For the Love of Soil: Strategies to Regenerate Our Food Production Systems

by Nicole Masters

*Newly Edited Version* Learn a roadmap to healthy soil and revitalised food systems for powerfully address these times of challenge. This book equips producers with knowledge, skills and insights to regenerate ecosystem health and grow farm/ranch profits. Learn how Triage soil health and act to fast-track soil and plant health-Build healthy resilient soil systems-Develop a deeper understanding of microbial and mineral synergies-Read what weeds and diseases are communicating about soil and plant health-Create healthy, productive and profitable landscapes.Globally recognised soil advocate and agroecologist Nicole Masters delivers the solution to rewind the clock on this increasingly critical soil crisis in her first book, For the Love of Soil. She argues we can no longer treat soil like dirt. Instead, we must take a soil-first approach to regenerate landscapes, restore natural cycles, and bring vitality back to ecosystems. This book translates the often complex and technical know-how of soil into more digestible terms through case studies from regenerative farmers, growers, and ranchers in Australasia and North America. Along with sharing key soil health principles and restoration tools, For the Love of Soil provides land managers with an action plan to kickstart their soil resource’s well-being, no matter the scale.“For years many of us involved in regenerative agriculture have been touting the soil health - plant health - animal health – human health connection but no one has tied them all together like Nicole does in “For the love of Soil”! " Gabe Brown, Browns Ranch, Nourished by Nature. “William Gibson once said that "the future is here - it is just not evenly distributed." "Nicole modestly claims that the information in the book is not new thinking, but her resynthesis of the lessons she has learned and refined in collaboration with regenerative land-managers is new, and it is powerful." Says Abe Collins, cofounder of LandStream and founder of Collins Grazing. "She lucidly shares lessons learned from the deep-topsoil futures she and her farming and ranching partners manage for and achieve.”The case studies, science and examples presented a compelling testament to the global, rapidly growing soil health movement. “These food producers are taking actions to imitate natural systems more closely,” says Masters. “... they are rewarded with more efficient nutrient, carbon, and water cycles; improved plant and animal health, nutrient density, reduced stress, and ultimately, profitability.”In spite of the challenges food producers face, Masters’ book shows even incredibly degraded landscapes can be regenerated through mimicking natural systems and focusing on the soil first. “Our global agricultural production systems are frequently at war with ecosystem health and Mother Nature,” notes Terry McCosker of Resource Consulting Services in Australia. “In this book, Nicole is declaring peace with nature and provides us with the science and guidelines to join the regenerative agriculture movement while increasing profits.”Buy this book today to take your farm or ranch to the next level!

Genres: Nonfiction, Agriculture, Science, Environment, Gardening, Sustainability, Plants

299 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2025

Reviews

[Ji · Rating 5 out of 5]

As our family farm is in the midst of transitioning to regenerative agriculture, I found this book both encouraging and quite helpful.

Listening to the audiobook and having the paperback handy for reference was a good way to go through it. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's wit and enthusiasm (especially in the audiobook where more of Master's personality comes through) and the easily conveyed information, often using story and case studies to deliver her messages.

I found the principles presented in the book applicable to both the home garden as well as large scale agriculture. Though if you're just looking for recipes, you probably won't get what you're looking for. It's more about developing the perspectives and understanding to build an intimate relationship with the land, and use the knowledge to be creative and adaptive to the challenges that arise in that relationship.

Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in soil ecology.

[Katherine Stevick · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a soil regeneration skeptic, you may have to push through some of what you might initially see as hippy-dippy or flakey. Do it. This is a profoundly exciting, detailed story of what is possible for the new, post-modern agricultural paradigm.

[Jeremy Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A barnstorming debut, Nicole is passionate and insightful in equal measure. For the Love of Soil is packed to the rafters with experiences and observations from some of the most extreme growing climates around the world. It's impossible not to get caught up in the joy Nicole feels, seeing growers take control of their own situations - learning to ask the right questions and working with, not against their underground workforces. Fearlessly melding scientific observations and hilarious anecdotes, I couldn't put it down!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I listened to the audio and the biggest problem I had was not following closely enough and missing a vital chunk of information (easily solved by backing up to re-listen). This mostly addresses farming rather than gardening, but it's interesting regardless as a sort of philosophy of soil. Despite being pretty technical I found it very accessible and exciting. If you like podcasts or magazine articles, if you are a farmer, or if you're interested in the environment, regenerative agriculture, or food systems, I highly recommend this book.

[Valdis Reķis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pēc grāmatas izlasīšanas pat sapņos rādās sliekas.

[Pia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Nicole talks about soil, the education, passion and interest really shines through.

But when Nicole talks about food, or nutrition, or homeopathy like she has any authority in this arena, it's extremely jarring. I find myself looking at incorrect 'facts' presented like truth and wondering if her whole book is packed with pseudoscientific lies. I noticed Charles Massey do the same, honestly. These folks in regenerative ag really just need to get some dieticians and nutritionists on board instead of citing untrue or even outright harmful medical treatments, or health facts. I could not believe that I saw a serious paragraph on homeopathy in this book, alongside substantiated scientific methods for helping out unwell and unhealthy soils.

I think this book can be an extremely useful research, but I really wish scientists would learn how to stay in their lane, and stop making assertions about fields that they really only have anecdotal evidence for. It drastically undermines the spirit of the book itself.

[Blair Pedersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is meaty and will be good to reference in the future. It's full of anecdotes and practical information about soil health, how to perform tests and practical advice on how to improve soil on your property.

[Mary Baier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to read

I’m starting on my journey of regenerative agriculture. This is my fourth book so far. I read all these books in less than 6 months. Before this, I read only read 1 book in the past 10 years. This is a must read book.

[Gonzalo Mendez · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems that Nicole Masters knows what she is talking about and my rating is not based on the technical information she provides. My problem reading this book was all the unimportant details that I had to read to extract useful information. I understand that she wanted to make a book more dynamic than technical, nevertheless, this is ridiculous. Her comedy is deplorable, it made a terrible decoration for the book.
This pointless narrative made me close the book in the middle of a sentence many times. It was a pain to read it, I would have liked a PowerPoint presentation better.
In a hypothetical case if this had been a PP presentation given by her (removing her awful jokes), I would give it 5/5

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masters covers a lot of ground at a mostly surface level making it easy to take in for someone who isn't well versed in food production. So much interesting information, peppered with stories and yet sometimes a little too light on the science behind the claims.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational, jam packed with information and written with that classic nerdy humour of a passionate ecogeek. The audiobook performance is solid (a few odd pauses before big words, though I can't fault them too much for this! Id do the same). Definitely need the audiobook companion as this book can feel quite dense without some visuals. As a city kid, this book makes me want to dig a hole and start some compost. Thanks, Dr Masters!!

[Christophe Jospe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for those looking to get technical on soil dynamics and regenerative agriculture without the feeling of being a textbook. Not for beginners. Probably not for people who aren’t actively farming/practicing what they are learning here either.

[Adam Messinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to like this, but in the end I didn’t think it had a very coherent thesis and organization.

[Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got my pen out and underlined passages! I never write in books, but this just resonated with me so much.

[Mwalkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This educational and enjoyable book is written in an endearing story format. The reader “meets” interesting people as Nicole Masters traverses North America with a pickup, a trailer and her horse. Now, that is the description of a researcher with her “feet on the ground.” A New Zealander, Masters suffered for fifteen years with migraines, brain fog and lethargy. She sought advice from every body worker imaginable, but it wasn’t until the brilliant blue eyes of an eighty-year-old doctor in Auckland mesmerized her enough to believe in radionics that she found the culprit; paraquat poisoning. While living in Hong Kong as a teen, local Cantonese women had warned her that walk­ing barefoot would sabotage her health; sure enough, paraquat-contaminated soil did the job.

Masters views healthy soil as “the gut microbiome of the planet” and shares many insights about soil management. Although most readers likely know that using synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is counterproductive, Masters makes that fact explicit. Just like us, plants need air! Soil compaction, one of the inadvertent results of synthetic nitrogen application, suffocates plants and destroys the infrastructure formed by the termites, dung beetles, ants and earth­worms that let plants breathe easily. Her favor­ite won’t-leave-home-without-it device is the lowly shovel. A shovel allows visualization of soil color and its aggregates. One can smell the aroma, count the earthworms and even discern whether legumes are fixing nitrogen. Another essential tool is the simple refractometer, which measures the Brix (solids or “sugars”) in a plant. She tests crops and weeds, because if the weeds score high, and the crops score low, an adjust­ment is needed. “Make sure you are not farming or ranching for weeds,” she advises.

To implement adjustments, Masters likes to “tickle” rather than “shock” the system. She highly recommends vermicast (worm castings), but only in “miniscule” kickstarter amounts. If you have a worm farm and you have liquid exu­date from it, she suggests adding more carbon (e.g., newspapers). The liquid indicates that it is unbalanced, heavy on the bacterial side.

Masters presents an interesting scientific explanation for “ghosts.” Restoring good soil means having a balance of armor on the soil to maintain aerobic conditions; anaerobic condi­tions (without air) can actually produce volatile organic compounds visible to the naked eye. Historically, shallow burial sites gave rise to stories of ghosts wafting through cemeteries as bioluminescent gas was released.

We have all seen dust blowing in the wind as working (tilling) the soil disrupts the soil infrastructure. Do the people tilling realize that the most valuable substance in their soil is what is darkening the sky? It is humus, the final breakdown of organic matter, with a structure even finer than clay. Humus is an amphitheater, if you will, in which soil microorganisms thrive.

Masters questions why the top minerals “es­tablished” for soil health (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) do not include calcium. Accord­ing to her, we’ve been hoodwinked. Calcium plays an essential role in soil health.

Sharing secrets of the magical properties of mycorrhizal fungi, she laments that we are smiting them with herbicides and pesticides. Her pragmatic out-of-the-box solutions include using spurge and cheatgrass to enlist this won­drous substance to enhance soil health. One way to encourage conventional farmers to step lightly out of the herbicide rut is to reduce non-selective, non-residual herbicides by 30 percent, adding one part fulvic acid (or vermicast extract) to four parts herbicide. This could reduce costs, enhance the function of the herbicide and give the soil a boost. This book gets two enthusiastic thumbs up!

This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Summer 2023My book is peppered with flags to indicate, "Worth rereading and passing on." In spite of the fact that it is so educational, it is written in a story form where the reader is introduced to the interesting people she meets driving around North America with a pickup and trailer carrying her horse. If that does not give you the impression of a researcher with feet on the ground, Lord knows what would!

Most people seem to have some malady that is or is not explained. Years of misery and many doctor visits to no avail; then, a practitioner pointed to Paraquat, the first flag in this book. Who would have thought bare feed as a child in a foreign land would be the culprit.

Then, "Everybody knows" that synthetic nitrogen is not good for the soil (OK, maybe not EVERYbody), but she explains it well.

Although Masters uses scientific methods to determine her proposed course of action, she convinces the reader that the best device to determine soil health is the lowly shovel; She does not leave home without it. A shovel lets you visualize the color and the soil aggregates, smell the aroma, count the earthworms, and even discern if legumes are fixing nitrogen. Add a refractometer and determine the brix of your plants...and your weeds. Why would you care about the weeds? "Make sure you are not farming/or ranching for weeds!" If the weeds score higher than your crop, think about how you will accommodate your crop rather than your weeds.

Would you like to know what the fine dust is that your neighbors send over to you when the wind is blowing? See page 124.

As Andy Rooney would have said, "Did you ever wonder why...' Well, I have wondered why calcium is not even registered in the top three minerals for assessing soil health. "Everybody knows" it is only important to add NP&K! Well, according to Masters, we've been hoodwinked. Calcium is essential.

The success Masters enjoys might be her conservative treatment protocols; she is a believer in just "..tickling the system" rather than "shocking" it. She has a simple fix for thatch problems on p. 133. If you have a worm farm, do you get liquid? If so, add more carbon because the liquid tells it is unbalanced to the bacterial side. She highly recommends vermicast, but as a kick-starter in "miniscule" rates.

Mycorrhizal fungi; how many people know about its magical properties? How long will it remain a secret? How long will we smite it with herbicides and pesticides? Who would have thought that it can be promoted by the so called "scourge" of spurge and cheat grass?

One gem from this book might help get farmers out of the herbicide rut: "Reduce non-selective, non-residual herbicides by 30% and add 1 part fulvic acid (or vermicast extract) to 4 parts herbicide (talk to fulvic supplier to get absolute rates). Note: not all herbicides mix with fulvic, so do a jar test first and test rates on a small area before rolling out."

Two thumbs up! An enjoyable read.

This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Summer 2023.

[Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lay person and amateur gardener, I thought this was a fantastic introduction to regenerative agriculture. The author shares a wealth of wisdom related to weed growth, plant stress, pest activity, water management and soil health. Her work with the pioneering families and agribusinesses (often ranchers) that are adapting these ideas to their own farms and climates (often in the face of overwhelming odds) is eye opening.

Unusually, she charts her work with these businesses over time: we don't just get the waving of the magic wand, we get to see what happened after. I thought that this longer-term view (both good and bad) was inspiring and added to the book.

As for critiques, there are times where the author repeats herself. I personally found this helpful, as it allowed some of the pertinent ideas to sink in. That said, I can imagine it would be irritating for some.

In addition, this book is also heavier on inspiration than technical detail. While it does discuss (in detail) the remedies applied, you do need to dig for this information. Readers looking for a clear actionable summary may need to look elsewhere.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One summer can really change you... this one certainly changed my perspective on agriculture.

Nicole's book is both highly informative and interesting to read — she does a good job of balancing data and stories. I can't give this book all the credit though. Much thanks also goes to Shawn, my boss at my summer job this year (he lent me his copy of this book, actually). His passion and excitement about soil health is contagious, and I'm inspired by his courage in trying these "weird" things on his farm. He's taught me a lot this summer.

I feel more than ever before that agriculture is the right place for me to be, and I feel one step closer to finding my niche within it. Like Nicole says in the book "there's no turning back once you've caught the soil health bug." My eyes have been opened. I cannot look at conventional ag the same again. Breaking from a belief system you've previously held can be uncomfortable, because of course it is easier to keep believing what you have always believed. But entering the regenerative agriculture space has also filled me with excitement. I am really looking forward to building on this foundation.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dipped in and out of this book when it was first published, then it disappeared amongst my book collection for ages!
This is a lively, practical book that encourages farmers and growers to build healthy living soils and healthy farming systems overall - including healthy farmers, animals and bank balances.
It reflects the Soil & Health Association's motto: healthy soil - healthy food - healthy people / oranga nuku - oranga kai - oranga tāngata.
Nicole draws from her own life experiences and those of many farmers and ranchers she has visited and worked with, in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
Along with the personal stories, there's oodles of soil science, but mostly described in accessible language, with examples to illustrate. Nicole is a passionate ambassador for the myriad organisms thriving in healthy soils.
This book deserves to be widely read by anyone involved in farming and growing. I've heard the author is revising and updating it. Hopefully the new version will be edited professionally to ensure correct and consistent punctuation and grammar, and smooth over the occasional awkward phrasing.

[Heidi Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: interesting content presented in a pleasant, easy to read, conversational tone with plenty of enthusiasm; references, discussion of scientific rationale combined with explanatory anecdotes. The author gave every indication of being an expert and passionate about this topic. I am thoroughly intrigued and want to read - and try - more about regenerative practices.
Cons: all, the, commas,. I am no grammarian but the excessive use of commas drove me nuts and sometimes seriously detracted from the sense. Inconsistent referencing of facts. Some concepts incompletely explained. I would have loved some actually studies presented on the effectiveness of, say, the weed tea in the appendix.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, it was as pleasant and engaging to read as a book of fiction; but felt like I learned and was challenged in my thinking (and challenged to challenge) about status quo farming ( or for me, gardening).

[MaryJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as an audio book, and it may not have been the best format. Parts of the books were somewhat technical, and I might have learned more if I had been reading a text. The author is very enthusiastic about her mission, and I enjoyed her travels to solve actual problems real farmers are dealing with. Although the downside of the way the book was geared toward changing commercial agriculture meant there were not a lot of take homes for me as a home gardener. I think the project is an important one, and Masters makes important links between agriculture, soil health, productivity and the heath of humans. Maybe another book would have been better for me. I don't think I am quite the right audience for this book

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was inspiring for me: a new way to look at agriculture; Reexamining our relationships with soil, food, and the billions of organisms that we depend on for survival, Masters takes you step by step through soil ecology in the most digestible of ways. Masters is germinating new ideas of farming and stewardship in the face of ever-more-drastically changing climate around the world, using examples from New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and Canada. Case studies, detailed explanations, and a Slough of resources is bound to get you thinking of how we can change our relationship with agriculture.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys guys guys… I know that many of you reading this right now aren’t a “science” person. Maybe you’re even SKEPTICAL of all things science. STILL. You eat food. You’re alive to read this. You love other folks who also eat food. If any of this is true, then you’re invested in soil health. In fact, you should love this topic like I do, someone who studied it for several years. You should totally learn about it’s connection to the stuff you put in your mouth at least three times a day. Or it’s disconnection maybe? Nicole Masters wrote this book for the love of soil. You should read it for the love of your nearest and dearest. And yourself, bro!

[Iona Brimecombe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the world beneath our feet ... but only if you can withstand some pretty awful grammar (sorry). This book appears to be self published; it really needed an editor. Or a ghostwriter. It may be a better experience in audiobook form.
It's also concerning to see homeopathy referred to without any disclaimers re: lack of scientific backing, as well as a suggestion that chemical poisioning in farmers could cause autism in their offspring -- a pretty serious thing to throw out mid sentence without supporting references of any kind.
I would encourage the author to co-author a book, or seek out an editor. Her experience and knowledge is worth sharing!

[Pippa Roots · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic insight into the primary science of our food and health. If anything, Masters could have stated more clearly the assumptions she was working off of, as readers new to regenerative agriculture might miss some basic points. Very readable science, from my perspective with higher education not in that field. Only complaint was the New Zealand style grammar- her use of commas almost made my head explode!

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you work with soil and plants, this book will be a permanent go-to reference on your bookshelf. The author Nicole Masters may not have a PhD tagged behind her name, but her wisdom is worth a dozen of those. This book weaves together the intricate world of soil science with real-life stories from farms and ranches. It goes deep technical details of diverse case studies about restoring soil, so make sure you've got some time set aside. It's a joy to read, not the least bit dull.

[Leslie Delong · Rating 5 out of 5]

The soil is a jungle!

This book has changed my outlook on soil. I new it was alive with life, but not to the extent that Nicole explains. Her passion brings the microscopic creatures to life in a way that’ll have you looking at the soil as an untapped jungle full of wildlife that actually helps you grow your food. My veggie garden will never be the same.

[WildWoila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concepts & case studies from a world-leading regenerative agronomist. Soil biology for the win! Focus on broadacre ag in damaged landscapes, benefits for intensive ag less clear. We have much to learn. Poor, punctuation.

[Suzanne l royer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soil science for ever!

This book was amazing and eye opening. As a horticulturist I took the soil science courses but didn't really put it all together until reading this book. The real life stories help put it all in perspective. Even if you garden this book has immense value.

[Emily Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

I'm not even in the farming or ranching business (the true audience of this book) but even without background knowledge I was intrigued consistently at all this book had to say.

[Mup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!! This book expands thinking on ag, prescriptive chemical douses on mono crops vs wholistic regenerative and a look inside the magic of healthy soil. Love all the anecdotes of openminded folks from such a humble perspective. Inspiration to take action!