LEWISTON, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) has released a pair of music videos highlighting key themes of the growing farmer interest in building soil health. The two songs-of-the-soil, “Got Cover Crops” and “Back to Soil,” were commissioned from Austin, Minn., native and singer-songwriter Bret Hesla and performed with the band Six Feet Deep. Video editing and production was done by Winona-area native Kobi Dansingburg.

While writing the songs, Hesla got deeply grounded in the subject matter through visits to the farms of soil health practitioners and Land Stewardship Project members Tom and Alma Cotter, of Austin, and Kaleb and Angie Anderson of Goodhue, Minn. LSP hopes that these videos can further build the energy and community that’s been growing among farmers interested in improving soil health in the Upper Midwest.

According to LSP soil health team member Doug Nopar, these songs help reach people at a deeper level.

“Between the upbeat rhythm and the catchy lyrics, it’s hard to get these songs out of your head. Music can help keep us all connected to a larger goal — in this case, building the soil and the vitality of our farms, and these songs do just that,” Nopar said.“We’re hoping this music can help inject a bit of hope and levity and support for those that are doing the right thing out on the land.”

The music videos are available for public use and at no charge. The videos and the audio can be accessed through the Land Stewardship Project website: https://landstewardshipproject.org/soilmusic.

Radio and television producers needing access to MP3 audio files or Vimeo video files can contact the Land Stewardship Project’s Brian DeVore at bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org or 612-816-9342.

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