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

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October 2025

Tuesday October 7

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Tuesday October 7
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
The Landing Market, 211 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101, 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. Details on the event are available here.

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

Thursday October 9

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Thursday October 9
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Dawson, MN 56232, USA
Participants will walk around a “homestead” farm site, exploring areas and goals the landowner hopes to improve in the future, including pollinator habitat, perennial plantings, windbreaks, privacy/noise screens, water quality improvements, well sealing, and compost placements. Participants will hear feedback and recommendations from a conservation professional on potential programs that could assist the landowner in achieving those goals. This will be an active event.

Please bring a camp chair and a potluck dish. The host will provide the main dish, so think about bringing sides and dessert. For details and to reserve a spot, click here. For questions, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday October 10

8:30 am – 3:00 pm: Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
Friday October 10
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA
Join LSP and CURE for a community event at the Land Stewardship Project office in Montevideo (111 N. First St.), from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 10. This event includes lunch catered by El Mana; please register by Oct. 3 to be included in the food count.

You can RSVP here.

The Racial Equity Conference, organized by the Greater Minnesota Partnership of the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative, has been specifically designed to bring engaging content to local communities through a unique pairing of online speakers and in-person local sessions. The morning’s online content will include a conversation focused on seeing and countering racism in rural communities, moderated by Eryn Gee Killough, paired with two outstanding keynote speakers, Jenna Grey Eagle and Ron Ferguson, who have experience working in rural communities.

This online content will be exclusively available to local community gatherings. Each gathering will gear their in-person activity to their specific community with the goal of extending the impact of the conference to others throughout the following year. Join LSP and CURE for this western Minnesota gathering, or if a different location works better for you, check out all the local gatherings on the FREC site,

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. LSP’s Nick Olson can be reached via e-mail at nicko@landstewardshipproject.org.
9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Friday October 10
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
Explore profitable small-scale farming (1–5 acres) and soil care. Visit a cooperative incubator farm and a thriving suburban market garden. Learn about cover crops, reduced tillage, high tunnel soil health, and support for growers.

This is the second 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.

Saturday October 11

11:00 am – 2:00 pm: LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
Saturday October 11
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
36919 County 57 Blvd, Dennison, MN 55018, USA
Building off the success of last year’s farm event with COPAL in Austin, Minn., this year Land Stewardship Project and COPAL members and supporters will gather at the Young-Walser Family Farm in Dennison, Minn. for a festive and delicious farm tour on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We invite you to come and meet new folks, learn new skills, and try new food!

This year’s COPAL-LSP farm event offers a little something for everyone:

🍯 Honey sampling and the opportunity to purchase from Homestead Honey Farm.

🍎 Apple cider pressing and tasting. (BTW, we’re still looking for an apple press if you or a farmer friend have one nearby we could borrow for this event!)

🌽 Nixtamalization workshop and fresh, homemade tortillas, made with corn grown by LSP and COPAL members at the Young-Walser Family Farm!

🍅 Salsa making and cricket-eating competitions! Yes, you heard that right —we’ll have the opportunity to sample crickets, a delectable crispy and savory snack commonly enjoyed throughout Mexico and Central America. Stay tuned for details on how to enter either competition.

🥾 A tour of the Young-Walser farm, nestled in the beautiful Sogn Valley not far from Cannon Falls, Minn. Enjoy a tromp through the corn and squash fields and hike in the nearby woods.

🌮 A shared meal and opportunity to hear from LSP and COPAL organizers about our participation in the Immigrant Defense Network.

Let us know you can make it to ensure we order enough food and supplies! Carpools from Minneapolis and Rochester will be available to all attendees.

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¡Únete a LSP + COPAL para nuestro recorrido anual comunitario en la granja!
Un espacio divertido para tod@s donde exploraremos la agricultura, aprenderemos sobre el campo y participaremos en actividades prácticas. ¡Uno de los momentos más especiales será hacer tortillas frescas junt@s!

Compartiremos un delicioso almuerzo comunitario, preparando tacos en estilo potluck (tipo convivio). Te invitamos a traer un platillo o acompañamiento para compartir.

También estás invitado@ a llegar temprano (desde las 9 AM) para ayudar a cosechar calabazas que sembramos. Puedes llevarte algunas a casa, y el resto se donará a un banco de alimentos local.

El Land Stewardship Project (LSP) es una organización aliada de COPAL que trabaja por sistemas alimentarios y agrícolas más sostenibles y justos. LSP y COPAL están unidas en su lucha por instituciones democráticas sólidas, comunidades saludables y acogedoras, y una ética de cuidado hacia la tierra y las personas que nos alimentan.

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