Songs for the Soil

In 2020, Minnesota musician Bret Hesla was inspired by the Land Stewardship Project’s soil health work (and conversations with farmers) to write and record a set of songs that honor people’s relationship with the ground beneath our feet and the importance of stewarding it via regenerative farming systems. Below you can listen to Bret and the band Six Feet Deep as they perform the 2022 release of four of these songs: “A Little Better,” “Dead Dirt’s Coming Back,” “The Boundless Earth,” and “Six Feet Deep.” Also, check out the first two songs from this effort — they were released in 2020 as music videos: “Got Cover Crops” and “Back to Soil.” Give these recordings a listen and if you’re interested in using them for an event or other purposes, contact Bret directly via his website.

A Little Better

Lyrics

A Little Better

1. When I get old I’ll leave this place
When I get old I’ll leave this place
When I get old I’ll leave this place
Pass it on to a younger face

I’m gonna leave this land a little better
For the next who comes along.

2. I rarely turn the soil these days
I rarely turn the soil these days
I rarely turn the soil these days
I’ve been trying out different ways

I’m gonna leave this land a little better
For the next who comes along.

3. I ran out to watch a storm last spring
Ran out to watch a storm last spring
Ran out to watch a storm last spring
I saw a three-inch rain soak in

I’m gonna leave this land a little better
For the next who comes along.

4. You smell that ground, you know it’s right
You smell that ground, you know it’s right
You smell that ground, you know it’s right
Someone’s future’s looking bright

I’m gonna leave this land a little better
For the next who comes along.

5. They drank from this crick when Dad was young
They drank from this crick when Dad was young
They drank from this crick when Dad was young
My grandchildren will again

I’m gonna leave this land a little better
For the next who comes along.

Words and music by Bret Hesla. Written on commission for the Land Stewardship Project
© 2020 Bret Hesla. All rights reserved. Use only with permission of Bret Hesla, please. Contact: Bret.hesla@gmail.com. Website: www.brethesla.com.

Recording Credits

Words & music by Bret Hesla
Recorded by Bret Hesla & Six Feet Deep
Bret Hesla — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Dan Chouinard — piano
Dave Michel — bass, vocals
Steve Kimball — percussion
Tim Gustafson — lead guitar, group vocals
Rebekah Fergus — harmony vocals
Robin Nelson – group vocals
Betty Tisel — group vocals
Jane Dunlap — group vocals
Brooks Cavin — group vocals
Larry Dittberner — group vocals
Recording Engineer — Dave Michel
Recorded at Orchard House, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dead Dirt's Coming Back

Lyrics

Dead Dirt’s Coming Back

1. My dead dirt’s come alive, just look and see
And I bet you wonder how that came to be
My friends and I got tired of farming like we’re hired
By someone with whom we don’t quite agree.

2. My friends and I we’ve set aside the plow
And most folks when they hear that they’re like, “Wow!”
We try not to disturb the living mother earth
We’re working with, not fighting nature now.

We’ve got new ways to do things
And here’s the part that makes you want to smile
All the dead dirt’s coming back
The dead dirt’s coming back, the dead dirt’s coming back to living soil.

3. My friends and I put grazing stock in play
And we move our fences several times a day
When the neighbors pasture’s chewed and brown, they see ours green and tall
And they can’t believe we’re running cows at all

We’ve got new ways to do things
And here’s the part that makes you want to smile
All the dead dirt’s coming back
The dead dirt’s coming back, the dead dirt’s coming back to living soil.

4. There comes a time in every person’s life
What we value most, and what we do don’t jive
As the years erode away, their fading voices say
If you meant to take a risk, well your time’s arrived

We’ve got new ways to do things
And here’s the part that makes you want to smile
All the dead dirt’s coming back
The dead dirt’s coming back, the dead dirt’s coming back to living soil.

Words and music by Bret Hesla. Written on commission for the Land Stewardship Project
© 2020 Bret Hesla. All rights reserved. Use only with permission of Bret Hesla, please. Contact: Bret.hesla@gmail.com. Website: www.brethesla.com.

Recording Credits

Bret Hesla & Six Feet Deep
Bret Hesla — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Dan Chouinard — piano
Dave Michel — bass, vocals
Steve Kimball — drums
Tim Gustafson — lead guitar, group vocals
Rebekah Fergus — harmony vocals
Robin Nelson — group vocals
Betty Tisel — group vocals
Jane Dunlap — group vocals
Brooks Cavin — group vocals
Larry Dittberner — group vocals
Recording Engineer — Dave Michel
Recorded at Orchard House, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Boundless Earth

Lyrics

The Boundless Earth

1. My folks got land when it was free.
Land full of trails we didn’t see.

Times were hard. But we were young and full of certainty.

2. We pulled the rocks. We cut the trees.
We cleared the sod, made room for seed.

Times were hard. But we were young and full of certainty.

3. We turned the soil. Played by the book.
Pulled fences down. Did what it took.

Times were hard. But we were young and full of certainty.

4. The cities grew. The memories waned.
Most of us left those thinning plains.

Times were hard. But we were young and full of certainty.

5. That Eden land we stumbled on,
That boundless earth, where has it gone?

Times were hard. But we were young and full of certainty

6. We got this land when it was free.
Land full of trails we didn’t see.

Times were hard. But we were young and full of certainty

Words and music by Bret Hesla. Written on commission for the Land Stewardship Project
© 2020 Bret Hesla. All rights reserved. Use only with permission of Bret Hesla, please. Contact: Bret.hesla@gmail.com. Website: www.brethesla.com.

Recording Credits

Bret Hesla & Six Feet Deep
Bret Hesla — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Dan Chouinard — accordion, piano
Dave Michel — bass, vocals
Steve Kimball — percussion
Tim Gustafson — lead guitar
Rebekah Fergus — harmony vocals
Recording Engineer — Dave Michel
Recorded at Orchard House, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Six Feet Deep

Lyrics

Six Feet Deep

1. Native prairie, the soil thrived
Way way back before the plows arrived

It was six feet deep.
Can you imagine it was six feet deep? [Serious black!]
Once upon a time, the soil was six feet deep.

2. It was species rich, like a hundred-fold
Their roots all tangled in the midnight gold

It was six feet deep.
Can you imagine it was six feet deep? [Serious black!]
All that life standing on six feet deep

3. Then came my people. Tell me how
The big fat loam’s gotten skinny now.

It was six feet deep.
Can you imagine it was six feet deep? [Serious black!]
How on earth could we squander that six feet deep

4. City folks, you got to pay your mind
If the soil dies, you’re going right behind

Talking six feet deep.
Can you imagine it — six feet deep? [Serious black]
Everybody’s got a stake in that six feet deep

5. It’s no joke, it’s no jive
People need a vision to stay alive

How ’bout six feet deep?
Could we regenerate six feet deep? [Serious black]
We’ve got a vision — We call it six feet deep.

Words and music by Bret Hesla. Written on commission for the Land Stewardship Project
© 2020 Bret Hesla. All rights reserved. Use only with permission of Bret Hesla, please. Contact: Bret.hesla@gmail.com. Website: www.brethesla.com.

Recording Credits

Bret Hesla & Six Feet Deep
Bret Hesla — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Dan Chouinard — piano
Dave Michel — bass, vocals
Steve Kimball — drums
Tim Gustafson — lead guitar, group vocals
Rebekah Fergus — harmony vocals
Jeff Bauer — tuba
Robin Nelson — group vocals
Betty Tisel — group vocals
Jane Dunlap — group vocals
Brooks Cavin — group vocals
Larry Dittberner — group vocals
Recording Engineer — Dave Michel
Recorded at Orchard House, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Got Cover Crops

Click Here to Play the “Got Cover Crops” Video

Lyrics

Got Cover Crops

1. Here comes wind | here comes rain.
Devil gonna take my soil away.
Oh black water, hills erode.
Uh-uh, I can’t let that go! That’s why...

I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
I don’t leave myself defenseless with my bare soil hanging out.
I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
Hold that water, build that soil
Makin’ the numbers pencil out.

2. Green protector, species cover
Add a bit of chicory for my mother.
Smorgasbord for cows to graze
Pollinator paradise. Telling you…

I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
I don’t leave myself defenseless with my bare soil hanging out.
I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
Hold that water, build that soil
Makin’ the numbers pencil out.

3. I plant some things to keep it wet.
I plant some things to keep it fertile.
I plant some things that I can sell.
I love to double dip! Telling you …

I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
I don’t leave myself defenseless with my bare soil hanging out.
I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
Hold that water, build that soil
Makin’ the numbers pencil out.

4. Italian ryegrass and mammoth clover
Brassica, peas and beans and big sunflowers
Radish, fescue and hairy vetch
Yeah, why not the kitchen sink?

5. They work great for me and I’ll tell you true.
I think they could work great for you.
If you don’t make the number one mistake:
You never tried ’em in the first place. That’s why…

I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
I don’t leave myself defenseless with my bare soil hanging out.
I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
Hold that water, build that soil
Makin’ the numbers pencil out.

6. Fireflies sparkle, grandkids frolic.
Anybody heard of the word bucolic?
Who doesn’t love November green?
Hey, look over there — it’s, another fox! Yes…

I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
I don’t leave myself defenseless with my bare soil hanging out.
I’ve got cover crops. I’ve got them all about.
Hold that water, build that soil
Makin’ the numbers pencil out.

Words and music by Bret Hesla. Written on commission for the Land Stewardship Project
© 2020 Bret Hesla. All rights reserved. Use only with permission of Bret Hesla, please. Contact: Bret.hesla@gmail.com. Website: www.brethesla.com.

Recording Credits

Bret Hesla & Six Feet Deep
Bret Hesla — lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Dan Chouinard — piano
Dave Michel — bass, vocals
Joe Silberschmidt — drums
Tim Gustafson — lead guitar
Rebekah Fergus — vocals
Martha Schwen Bardwell — vocals
Linda Breitag — vocals
Ray Makeever — vocals
Larry Dittberner — vocals
Bob Stuber — vocals
Production Services — Matthew Zimmerman/Control Z

Back to Soil

Click Here to Play the Back to Soil Video

Lyrics

Back to Soil

1. If you study history, then you’ll know | The empire falls when the topsoil goes.
Well the signs today are pretty clear to read | Soil’s looking bad and we’ve lost six feet.
But here’s the news, we could build it back | And I heard about farmers with a plan for that.
So I paid one a visit, we sat to chat ‘n that | one cup of coffee set me on a whole new track.

2. I went to no-till, let the soil be still. | I quit fighting what’s on my side.
Then it was cover crop, covered every bare spot | with the armor of a thick green hide.
And when the fields turned into gaudy buffet | I put new ways to graze in place.
Now I’m working with nature. “Halleluya!”
The dirt’s coming back, back to soil.

3. I keep living roots, year round living in the soil | Pulling carbon out of the sky.
They pull it down underground, then it’s shot right out | To feed the little microbes, mycorrhizal fungi.
I make ’em happy, and they send back | all the nutrients that I was paying money for.
I’m building back black. “Halleluya!”
The dirt’s coming back, back to soil.

4. It takes a lotta swag, to buck big ag | Still farm and keep the family fed.
You gotta first find a mentor that you respect | You study mother nature, and scratch your head.
I made a lotta mistakes as I was changing things | But one day I noticed all the rain soaked in.
Best of all, my money stopped eroding | all the way to the Gulf of Monsanto.

5. And it’s joy, joy, there’s a certain kind of joy | I feel when I’m down on my knees.
Joy, joy, when I grab a chunk of soil | And it crumbles like cottage cheese.
I know I’m on the right track, standing near | ‘Cause it smells like a good cup of coffee.
Here’s a little cup for you. “Halleluya!”
One sip and I think you’ll see
Why the soil’s got me singing, “Halleluya!”
One sip and I think you’ll see
Why the soil’s got me singing, “Halleluya!”
The dirt’s coming back, back to soil.
The dead dirt’s coming back. | Here’s a little cup for you.
I hope you like it black.

Words and music by Bret Hesla. Written on commission for the Land Stewardship Project
© 2020 Bret Hesla. All rights reserved. Use only with permission of Bret Hesla, please. Contact: Bret.hesla@gmail.com. Website: www.brethesla.com.

Recording Credits

Recording: Bret Hesla & Six Feet Deep
Bret Hesla — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Dan Chouinard — piano
Dave Michel — bass, vocals
Joe Silberschmidt — drums
Tim Gustafson — lead guitar
Rebekah Fergus — vocals
Martha Schwen Bardwell – vocals
Linda Breitag — vocals
Ray Makeever — vocals
Larry Dittberner — vocals
Bob Stuber — vocals
Production Services — Matthew Zimmerman/Control Z

Upcoming Events

×

November 2025

Thursday November 13

8:30 am – 1:00 pm: Women in Conservation Northern Network Gathering: Stories from the Field
Thursday November 13
8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Women in Conservation Northern Network Gathering: Stories from the Field
Bigwood Event Center, 921 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537, USA
Join Minnesota Women in Conservation and Renewing the Countryside for a relaxed, creative, restorative, and interactive day of networking and learning with fellow women conservation professionals. Breakfast and lunch are included at the lovely Bigwood Event Center. Cost is $25.

For more information and to register, click here.

Please reach out to burke@rtcinfo.org for information on scholarships before registering.

Friday November 14

9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Scaling Up Soil Health Strategies Bus Tour
Friday November 14
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Scaling Up Soil Health Strategies Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
Visit three farms near Northfield, Minn., to explore soil health at a larger scale. Learn about mechanized cover cropping, reduced tillage, erosion control, and using perennials and pollinator strips.

This is the third tour in a three-part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

Wednesday November 19

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm: We Can Do Better Book Discussion at Iowa Nature Summit
Wednesday November 19
12:15 pm – 1:45 pm
We Can Do Better Book Discussion at Iowa Nature Summit
Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311, USA
The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings — is set for release on Oct. 2. The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

Curt Meine will speak about the book during the 12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m. luncheon at the Iowa Nature Summit on Nov 19.

Thursday November 20

All Day: Give to the Max Day
Thursday November 20
Give to the Max Day
Online
Give to the Max Day is coming up on Thursday, November 20. But you don’t have to wait until Give to the Max Day to make your gift to LSP. Any contribution made through the GiveMN portal, now until November 20, will count toward our $15,000 goal and is fully tax-deductible!

This Give to the Max Day season, the Land Stewardship Project is gearing up to share the stories of resilience, change, and action that LSP members are a part of in their towns and on their farms.

We’re up against some pretty overwhelming challenges these days and now is the time for turning hope into action and coming together over common goals. One way to do that is to support the work of building the farm and food system we want and need for the future.

We know the future of farming is diverse and innovative, and should be set up to reward stewardship-minded farmers for the solutions they bring to some of our biggest challenges like soil health, clean water, and a changing climate.

Bringing that vision for the future into reality requires taking on the biggest of the big in the agriculture industry, supporting the next generation of farmers, and reforming farm policies, as well as developing new, reliable, fair markets for all farmers that support conservation, healthy food, and local prosperity.

That’s a big mountain to climb and we need people power to make it happen. LSP brings farmers, rural, urban, and suburban people together to take action around our common goal of a fair and sustainable farm and food system in this country.

Give to the Max Day is a fun and collective way to get into the giving spirit across the entire state of Minnesota. Thank you for being part of LSP’s work to build a better future for our farm and food system. Please join, renew, or make a special gift to LSP as part of Give to the Max Day this year.

Saturday November 22

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Farm Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Open House
Saturday November 22
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Open House
Tintah Beach Farm, Thief River Falls, MN
Please join Marcus Langevin from Tintah Beach Farm and the University of Minnesota at an open house and ribbon cutting celebrating the completion of the farm scale deep winter greenhouse prototype on Nov. 22, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

This new deep winter greenhouse design allows farmers in cold climates to grow crops for sale to their customers throughout the winter months. The heavily insulated greenhouse utilizes a steeply sloped south-facing glazing wall to capture solar heat which is stored in an underground soil thermal mass where it is available to heat the greenhouse at night when the outside temperatures drop.

The new energy efficient greenhouse was designed to suit the needs of small and medium scale vegetable farmers. It is larger, cheaper per square foot to construct than previous designs, and is simple enough that farmers with minimal construction experience can build it themselves. Deep winter greenhouses like these allow farmers the ability to grow market crops year-round, thereby increasing their yearly revenues and allowing Minnesotans year-round access to healthy, fresh, locally grown produce.

Registration: This event is free to attend, but registration is required at z.umn.edu/TintahBeachOpenHouse. Please register by November 15.

Download farm scale deep winter greenhouse building documents. This farm scale deep winter greenhouse design is available for free download from the UMN Extension RSDP’s deep winter greenhouse website.

This work is made possible by University of Minnesota Extension; College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS); College of Design Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR); and the Agriculture Research, Education, Extension and Technology Transfer Program (AGREETT).

View Full Calendar