Across northwestern Ohio, farmers, researchers, and community members have been coming together through soil health tours—shared visits to fields where new practices are being tested and observed.

These gatherings are simple by design. People walk the land, look closely, ask questions, and compare experiences. There is no single model being presented. Instead, the focus is on learning together—through observation, conversation, and practice.

What emerges is not consensus, but clarity.

The system in focus

Region: Northwestern Ohio
Participants: Farmers, conservation partners, watershed groups

Across this region, farmers and partners are working together to improve soil health while reducing nutrient runoff—testing practices that align agricultural productivity with long-term ecological resilience.

Practices explored include cover crops, wetlands, soil testing, buffer systems, and water management approaches designed to slow, filter, and retain nutrients within the landscape.

Voices and lessons from the field

These efforts are shaped by experience—shared across individuals working in different ways:

• Jeff Duling reflected on how earlier adoption of cover crops could have significantly improved soil resilience and nutrient retention, highlighting lessons drawn across generations of farming.
• Luke Van Tilburg demonstrated how saturated buffer systems reduced nitrogen runoff by 75% and phosphorus by 50% across thousands of acres.
• Ed Wurth described building wetlands, pollinator habitats, and riparian zones that filter nutrients while strengthening biodiversity.
• Ron Snyder emphasized regenerative practices verified through comprehensive soil testing across multiple biological indicators.
• Les Seiler explained the long-term benefits of two-stage ditches designed to slow water flow and capture nutrients naturally.

These are not isolated practices. They are part of a broader effort to understand how land responds over time.

→ Hear directly from participants in 2023 conversations
→ Hear directly from participants in 2024 conversations

What is being learned

Patterns are beginning to emerge:

• regeneration works best when practiced collectively
• living systems respond gradually—but measurably—to stewardship
• local knowledge accelerates adaptation
• infrastructure can align with ecological processes
• responsibility deepens both learning and care

Clarity does not come first. It develops through participation.

Through the lens of reEarth

These efforts reflect multiple dimensions of the pathway:

• Wholeness — soil, water, and community systems function as one living network
• Survival Justice — regenerative practices protect shared life-support systems
• Evolutionary Orientation — stewardship grows through participation and learning over time

Participate

If you are working in land, water, or community systems, your experience matters.

Sharing what is being tried—and what is being learned—helps others see more clearly and act more effectively.

→ Share a Living Example