Grow Success by Thinking About Soil in a New Way

As the agricultural sector responds to the dual pressures of climate change and global food security, soil health is taking center stage for regenerative farming. Healthy soils sustain plant growth, sequester carbon, and enhance biodiversity, while reducing input dependency, making soil innovation a critical lever in reshaping the future of agriculture.

As growers work to preserve their soil, the key is not to throw more products, even if they are biologicals, into the microbiome. Instead, growers need to analyze soil stressors and abate them.

“The problem of poor biology, nutrient cycling, and disease, are all symptoms of a larger multifaceted problem where numerous management factors are at play and often compound each other,” says Lance Gunderson, PhD, President and Co-founder of Regen Ag Lab.

Gunderson says it takes a combination of products and management changes to see the greatest benefit and long-term success. This means a mindset shift that demands innovative thinking about agricultural practices. When growers stack annual tillage with high fertility rates, fallow periods between crops, multiple herbicide and fungicide passes, narrow or non-existent crop rotations, and removal of most of the carbon inputs back into the soil, they create a sick system that relies on inputs and technologies.

Gunderson cautions that adopting biological inputs without broader systemic changes risks replicating the same dependency model established by conventional agriculture — one that keeps producers reliant on external products.

The importance of a holistic approach to soil health, where biological inputs are part of a broader system of regenerative practices as well as a grower’s mindset shift, will keep farmland fertile.

“As an industry, we’ve been trained to look for one innovation that solves everything,” adds Andrew Duff, North America General Manager at Groundwork BioAg. “The fact is there is no single silver bullet. However, today’s biological innovations are delivering novel solutions that offer multiple benefits for both plants and the soil.”

For more on how to rethink your strategies for healthy soils, click here to continue reading the full article as part of our special report on Soil Health.

In addition, check out the previous reports in Meister’s Global Insight Series covering a range of topics from Irrigation Innovations to Agricultural Technology.