By Pat Stinson
From testing and amending the soil with compost on a small-scale farm to planting a multi-crop grazing pasture, regenerative agriculture practices have the power to help change our climate, restore soil health and reduce farmers’ financial burdens. That’s the message of the award-winning documentary film “Kiss the Ground” showing at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, at Mason County District Library, 217 E. Ludington Avenue in Ludington. Admission to the film is free and is sponsored locally by Citizen’s Climate Lobby-Climate Education.
“Kiss the Ground reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies,” reads a statement on the movie’s promotional website, kissthegroundmovie.com.
Regenerative farming methods keep carbon in the soil (“sequester” it) instead of releasing it into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, according to scientists interviewed in the film.
Actor and climate activist Woody Harrelson narrates, adding to the documentary’s message in a “lighthearted” and “informative” way.
Following the film, three area panelists will summarize ways in which their efforts to protect natural areas are related to reducing the effects of climate change.
Koffi Kpachavi, executive director of the Grand Traverse Conservation District, will share information about its Great Lakes Incubator Farm program that gives hands-on experience to young adults interested in becoming farmers. Chris Gentry, executive director of the Cadillac Area Land Conservancy, will talk about efforts to protect area forests, open spaces, lakes and rivers. Dr. Jeremy Geist, manager of Great Lakes Stream Restoration for Trout Unlimited, will discuss TU’s work monitoring the temperature of local streams and its restoration projects.
“A lot of Trout Unlimited’s work in the region aims to improve climate resiliency for our watersheds,” Geist said. “This comes in the form of restoration efforts such as road/stream culvert replacements, dam removals, riparian forest restoration, etc. Increasingly, climate change is inducing stress upon our stream and forest ecosystems. Regenerative agriculture parallels our efforts in that it is a solution for sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in agricultural settings. Rather than work against nature, regenerative agriculture adopts natural ecological process to give long-term benefits to the land, watershed, agricultural community and everyone downstream.”
Efforts are underway in Michigan to help farmers initiate regenerative agriculture practices.
Michigan State University’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture has been helping farmers “make decisions that will benefit their operations and lead to continued success” for more than 10 years. A statement on its website sums up the goal of the center: “Studies show that future climate and weather variability will challenge the resilience of today’s agriculture. Widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture across Michigan’s 10 million acres of farm land will help mitigate these mounting challenges.”
In Manistee County, Bear Lake small farmers Zac and Nicole Mezeske, of Z&N Farm, are committed to natural and organic farming practices on what was once Zac’s grandfather’s farm, a former cherry orchard.
“At Z&N Farm the health of our soil is paramount,” Nicole said. “The nutrients and minerals in the soil are what feeds our vegetables and ultimately feeds us. We have our soil tested every year and add to our soil every season with specially tailored organic amendments and organic composts. This adds to the nutrient density of our produce–when conventional crops are grown with synthetic fertilizers (salt derived) we are missing out on key nutrient content while also damaging the soil in the process (leading to dependence on synthetic fertilizers).”
The 87-minute film was released in 2020 on Netflix and has been variously described by critics as “hopeful,” “innovative” and “compelling.”
Pat Stinson is a co-editor of Freshwater Reporter.
Read more about “Kiss the Ground” HERE.
