notes on Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society conference 2026

January 30, 2026, Norfolk NE

mentored by Jim & Claire Williams, present but too shy to lecture!
compost extract is made from dried compost, extracted with water & air; food may be added later.
compost tea has added nutrient (e.g. molasses) during and after the extraction process.
goal: increase microbial association with the seed, or leaves in foliar application
oats sowed on top of the compost pile both encourage and demonstrate compost quality
- oats dramatically increase beneficial nematodes and all microbes, while reducing harmful oomycetes
5 gallons of dry compost yield 200 gallons of extract
don't use chlorinated water!
glomalin can cause foaming during aeration
seed should be planted within 14 days of treatment
there are benefits to extract treatment even if the seed was already chemically treated
more extract goes in the furrow during planting
yield studies show no significant difference in production between extract-treated and conventional seed, unfortunately
however foliar spraying of extract can kill pests: aphids, army worms. Unclear whether it was the increased brix or biology or even the molasses that killed them.

NaTerra Farms (David City, NE, NW of Lincoln) philosophy: permaculture/syntropic; 3 paths, 1 direction:
- Daniel Munduruku, 1st indigenous Brazilian Ph.D. memory, story, identity; why do we care? Spirit lives in learning, soil holds stories.
- Krenak, Brazilian author of Ideas to Postpone the End of the World. ethics, relationship, responsibility; who we are. Spirit lives in ethical connection to earth.
- Ernst Götsch, Swiss/Brazilian champion of syntropic agriculture. ecology, practice, regeneration: how to regenerate.
Syntropic principles: nature → complexity; disturbance can be regenerative; farmers facilitate succession.
milpa of corn, squash, and soybean: soy did not do well, not well adapted, still 193 lbs of produce.
1500 lbs of food from mandala garden alone
chickens are allies in ecological balance
biochar used sparingly because manure is plentiful, no surplus wood.
value of mandala garden is philosophical: break out of straight lines.
- Pests are confused by circular plantings as well.
- Soil was inverted in construction, subsoil on top, made fertile.
- Built with excavator in 3 hours, 60' circle, will become forest.
- In Brazil, similar designs are built by hand by multiple families.

NECC serves ~14k students, ~3k full time.
Ag program has ~300 full time students! Horticulture is ~15 full time students.
Cross-collaborative Urban Agriculture degree program is 50% ag, 50% horticulture.
Maybe 1 in 20 incoming students has ever planted a tree.
Urban farm site was previously part of dept of corrections.
- Old structures were buried, affecting soil quality; incinerator was fueled by leaded gasoline!
- Lead tests were humbling, very irregular from one spot to the next. Also cadmium from medical records (X-rays).
- municipal water high in arsenic, but well water high in nitrate!
- ~10 acres: fruit & nut orchard, raised beds, compost, beehives, boiochar, maple taps, teaching areas, pollinator gardens, etc.

Ranked #5 on list of US ag innovators.
How can we get to the point of using food as preventative medicine?
Ag today is a race to the bottom, but it's never too late to learn a better way.
Healthier soil allows a longer growing season by resisting frost.
Soil aggregates only last ~4 weeks; have to be continuously regrown.
Total Nutrient Extraction (TNE) test: the soil's bank account. Invariably shows there's plenty there. Plants with deep roots can access even more and bring it to the surface.
Historically most plants could fix nitrogen through associations with free-living microbes, but it's been bred out.
The more often you move livestock, the btter, even multiple times a day.
May/June calving is far more enjoyable, profitable & proble-free than winter.
Nutrient density of our food has declined 15-65% since 1940.

cropwatch.unl.edu/soil-health-program
soil threats: erosion & compaction, but also loss of biodiversity & organic matter
Just a 1% increase in OM in the top 6-8" of soil retains an additional ~3k gallons of water (per acre?) due ot 2.3% increase in porosity.
advantage of no-till is much greater than reduced till. Thotakuri et al, 2024.
Must evaluate chemical, physical, and biological health. SOC, stability/texture, respiration.

see pamphlet: NE Soil Health Coalition.
overlap between partners, producers, and community
income calculations need to include ecosystem services & land valuation.
costs need to include environmental & social costs.
Water quality & human health: growing concern in academia, communities, and legislature.
nitrate contamination map overlaps with pediatric cancer.
community benefits of conservation practices are about 5x/$1
change happens through relationships at the speed of trust.

What is soil health? diff agencies disagree, but it's not extractive.
human health is defined in terms of well-being, not absence of disease.
"The system was designed for the results we're getting."
Nebraska has 12.7% of households in food insecurity.
Healthy microbiome has no relation to ancestry, it's 100% the environment. Low fat, high fiber -> more diverse microbiome.
High fiber -> better glucose control, lower LDL, satiety, intestinal health, lower cardiovascular disease.
strong correlation between regenerative ag & nutrient density.
participation in community gardens correlates strongly with fruit & veg consumption.
access to healthcare -> more small farms -> better soil health
legislation tries to get quick ROI, but many of these improvements take years.

chose former pig lots for their fertility
3 elements of sustainability (triple bottom line): environmentally responsible, economically profitable, socially responsible.
Inexpensive pest repellents: cages, dog hair, traps.
Delay planting pumpkins until June for reduced squash bugs.
zinnias to attract pollinators to crops.