Q. This is a deep question, but can human hands and minds, involved in restoration of the planet and soil structure, help to heal our society? 

A. The short answer is yes, we can. The little bit longer answer is that I think we have to be very intentional about it. 

There are two schools of thought. One is that humans just need to get out of the way and let the planet heal naturally. But the other is that humans have the capacity to make very good and positive changes if they truly want to. And I believe that’s what we’re doing in regenerative agriculture.

But we have to make decisions based on the right things. It can no longer just be about maximum yield. It still has to be about profitability, because without that, we can’t survive another year to do good things. So, there has to be a balance between being profitable but also being regenerative — for our soil system, but also to our communities, to our families, to our workers. That all ties together. 

Yes, I think humans have a very large role to play in bringing the biology back. And it’s not just about dumping the right biology on from the outside; it’s more about creating the right conditions for that biology to regrow itself.

From Keith Berns’s talk at the 2023 Acres U.S.A. conference. Hear Keith speak more about this subject at this year’s Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag conference! December 1-4 in Madison, Wisconsin. conference.eco-ag.com