Soil Health Takes Center Stage on a Texas Ranch
Conference brought together farmers and policymakers with a focus on restoring nutrients to the soil to improve our food
Two weekends ago, I traded my D.C. business suit for my Frye boots to head down to Sovereignty Ranch, a 200+ acre ranch nestled in the heart of Texas Hill Country in Bandera – aka the Cowboy Capital of the World – for the American Regenerative Conference.
The two-day event, which ran May 1 and 2 and was co-produced by Acres, USA, brought together farmers, ranchers, federal and state-based policy makers –and even tech and venture capital firms. Their shared goal? To find a better solution for one of the cornerstone issues of the MAHA movement – healthy food.
Complete with beef tallow fries, local brews, and even an appearance by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the conference celebrated “land, liberty, food, and the future of America.” It also laid out a vision of the future for American farmers – one that is free from a past filled with chemical inputs and dependence on government subsidies in hopes of leaving a better future for those that follow.
Rick Clark is a farmer who hopes to pass down a healthier America to his children and grandchildren. A fifth-generation farmer from Warren County, Indiana, with a family history of chronic disease, Clark is best known for pioneering farming practices that cultivate environmental stewardship without sacrificing profit.
Indeed, much of the commentary during the weekend was aimed at convincing farmers that yield should not drive farming practices, and that profitability is key. “Diversification drives the system,” said Clark, adding that he will “sacrifice yield to maintain soil health.”
Kennedy’s appearance on Saturday emphasized a key MAHA principle: Healthy food is the foundation of healthy Americans. But there is no healthy food without healthy soil. Decades of reliance on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, beginning in the post WWII era, have altered soil from a living ecosystem into something closer to an input‑dependent substrate. While generations of exploitative practices have contributed to the damage, these synthetic inputs have accelerated collapse in the soil microbiome, a decline in organic matter, increased erosion and topsoil loss, and reduced nutrient density and plant resiliency. Regenerative agriculture aims to heal the soil, and in turn heal our bodies.
The “food as medicine” theme reverberated throughout the weekend with talks from prominent doctors and activists connecting the dots between soil and human health. Dr. Ben Edwards, founder of Veritas Medical in Belton, Texas, discussed his path from “traditional” clinician to a doctor who began practicing functional medicine in 2012 in order to address root causes of chronic disease.
“Until we get back to nutrient-rich food, which means healthy soils, which is what regenerative ag is focused on, we won’t see reversal of this chronic disease epidemic,” Edwards told a captivated audience.
Erin Martin, founder of FreshRx Oklahoma, a produce prescription program treating chronic disease, spoke to the critical need to restore depleted soils through regenerative agriculture, arguing that healthier soils produce more nutrient-dense food, which can help reduce chronic disease, lower healthcare costs, and strengthen local farming economies.
And not for nothing, the food at Sovereignty Ranch was on point. Attendees were treated to beef and pork raised on the farm, gluten free options, fresh milk, Agua frescas, beef tallow fries, and sumptuous desserts. I took a particular liking to the sourdough chocolate chip cookies. Also on hand: An amazing charcuterie board for nibbles at a fireside chat with Nate Sheets, nominee for Texas agriculture commissioner. In brief, the crowd remained well fed throughout the two-day event.
What’s more, a live butcher demonstration educated guests on how to use a pig “nose-to-tail” and break down an animal with precision and respect.
While Secretary Kennedy did more listening than talking, in one of the last panels of the weekend, he shared his perspective on the interconnection of the land and the people who live and depend on it.
“We are destroying biodiversity, and in doing so, we are destroying something spiritually essential,” he said. “This is a spiritual battle.We are in a conflict between systems of darkness—ignorance and greed—and systems that seek light and regeneration.”
Kennedy encouraged everyone in the room to be the light that will guide change and renewal. He also assured the crowd that he would do all he could to ensure that soil becomes “the central focus of all of our public health discussions.”
“The quality and health of the microbiome in our body is absolutely dependent on the microbiomes of the soils from which our food is derived,” Kennedy said. “When the microbiome is not healthy, it is not producing the micronutrients required for brain function, physical growth, and bone growth.”
Secretary Kennedy showed a keen interest in the innovation and technology driving change in regenerative agriculture. Before he left he attended a demonstration by Greenfield Robotics, an autonomous robot that targets and cuts weeds with minimal disturbance to the soil.
Kennedy also watched a rainfall simulator by Grassroots Carbon and Gary Stevens of Wildlife Habitat Federation. The demonstration emphasized the difference between tilled soil, where water erodes the land and creates polluted run-off, and covered, untilled soil that can absorb water and produce clean run-off.
Finally, Morales Feed showed Secretary Kennedy a no-till drill that cuts precision holes to plant a seed and returns soil to cover the opening. It is a low intrusive way to mechanically plant seed in the soil with minimal disturbance to soil integrity.
Mollie Engelhart, co-founder of Sovereignty Ranch and head chef of its on-site restaurant, said in her closing remarks: “In a world overflowing with influencers and thought leaders, I’m deeply honored to have spent this weekend at Sovereignty Ranch surrounded by builders. Men and women willing to take risks, step out onto the skinny branches, and do the hard physical work of creating a future for my children and yours.”
Her statement summed up a sentiment I think many shared – that while farming dedicated to harmony with the natural world is hard work and demands sacrifice, the love and joy found in communion with those striving for a sustainable and bountiful future is what humans are made for – even if that future is unknown.
For Ryland Engelhart, Mollie’s brother and the co-founder of Sovereignty Ranch, the event was a dream come true.
“To bring so many amazing people together for the purpose of healing soil, farms and ranches, and the foundation of our food system is very inspiring,” he told me. “Sovereignty Ranch is literally our field of dreams.”
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Love this! Thank you!
It was an awesome weekend hopefully many more to come