REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. — On the prairie bluffs south of the Minnesota River near this southwestern Minnesota farm town, Grant and Dawn Breitkreutz grow crops and livestock — and soil.

Rather than depleting the soil with intensive industrial farming practices, they are leading a growing number of farmers who are using so-called regenerative practices on their land. “You take care of the soil, build soil health, and everything you grow on it gets more healthy,” Grant Breitkreutz said.

Recently, 100 young farmers descended on the Breitkreutz’s 1,900-acre farm for a “soil health school” — not only to learn about healthy soil practices but also to find inspiration in the words of the model’s champions.