So you see…we hold this land only for a time. Whether we win it in peace or war, we hold it only in trust for other peoples, and other generations. –Louis L’Amour, FAIR BLOWS THE WIND, p.123

How were you influenced to begin thinking about soil health?

I believe I was born to think about loving the beauty of nature. In the 1950’s, our lawn was mixed clover and grass. I loved playing barefoot in the soft grass and sucking on the sweetness of the clover flowers. Caterpillars were in abundance, we used to catch jars full of them; but caterpillars are rarely seen on my property today, 65 years later. In public school, we sang hymns of praise to God in our music class. One favorite memory is walking home from school, knee deep in maple leaves that had fallen from the trees. I swished and crunched the leaves and quietly sang the words to “This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget…” Around age 10, I secretly gathered flower seeds and grew them in my bedroom all winter to surprise my mother when spring came. This was the time when bedding plants weren’t available in the stores. She was pleased when we had the first blooms in the neighborhood. At Sunday School, I learned in the Bible book of Genesis, God instructed Adam to care for the earth, and the concept of cherishing the earth resonated with me.

How has your love of the land progressed since you were a child?

Back in the early 1970’s, the popular ‘Natural’ movement started me on a lifelong journey. In 1973, I was 21 years old, living in a University town in Central Illinois. I began to hear my peers questioning the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals in cleaning products and household items. We stopped shaving our legs and armpits because it wasn’t natural, we didn’t use deodorant either. Thankfully, that fad didn’t last long because, as a result, new and safer deodorants were manufactured. Even back then, it made sense to me: chemicals in our food and environment are just not healthy. At the age of 17, I remember sternly lecturing my mother on using colored toilet paper, the phosphates in the dyes were said to be destroying the earth. But nowadays, many chemicals and dyes have been removed from household products, and we only see white toilet paper. The concerns of the youth of many years ago have made an impact. So, I continued my journey into the ‘natural’ world.

I studied, read and tried everything I could whenever a new gardening technique became popular. As a stay-at-home mom, I had time to explore the beauty of nature with my children. Each child hade their own little garden plot by the age of 3, and surprisingly, they took it seriously and cared for their gardens pretty well. By the age of 4, they could tell anyone the Latin names of the weeds that grew along our country lane. We took long bike rides into the country and learned to forage. We collected bucketsful of wild plums, grapes and raspberries which are no longer there; the land is now filled with condos.

But no matter which technique gained popularity in any give time-frame, every philosophy proclaimed, “a healthy garden begins with healthy soil.” In my young days, I couldn’t find much information on how to promote healthy soil in the home garden because knowledge was not as advanced as today. The soil scientists say, “The more we learn, the less we know.”

I am now 73 years old, and still a student of the soil. It has taken a lifetime of enthusiasm and study on my part to understand how to care for the earth. Lately, there has been an explosion of knowledge due to new technologies that allow scientists to study soil microbes more closely. Thousands of varieties of soil microbes have been discovered; which scientists are just starting to understand the function of each. This army of microscopic creatures are what bring soil health, when combined with plants, animals and human interaction. Every living plant and creature plays an important part to create soil health

Regenerative Agriculture (RA) isn’t really a new scie3nce, but a mixture of the old ways. The difference is our understanding of why the old ways worked. We have learned that using RA methods in farming, ranching, and home gardens, the earth is being repaired and regenerated. This practice will bring enhanced health to all living beings, including humans. Studies have shown that gardeners have a more positive outlook and joy of life than those who do not spend much time outdoors.

Often people will ask me why I am a fanatic for natural, organic, chemical-free living. I tell them that learning to care for the earth includes caring for our children, their future children, our families, and everyone else on the planet. We all have to live here. I want to be a good steward of my life and my land, and not harm anyone…even indirectly by the way I garden.

What does your future in RA look like?

I became a member of EMRA, (Eastern Montana Regenerative Agriculture) and organization for farmers and ranchers of Eastern Montana who are devoted to growing healthy, abundant crops with minimal soil disturbance, using the ever-expanding knowledge of the science of RA. I am the only non-farmer, non-rancher in the group, just a town-girl; but they have welcomed me and accepted me into the group. These folks are generous, kind, helpful with information, the salt of the earth.

In September 2023, I purchased a quarter acre city lot with the goal of implementing regenerative practices on the property. The property itself had just been noxious weeds for many years. My goal is to work the land to bring beauty, to grow healthy food to share with my community, and bring awareness to local residents showing that it is possible to create beauty and health without the use of chemicals. I want to make the property park-like and I plan to hold workshops. If I can do it at age 73, using only my hands, a shovel, a rake and a lawn mower; anyone can give it a try and see results.

Last summer, only my second year at the city lot, I saw an abundance of health on the property. All the plants, including weeds, were abnormally huge. It was difficult to impossible to keep everything in check and looking neat.

I planted 14 trees and shrubs on the north side of the property, as a windbreak and hope that in a few years it will be a wooded area and habitat for birds.

My favorite area is the pollinator garden, with plantings designed to attract butterflies, moths, bees and other insects of which I am not yet aware. But the vegetable garden is nice, too, everything is out-performing; I was able to share approximately ½ of the food I grew. I was shocked at how huge my two Elderberry bushes grew. I was able to make and share with family and friends, a half-gallon of Elderberry syrup, which is a healthy winter tonic that helps to ward of colds and flu.

For the summer of 2026, I want to grow a plot of land using Montana native grasses and wildflowers. The purpose of this project is to provide a home for the ground dwelling birds, especially the Grasshopper Sparrow. This tiny sparrow is not endangered in Montana yet, but is in trouble, according to the Audubon Society. The Society has also reported a loss of 700 million birds in Montana since 2005

Do you have a message to share with us?

Yes. Today, satellite photos show there are 50 million acres of lawns in the U.S. This amounts to 50 million acres that could be used to grow food for those who do not have access to healthy food. A good proportion of those lawns are mono-crop, which is the use of only one type of grass. In the U.S., Kentucky bluegrass is commonly used for lawns. But bluegrass originally came from England. Our local soil microbes can only use the roots of local, mostly native plants. They cannot use Kentucky bluegrass as food. As a result, the soil microbes, which give life to soil, die. Without microbes, the soil is not healthy and the grass struggles. Then, trying to have a perfect lawn, the homeowner spends much time and expense attempting to keep their lawns weed free and bright green. Strangely, now on the market, is green spray paint for lawns. Green lawns have been a symbol of success and wealth since 1806, when President Thomas Jefferson started the first grass lawn in America, using pasture grass. His slaves were required to keep the lawn perfectly manicured, on their hands and knees, using only scissors to cut the grass. From the beginning, lawns have been a source of wasteful labor.

The green lawns have replaced cottage gardens throughout our country. Cottage gardens, once seen in every household, used chickens and ducks for grazing, as well as many varieties of vegetables, herbs and wild flowers all growing together in a jumble of beauty. The roots from the different species of plants attracted and fed many different types of soil microbes. This type of gardening resulted in a very healthy soil; producing abundant, healthy food for the family.

Sadly, I have noticed that I don’t often see families outdoors, enjoying nature and their mono-crop lawns. The resources used to maintain these empty lawns is extremely expensive, harmful, and wasteful. Mono-crop lawns look nice, but really don’t serve much purpose.

We have to ask: are grass lawns partially responsible for hunger and health problems prevalent in the U.S.? The harmful chemicals used in lawns make their way through the soil and into the water table, thus into our drinking water. The water purification plants are unable to remove all of the chemicals from our drinking water. Children are affected first by drinking poisons present in the water. Cities and towns are required to make available a water report showing the chemicals that are in our drinking water. Make sure to request a copy each year from your water supplier.

But did you know, the lawn chemicals eventually make their way into the ocean? There are dead spots in our ocean in which no aquatic life can survive. People in some third world countries, who, for generations fished the oceans for food and income, are now starving as their means of support have been taken away by no fish in the dead areas of the ocean.

Nationwide, 90 million pounds of chemical fertilizers are poured into our U.S. land annually. Added to our soil is 80 million pounds of pesticides. Mowing lawns with gasoline powered equipment produces 26.7 million tons of air pollutants                                 

We need to ask: is our green mono-crop lawn worth the harm that is being done to people in the U.S. and third world countries?

In conclusion, I assert that when we harm the lowest member of the food chain (microbes), it harms every living creature all the way up to the top (people). I urge everyone to try at least one chemical-free activity this year to improve your property’s soil. This will help to bring improved health and life to our families, our neighbors, our beautiful state of Montana, our country, and the world.