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Fresh Dirt: soil news when it breaks
Read our newsletter about soil health and practical tips for the farm, garden, grants and beyond.
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Soil & Cinema
#cinesuelo
Host a Soil & Cinema Night: Unlock a $10k Prize & Unlock $25k in Grant Funding!Transform your land into a hub for community, film, and science. Our Soil & Cinema events pair a live expert soil pit demo with a magical outdoor movie event. We handle everything from permits to projection, you provide the beautiful space.Your Event Is an Investment in Your Land's Future:Win Expert Equipment: Hosts who secure their event with a deposit are automatically entered to win a $10,000 on-farm weather & soil moisture monitoring system from Meter Group!Unlock State Funding: The professional soil health assessment from your event provides the foundational work needed to apply for up to $25,000 in NMDA Healthy Soil Grant funding in 2026.This is for dedicated land stewards ready to leverage data and community for deeper resilience.Contest runs until November 30, 2025. Winner announced on World Soil Day, December 5th.Ready to learn more and plant the seeds for your land's future? Fill out our host interest form below!
So long summer
As the growing season winds down, seize the means of your soil's production NOW. Check in on your soil structure and biology before it goes dormant. Conduct a simple bioassay to record your compost's quality and vitality. Test seed germination rates to inform spring planting. Now is the perfect time to plant winter-kill cover crops like buckwheat and mustard—they suppress weeds and add organic matter without competing in spring. These actions and others create a resilient foundation for next year's success. For more essential tips, explore our curated guides on Pinterest.
Where there's smoke
there's risk:
A NM Crop impact Study
This collective of farmers, orchardists, agriculturalists, chefs, and scientists launching a critical community research initiative to address the escalating threat of wildfire smoke taint to New Mexico's vital crops. This project employs a phased approach, beginning with immediate chemical and sensory analysis of wine grapes, chile, and tree fruit from the 2025 season. Our goal is to establish robust, local data to understand the real-world impact on our harvests and economic livelihoods.We are seeking to build collaborative partnerships with New Mexico State University (NMSU), the New Mexico Chile Association, the Chile and Wine Festival, and other key industry groups. We must act now, before next year's fire season, to develop actionable strategies. The findings from this work are essential to inform future crop management, establish damage thresholds, and guide state-level programmatic support, ensuring the resilience and future of New Mexico agriculture.