ers everywhere can use to benchmark
their progress. Lisa Garfield of Future
Harvest, the leader of the Maryland
study,hopes to connect with up to
40 farmers, who will receive free soil
health testing as official members
of the study in 2020, along with an
unlimited number of citizen scientists
who can test their own soils using
the Comprehensive Assessment of
Soil Health from Cornell University in
order to compare their own results
with those of others.
Along with the Benchmark Study,
Million Acre Challenge staff will work
alongside the Maryland Department
of Agriculture and other farm service
providers to facilitate advanced
farmer-to-farmer dialogue about
soil health management systems
and offer opportunities, technical
support, and resources to explore
established and innovative practices
on Maryland farms. We will strive to
provide farmers with easy access to
the latest scientific and economic
information and research along
with understanding of the realworld
conditions in which it can
be applied profitably and well. And
we will strive to listen to and learn
from farmers, about what they know
about soil health, what barriers and
benefits they anticipate. Look for information
about regional Soil Health
Hubs coming soon in your area or
contact us at [email protected]
to learn more.
Dena Leibman, Future Harvest’s
executive director, points out that
in this moment, when the deep need
for a shift toward resiliency is clear,
“regenerative agriculture can be both
the basis for healthy food production
and supply and a tool to curb the
parallel threat of climate change.” Our
path forward must reflect our interconnectedness,
both with one another
and with the soil that sustains
us. The good news is that walking this
path can help us address both the
short-term and the long-term crises
we face—that of a brittle, disconnected
food system and of climate
change. Let’s begin.
Amanda Cather owns and operates Plow
and Stars Farm in Poolesville, Maryland
with her husband Mark and their children.
She is also the new project director for the
Million Acre Challenge, coming to Maryland
in 2020. [email protected]
Poolesville Veterinary
Clinic, LLC
Dr.’s Peter Eeg,
Ashley Young,
Marianne Van Doorn
and the entire staff are
dedicated to providing
the highest quality
veterinary care with
a personal touch.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday 7:30am - 7:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm • Closed Sunday
19621 Fisher Ave • Poolesville MD 20837
P: 301-972-7705 • F: 301-972-7706
[email protected]
www.poolesvilleveterinaryclinic.com
Landscape architects n Laytonsville, MD
www.tjaden.design n 301-253-1702
38 plenty I Summer growing 2020