While some growers are doing the hard work to transition their farms toward more healthy soil practices, there often remains a knowledge gap – many are still learning about healthy soil practices and how those practices can be incorporated on their farms. We are proud to partner with Understanding Ag, a regenerative agricultural consulting company who brings decades of on-the-ground farmer and rancher experience, to help support our GREATER GROUND™ mission through education and training.
The GREATER GROUND program was launched on World Soil Day in 2022 to encourage growers to adopt soil health practices. We chose the name "GREATER GROUND" as a call to action for NUTRO and our partners to work collaboratively to support soil health – we want to learn from our growers and the land they know best. Our partnership with Understanding Ag leverages grower and consultant expertise to provide Soil Scholarships – custom, localized on-farm workshops and consultations to help growers understand healthy soil practices and how to implement these practices on their farms.
Understanding Ag leads immersive soil health workshop experiences that typically include classroom and in-field components. The events are tailored to the crops and growing conditions in the selected area so that attendees can utilize the information presented on their own operations. Additionally, in response to feedback from participants, we plan to expand consulting resources to select growers who would benefit from individualized, ongoing mentorship and support as they adopt more healthy soil practices. This includes one-on-one time with Understanding Ag experts, extensive soil testing and analysis, and year-long availability to help troubleshoot issues as they arise.
With the knowledge gained from Understanding Ag as part of the Soil Scholarship program, our hope is that growers in our network will start implementing more healthy soil practices year-over-year. To further support select growers’ transitions to healthy soil practices, we established the Soil Growth Grant program to provide financial support to help offset transition costs. Understanding Ag will provide recommendations and troubleshooting to grant recipients to help ensure outcomes provide value to recipients and make a positive impact on soil health.
We’re proud to partner with Understanding Ag to help growers overcome the knowledge gaps and technical barriers they face on their unique soil health journeys, because we know that healthy soil is critical for the future of food.