When grass-fed beef farmer, Todd Churchill, told me that a teaspoon of healthy soil contains billions of living organisms —more than there are people on this earth— it reminded me of another astonishing fact that I’d learned in my work. Neutron stars which form from the gravitational collapse of massive stars, after supernovae or stellar explosions, are dense beyond reckoning. Just a teaspoon of this condensed celestial body, according to some estimates, weighs about ten million tons, which is equivalent to the mass of roughly “900 Great Pyramids of Giza.” That’s an imagined space that gets your head spinning.
Churchill’s enthusiasm for the richness of organic soil was palpable when I interviewed him for “Troubled Waters.” Fungi, nematodes, earthworms, insects, billions of microbes and other living organisms all work their magic just beneath the surface, creating a phantasmagorically diverse, healthy and porous environment. In times of drought, the fluffy, aerated soil retains moisture like a sponge. Cracks and crevices from biological activity allow roots to maneuver and grow, strengthening the plants while crowding out the weeds. Grass-fed beef once dominated the landscape of America but in recent decades has been taken over by CAFO’s or Confined Animal Feeding Operations. Grass-fed beef represents a small fraction of the marketplace today, but Churchill is not deterred. He is committed to partnering with nature’s genius.
I felt that it was important to include Churchill in “Troubled Waters” because his grass-fed beef operation represents a tangible solution to improving land and water quality. There will never be a silver bullet to heal our land and waters but more a tapestry of efforts that can make a real difference. Every individual effort counts.