In today’s episode, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2024 and express my deep gratitude for the time you’ve spent alongside me over the last 33 episodes of Hands in the Soil. I also share some personal and professional updates, as I’m gearing up to close a chapter and beginning a new one. I look back on my growth-filled year working at the Farm Lab in Encinitas, and give you a glimpse into what’s next for me. And in 2025, I’ll be taking you on a behind the scenes journey to show you what it takes to start a farm!

Do you have any feedback or specific topics you’d like to learn about in future episodes? If so, I’d love to hear from you. You can fill out the feedback form here: https://forms.gle/VAGUhbw3V3CnTMS56

Thank you for listening, and see you in 2025!

Connect with Hannah:

Instagram: @hannahkeitel

In today’s mini episode, we’re exploring soil cultivation practices — what tilling is, the different methods of soil disturbance, and how they affect soil health. We’ll also look at no-till agriculture as an alternative, examining both its advantages and challenges.

Tune in to learn more about…

• What soil cultivation is and how it's commonly used in conventional farming

• The different types of soil disturbance practices, from intensive tillage to conservation tillage to no-till

• Why disturbing the soil can have negative consequences, including weed growth, compaction, and loss of organic matter

• The long-term impacts on carbon release, erosion, and nutrient loss

• What no-till farming looks like and how it benefits soil health

• The challenges of non-organic no-till practices, which often rely on herbicides

• Key soil health principles that align with no-till and regenerative agriculture

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode 30: What is Regenerative Agriculture?

Connect with Hannah:

• Instagram: @hannahkeitel

In today’s mini episode, I dive into the thing that’s on everyone’s mind this week - the election. More specifically, I focus on how the food system might be impacted by the new administration.

Tune in to learn more about…

• The policies that give me hope

• The ways that Donald Trump’s promises are in direct opposition to the platform that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran on

• How fossil fuel and immigration policies are all intrinsically connected to the health of our national food system

• What we can do to create the change we wish to see

Connect with Hannah:

• Instagram: @hannahkeitel