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In her 2013 book, Farmacology, Daphne Miller, MD makes a compelling case that gut flora is linked to soil tilth. In one chapter she describes her encounter with a rodeo ridin’ Missouri cattle rancher and his conversion from all things antithetical to tree hugging. Cody Holmes, owner of Rockin’ H Ranch picks up the story himself with:
“What’s funny is that my wife Dawnell and I have morphed into rancher, foodie, tree-hugger, worm lovers.” He goes on to describe their realization that “to be more economical, we need to be holistically minded conservationists.” According to Cody, the pivotal decision occurred because, in his words: “We used to run the cattle through the squeeze chute and use Ralgro hormone implants.” He continues. “For years we were running the cows and doing the injections of antibiotics and growth hormones, and I was keeping one out to be injection free for the kids.”
Dr. Miller’s impression was that Dawnell served as the catalyst for radical change on the farm when she and Cody decided enough was enough. Why was it okay to feed these cows to other people’s kids and not their own? They quit using soil amendments and animal feed. Cody said they also “quit injecting everything into our cattle.”
As the couple embraced the practice of holistic farming, they realized they had to redesign their entire farming system. Cody said “That way I could employ the only free labor I had at my disposal, those billions of bacteria and other microbes in the soil. My goal was to have their collective weight underground be greater than [that of] livestock above, and for them to give me healthy soil and plenty of grass to feed my animals twelve months a year.”
The experience of Dawnell and Cody is shared by many that are exercising a more comprehensive approach and an intentional consumerism as they procure the ingredients necessary to produce something of value. Those who engage in holistic farming practices know that if the cow pie, that was dropped yesterday, remains on top of the ground a week later, it is likely because the soil lacks sufficient microbial biomass to properly digest it.
If the pile of manure only disappears after being pounded by the rain, fissured by the freeze, dried by the sun, and scattered by the wind, the soil beneath it is most likely dead. Within healthy active soil is an intricate web of life. If you can count pretty high, while using a microscope, you will likely find, in just one gram of natural soil; from 100 million – 1 billion bacteria, 100 thousand – 1 million fungi, 1 thousand – 1 million algae & cyanobacteria, 1 thousand – 100 thousand protozoa , and just shy of 100 Nematodes .
These soil microorganisms are key to the decomposition of organic materials. Mineralization (the conversion of organic materials into forms the plants and other soil organisms can use), the degradation of soil pollutants, the generation of oxygen, the suppression of plant diseases by competing with or feeding on pathogens, nitrogen fixation by converting it to ammonium and making it available to plants, the transportation of soil nutrients to the plant’s root zone, and the binding of soil particles into aggregates all help with soil composition, structure, and water dynamics.
Active soils help plants extract the nutrients they need for basic function and growth. The biochemical interactions in the soil-plant system involve a form of biochemical signaling that occurs among the microorganisms and also between such microorganisms within the rhizosphere surrounding the roots of plants.
The microbial community functions are essential for soil tilth, plant growth, and our own health. The Minerals, Vitamins and Phyto-chemicals that are the MVPs, the Most Valuable Players necessary for the optimal performance of our human machinery, are each traceable to the soil.
The number and variety of biochemical compounds that are produced during the lifecycle of a typical microbe affect soil, plant and animal health. These design elements are essential components within each living cell . They include hormones, amino acids, organic acids, sugars, enzymes, and more.
The enzymes that break down organic matter, the proteins that signal changes in microbe response, the chelators that mobilize nutrients, the antibiotics that reduce competition; together with the compounds that induce plant rooting while changing physiological functions, inducing immune responses, and increasing salt tolerance each perform their functions perfectly. They form a trustworthy system unless someone or something upsets the balance.
Holistic agriculture is intelligent agriculture. Wisdom is always mindful of the situation on the ground. For growers, it is also mindful of the situation underground. Unless we want to be at war with life on earth, we should be on the lookout for ways to complement it rather than compete with it.