Indigenous farms and soil health testing
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EmailMichigan State University Extension is working to collaborate with Indigenous farms on quantifying what is living below ground.
The idea of soil health — the health of Gimaamaaminaan Aki, Mother Earth — is not new. It is rooted in centuries of Indigenous knowledge, which forms the basis for good land stewardship and relationships. Only over the past decade, however, have scientists developed ways to quantify what is living below our feet. By breaking down soil health into physical, chemical and biological aspects, we can holistically compare management practices across different time scales.
A newly funded project, “Replenishing the Beings, the Soil Beneath our Feet,” is working through a partnership with Michigan State University Extension and Michigan Inter-Tribal Land Grant Extension System (MILES) educators, community partners, technical assistance networks, U.S. Department of Agriculture staff and Natural Resources Conservation Service tribal liaisons to assist indigenous farmers with soil health sampling. Our project seeks to understand how soil health and indigenous farming practices interact and influence soils’ capacity to grow food, enhance fertility and withstand weather extremes. Currently, 15 farms have signed up and are actively participating in soil sampling.
This work is supported by the American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Initiative program, project award no. 2023-70417-39233, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Options for levels of farmer participation
- Interested in attending educational events and field days.
- I am an Indigenous farmer who is interested in participating in soil health testing. Up to five samples can be taken depending on your farm size.
Indicators the soil health test report will include
- A routine nutrient test report
- pH
- Texture
- Soil respiration (similar to the Solvita test)
- Permanganate oxidizable carbon (active carbon)
- Autoclaved-citrate extractable protein (organically bound pool of nitrogen)
- Enzymatic activity (indicative of microbial activity and nutrient cycling)
Samples will get processed at the Soil Health and Ecosystem Ecology lab.
Signing up for soil sampling is now closed but if you are interested in this project, please reach out to Olivia Craig at craigol2@msu.edu, as you could still be involved with educational events and field days.
