Thread by @CarniClemenza

10 Things You'll Learn from "Dirt to Soil" By Gabe Brown

1. WE ARE OVERFED AND UNDERNOURISHED

"And if the foods we eat are deficient in nutrients, then our bodies will end up nutrient deficient, too"

Studies have shown massive declines in the nutrients in our food 👇

- Copper down 24-75%
- Calcium down 46%
- Iron down 27-50%
- Magnesium down 10-24%
- Potassium down 16%

Potatoes have lost 50% of their copper and iron and carrots have lost 75% of their magnesium.

"Nutrient depletion has become a global crisis"

One-third to one-half of the global population is chronically deficient in essential nutrients.

Yet in the United States if you walked around you would never be able to tell.

Most Americans are chronically unhealthy, yet lacking real nourishment.

2 in 3 Americans is overweight or obese and the estimated costs of diet related illnesses is approaching $1 trillion.

This is not sustainable. We need better food.

"The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, and yet, its citizens are not healthy"

2. WHAT IS REGENERATIVE FARMING?

Regenerative farming is a low-input style of farming.

This means using no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, no-till (a tool used to prep the soil for seeds), and integrating more animals on the property.

3. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF REGENERATIVE FARMING?

This style of farming:

1) Reduces input costs
2) Produces similar or higher yields
3) Restores ecological cycles & the soil
4) Demands more work & knowledge

4. WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE?

Industrial Agriculture relies heavily on industrialized systems, meaning it demands many inputs from fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, GMO seeds, oil/gas, and costly machinery.

The industrial system is controlled by a small handful of companies that control the seeds, processing plants, and chemicals used from start to finish.

Industrial farming has led to suppliers having large amounts of control through industry concentrations 👇

- 3 companies control 75% of the agrochemical industry
- 3 companies supply 90% of the breeding chickens, turkeys, and pigs
- 4 firms control 50-75% of all animal slaughterhouses
- 5 companies control over 50% of farm machinery market

5. HOW DO YOU RESTORE ECOSYSTEMS ON A FARM?

Restoring ecosystems on a farm demands a higher level of care from farmers.

It means farmers must observe the land and pay attention to the life it creates as opposed to falling reliant on chemicals and quick fixes.

Holistic Land Management and Rotational Grazing Programs introduce biodiversity onto the land in a very intentional way.

These systems allow farmers to raise animals on their land inline with how nature intended.

The animals cycle more nutrients through the soil in less time.

6. CAN YOU GROW WITHOUT SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER?

One of the best parts of the book is listening to Gabe's shift in perspective.

He went from thinking he needed Industrial Agriculture to realizing he could profit, with fewer costly inputs, and promote richer ecosystems.

He says, "Our yields today are 20% higher than the average in the county"

He doesn't have the highest yields, but he is one of the most profitable farms in his area. He attributes this to not having to rely on all of the inputs that come with industrial farming.

7. HOW IMPORTANT IS SOIL HEALTH?

"95% of life on land resides in the soil"

The key to soil health is the microbes in the soil - the microscopic organisms that live in the soil and decompose organic matter.

The pity is when industrial farms use fertilizers they effectively damage the microbial system.

Healthy soil is important for many reasons. It defends against erosion, retains more water, and sequesters carbon from the atmosphere.

It also promote bidiversity on the land.

8. WHAT ROLE DOES CARBON PLAY?

Carbon is taken out of the atmosphere by plants and utilized in the production of energy for plants.

The plants then grow and push liquid carbon into the soil which then feeds those ever-important microbes.

Microbial activity then drives a whole host of positive events for soil health: more organic mass aggregation, higher water-holding capacity, aeration, and nutrient cycling.

9. WHAT HAS MONOCULTURE DONE TO BIODIVERSITY?

Monoculture has crushed biodiversity in agriculture. Fifteen crops now supply 90% of the plant-based foods we find today.

"We lost over 90% of our vegetable seed varieties during the 20th century"

We went from:

- 550 cabbage varieties to 28
- 288 beet varieties to 17
- 150 cauliflower varieties to 9

We have lost over 96% of our corn varieties due to GMOs.

This massive drop-off in biodiversity has led to less nutrient cycling and subsequently a higher utilization of synthetic fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals that damage soil biodiversity at the microbial level.

Monoculture is a slippery slope.

10. WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENTS ROLE IN AGRICULTURE?

Federal crop insurance was issued in 1938 to minimize risk in the farming industry.

It has since incentivized the growth of horribly unhealthy crops for people and the planet.

" I contend that 95% of planting decisions farmers make today are based on how much money they can guarantee themselves by insuring through crop insurance programs"

These poorly aligned incentives affect the entire chain of the industry and support unsustainable behavior.

ARE YOU CURIOUS ABOUT LEARNING MORE ABOUT REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE?

Check out The Meat Mafia Newsletter for much more information and links to more great material:
the-meat-mafia.ghost.io

Also check out our podcast with @JasonWrich - a Regenerative Cattle Rancher - at the link below:

anchor.fm/meatmafia/epis…

@JasonWrich If you found this thread useful please LIKE and RT the first tweet in the thread.

Also FOLLOW @CarniClemenza and @MrSollozzo for more information on a holistic approach to health!