Soil scientist Andrew Margenot holds a jar of soil gathered from Menard County, Illinois in 1948. The University of Illinois professor said he rediscovered the "church of soil" when searching an old ...

There's no surrounding ocean nor sounds of the shore. But for a farmer, a farm can often feel like an island. "The loneliness of the 'weird farmer' is a real thing," said Josh Payne, who runs his ...