The Brown Revolution is happening. If the last time you talked about soil was to call something as boring as dirt, heed what Leonardo da Vinci said: “We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than we know about the soil underfoot.” That was 500 years ago and soil experts agree that it’s still true today.

What we do know is that soil is complicated. One teaspoon of soil has more microorganisms than there are humans on earth, according to George Siemon, a founding farmer of the Organic Valley Cooperative. He spoke last week in Washington, D.C. at Save Our Soils, a celebration of organic farming’s healthy impact on soil. And soil deserves to be celebrated for