The documentary Common Ground, a film about regenerative agriculture and the future of our food system, will be screened on Earth Day, April 22, at the TAMIU Student Center Auditorium.
The event is sponsored by TAMIU, Palo Blanco Farm and Ranch, and the Laredo Film Society.
The 6 p.m. screening will be followed by a 7:45 p.m. panel discussion with panelists Marcella Juarez, owner and farm manager of Palo Blanco Farm and Ranch, organic producers of microgreens; Hebbronville rancher Servando Leal of Cross Country Meats, who raises cattle with regenerative grazing practices; Nydia Robles, director of Laredo’s only certified Farmers Market; José Moreno, director of Laredo Center for Urban Agriculture and Sustainability; Viviana Frank of the Laredo Food Policy Council; and Melissa Lomeli of the Frontera Grocery Co-op, which when in operation will provide an invaluable venue for local food producers and consumers eager to buy locally grown products.
To register to attend the TAMIU screening, go to bit.ly/CommonGroundLaredo.
“We have learned over the last five years that we have become an important source of food to many Laredoans who want clean, locally grown food,” said Juarez, who has a Master’s Degree in Agriculture Education with a Specialization in Hydroponics and Sustainable Agriculture.
“Corporate farm food production with its reliance on pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides leaves not only its consumers vulnerable to toxins, but also the workers on those farms and the earth on which it is grown,” she said, adding, “This film inspires the hope that regenerative agricultural practices could impact climate change.”
Regenerative farming practices include:
No-till or conservation tillage to minimize soil disturbance, which helps retain soil structure, water, and organic matter.
Cover cropping by planting non-cash crops between main crop seasons to prevent erosion, improve soil structure, and add nutrients.
Crop rotation – alternating different crops in a field to reduce pest and disease buildup, improve soil fertility, and enhance biodiversity
Composting – adding organic matter to soil to improve fertility, water retention, and soil structure.
Diversifying crops – growing a variety of plants, including perennial crops, to increase biodiversity and create a more resilient ecosystem.
Silvopasture – integrating trees and livestock into a grazing system, which can improve soil health, provide shade for livestock, and enhance biodiversity.
Integrating livestock into the farm system – through rotational grazing, to improve soil health and nutrient cycling.
Managed grazing – implementing rotational grazing systems to prevent overgrazing, improve soil health, and enhance water infiltration.
Keeping living roots in the soil – maintaining plant cover and roots throughout the year to improve water infiltration and reduce erosion.
Reducing soil disturbance – minimizing soil disturbance to maintain soil structure and water-holding capacity.
Reducing or eliminating synthetic fertilizers and pesticides – relying on natural methods of pest control and nutrient cycling, such as crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting.
Using biochar – applying biochar, a charcoal-like material, to the soil to improve water retention, nutrient availability, and soil health.
The documentary features Rosario Dawson, Laura Dern, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa, and Ian Somerhalder.
Common Ground was accorded the Human/Nature Award winner of the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2023 Environmental Media Award (EMA). The film has been called a love letter to the future. It was co-directed by Rebecca and Josh Tickell, founders of Big Picture Ranch, an organic avocado farm in Ojai,California. Their earlier film, Kiss the Ground, has also received international acclaim. Their first film, Fuel, won a Sundance Audience Award.
From the Common Ground website: Common Ground is the highly anticipated sequel to the juggernaut success documentary, Kiss the Ground, which touched over 1 billion people globally and inspired the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health. By fusing journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative regenerative models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy – before it’s too late.
Register at bit.ly/CommonGroundLaredo
