We started no-tilling in 1983 and are still on that path today. For years, we’ve incorporated cover crops and now we’re using multi-species cover crops to protect the soil. 

We’ve found that doing this increases water infiltration and water-holding capacity. The soil acts as a natural sponge or a filter to prevent soil from running off and ending up in the Great Lakes. My focus is not only on soil, but on water quality. As a Nuffield scholar, I was given the opportunity to travel the world to study how to conserve farmland with cover crops, and the importance of biodiversity. 

By the year 2050, there will be 9 billion people on the planet and the question arises: How do we feed all of them? What upsets me is that in the conversations to answer this question, water is never brought up. 

We are told that we need to feed the world but if we don’t have water, we won’t have a crop. By 2025, 1.8 billion people in the world will face water scarcity — that’s 1 in 4 people living on our planet. I believe the only way to have clean and healthy water is to have healthy, living soil.

Learning Abroad

Through my travels, I have had the opportunity to visit farms in in countries including Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Argentina. 

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