by Truterra, LLC, this project will catalyze a self-sustaining, market-based network to broaden farmer access, scale adoption of climate-smart practices, and sustainably produce grain and dairy commodities with verified and quantified climate benefits across 28 states.   

3. U.S. Climate-Smart Cotton Program. Led by the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, this project will build markets for climate-smart cotton and provide technical and financial assistance to over 1,000 U.S. cotton farmers, including underserved cotton producers, to advance adoption of climate-smart practices on more than 1 million acres, producing millions of bales of Climate-Smart Cotton over five years, and demonstrating major carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) reductions and millions of dollars of economic benefits to farmers. 

4. Climate-Smart Potatoes from the Pacific Northwest: Managing Soil Health for Climate-Smart Outcomes. Led by Oregon State University, this project will build climate-smart markets and advance adoption of climate-smart management systems in the Pacific Northwest states of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon where more than 62% of U.S. potatoes are grown and 15% of the domestic supply of seed potatoes are produced. 

5. Quantifying the Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Carbon Sequestration by Growing and Marketing Climate-Smart Commodities in the Southern Piedmont. Led by Rodale Institute, this project will utilize an interdisciplinary system approach including farmer adoption, understanding economic/social barriers, market/consumer buy-in, utilizing technology, and easing the burden on farmers. The results of the project will build climate-smart markets, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increase carbon sequestration, and increase farmer economic opportunities and adoption of climate-smart agriculture.  

About the Soil Health Institute  

The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being. Accordingly, the Institute brings together leaders in soil health science and the industry to conduct research and empower farmers and other landowners with the knowledge to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. The Institute’s scientific team holds doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, with specialties in carbon cycling, nutrient cycling, water cycling, nutrient management, soil microbiome, farmer/adviser education, ecosystem services, soil-plant relationships, on-farm economics, and others. The team follows a comprehensive strategy for advancing adoption of regenerative soil health systems.  

Healthy soils are the foundation for restoring our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help farmers and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale. Visit www.soilhealthinstitute.org to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.  

For Immediate Release

Morrisville, North Carolina – Aug. 18, 2022. The Walmart Foundation announced it has provided a $2,000,000, three-year grant to the Soil Health Institute’s (SHI) U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF) to scale activities of the project and expand the initiative to Alabama and South Carolina. The USRCF is a farmer-facing, science-based initiative designed to empower farmers and their advisors with the tools, resources, and networks they need to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems, with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) from the atmosphere by 2026.  

“Regenerative soil health systems can provide significant benefits for farmers, food supply chains, our climate, and nature,”

said Kathleen McLaughlin, Chief Sustainability Officer and Executive Vice President at Walmart Inc. and President of the Walmart Foundation. “However, adoption of soil health practices remains low. The USRCF’s scientific approach empowers farmers and aligns with the Foundation’s work on regenerative agriculture. We are excited to support this ambitious project to support farmers with the resources and tools they need to adopt more regenerative systems and accurately measure the outcomes of these practices for their land and livelihoods.” 

Through the USRCF, begun in 2021, SHI has initiated work in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and Mississippi, where it has established farmer-to-farmer education networks with more than 100 cotton farmers, delivered 12 education programs, sampled soils in over 200 locations to develop Soil Health and Soil Carbon Targets, interviewed farmers managing 11,000 acres to assess their economic experiences with regenerative systems, delivered initial economic results to growers managing 187,000 acres, and mentored five student interns from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to help prepare them for leadership positions in U.S. agriculture.  

“The USRCF is making good progress,” said Dr. Cristine Morgan, SHI’s Chief Scientific Officer. “The drought conditions sweeping across the cotton-belt this year only underscore the importance of soil health systems to farmers’ livelihoods because they can build drought resilience and increase profitability. We feel fortunate to have the Walmart Foundation’s support that will allow us to expand the reach and impact of the USRCF to Alabama and South Carolina.”  

The U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund was initiated in 2021 with a founding grant from the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation. The VF Foundation is a Sustaining Supporter, and Levi Strauss & Co. is a Contributing Supporter of the Fund. Participating partners currently include Cotton Incorporated, National Cotton Council, Field to Market, Arkansas Soil Health Alliance, DELTA F.A.R.M., and the University of Georgia.  

In 2021, the USRCF was selected as an Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Innovation Sprint Partner, a joint initiative by the United States and United Arab Emirates to accelerate investments in climate-smart agriculture.  

About the Soil Health Institute 

The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being. Accordingly, the Institute brings together leaders in soil health science and the industry to conduct research and empower farmers and other landowners with the knowledge to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. The Institute’s scientific team holds doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, with specialties in carbon cycling, nutrient cycling, water cycling, nutrient management, soil microbiome, farmer/adviser education, ecosystem services, soil-plant relationships, on-farm economics, and others. The team follows a comprehensive strategy for advancing adoption of regenerative soil health systems. 

Healthy soils are the foundation for restoring our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help farmers and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale. Visit www.soilhealthinstitute.org to learn more, and follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. 

About Philanthropy at Walmart  

Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. By focusing where the business has unique strengths, Walmart.org works to tackle key social and environmental issues and collaborate with others to spark long lasting systemic change. Walmart has stores in 26 countries, employs more than 2.2 million associates and does business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Walmart.org is helping people live better by supporting programs to accelerate upward job mobility for frontline workers, advance equity, address hunger, build inclusive economic opportunity for people in supply chains, protect and restore nature, reduce waste and emissions, and build strong communities where Walmart operates. To learn more, visit www.walmart.org or connect on Twitter @Walmartorg.