Cultivating a Greener Future with Microbes
On his regenerative farm in North Carolina, Tim Craver has always been a self-proclaimed numbers guy. “Don’t just tell me it works, show me it works, and I’ll implement it on my farm.” That’s why when he saw that his soil was changing, he took matters into his own hands and enrolled in a BioMADE-funded nanobiotechnology course at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Craver, retired U.S. Army Green Beret, learned about the course through the Veteran's Farm of North Carolina and jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the soil on his farm. “If it has to do with soil, I’m interested,” he said. Throughout the course, Craver was interested in looking at the micro level: the microbes in his soil, increasing photosynthesis efficiency, and improving crop yields without the use of chemicals.
Craver appreciates that the courses use deeper science to support what many regenerative farmers already feel to be true – that there’s a better way to farm. “By giving the lab what they need to research our soil, we can put these ideas into practice, improve farming, and improve the environment.”
Craver is raising his three young daughters on the farm and hopes to spark an interest in biomanufacturing and engineering in them. “It’s so important to expose the younger generation to this work. The future for our kids and our country is in this soil, right now. We have to take care of it.”
“This course sheds light on how soil microbes impact soil fertility and productivity, and how on-farm organic materials can be used to nurture soil microbes and optimize soils for production,” said Laura Kavanaugh, CEO of member Genome Insights and partner on the project. “These methods allow farmers to use locally sourced materials to deliver nutrient dense foods to their local communities while improving profitability through reduced reliance on high-cost fertilizer and other chemical inputs.”
As bioindustrial manufacturing grows across the country, so will the need for feedstocks such as corn, soy, or switchgrass, which results in an increased focus on national farm security.
Over the last 100 years, American farming has transitioned from a system of many small-scale farmers growing a wide variety of crops to a system involving a small number of extremely large farm producers. These large-scale producers practice mono-cropping and conventional farming methods that are highly dependent on an efficient nation-wide supply chain to provide them with their energy and chemical inputs as well as to deliver their products to consumers.
“We’re proud to partner with veterans for this course. Veterans are well-positioned to lead this farming transition as they are strongly committed to national security, have learned to be adaptable and creative during their military training, and are highly socially networked and eager to share with one another,” added Kavanaugh. “By empowering small farmers and giving them the tools they need to succeed, we’re providing job security to veterans and food security to our nation.”