In this second part of our conversation with Michael Carter Jr. of Carter Farms in Orange County, Virginia, Michael shares his unique insights and perspectives on history and its ongoing relationship to soil health and farming. Michael is a fifth-generation farmer with a passion for small farm outreach, the decline in the number of black farmers and black-owned farms, and efforts to restore equity and justice in farming and access to land. Michael recounts the foresight his grandmother and her family had in buying their farm and land in Orange County after World War II. He also shares the significant role and contribution George Washington Carver had in extension education and outreach related to cropping and the care of the soil. Michael points out the spiritual elements of soil health and how many religious traditions recognize the value of soil in building community, trust, and faith.

To learn more about Carter Farms and the interdisciplinary teaching platform Africulture, please visit https://thecarterfarms.com/.

For book recommendations and other resources, please visit the Virginia Soil Health Coalition website at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ . We also encourage you to join the soil health movement and take the 4 The Soil Pledge at https://www.4thesoil.org/take-the-pledge.html.