In May, Monte Bottens and his wife, Robyn, welcomed a group of young people to Bottens Family Farm. Hosting a farm tour was nothing new for the couple. They have built Ag Solutions Network around the belief that education, shared experience and practical learning are essential to advancing soil health—and that the health of our soil is deeply connected to the health of plants, livestock and people.
Helping farmers understand and implement soil-health principles is central to Ag Solutions Network’s mission. That commitment extends beyond products and programs. It means opening the farm gate, sharing both successes and challenges, and creating opportunities for farmers and consumers to see how agricultural systems work firsthand.
So, in true Monte and Robyn fashion, they made room in their schedule for another farm tour—something they are always glad to do. It was an opportunity to share their family’s farming story, the lessons they have learned and their hopes for the future of agriculture.
Asking a Different Question About the Future of Food
The Roots on the Road team, part of Kiss the Ground, visited Bottens Family Farm as one of approximately 40 farm stops across the country. During their visit, the group learned about soil health, regenerative agriculture and Monte and Robyn’s direct-to-consumer farm business, Grateful Graze.
The Roots on the Road team began its journey across America by asking, “What is the future of food?” After visiting Bottens Family Farm, team member Augusta said Monte and Robyn encouraged them to consider a different question: “Who is shaping it?”
“They’ve grown Grateful Graze into more than a farm—into a family—and we felt that as soon as we stepped onto the soil,” Augusta said. “And the soil was something you can’t describe. You have to feel it, smell it, see it and touch it. Looking at the grass and the differences in the ground was something we will seriously never forget.”
That kind of firsthand experience is one of the most effective ways to help people understand soil health. Healthy soil is more than an idea or a set of measurements. Its impact can be seen in plant growth, water infiltration, livestock performance, food quality and the long-term resilience of a farm.
Turning Soil-Health Principles into Practice
Education becomes most valuable when it helps people take practical action. Through Ag Solutions Network, Monte and Robyn work to make soil-health principles understandable and implementable for farmers at different stages of their journeys.
Improving soil health is not about adopting a single practice or following a universal prescription. It requires learning how soil biology, crop nutrition, livestock, water, management and profitability work together as parts of one system. It also requires farmers to observe, test, adapt and find approaches that fit their individual operations.
For consumers, farm visits offer a clearer understanding of the relationship between soil, farming practices and the food they purchase. By bringing farmers and consumers into the same conversation, Ag Solutions Network hopes to encourage better questions, greater understanding and a stronger connection to the people and natural resources behind our food.
Augusta said the group’s deepest impression went beyond the roots themselves. It was the power of possibility.
“Monte truly does the impossible, finding the intersection of scalability, regeneration and profitability,” she said. “The future of food is here, and it’s rooted in people like the Bottens. They’re not only growing food, but also their community.”
She also noted the many ways Monte and Robyn support learning across generations and around the world—from working with doctoral students to including a local high school student in the farm tour.
“They’re doing both intergenerational and international work, having a sizable impact on their farm, but also on the world,” Augusta said.
Growing Knowledge Alongside Food
As the tour came to a close, the group experienced one more Bottens family innovation: black maple syrup. It was a sweet ending to a day spent discussing farming, family and the responsibility to leave the land better for the next generation.
The learning did not stop when the visitors left the farm. Augusta said Monte continued sharing resources, recommending people to meet and suggesting other farms the group could visit during its journey.
“The future of food may be built at scale, but it’s still rooted in particular soil, particular people and the patient work of caring for both,” she said.
Augusta’s observations capture what Ag Solutions Network strives to accomplish: helping farmers learn from one another, giving consumers a clearer view of agriculture and making soil-health knowledge practical enough to put into action.
Every farm tour, conversation, podcast episode and shared lesson is an opportunity to grow understanding. Because improving the future of agriculture begins by helping more people understand what is happening beneath their feet—and how healthier soil can support healthier farms, animals, communities and people.
To continue learning about practical soil-health principles and the farmers putting them into practice, explore the educational resources and AgEmerge Podcast from Ag Solutions Network.
