August 2026 Issue

Contents

Aug 2026 • Issue #662

Photo: TOC photo (Courtesy of James White) — Bermuda grass seedling root containing Pseudomonas endophyte; all the brown spots in the roots are intracellular bacteria. Read more about endophytes in the interview with Dr. James White on page 42.

FEATURES 

Engine or Fuel?

Healthy soil is the engine that begets fertility — but high-octane, fertile soil is not necessarily healthy

JON STIKA

The Winds of April

An organic Kansas farmer has learned how to keep his soil in place and productive — while intelligently tilling

ANNELIESE ABBOTT

Black Earth, Gray Area

Soil fertility is never a product waiting to be rediscovered, but a whole system waiting to be understood

WILLIAM BRINTON

The Soil Our Ancestors Built

Soil decline is not an unavoidable outcome of agriculture — under specific conditions, human land use has increased fertility and kept it in place for centuries

CRAIG HARTSOUGH

Graze Anatomy

Integrating livestock back into cropland systems restores microbial life, improves carbon cycling, and strengthens soil health through managed grazing practices

JAY FUHRER

Community Quorum Sensing

The future will be determined by how much quorum sensing turns into common sense

MATT POWERS 

DEPARTMENTS

VIEW FROM THE COUNTRY
Monthly musings from Acres U.S.A.’s editor

OPINION
The Regenerative Umbrella

Regenerative and organic farming are natural allies for a greener revolution

DAVID MONTGOMERY

ECO-UPDATE
News in brief on developments in agronomic science

REGEN AGRONOMY
Feeding the Crop to Defend the Crop

Nutrition Strategies for Managing Pest and Disease Pressure

ETHAN DARLING

INTERVIEW
Multiplying Microbes

Dr. James White describes how microbes are replicated inside plant root hairs, how plants with microbes in them grow larger, and how endophyte-laden plants are more resilient

REVIEWS

MARKETPLACE

CLASSIFIEDS

ECO-MEETINGS

ECO-GRAPHIC