Does soil quality affect food value, and how to know if your food actually has value?

written by

posted on

March 15, 2018

Dr. William Albrecht made a film in the 1950s called The Other Side of the Fence (watch it here). Dr. Albrecht, a soil scientist, started his research to answer a few questions. Why do animals choose certain foods (often on the other side of the fence) over others? Why do some farms produce healthy livestock and some sickly? How is our soil affecting our animals’ diet?

Dr. Albrecht took a holistic approach to studying soil health, conducting various tests on soil quality and animal nutrition and how that affects human health. His research proved that the health of soil has a direct impact on the vitality and health of the animals that consume food produced on it, and this includes humans. Basically, if the soil is not healthy, then the food has little value and will not give animals and humans the basic food elements they need to thrive.

The tricky part about this is that, by sight alone, there’s no real way to tell if the food we are consuming is giving us what’s necessary in our diets, even if we think we are choosing healthful foods. Dr. Albrecht held up two seemingly identical stalks of celery. One had a high food value and was grown on nutrient-dense soil. The other had a low food value and was grown on mineral-deficient soil. Looks can be deceiving. Sometimes the biggest best-looking plant can be poorest in food value. Animals inherently know this and will do all they can to get the food on “the other side of the fence”.

Conventional farming methods in the 1950s that prioritized big crops and high yield per acre robbed the soil of vital food elements. These practices took away from the soil but added nothing back. Mineral deficient soils simply cannot produce good food. Without those necessary elements in the soil, we cannot live.

Since then, some farmers have done great work to replenish minerals in their soil, and some have not. Some farmers look to chemical concoctions to produce good-looking plants and fortification to add food value. And some proactive farmers like ours know that good bountiful food grows on good mineral-rich soil. Our farmer tests his soil at the beginning of the growing season for a variety of nutrients. It’s a hefty test that costs $1,200 (one day he hopes to do it more often). He works with a soil specialist to analyze the results and choose a fertilizer that is organic-approved to rebalance the soil. Without this care for the soil, the grass wouldn’t be as green, the yield wouldn’t be nearly as high, the milk wouldn’t be as yellow, and the food would not be as nutrient-dense.

Our health is interconnected with the health of the earth. When we eat foods that are naturally nutrient-rich and nourishing for our bodies, we know that the earth is also being fed nutrient-rich and regenerative foods. I am so thankful to know a farmer who cares and takes action!

Farming Practices

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

Does soil quality affect food value, and how to know if your food actually has value?

More from the blog

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

Do

Learn

Uphold

Connect

Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566