Instagram story viewer> @willbrinkerhoff> Posts

will brinkerhoff

@willbrinkerhoff

45.1K

followers

5507

following

into soils & microbes.
scientist @natgeo
PhD candidate @um_seas in soils & agroecosystems 🧑🏼‍🌾
🍑 @dinnerswithwill
📸 @brinkerhoffphotos

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

talking dirty to you except it’s literally just me rambling about the thoughts that occupy my head while i’m out here wandering the fields!!

this one is seriously cool though — when grasses get grazed, they shift the quantity and types of compounds that they send out from their roots into the soil microbial community! the microbes eat it up and start ‘unlocking’, or mineralizing, nitrogen from soil organic matter. that fuels the plant to grow back high quality tissues which will be big and bright and beautiful by the time the grazers come back around!! #soilhealth #sustainablefarming #covercrop #grazing #soilscience taken in Kellogg Biological Station by @willbrinkerhoff

28k

362

4 months ago

I thought it was time for a proper introduction!

mostly i’m just trying to be the same kid that i was 20 years ago — barefoot, finding beauty in every little detail, and getting more and more excited about life. i’m a soil scientist, a chef, a photographer, a gardener, and an avid lover of sun streaming through a green glowing leaf. thanks for being here!!

photos by the MOST talented @rachelnoelphoto taken in Michigan by @willbrinkerhoff

2k

77

4 months ago

the moment you’ve all been waiting for... 4 years into my PhD felt like a good time to tell you about this experiment that l’ve been managing!

Cover crops, cattle grazing, sustainable row crops, what’s not to love!! #PhD #soilscience #soilcarbon #covercropgrazing taken in University of Michigan by @willbrinkerhoff

22k

707

4 months ago

Michiganders — Where are you going to be on November 3rd? That is election day—and now’s the time to make your plan.
Whether it’s your first election or you’ve been voting for years, your voice matters.
Make your plan, and vote on or before November 3. Go directly to vote.org—I’ve linked it in my bio and it’s pinned below. by @willbrinkerhoff

168

10

a day ago

never ending perfect fall 🏹 taken in Ann Arbor, Michigan by @willbrinkerhoff

366

1

a day ago

A little bit about how I found myself down this rabbit hole of soil science!!!!

At UC Berkeley, I studied Molecular Environmental Biology and loved learning how life works at its smallest scales — I was reallly into molecular biology but I kept looking for ways to connect that science to the everyday work of growing food.

Working at the Berkeley Student Farm and on farms in New Zealand and Australia helped those pieces come together. I remember a farmer holding up a handful of compost and explaining how carbon fuels the microbes that cycle nutrients. Suddenly, the chemistry and biology I was studying had a home: agricultural soils.

That excitement brought me to the Berkeley Agroecology Lab, where I worked with farmers, collected soil samples, and investigated how grazing affects soil health. Today, I’m pursuing a PhD at the University of Michigan, asking how agriculture can support healthy soils and farmers’ livelihoods.

If you’re curious about food, microbes, climate, or the land around you, there’s room for you in soil science and agronomy. You don’t have to know your whole path yet. Take a class, work on a farm, ask a question—and follow what makes you want to learn more. Check out @digindogood to see what opportunities might be out there for you 🧚

Created in paid partnership with the Dig In Do Good campaign.

#SoilScience #Agronomy #Agroecology #CareersInScience taken in Michigan by @willbrinkerhoff

927

27

2 days ago

It’s easy for us to forget that rights to our public lands were fought for!! Michigan Democrats helped pass federal legislation guaranteeing hundreds of millions of dollars every year nationally to protect and expand public lands — and in 2025, Republican senators proposed selling millions of acres of federal public land in Western states.

So when you vote in the Senate election this November, look at what the people on your ballot have actually said and done about public lands. These places belong to all of us, and the decisions we make now help determine whether they stay that way

You can register to vote online until 10/19 or in person through election day. Early in person voting starts on 10/24 in Michigan!!! Tag a friend in the comments to remind them about the upcoming election! taken in Michigan by @willbrinkerhoff

529

11

7 days ago

urine derived fertilizer!! my research group is working with @peecyclers to conduct on-farm trials using urine as our fertilizer source — yesterday was our field day at @kelloggbiostn and we got to sniff this completely odorless UDF that blew our minds! #urinefertilizer #peecycling #sustainablefarming #soilscience #farmresearch taken in Kellogg Biological Station by @willbrinkerhoff

2k

130

13 days ago

slide ranch annual fundraiser dinner!! we had the honor of standing in for our talented friend @eatingwlily — always a pleasure to get up close and personal with my favorite farmers & purveyors @starroutefarms @stemplecreek @hogislandoysterco @acmebreadcompany @tomalesfarmsteadcreamery @full_belly_farm @frontporchfarmer #farmtotable #privatechef #fundraiser #slideranch by @willbrinkerhoff

452

10

15 days ago

foraging with the queen herself!!!!!! what an honor to show @blackforager my favorite spots ❤️‍🔥🧚 taken in Ann Arbor, Michigan by @willbrinkerhoff

1k

120

16 days ago

honored & excited to be in conversation with @foodtank this week about the future of sustainable food systems & where our next steps are in supporting sustainable transitions for farmers around the world 🧚 @foodtank head to their page and you can tune in from anywhere!! by @willbrinkerhoff

526

10

24 days ago

crazy outfit for foraging but sometimes that’s what it’s like being #gay ❤️‍🔥 if you’re coming to our dinner at @marillafieldandflora some of these mushrooms will be on your plate tonight 🥩 #farmtotable #mushrooms #foraging taken in Michigan by @willbrinkerhoff

2k

38

a month ago