We come from very different places — a grazing farm in northwest Missouri (Chad) and an urban farm in Trotwood, Ohio (Donee) — but we share the same conviction: You must hold a certain love for nature and the earth to want to be a farmer.
On our farms, we are focused on soil health, which ultimately leads to human health.
In Missouri, we (Chad and family) have shifted to regenerative grazing. We plant diverse native species and rotationally graze our cattle to improve the soil and its ability to hold, store and filter water. We’ve planted pollinator plots and created habitat that’s great for wildlife, the plants and our animals. It’s good for us, too. Labs have tested our grass-finished beef and shown us that when we improve soil health and the overall ecosystem, we improve the nutrient profile of our beef.
In Ohio, I (Donee) don’t just grow herbs and vegetables on a half-acre urban plot. I support other beginning, small-scale farmers who, like me, want to reconnect with the land and grow food for our communities. We use organic practices, like crop rotation and planting flowers around food crops to attract beneficial insects.
We have seen progress on the land, but we aren’t stopping at “good enough.” We believe building soil health, and farming itself, is a continual learning journey. Regardless of where we farm, we spend our days trying things, failing and trying again.
We watch YouTube videos, read about different techniques and attend soil health conferences. But there’s always that gap between learning in theory and implementing a new practice on the farm. It’s not enough to say a particular technique (like using cover crops) is good for the soil. How do we do it? How do we make it work for our farms? Especially when we’re up against reality: tight budgets, depleted soils, invasive species, volatile weather and pressure to keep our businesses afloat while doing better for the planet.
That’s why farmer-led research matters so much. We are part of From the Ground Up, a National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded project organized by researchers at Ohio State University, University of Missouri, Central State University and Lincoln University, which puts farmers at the center. We set the research agenda, worked with the science team to design the treatment protocols, and the research is taking place on our farms. We help review results and direct next steps so that we can find the answers we really need to make conservation work on our land — and pass that knowledge to other farmers.
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Being part of a farmer-driven research network means we aren’t doing this alone. We’ve created a community where we exchange knowledge, talk through experiences and sometimes just vent our frustrations.
We need this — and it benefits, you, too. When farmers are able to do well on the land, the community benefits from cleaner water, cleaner air, access to nutritious food and all the other good things that come from a healthier planet.
This Earth Day, let’s not think about the earth in abstracts. Think of the farms in your area – whether riverside pastures or neighborhood plots. Learn what it takes to grow food. Support your local farmers in building the soil, experimenting, learning and sharing.
When the public stands behind farmers and research that supports farmers, it rings the bell louder. It tells our communities, our markets and our policymakers that this work matters — that helping farmers do better for the land is one of the best ways to do better for everyone who depends on it, now and in the future.
Donee Boykin provides nutrient-rich, chemical-free produce and herbs to communities facing food insecurity through her urban farm Endigo’s Herbals & Organics in Trotwood, Ohio. She also founded Seven Seed Sowers, a nonprofit that empowers beginning and underserved farmers through land access, training and community-rooted food systems in Ohio.
Chad and Emily Fisher own and operate Wigfield Farms in north-central Missouri. They raise beef cattle on land that belonged to Emily’s family and sell grass-finished beef in their community.
Boykin and Fisher are both part of From the Ground Up.