Blog| August 7, 2024

Homegrown Stories: Living Soil Farm - Nurturing Connections, Building Economics

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Homegrown Stories is a storytelling project from our partners at Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC). It celebrates the hardworking people in our food system trying to do things right. The people of these stories are hard at work to create diverse, wholesome, regional food systems in our communities. They feature people working hard to keep the land healthy and their communities nourished.

WORC gave us permission to repost these farmers' Homegrown Stories here in an effort to change the narrative of agriculture in America.

Living Soil Farm: Nurturing Connections, Building Economics

When Cameron Skinner moved to Big Timber, Montana at the age of 10 he didn't have close ties to farming or agriculture. The move out West from Connecticut brought him closer to the outdoors and to agricultural communities, where he started raising chickens and selling eggs. From a young age, he was already running numbers and strategizing ways to improve his business.

Now, over 20 years and 150 chickens later, Cameron continues to meticulously manage his operations. He pours over papers in a garage on his mother's property, where he leases a greenhouse and a half-acre farm plot. The garage walls display a time capsule of Western American cultural references while Cameron double-checks his produce orders for the coming week. New chicks flutter their wings in a brooder nearby, ignoring the dog's snout sniffing from the other side of the door. Cameron runs the numbers on his wholesale clients, consulting business, and community-supported agriculture (CSA). He compares his prices with those of grocery stores and then runs the numbers again.

The high fixed costs and need for infrastructure, like land, greenhouses, and irrigation, make it difficult to enter the agriculture field. Many prospective farmers can't make the numbers add up to a profit, especially as a sole income. "Once you tackle some challenges, and you make it to the top of the hill, only to look around and see all of the other mountains you will need to summit to really make it," said Cameron. He noted that experts often recommend having $50,000-$100,000 saved before starting a farm. "I managed by reinvesting profits from another business. Now, with a steady client base, my biggest challenge is finding employees, as farming wages are typically low despite my ability to pay slightly better," said Cameron.

Living Soils is Cameron's advisory business, which involves soil testing, fertility advising, and holistic management. He essentially works as a regenerative farmer for hire for other produce operations to improve their soil health and production quality. He says that the best way to change the food landscape is to create symbiotic relationships within the community to foster growth and sustainability.

Big Timber is a rural town with a population of less than 2,000 people. While the town is surrounded by agricultural land, much of it is dedicated to crops and livestock that are not directly available to local consumers. The lack of consistent markets for fresh produce and the need for better infrastructure to support local food systems has contributed to Big Timber's limited access to fresh local foods as well. Cameron views his consulting and advisory services as a way to connect and improve their local food network. By sharing his expertise in soil health, sustainable farming practices, and business management, he empowers other farmers to enhance their productivity and sustainability. This collaboration fosters a more resilient agricultural community, ensuring a greater availability of locally grown produce. Additionally, Cameron's involvement with organizations like the Northern Plains Resource Council helps create a supportive network of like-minded individuals striving for better agricultural practices, ultimately benefiting the entire local food system.

Cameron got involved with Northern Plains Resource Council several years ago when he was approached to host a farm tour of Living Soil Farm. "I was introduced to a whole new network of like-minded individuals striving for better agricultural practices," said Cameron "If I can help. I feel like I'm making a difference."

In the future, Cameron aims to expand his operations, solidify his employee base, rekindle the CSA model, and possibly develop orchards and agroforestry practices. His advisory business, which involves soil testing, fertility advising, and holistic management, also has growth potential. Cameron values the importance of community and networking, believing that helping others ultimately benefits everyone.

"The name Living Soil comes from my belief that healthy soil and microbes lead to healthy plants, animals, and humans, creating a symbiotic ecosystem," said Cameron. "Over four years, I've adopted various regenerative soil health techniques, including no-till farming, composting with waste from my 150 chickens, and rotating cover crops to maintain living roots year-round. My goal is to create and maintain vibrant, living soil." Cameron brews his own nutrient-rich "worm tea" with vermicast, molasses, fish emulsion, and humic acid to enhance the soil biology and applies this using fertigation. This is a homemade fertilizer that is also a disease and pest deterrent. Healthy soils yield better production, providing the foundation that enables the economics of farming to succeed. Cameron builds up the soil at home, shares his knowledge with his community, and in turn the collective power of those elements can turn into a healthier and more resilient food landscape for this part of rural Montana.

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