The one.two.five Benefit Corporation is hosting a field day that will begin with a 90-minute field tour with Cory Stratton, the main farmer and co-owner of Truest Farms, a 21-acre regenerative farm established three years ago, focusing on poultry, hogs, and lambs. Then, everyone will meet for a 90-minute field tour with Tonni & Graham Oberly, co-owners of Oaks & Sprouts farm. The Oberly’s grow a variety of vegetables and have a small livestock operation that includes pigs, a cow, goats, and livestock guardian dogs. The Oberly’s practice minimal tillage, use reusable landscape fabric, and rotate livestock to improve soil health.

The cost of registration is $35/person. Lunch is provided. Ridesharing/carpooling is recommended. Please see the registration form for scholarship and cost-reduced registration options.

Kick off the new Ohio Soil Health Week with a soil-focused Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) farm tour! Martin Hollow Heritage Farm is a unique collaboration between landowner Carolyn Moore and farmer Danny Losekamp who raises cattle on the land, with support from longtime beef grazier Jim Linne. Walk through the pastures and identify the various species of grasses and legumes, take Brix readings, dig up some soil for a water infiltration demonstration, and talk about how USDA conservation programs helped fund the grazing infrastructure.

This Environmental Professionals Network (EPN)Program brings together myriad soil science and health professionals and experts to celebrate the first annual Ohio Soil Health Week. The event includes a morning breakfast with planned talks from soil health researchers, farm managers from across Ohio, and representatives from OEFFA. Mainly, the speakers will present on the theme of soil health in diverse landscapes in Ohio, including on production agriculture fields, gardens, livestock grazing paddocks, prairies and grasslands, and lawns and landscaped areas.

All participants, regardless of in-person or virtual attendance, must register online. The cost of attendance for non-students is $25, $5 for students, and free for all virtual livestream participants. The price of in-person registration includes a coffee bar and a breakfast buffet.

Participants are invited to visit a maize experiment at Waterman Farm in Columbus, Ohio (adjacent to OSU) where different maize varieties were grown during the summer of 2024 that fix nitrogen (N) from the air, promoted by beneficial bacteria in aerial roots with mucilage, offsetting the need for mineral N fertilization. The Maize plots in this experiment are a great example that Improved, Heirloom and Mexican Landrace Maize can be grown in Ohio with little nitrogen input, providing researchers and farmers a reliable solution to decrease over-reliance on fertilizers and reduce environmental hazards on soil.

Visitors should park at the blue “Event Parking” lot. See map here.

Danielle “Dani” Kusner teaches about the soil and human microbiomes at Deep Soil LLC, empowering farmers and consumers to make choices that heal the soil and their bodies. She is a Certified Crop Advisor and expanded her expertise into human health as a Certified Terrain Advocate through The Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health. Dani earned a degree in Sustainability Studies from The University of Dayton in 2008 and since then, has been on a journey of transforming soils and food production through people's connection with Mother Earth. 

Explore USDA conservation programs and the ways they can benefit farmers and support healthy soils. Join the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) Policy Program and CalCAN in a discussion about NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Learn about the historic funding in the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as how the programs work, their impact, and how farmers and farm advocates can influence their implementation to improve them over time. If you have used one of these programs, or are thinking about it, please join the conversation!

Join Licking County Soil & Water Conservation District for bacon, eggs, and soil health! Attendees will receive a free breakfast while learning how to use Web Soil Survey to create a personalized soil map. The hosts will share information about cover crops, soil health, and drought assistance programs, and attendees will have the opportunity to take their own soil test. The meeting will provide fertilizer re-certification credit.

Let's celebrate Ohio Soil Health Week with a special focus on the Miami Valley. Local organizations such as The Foodbank, Inc., The Ohio State University Extension Montgomery County Office, Central State University Extension Southwest Office, and Five Rivers MetroParks are collaborating to provide their programs at The Foodbank's Urban Garden.

The Living Art and Ecology Lab at The Ohio State University’s Department of Art invites you to a short, juried exhibition seeking to appreciate those who feed us through building and maintaining our soils. Artists are invited to submit work that explores soil as community: from microbes and mycelium, to plants and people, and beyond. Artists working in all mediums are welcome to apply. Submissions are due by October 20th at 11:59 p.m.

Join the Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice for a full day of BIPOC farm tours. This is a unique opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the regenerative farming community, as well as the practices they use to regenerate the soil.

Tour Highlights:

• Farm Visits: Explore diverse regenerative farming practices and learn from new and experienced BIPOC farmers.

• Lunch: Enjoy a farm-to-table lunch featuring fresh ingredients sourced directly from from of the farms we will visit, creating a delicious and sustainable dining experience.

• Networking: Engage with fellow farmers, community members, and advocates for regenerative agriculture.

Join Rural Action and partners to learn about soil health in Ohio and hear from local and state speakers. Get fired up for soil health by learning about its role in food production, watershed health, and climate mitigation. Visit Rural Action at tables around the Athens Courthouse steps before and after the speakers to enjoy demos and learn more in-depth. Attendees at this event will learn about the past, present, and future of soil health conservation in Ohio and what they can do in their backyard to take part.

Join artist and Ohio State professor of Art & Technology Amy Youngs for tea in the Hopkins Hall lobby as she discusses her artistic practice for listening to and learning from soils. Participants will consider the many critters at work in making soil, and will participate in this circle of life by offering their tea bags to one of the artists’ homemade worm bins at the end of the talk. Tea and mugs will be provided, although participants are encouraged to bring their own mugs as well.

You don’t have to be a soil scientist to know if your soil is healthy. Join Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District as they look at soil health at one of their Urban Greens Community Gardens, Marshall Greens. This short, virtual program might give you the tools to check your soil health at home. You’ll see how to utilize a penetrometer and shovel to measure compaction, infiltration rings to measure water infiltration, and a slate test to measure aggregate stability. Expect a few more tricks and tips!

Join the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) in telling Ohio legislators that soil health matters! OEFFA, the Ohio Soil Health Initiative, and allies are urging decision-makers to pass House Bill 568, which would create a Healthy Soils Task Force to develop a comprehensive healthy soils initiative for Ohio.

In just a few minutes, you can email your legislators to let them know how important soil health is to Ohio—and that you want support for this vital piece of legislation!

Join the Hamilton County Conservation District for a morning of fun and learning as we celebrate healthy soil! The Open House style Festival will include interactive learning stations and exhibitor and vendor booths. The last hour of the Festival will be a program on soil testing with a speaker describing how to conduct a soil test, how to interpret results, and introducing methods to improve soil fertility to achieve your growing goals.

Join Green Umbrella at Camp Washington Perennial Farm for their “Bring Your Own Bucket” fall compost sale! This 2-hour event offers high-quality compost perfect for putting your gardens to bed for winter, along with essential education on the composting process.

Join OEFFA Policy for a virtual screening of Common Ground. This 2023 film is a companion to Kiss the Ground, which was released in 2020. Common Ground explores regenerative agriculture and its potential to heal our soil, communities, and planet. After the film, we’ll have some time for sharing thoughts and ideas.