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Agraria In Yellow Springs Launches Regenerative Farming Fellowship

Regenerative Farming Fellow Kenisha Robinson stands in the barn at Agraria.
Chris Welter
/
WYSO
Regenerative Farming Fellow Kenisha Robinson stands in the barn at Agraria.

The Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice in Yellow Springs (formerly The Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions) has launched an agricultural training program with Central State and The Nature Conservancy. It is designed for farmers who are interested in regenerative agriculture.

Instead of just extracting crops from the land, regenerative farmers try to improve the soil. They plant cover crops and are careful not to cause too much erosion of the soil. Regenerative farmers also plant diverse arrays of crops, instead of just an industrial monoculture of corn or soybeans. Those sorts of practices help keep the soil balanced and healthy.

Kenisha Robinson is one of Agraria’s first Regenerative Farming Fellows. Robinson is also on staff at the non-profit as a program assistant. She has an eight acre family farm in Trotwood.

“I like being able to be out there touching the soil, touching the plants," Robinson said. "I feel like I have more of a connection with them that way than I do if I'm just on a tractor or using machines all day long to do the work.”

The McCain Acres Urban Agricultural Center in South Springfield. Two growing spaces for the Farming Fellows are located at the Center.
Chris Welter
/
WYSO
The McCain Acres Urban Agricultural Center in South Springfield. Two growing spaces for the Farming Fellows are located at the Center.

The six-month long paid fellowship started in April. The fellows are receiving education and training in business planning and farming practices. They are also touring a number of local successful farms and markets. Most of the fellows are people of color. They represent both urban and rural sites in Montgomery, Greene and Clark counties.

Environmental reporter Chris Welter is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.

Chris Welter is the Managing Editor at The Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.

Chris got his start in radio in 2017 when he completed a six-month training at the Center for Community Voices. Most recently, he worked as a substitute host and the Environment Reporter at WYSO.