The Real Soil-Health Revolution: Farmers, Ranchers, and the Science That Followed
- Buz Kloot, Ph.D.
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Buz Kloot
Note: We have links at the end of the blog under the header, Works Cited.
There are a few conversations I’ve had in the past decade and a half that changed my life. Two of them were meeting Ray Archuleta in February 2010, my Atlas Storm encounter with Dwayne Beck on October 5, 2013. Another was the afternoon of October 2, 2014 — standing in a deep soil pit on Steve Groff’s farm in Pennsylvania, as Dr. Ray Weil drew our attention below the plow layer.
What struck me wasn’t just the science. It was the profound idea that this soil-health revolution wasn’t driven only by breakthroughs in labs or university towers—but by the innovation, risk-taking, and persistence of farmers and ranchers who have long known that soil is alive, and that the standard textbook definitions may often be inadequate for the work ahead.
Farmers and Ranchers First
In South Dakota (full disclosure, I am probably biased), from prairie ranches to row-crop landscapes, producers have been quietly, relentlessly shifting how they see the ground beneath their feet. They’ve walked fence lines, watched cattle tracks fade into cover-crop residue, and re-imagined how they manage their fields — trading tillage passes for living roots. Institutions like the South Dakota NRCS, SDSU, the South Dakota Grassland Coalition, and the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition have supported this transition — yes, cost-sharing from NRCS helps, but the true long-term change was wrought by education. These organizations work hand in hand to expand understanding of soil and rangeland ecology, and, in my opinion, the connection between NRCS field offices, soil-health specialists, rangeland specialists, and peer-to-peer support systems among producers is exemplary. Through field days, grazing schools, and on-farm demonstrations, they bring producers together with scientists, educators, and each other. These are not passive recipients of somebody else’s plan — they are co-creators of the possibilities.
The Science is Still Trying to Catch up!
Ray Weil’s work exemplifies how science was (and, IMOHO, still is) trying to catch up with farmer and rancher wisdom. His decades-long research at the University of Maryland Soil Quality Lab has explored nutrient cycling, soil organic matter, cover-crop systems, and the dynamics of deep soil beyond the traditional surface layer (“Weil — College of AGNR”).In one of his articles, he even called the cover-crop boom a “renaissance” — not because cover cropping is new, but because science can now document its many ecosystem services and profitability potential (“Weil, ‘Cover Cropping Benefits’”). For example, cover crops planted early, terminated later, and managed with minimal disturbance can dramatically reduce nitrate leaching, build soil organic matter, improve structure, and return nutrients to the surface in ways that conventional fertilizer-centric models don’t recognize (“Get More from Cover Crops”).
A Revolution of Perspective
In my interview, I began to realize:
“The thing that really caught me as a scientist … the idea that this revolution happened not because of scientific breakthroughs per se, but because farmers and ranchers were doing things that were different, that were thinking outside the box.”
Here’s what that means in practice:
Instead of digging only six to ten inches, we peer deeper into the profile —the “plow layer” is only a shallow start.
Instead of assuming tillage is the only way to relieve compaction, roots of species like radish (and other brassicas) become “bio-drills,” opening pathways for new roots and life (Weil).
Instead of thinking of nutrients as locked in fixed pools and released only via fertilizer or mineralization, we see plants, microbes, and soil structure interacting to unlock and recycle nutrients in place (Weil).
Instead of approaching soil as a chemical medium to be corrected, we approach soil as a living, shifting system where biology, chemistry, and physics converge.
South Dakota’s Role in the Story
While some of the earliest mechanistic research has been done in mid-Atlantic or humid zones, the lessons are highly relevant to semi-arid and fringe climates like South Dakota’s. The soil-health pioneers there are proving that context matters: the right species mix, the right grazing timing, the right cover-crop termination date, the right paddock layout. The role of SD NRCS and its partners is essential because they help tailor practices to local soils, climate, and enterprise models (think context).
These farmer-led experiments — supported by local networks, extension, and NRCS — are exactly what Ray Weil spoke about when he said “the farmers in this case were ahead of the scientists.”
Why It Matters
This isn’t just about “doing something nice for the soil.” It’s about resilience, profitability, adaptation, and stewardship. The benefits:
Better infiltration, less runoff, less erosion.
Reduced fertilizer costs and reduced nutrient loss.
More stable soil structure, more living roots year-round, more microbial activity, stronger resilience to drought or heavy rain.
A shift away from the “fix the bugs with chemicals” mindset to “support the living system so it thrives on its own.”
The Soil Health Revolution Then and Now
In 2010, soil health and soil biology were often dismissed as fringe, or “pseudoscience.” And yet here we are, a decade and a half later, with a growing body of research, farmer-led proof, and institutional support. Ray Weil’s willingness to say, “Yes, the farmers figured things out first, and we scientists get to catch up,” is a mark of humility and a model for how research and practice should align. Now, we can see the results of a soil health revolution!
In Closing
The soil-health revolution is real — and it is real because people on the land made it so. Dr. Ray Weil’s work helps frame, explain, and amplify what the early adopters have already begun. But the strength of this movement lies in the generosity and collaboration that sustain it — the sharing of ideas across fence lines, the willingness of neighbors to mentor one another, and the steady partnerships among farmers, ranchers, and those who support them.
In South Dakota, that combination of a pragmatic producer mindset, local institutional support, and an openness to think differently offers hope for a resilient, regenerative future.
To every farmer, rancher, technician, NRCS staffer, and mentor who — even when the textbooks said “this won’t work” — simply tried it anyway: thank you. This blog is for you.
Works Cited
“Weil — College of Agriculture & Natural Resources.” University of Maryland College of AGNR, https://agnr.umd.edu/about/directory/ray-weil.
Weil, Ray. “Cover Cropping Benefits.” The Earth and I, 2021, https://www.theearthandi.org/post/cover-cropping-benefits.
“Get More from Cover Crops: Seed Early.” Soybean Research & Information Network, United Soybean Board, 2022, https://soybeanresearchinfo.com/research-highlight/get-more-from-cover-crops-seed-early/.
Weil, Ray. Interview with Buz Kloot. Steve Groff Farm, Pennsylvania, 2014. Transcript file / mnt/data/WeilAudioPodcastMaster.mp3.txt. On soil science and the soil health revolution.
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