Why soil health collaboration is needed

Jules Reynolds is the program coordinator for the Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement. She joined SHARE in August 2024 and provides support and organization within the SHARE network. She also facilitates cross-team communication and helps develop collaborations for SHARE’s partners – the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. 

In the following Q&A, Jules says that SHARE’s collaborative approach to research and engagement is needed because the challenges to and opportunities for soil health are so wide-ranging and diverse.

What do you want farmers/other stakeholders to know about SHARE?

Reynolds: I have been consistently impressed with the dedication, rigor, and creativity of the soil health research and outreach efforts across SHARE partners and initiatives. In my role as program coordinator, I have the benefit of seeing the many soil health projects from a birds-eye view. I see how these seemingly disparate projects – from cover crop trials to interviews on farmer health to developing BIPOC farmer networks – all work together to build a stronger and more integrated web of knowledge for improving our region’s soil health and farming landscape.

What’s something new you’ve learned through the SHARE collaboration?

Reynolds: With my background in academic research and community engagement, I’ve enjoyed learning from our partner, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, about the policy and advocacy approaches for building soil health. These approaches include farmer and stakeholder outreach, education and capacity-building, alongside policy conversations at the state and national level. It’s been eye-opening to see how research and engagement can both support and build off these policy/advocacy efforts.

What are your key takeaways about the SHARE collaboration?

Reynolds: SHARE is a unique model in that this collaboration reaches across disciplines, institutions, and scales with the collective aim to improve soil health and, as a result, support stronger agricultural systems in the Upper Midwest. Through SHARE, we have multi-disciplinary researchers from UW-Madison, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, and the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center communicating with community engagement organizers, Extension agents, and advocacy leaders. Because the challenges and opportunities for soil health in our society are so wide-ranging and diverse, we need this kind of collaborative approach.

Nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich ingredients from compost at the Kusamala Institute of Agriculture in Malawi are later transformed into a rich, living soil. Jules Reynolds worked at this agroecological nonprofit after graduating from the University of Iowa.

Why are you interested in soil health?

Reynolds: Farming and food systems have long been a personal and professional interest of mine. I was raised on a farm in Iowa and studied food systems at the University of Iowa. I earned a master’s degree in Agroecology at UW-Madison and for the past 15 years, I’ve worked with farmers in both the U.S. and abroad.

Most recently, for my PhD research I worked with farmers and local food businesses in southern Wisconsin to find creative and collaborative ways to strengthen our local food economy. As every farmer knows, there can’t be a resilient food economy without supporting the resilience and strength of our soils. Through my past and ongoing work, I see how these efforts are all connected.

Prior to joining SHARE, Jules worked with farmers and food businesses on distribution and consumption links in the food chain. One of those businesses was Brix Cider, a farm-to-table restaurant and cidery in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.

Why are you interested in SHARE?

Reynolds: I joined the SHARE team this fall after completing my PhD in Environment and Resources and Geography from UW-Madison. I was excited to continue working in Wisconsin’ s food and agricultural systems. Since I had worked with farmers and food businesses in Wisconsin on distribution and consumption links in the food chain, I was excited to join SHARE to learn more and support efforts in the production/agricultural side.

What’s your favorite soil health practice (and why):

Reynolds: I love the alchemy of composting. After college I worked at an agroecological nonprofit in Malawi and joined the morning composting team there. I remember how rewarding it was to see the different materials – the green (nitrogen-rich) and brown (carbon-rich) ingredients – transform into a rich, living, nutrient-dense substance. When we turned the compost piles on a chilly morning, the thick steam emanating from the substrate was such a beautiful reminder that our soils are full of living, breathing, and digesting organisms.