Soil Stories to Celebrate Ohio Soil Health Week

Over the spring and summer, some of our team visited six farmers, gardeners, researchers, and activists to learn about their relationships with the soil. They reported myriad benefits from healthy soil—from better yields to deepened relationships with ancestors—all of which underlined the need to better protect this vital natural resource and support those who steward it.
With the help of local video editor John Umland, we were able to transform our interviews into Soil Stories, short videos highlighting the importance of healthy soil. In the weeks leading up to Ohio Soil Health Week, we’ve been highlighting one video at a time and sharing more about each of the interviewees.
Ohio’s Soil Stewards
With a desire to share her knowledge far and wide, Debra Knapke is an educator, garden coach/designer, writer, horticulturist, speaker, gardener, and owner of The Garden Sage. She has built healthy soil on the ⅔-acre lot surrounding her Columbus, Ohio home to support an amazing variety of perennials, trees, shrubs, and edibles. “Soil makes me feel like I can do anything, if I take care of soil,” Debra shared. “Because it then takes care of me.”
Having earned a PhD in soil science at The Ohio State University, Henry Peller understands how the vitality and function of soils are the foundation for any farm’s success. “Our predominant forms of agriculture are largely destructive of soil,” he said. “If we continue on this route, farming’s just going to get harder. And you layer on top of that climate change. Our only pathway is to have healthy resilient ecosystems to soften the blow.” That’s why he uses an armada of soil health practices at Rose Hill Farm and Living Willow Farm, which operate a diversified family farm and wildlife habitat in Roseville, Ohio.
A wearer of many hats, Sophia Buggs is the owner and land steward of Lady Buggs Pharm, a 1.3-acre urban farm on the South Side of Youngstown, Ohio. In addition to serving as the Mahoning Food Access Initiative Director and the Co-Chair of the Central Appalachia Network (CAN) Beginning Farmer Working Group, Sophia’s also the Executive Director of Plant It You, a grassroots organization dedicated to land stewardship and Black and Indigenous farmers and foodways. She is reclaiming the sacred roots of farming through spiritual homesteading, “We still have the ability to bless the soil… [T]aking your shoes off, touching it, saying positive things to it, restoring it—that is powerful medicine for both you and the soil.”
Jim Linne practiced gastroenterology for 35 years before purchasing a 300-acre farm in Hillsboro, Ohio in 2003. Soil health was his main priority as he transitioned the farm from a conventional corn and soybean rotation to permanent perennial pastures and hayfields. “You learn to love the soil,” shared Jim. “It’s the honest truth, you love it… you realize the miracle that it is.” White Clover Farm is certified by the American Grassfed Association and produces 100% grass-fed beef which is direct marketed locally.
“All of our ancestors knew how to work with the earth and somehow, we lost that,” said Amanda Duprey Hernandez, owner of Finca Taina farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio. “For me, it’s really about that ancestral connection. This is something that is just in all of our bloodlines. It’s very natural and instinctual. It’s almost spiritual.” Amanda is originally from Puerto Rico and was formerly the production farmer at Agraria. Her journey in food sovereignty has included authored papers on food insecurity and efforts to increase food security in Ohio’s Miami Valley. She is a founding member of the BIPOC Food and Farm Network and currently supports food justice through her work with the Hall Hunger Initiative.
Dr. Jim Ippolito’s 30+ year career has focused on improving soil health within a multitude of ecosystems—from agricultural fields to metal-contaminated, mined land. His experiences have taken place across the country and landed him at The Ohio State University where he is a Rattan Lal Endowed Professor of Soil Health and Soil Fertility. His research program connects the intimate linkages between soil macro- and micro-nutrients, trace and heavy metals, microbiological activity, and soil physical attributes, and how these factors combine to influence ecosystem sustainability, resiliency, and climate security. “It’s not just dirt, it’s life,” he reminds us.
What’s YOUR Soil Story?
We invite you to spend a few minutes diving into each of the stories and ask yourself: what is your relationship with soil; and why is it important to you?