Understanding Ag

Washington (GGM) Analysis | December 7, 2021, by Noreen Wise, Founder & CEO of Gallant Gold Media, and author

For the millions of passionate and determined people across the globe who are championing nature-based climate solutions, boosting soil health to grow more crops, trees, and biodiversity, is of critical importance. The IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) warns that 75 percent of the Earth’s land is degraded. The 2020 documentary, Kiss the Ground, cautioned that unless we fix our soils, we only have 60 harvests left.

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In order to grow the vast majority of our food, as much as 95 percent say some, we need healthy topsoil. Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta and a team of soil health experts associated with Understanding Ag in Bismarck, North Dakota, know just how to solve the soil health crisis. These mavericks shunned conventional farming practices years ago. For Gabe, it all began in the mid-to-late 1990’s, after four intense years of complete crop destruction due to weather events, during which he made a stunning discovery. This led to no-till testing, crop rotations, and diverse cover crop mixes that create an armor that protects the soil and locks in carbon, boosts water infiltration, retains moisture, and keeps the soil temperature cool. These soil health experts travel the U.S. and the world, educating farmers on regenerative agriculture practices and helping farmers restore degraded farmland. Gabe Brown’s book, Dirt to Soil, outlines the six soil health principles that not only restore soil health, but also significantly increase carbon drawdown.

Healthy soil is a massive carbon reservoir. “If we want to achieve drawdown, we have to go thank the earth, and start to farm and grow our plants and trees in an entirely different way.” (Kiss the Ground)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the Arabian sun beats down with unforgiving force, there is another team of soil mavericks who’ve spent the better part of nearly two decades testing and experimenting innovative ways to bring the desert sands back to life.

Fluid dynamics engineer, Kristian P Olesen with Desert Control in Norway, conducted endless experiments in search of a nanoclay formula that would increase the surface of the grains of sand in order for each to have the structure and ability to retain water and nutrients. The innovative clay infusion idea came from an analysis of the fertile Nile, more than a thousand miles away, and the realization that it was the clay from the East African drainage basin that feeds into the Nile that made the delta so productive.

Fifteen years later, Kristian P Olesen had his ah-ha moment.

Growing watermelons on the desert sand, not only restores life to this massive stretch of unproductive desert, but it feeds the local community and provides jobs. The process is simple. Farmers spray the sand with the nanoclay treatment, and seven hours later, they can plant their watermelons.

Liquid Nanoclay:

Soil recovery technology
The right amount of clay holds the desert sand together
Degraded sandy soil around world is different and needs a different nanoclay formula
Years of testing was conducted in China, Egypt, UAE, and Pakistan
Research and development was based on Cationic Exchange Capacity

Chief Executive of Desert Control, Ole Sivertsen (“hope maker and climate optimist”), explained Cationic Exchange Capacity to the BBC. “Clay particles have a negative charge due to their chemical make-up, while sand grains are positive. This natural polarity means that when they physically meet, they bind.”

Nanoclay formula creates a 200-300 nanometre layer around each grain of sand that generates a form similar to a snowflake
The larger surface area of the snowflake enables water and nutrients to stick to the sand instead of run off
Treatment lasts about five years and then farmers have to top up
Nanoclay only works with sandy soil

For non-sandy degraded soil in other regions, as mentioned, the solution is the soil health movement’s six principles for healthy soil which is often expedited by using biochar — burned compost that transforms into a carbon rich form similar to charcoal, with a large surface area that’s light and porous — added to nutrient rich compost and worked into the soil.

Desert Control emphasized to the BBC that their mission is to use nanoclay to take the degraded desert land “from sand to hope.”

The next steps for Desert Control is to lower the cost by scaling up the production of nanoclay and distributing throughout the UAE. Desert Control plans to:

build small mobile factories
each mobile factory would produce 10,500 gallons of nanoclay an hour
the mobile factories would be used in UAE city parks
the nanoclay treatment would reduce watering by 47 percent

“The very practices that heal our soil, will also heal our climate.” (Kiss the Ground)

Check back each week for new climate optimism articles featuring innovative ideas that will help solve the climate crisis.

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Washington (GGM) Analysis | October 28, 2021 by author and climate journalist Noreen Wise

Overhauling our food system is a primary focus for nations across the globe as the world quickly moves forward with mapping out urgent and effective mitigation strategies to lower global warming in an effort to stay below 1.5ºC. Additionally, the goal for all G-20 nations heading to COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, is to implement clean energy, zero waste, carbon neutral solutions so we can transition to a sustainable culture aligned with biodiversity in nature.

Conventional farming, (those farms where farmers plow the soil, releasing all the stored carbon, and who use strong microbe-destroying pesticides that contain glyphosate), along with the notorious animal feed lots, have been identified as the chief villains in our global food system which generates extraordinarily high levels of methane and CO2 emissions. Many climate activists around the world are insisting that we all become 100 percent vegan so we can win this particular battle in our fight to cut carbon emissions.

We only have until 2030 to cut carbon emissions by 50%. Half the battle is knowing what to do first. Reach out so we can help you figure out the best path forward.

I was all in on becoming vegetarian 16 years ago, and more recently trying diligently to become 100 percent vegan. This mission of mine was for health reasons, though, after surviving Stage 3 invasive cancer at a relatively young age. Once the 7 surgeries, 3 months of chemo, and 2 months of radiation were completed, my plan had been to stay away from the toxins found in our food supply. I had learned more about these hazardous chemicals while sitting in a chemo chair, researching, trying to keep myself busy during treatment. I simply could not figure out how I got cancer. I ate a healthy diet, and exercised regularly. I didn’t know anyone who had cancer, no family or friends. I became convinced that if I could uncover how it happened, I’d be able to prevent a recurrence.

I wasn’t eating organic before being diagnosed with cancer. I also knew nothing about the glyphosate that was covering the fresh broccoli and other fresh fruits and vegetables that I consumed daily. After all, it was 2005. But, in 2006, following the conclusion of my my cancer treatments at the end of 2005, I was determined to rebuild my immune system and had the good fortune of meeting with a life-changing doctor associated with what was to become Duke’s new holistic wellness Integrative Medicine Center, which sent me down a bright new path in life. This wonderful wellness doctor offered several natural remedies. One was the daily regimen of pressing a garlic clove into broth and heating to boost my immune system. (I now add the pressed garlic clove to a quarter cup of water instead of broth and heat in microwave for 35 seconds, then chug.) This is super cheap and easy. As is the fresh ginger added to tea.

My cancer doctor at UNC wasn’t expecting any miracles, and had explained when my treatment was completed that I only had a 34% chance to live longer than 2 – 4 years if I didn’t take Tamoxifen. But, I didn’t want Tamoxifen side effects. There had to be another way. I was determined to prove that rebuilding my immune system by establishing strong daily wellness habits based on natural and holistic principles that incorporated medicinal plants in my diet would work. I’d done everything else my doctor had recommended, but I couldn’t take Tamoxifen. Natural remedies had kept humans alive for thousands of years. There simply had to be some truth behind the belief that it was beneficial, and I was determined to prove it. My initial cancer doctor was not happy with me, at all.

I relished the opportunity to test different plants and vitamins and combinations of plants and vitamins, as well as sleep 8 hours a day and exercise vigorously. I quickly found myself involved in endless days, weeks, and months of testing, altering various amounts of plants, vitamins, sleep and exercise, and after approximately 9 months, ended with a powerful formula that made me feel happy, healthy, and fit, much more so than I’d felt before cancer. My bloodwork even returned to normal with a boost.

All my curiosity and effort paid off. At the two year mark, my pet-scan showed 100% cancer free. I continued maintaining the same rigorous health routine, and 16 years later feel extremely grateful for the guidance I received in 2006 at Duke, that set me on a successful path and taught me so much about health, wellness, and a strong immune system.

But to become 100 percent vegan for climate, I had to somehow find, or create, the right “complete protein” formula. I learned back in 2006, that for me, powders and supplements weren’t the same as medicinal plants. They seemed the same in theory, but they didn’t feel the same when I used them. I had learned the hard way that too much of a good thing isn’t good. IE, B6. Why so many vitamins have 1000 percent daily recommended amount of B6, is something I’ll never understand. High doses of B6 negatively alter my mood and make me very emotional. I can’t have more than the simple 100 percent B6 and thus have to take children’s chewable vitamins. Another example is garlic. I’ve found, that one clove fresh garlic everyday is different than a garlic supplement. This might just be me, though.

Morning Star products have been around for awhile and they typically have 9g protein, versus Beyond Meat’s Beyond Sausage’s 16g. None of my lentil, chickpea, black bean or kidney bean formulas were working perfectly, so I had to eat a small piece of antibiotic-free turkey everyday. But 16 months ago, a vegan friend told me about Beyond Meat and how amazing it was, and the effectiveness of the protein. When I spotted it in the grocery store, I grabbed a package of plant-based Beyond Sausage Hot Italian. It tasted great with organic black bean spaghetti and organic marinara sauce. An ideal plant-based product with the perfect protein level. Finally! I was 100% vegan which felt like a big win. But:

I never connected my sudden vision deterioration to Beyond Sausage (suddenly not being able to read a text when out in the city without my reading glasses was a problem).
Nor could I figure out why every time the water that the sausage was cooking in bubbled over the top of the pan, it started a fire on the stove (with real flames).
It also changed my mood, although I didn’t pick up on Beyond Sausage being the cause at the time. I simply wondered why my serotonin rich sunflower seeds, dark chocolate squares and running 5k every day didn’t make me happy any more. That magic “happiness” formula had worked for 15 years, then it abruptly ended after I began eating Beyond Sausage.
And I was astonished and very frustrated that changing one thing in my diet could make me gain 10 pounds.

I began to fret, still not piecing together that these issues were connected to Beyond Sausage, but rather I attributed them to staying home during covid. Covid stay home side effects.

As a soil health advocate and believer in regenerative agriculture, I’m also a big fan of Gabe Brown and Understanding Ag and watch their webinars. It was in June 2021, that I viewed Regenerating Human Health: The Soil and Human Microbiomes with Sara Keough that I learned that those of us who eat these high protein, plant-based meat alternatives should be careful, that recent studies had shown that faux meats aren’t as healthy as they appear to be.

I love to follow the advice of those I trust, and I trust Gabe Brown’s advice implicitly (as well as those connected with Gabe Brown). Thus, I stopped eating Beyond Sausage after Sara Keough’s webinar. In less than 4 weeks, my vision was back to normal, as was my happiness level. And after 2 months, the 10 pounds was gone as well.

I haven’t been able to find much information on the Beyond Meat side effects of vision, mood, and flammability that I experienced, so maybe my symptoms are a one-off. But I did discover one article that mentioned weight gain.

I’ll now begin researching more about these other concerns, but wanted to document my anecdotal experiences at this time, a few days prior to COP26, since veganism and meat alternatives will be a big discussion at COP26 and the months that follow. These types of health conditions — vision, mood and weight gain — are tough for medical professionals to properly diagnose when the cause is something as innocuous as plant-based meat. How would a doctor possibly determine that a patient’s health condition might be related to a meat alternative. Is that even a question that doctors ask patients?

I’m currently hypothesizing that the side effects might have something to do with the pea protein.

With any new product like Beyond Meat, and now a whole line of competing brands, (that climate activists have been hoping will become one of the many silver bullets that lower atmospheric CO2 levels), it’s vitally important that we have assurance that each solution is healthy and safe. With so many forever chemicals hiding in plain sight all around us, any one new drop of an extra chemical added to a daily diet can be the final straw that pushes our health into the danger zone.

I’ve returned to eating a little bit of meat each week and it feels like the ideal balance for my overall health and wellness. I’m back to being happy, healthy and fit, while still maintaining a very low carbon footprint.

Beyond Sausage Ingredients:

Water
Pea Protein Isolate
Refined Coconut Oil
Sunflower Oil
Natural Flavor
Contains 2% or less of: Rice Protein, Faba Bean Protein, Potato Starch, Salt, Fruit Juice (for color), Vegetable Juice (for color), Apple Fiber, Methylcellulose, Citrus Extract (to protect quality), Calcium Alginate Casing.