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Agricultural science recognizes soil as a living, microbial ecosystem that determines nutrient cycling, plant function, and system resilience. Cover crops are one of the most effective and scalable tools available to rebuild soil health, strengthen soil microbial function, and support nutrient-dense food systems. At the same time, human health is increasingly understood as a biological system shaped by microbial processes. The human gut microbiome plays a central role in immune regulation, metabolism, and nutrient utilization. This session will discuss cover cropping and the links between soil biology, agricultural practice, and biological health outcomes.

Join Robson Rogan, B.Sc. (Honours), P.Ag., for a thought-provoking session that connects two often-separate worlds: the soil microbiome and the human gut microbiome. This presentation begins with an overview of the human gut microbiome, what it is, why it is critical to human health, how it has changed over time, and the environmental and dietary factors that shape its function.

From there, the session shifts below ground to explore how agricultural management influences soil microbial communities, with the focus of the session on cover crops as one of the most effective and scalable tools for rebuilding soil health and strengthening soil microbial function. The presentation then brings these ideas together through the lens of nutrient density, examining why nutrient quality matters biologically for both humans and livestock, and how soil degradation and intensive production systems have altered the nutrient profiles of food and forage over time.

Topics include

• An overview of the human gut microbiome and its role in immune and metabolic health.

• Environmental and dietary influences on microbiome function.

• Nutrient density in food and forage and why quality matters biologically.

• Historical changes in nutrient density, soil condition and quality.

• Soil health and the soil microbiome as living systems.

• Cover crops as a key biological tool to improve soil function/microbiome, and nutrient cycling.

• Connecting soil management decisions to human and livestock health.

About the Presenter

Robson Rogan, B.Sc. (Honours), P.Ag. Professional Agrologist | Soil Scientist | Environmental Biologist

Robson Rogan is a Professional Agrologist with more than 27 years of experience in soil science, regenerative agriculture, and environmental management in British Columbia. He has worked extensively in forage systems, food crop production, rangeland management, and post-disturbance recovery, translating soil biological principles into applied, field-scale outcomes. In addition to his agricultural expertise, Robson has a strong foundational interest and knowledge of the human gut microbiome and a professional interest in human health, nutrition, and biological systems. His work bridges soil science and health outcomes by focusing on how land management decisions influence nutrient cycling, food and forage quality, and long-term biological resilience.

This event is supported by the Climate Agri-Solutions Fund (CAF). Funding for the CAF has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Climate Solutions – On-Farm Climate Action Fund. CAF is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation. To learn more, visit www.bccaf.ca

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