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Soil Food Web Foundation Launches as Nonprofit to Carry Forward Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Legacy

October 17, 2025

Soil Food Web Foundation Launches as Nonprofit to Carry Forward Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Legacy

The Soil Food Web Foundation, a newly established nonprofit corporation, proudly announces its formation and intention to carry on the work of the Soil Food Web school, marking a transformative shift from a for-profit educational model to a mission-driven nonprofit organization. This transition follows the recent retirement of Dr. Elaine Ingham, a pioneering figure in soil microbiology and regenerative agriculture.

“Our mission is to honor Dr. Elaine’s legacy by empowering communities through education, research, and regenerative practices in order to help restore and protect the Earth’s living systems,” said Evan Buckman, newly appointed Executive Director of the Foundation. “We are shifting from a proprietary model of knowledge to a model rooted in open access, shared learning, and collaborative scientific advancement.”

Community Engagement and Legacy Building

As a first step, the Foundation will be inviting input from the entire soil food web community—students, practitioners, farmers, researchers, and ecosystem restoration advocates. The Foundation wants to know the community’s priorities for the Soil Food Web school as well as its hopes and vision for an expanded mission. This input will help shape the Foundation’s priorities and ensure that its future reflects the collective vision of those inspired by Dr. Elaine’s vision and passion.

Get in Touch

Open Archives and Global Collaboration

In keeping with its nonprofit mission, the Foundation is working toward an open-access archive of Dr. Elaine’s work, including case studies, research data, and educational materials. Former collaborators and partners are invited to contribute to this effort, helping to define and preserve the full scope of her legacy.

Looking Ahead: Research, Education, and Global Impact

The Foundation envisions the development of a research institute and experimental farms to further soil food web science and practice. Though based in Oregon, the Foundation seeks to continue building a global network of educators, researchers, and practitioners dedicated to soil health and ecosystem restoration. With an existing student body that stretches across approximately 130 countries globally, the Soil Food Web school is uniquely well positioned to foster a collaborative approach to advancing soil science and regenerative agriculture across continents.

Support the Mission

The Soil Food Web Foundation’s application for 501(c)(3) status is pending with the IRS, however, donations are welcome to support the transition and future programming. Interested parties can contact the Foundation for information on planned giving, partnerships, and other forms of support.

For media inquiries, donations, or to get involved, please contact:

Evan Buckman, Executive Director
[email protected]

Executive Committee of the Soil Food Web Foundation Board:

Leslie W. Lewis, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Jenna Noel
[email protected]

Loida Vasquez
[email protected]

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What Does This Privacy Policy Cover?

Soil Foodweb School LLC (“SOIL FOODWEB”) is committed to your right to privacy.  This privacy policy explains how we may use or disclose information that we obtain from or about you through your use or in connection with your use of our website.  For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, the term “website” or “websites” identifies all web pages found on or related to the following URL’s:

www.soilfoodweb.com

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].

How Do We Collect Personal Information:

SOIL FOODWEB provides access on or through its website to a wide range of content, services, and media.  Users may subscribe to register for classes and workshops, subscribe to electronic newsletters, request services, inquire about training sessions, and apply for job opportunities.  SOIL FOODWEB may require you to voluntarily provide personal information that we use to facilitate all of these features.

What Personal Information We Collect:

Personal information may include your name and contact information, like your company name, mailing address, phone number, user or login name, password, or email address, payment information (like credit card numbers).  Personal information also includes any written text or communications, notes, or inquiries that you provide either on our website or by e-mail communication directly or indirectly with SOIL FOODWEB.

How We Use Your Personal Information:  

SOIL FOODWEB uses (or “processes”) personal information only as necessary for our legitimate business interests, which include improvements to our products, services, and content on our website, and also in order to respond to queries or requests, complete registrations and payments, fulfill orders, and schedule service or training.  From time-to-time, SOIL FOODWEB may use personal information to contact you to send you information about our company, classes, or other services. 

You consent to these processes by providing your personal information.  You may update your personal information or “opt out” from receiving certain communications and correspondence from us at any time through email correspondence sent to [email protected].

Retention of Your Personal Information:

SOIL FOODWEB will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill respect processes, as well as to fulfill any obligations under applicable law.

Rights of Data Owners in and to their Personal Information:

Where applicable law requires (and subject to any exceptions), you may have the right to request SOIL FOODWEB to provide you with your personal information or to delete your personal information that is held by us.  You may also have the right to restrict or object to use or processing of your personal information. You may exercise these rights by contacting us through email correspondence sent to [email protected], using the subject line “Personal Information Review Request” or “Delete Account” or “Delete My Information.”

Disclosure And Access to Personal Information:

SOIL FOODWEB considers your use of our website to be private.  However, SOIL FOODWEB may access or disclose information about you and/or the content of your communications with us, in order to: (1) comply with the law or legal process served on SOIL FOODWEB; (2) enforce and investigate potential violations of our Terms of Use, including use of this site to participate in, or facilitate, activities that violate the law; or (3) protect the rights, property, or safety of SOIL FOODWEB employees, customers, or the public.  From time to time, SOIL FOODWEB may also disclose information to selected business partners, or other third parties offering products or services in which you may be interested, provided that such third parties agree to comply with the provisions of this Privacy Policy with respect to the use of your personal information. You consent to the access and disclosures outlined in this section.

How We Collect Non-Personal Information:

SOIL FOODWEB may obtain non-personal information from your use of our website and through the use of commonly-used information-gathering tools.  These tools may include “Cookies,” which are pieces of information shared between your web browser and a website. Non-personal information may include information about the browser that you use to access the site, the operating system that you are running, what items you clicked on the applicable web page, how long you viewed a certain page, and information about the website you accessed immediately before you accessed our website.  SOIL FOODWEB may aggregate your non-personal information with the non-personal information of other users of SOIL FOODWEB’s website or of other non-personal information collected offline. SOIL FOODWEB also may collect anonymous aggregated information, like general traffic patterns within our website, to help maintain the flow and content of the website. Any and all of this non-personal information may be used to support SOIL FOODWEB’s commercial, marketing, and customer service activities, or for any other reason.

Use of Cookies:

Use of cookies enables a faster and easier experience for the user.  A cookie cannot read data off your computer’s hard drive. For information on cookies, please refer to www.aboutcookies.org.

There are different kinds of cookies with different functions:

Session cookies These are only stored on your computer during your web session. They are automatically deleted when the browser is closed. They usually store an anonymous session ID allowing you to browse a website without having to login to each page. They do not collect any information from your computer.
Persistent cookies A persistent cookie is one stored as a file on your computer, and it remains there when you close your web browser. The cookie can be read by the website that created it when you visit that website again.
First-party cookies The function of this type of cookie is to retain your preferences for a particular website for the entity that owns that website. They are stored and sent between SOIL FOODWEB’s servers and your computer’s hard drive. They are not used for anything other than for personalization as set by you. These cookies may be either Session or Persistent cookies.
Third-party cookies The function of this type of cookie is to retain your interaction with a particular website for an entity that does not own that website. They are stored and sent between the third-party’s server and your computer’s hard drive. These cookies are usually Persistent cookies.

 

We generally use cookies as follows:

Functionality Some cookies allow our Sites to remember choices you make (such as your username, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced features. For instance, a Site may be able to remember your login details, so that you do not have to repeatedly sign in to your account when using a particular device to access our Sites. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, font and other parts of web pages that you can customize. They may also be used to provide services you have requested such as viewing a video or commenting on an article. The information these cookies collect is usually anonymized. They do not gather any information about you that could be used for advertising or remember where you have been on the internet
Performance Some cookies collect information about how visitors use a Site, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. They also allow us to record and count the number of visitors to a Site, all of which enables us to see how visitors use a Site in order to improve the way that the Site works. The information these cookies collect is normally anonymous and is used to improve how our Sites works. However, some of these cookies may include Personal Information. Please consult your web browser’s ‘Help’ documentation or visit www.aboutcookies.org. for more information about how to turn cookies on and off for your browser
Marketing These cookies are used to deliver content relevant to your interests on a Site and third party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content

 

Use of Web Beacons:

Other tools include “Web Beacons,” which are clear electronic images that can recognize certain types of information on your computer, such as cookies, when you view our website tied to the web beacon, and a description of the website tied to the web beacon. SOIL FOODWEB may use web beacons to operate and improve our website and e-mail communications.  Web beacons can be used alone or in conjunction with cookies to compile information about users’ usage of our website and interaction with e-mails.  SOIL FOODWEB may use information from web beacons in combination with other data we have about our clients to provide you with information about SOIL FOODWEB and our services.  SOIL FOODWEB may conduct this review on an anonymous basis.

Use of Google Analytics:

SOIL FOODWEB may use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”).  Google Analytics uses cookies to help websites analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of our website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.  Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the applicable website, compiling reports on website activity, and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage for SOIL FOODWEB.  Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of our website.  By using our website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

Links To Other Websites:

Our website may contain third-party links that provide access to other websites, not maintained by SOIL FOODWEB or its affiliates.  If you click on these third-party links, you will be directed from our website to another external website, which SOIL FOODWEB has no control over and assumes no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, practices, or services.  Your use of any external website is not governed by this privacy policy.

Children’s Privacy:

SOIL FOODWEB does not knowingly solicit, collect, or retain information from any individuals who are under fourteen (14) years of age.  If we learn that we have obtained personal information of a child under 14, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible.

How We Secure Your Information:

To prevent unauthorized access to your personal information, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of such information, SOIL FOODWEB has put in place physical, electronic, and managerial procedures as well as encryption and transaction security software to attempt to safeguard and secure the information SOIL FOODWEB obtains from this website.  However, no safeguards or security procedures or software is completely effective, and we do not guarantee the absolute security of any information provided to SOIL FOODWEB through use of our website.

Attending Webinars

Soil Foodweb School LLC occasionally creates live webinars for either promotional or educational purposes, or other. Should you choose to attend such a webinar, your voice and/or image may be recorded during the course of the webinar. Soil Foodweb School LLC retains the right to publish the recording of the webinar on its website (soilfoodweb.com) and elsewhere. By attending the webinar, you are agreeing to this.

Policy Revisions:

SOIL FOODWEB reserves the right to revise this Privacy Policy from time to time in our discretion.  If SOIL FOODWEB makes modifications, SOIL FOODWEB will post the revised Privacy Policy on the website, which will take effect immediately upon posting. It is your responsibility to periodically review this Privacy Policy.

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Corvallis, OR 97330

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