The Soil and Your Skin

​Did you know that your skin resembles the soil that covers this God-given earth? How so?

The human skin, the largest body organ, has three different layers with a protective top layer known as the epidermis followed by the dermis and most inner layer the hypodermis. Each layer contains a rich microbiome, and there is an interaction of nutrients and gases such as the emission of carbon dioxide from the skin. And, the earth, the largest object related to us, is also comprised of three different layers, the crust, the mantle and the most inner part, the core, and the soil also emits carbon dioxide through the upper layer. Having said the foregoing, would you say they are equally important? There is no question, contemporary skin care treatments should reflect the practices of modern farming.

In one of this week's episodes, a ranch owner in northern Ca shared with us his operation of regenerative farming on his four-thousand-acre ranch where he raises poultry and beef, of which can be defined as free range.

What is regenerative farming?

When the principles of regenerative farming are employed, the soil is renewed or revitalized. Regenerative farming leads to much healthier soil, producing high quality food providing you nutrient dense meals on your plate. rather than diminishing the lands productivity, by extension, it lends itself to the productivity of farms, healthier families, and communities. It is a dynamic and comprehensive approach, incorporating a system of sustainable farming that renews natural resources and enriches the local ecosystems. This would include tilling conservation, land covering crops such as grains, grasses, legumes and varying the crops grown in each field from year to year, known as crop rotation. The practice of composting is also recommended which involves the decay of remains of organic matter that has rotted thus providing a natural fertilizer.

I personally witness this process for many years when My dad would mulch the vineyard prune clippings deep into the ground to fertilize and minimize weed growth, improving soil structure.

And did you know the catastrophic event that took place in the 1930s known as the dust bowl could have been prevented?

 

We can see the Over-Plowing That Contributed to the Dust Bowl. As we know, each year, the process of farming starts by preparing the soil to be planted. However, for too many years, farmers had over-plowed their farms creating a fine soil particulate, and all you needed was a protracted drought and a fierce wind to blow the rich topsoil away. In other words, the plow broke the plains.

This had never happened before. Since throughout the ages the plains were covered by grass as far as the eye could see, a natural soil cover that can be likened to your epidermis, your upper skin layer, and this was where the bison lived and flourished throughout the centuries.

Regenerative farming is by no means a new concept of land stewardship.

The native Americans employed an agricultural approach of utilizing the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock throughout history. It is fascinating to me that many things come in threes, because we are talking about trees, crops, and animals together in a manner that benefits all three elements. They also practiced silviculture meaning the management of forestry to nourish wildlife populations, improving the availability of wild game. Along with this, Indigenous Americans also grazed animals among trees known today as the practice of silvopasture, the practice of combining forestry and grazing of domesticated animals for a symbiotic benefit. Both methods improved forest health, increased soil carbon sequestration by the organic matter being left behind by livestock, providing a hiding place for animals and an increased living areas for wildlife.

Across this country, Indigenous people utilized controlled fires for intentional forests management as well. The ash provided nutrients for the soil as an organic form of fertilizer, as a result, trees would grow back bountifully. This involves burning forests, especially ground fuel, using ash as a nutrient for crops thus fostering healthy trees and plant regeneration over time. Sadly, this practice has fallen to the wayside in California evidenced by what we experience on an annual basis.

Much like your skin, the ground has the natural ability to heal itself. In fact, my guest said that if the soil is left alone the soil will become what it should be in a hundred years, rich for planting, however, with modern science of farming and ingenuity, it can be accomplished in ten years.

Of course, most of us are not farmers, but I would venture to say, there are many backyard gardeners. So, here are some tips to regenerate your backyard garden, by landscape expert at the Rodale Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the organic movement by their extensive research.

The recommendation is to feed your garden from your compost pile thus eliminating the need for fertilizer even from organic ones. Other than for fishing, make effective use of earthworms that will convert your garden into nutrient-dense materials which reminds me of a good friend who has long passed away that would sell earth worms to avid fisherman, and he would always have a generous portion for his garden, and it was amazing how obviously rich and healthy his garden was.

Additionally, do not forget food waste, which is rich in vitamins, minerals and many other nutrients, and green crop residue such as leaves, stalks, roots, into a form that is absorbable by your garden.

Incidentally, you can use bokashi fermentation, which expedites the composting process by adding yeast to the process. bokashi is the use of a mixture of microorganisms to cover food waste, mitigating odors, based on an ancient Japanese gardening practice.

I could not say it better than the following about the future:

"The wilderness and the parched land will exult, And the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron." (Isaiah 35:1.

The bottom line, “take care of the soil and it will take care of you."