Kiss the Ground is a 2020 documentary that unpacks some of the complicating factors around climate change, looking closely at a range of strategies, largely focused on soil.
The documentary is still available for streaming on Netflix, and the filmmakers encourage folks to host screenings, which are free for nonprofits and educational institutions: https://kissthegroundmovie.com/host-a-screening/
Here’s a few of one idiot’s main takeaways:
The Financial Appeal
Often with actions perceived as progressive or maybe even “woke,” there is an instinctive resistance from people with more conservative ideologies. This is often true with climate change.
In this film, some of the ranchers who speak to advocate for their regenerative agricultural methods are right out of central casting for conservatism – rural, white, cis, straight, plain-spoken Americans. It’s a breath of fresh air to see advocacy coming from these folks – I love idiosyncratic ideology. Maybe they’re very pro-gun-rights, pro-abortion-restrictions, and more, but they also acknowledge the myriad appeal of regenerative practices.
As they make appeals to American farmers, the skepticism and hesitancy they get back is clear. That’s why they often pivot to different arguments to persuade greater consideration.
First, one rancher says he tells people he teaches that, if they don’t believe him, he’d put the next year of his ranch up against theirs and prove it in the results. At one point, he even brings the camera crew to the property line between his diverse, green, healthy plot and the adjacent yellowed, eroding plot of his neighbor.
Second, in one presentation, the gentleman teaching the crowd suggests that regenerative farming is a great way to get off “government welfare.” Farmers often take significant subsidies and price guarantees from the federal government to grow certain crops and quantities. Regenerative farming is a way to wrest control for oneself and make a living that is one your own terms and without such “handouts.” If some conservatives rail against this sort of government activism, then he’s offering a ticket to independent prosperity. It’s a cagey tack for sure.
Overall, it reminds me of learning natural family planning. While there is definite appeal for those whose religious beliefs preclude them from using artificial birth control, there’s other strong appeals. For infertile couples, there’s cycle tracking that can maximize the chances of conception. For green enthusiasts, there’s the chance to avoid taking a chemical prescription that artificially adjusts one’s natural processes. Sometimes, it’s a combination or variety of persuasion that helps someone consider a new strategy.
Gotta Eat Some Dirt
I had often heard that it’s not the worst thing for kids to eat dirt. And as someone who prefers to be low-maintenance, I don’t need myself or my kids to be squeaky clean 24-7. A little dirt under the fingernail or scrapes on the knees are a sign of fun that was had.
This movie really gets into the importance of eating dirt – well, maybe not directly. But, in a nutshell, the microorganisms in the ground infuse our produce with important content. And then when we eat it, or the animals we butcher and consume eat it, it brings improved health to our guts. It keeps our bodies humming with a healthy and diverse microbiome.
Unfortunately, the excessive use of chemical agricultural treatments on produce farms can drastically reduce the microorganism life in the field. Thus, the yield from these fields is deficient in providing our meat-source animals and us with a strong microbiome.
And, in a way that’s above my pay grade, but well-explained in the film, the use of these chemicals is largely unnecessary.
Farms should be ranches; ranches should be farms.
The most impactful element for me was the argument for agriculture to always be a mix of raising livestock and planting and growing on the land. Modern methods are too fixated on tilling and spraying and contribute massively to erosion and desertification.
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| Here's an illustration that only slightly exaggerates the contrast. |
Aerial footage of feedlots, where giant herds of livestock are penned up and fed to be prepared for slaughter, showed how horribly eroded the ground gets.
Aerial footage of regeneratively managed land, where herds of livestock roam free in rotating areas of the land, showed how well grazing, urination, defecation, and hoof-traffic can help the churn the land and sustain a healthy yield. The greenery and lushness of the landscape was profound, and the non-eroded, non-desertified land does wonders for carbon capture and could move us forward majorly in carbon drawdown.
It made me want to shift my not-insignificant ground beef consumption – I meal-plan a for house that loves bolognese sauce, meatballs, chili, hand-patted burgers, and more. I did some looking, and I bookmarked REP Provisions. I’ve been paying $7-9/lb for 90% or higher lean beef at the grocery store, and REP’s 5 x 1 lb. bundle of 90/10 beef is $50. To me, that’s a reasonable premium to get and support regenerative agriculturists’ product, and getting 5 lbs. every 60-90 days is a decent rate for us. It’s free shipping at $99, so I’ll be on the lookout for an ordering buddy at some point soon!
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This is an enjoyable, well-produced watch that informs and provides some high-end cinematography, too. It’s not a pessimistic, doom-and-gloom jeremiad but rather an impetus to think and act. Have a watch, and let me know what you think.
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| Watch it on Netflix! |
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