.svg)
What a nickel plant might tell us about the future of farming
Growing metal instead of mining it? It may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a plant that naturally “mines” nickel from the soil, pulling it into its leaves where it can be stored (like a crop).
It may sound like a novel idea. But it invites a good question:
How much more regenerative is that than the way we currently extract nickel?
Today, most nickel is taken from the ground through strip mining. That process involves digging deep, removing entire layers of trees, rock and soil to reach nickel deposits.
In the process, you get nickel — but you also leave behind a mess. It’s destructive, expensive and leaves long-term damage: polluted water, erosion, degraded land. And it often happens in regions already stretched environmentally thin.
Now imagine farming nickel instead. Growing a crop that quietly extracts nickel from the soil while leaving the ecosystem largely undisturbed.
That approach sounds far more regenerative.
But is it far-fetched to think this crop will become a mainstay?
To get a sense of what’s possible, let’s look at the soybean.
A lesson from the soybean
Soybeans were introduced to Iowa in the mid-1800s, but they didn’t take off until the 1920s. Initially, they were used as a forage crop to feed livestock. The real commercial demand came later — first for oil, then protein.
As demand for soybeans grew, so did investment in how to grow them: better seed genetics, more effective rotations, more efficient harvesting.
With each advance, more uses emerged. By the mid-20th century, soybeans had become a staple crop in north central Iowa.
Today, soybeans are used to produce everything from livestock feed and cooking oil to tofu, biofuels, adhesives and even plastics.
Why did those uses become so varied?
Because farmers, agronomists, geneticists and others figured out how to grow soybeans sustainably, reliably and cheaply. And that progress made the crop more appealing to new markets.
It’s a chicken-and-egg cycle:
Demand → better production → more demand → more investment → better production
Suddenly, you're not just growing a few soybeans — you’re growing million of acres.
The first year Iowa topped 1 million acres was 1942. Just a few decades before, soybeans were barely on the map.
That’s not that long ago. (My grandfather recently reminded me that he was 12 years old then and spending three hours a day doing chores on the family farm.)
So what about the nickel plant?
What could be developed in the next 100 years?
Right now, nickel plants are still a novelty. But with CRISPR technology, which allows precise, fast changes to a plant’s DNA, we’re making genetic improvements to plants that would’ve been unthinkable a generation ago.
If growing nickel becomes more viable — if there’s even a sliver of economic value — production advancements will likely follow.
The common denominator in all of this is farmland. It’s the foundation of anything regenerative.
And when residual value gets returned to the land — not just extracted from it — that’s a system worth paying attention to.
Reid Weiland is the managing partner of Weiland Farms. He oversees the farm’s day-to-day operations and leads all land management and farmland acquisition efforts.
