We've Lost Nearly Half of the World's Topsoil

In the last 150 years, we've lost nearly half of the world's topsoil - the rich living layer central to human agriculture - and the degradation is accelerating. But there's a visible difference at White Oak Pastures. During a heavy rainy day in Bluffton, Georgia, you can see the contrast directly. On one side of the road is a corn pivot, and on the other side is White Oak Pastures land. Despite the heavy rain, the water running off White Oak property comes off clear with very little sign of erosion or soil movement. There's an order of magnitude less pollutants compared to conventional agriculture across the road, and significantly less water runoff overall. These two indicators tell us the land is absorbing water and retaining precious topsoil instead of losing it. The difference isn't theoretical - you can watch it happening in real time during a storm.