Ian Somerhalder Decided to Become a Farmer—Here's What He's Doing for Soil Health (Exclusive)

When you think of farmers and ranchers, your mind may not go to a TV heartthrob from the 2010s. But that’s more of a reality than you might think. Ian Somerhalder, a former actor best known for starring in television series The Vampire Diaries and Lost, is focused on using his voice to make a difference.

This is seen through his produced documentaries about agricultural practices, Kiss the Ground and Common Ground. Somerhalder notes that it took “seven years to make Kiss the Ground and quite a long time to make Common Ground,” proving his dedication to showcasing healthy soil practices in the mainstream.

“I'm gearing my entire life to be a rancher and to be a regenerative farmer,” Somerhalder tells EatingWell at the start of this exclusive interview. “I left acting to raise my kids and to build my companies,” he explains. “And so this wasn't something like, you know, an actor in the strike looking for things to do. No, no, this is what I do.”

He’s not yet a rancher, but Somerhalder and his wife, Nikki Reed, take care of their two kids—and at the time of this interview, caring for 18 pets on their farm.

“We have an organic farm that we practice regenerative agricultural practices on,” he says. “Everyone in our orbit is building that out.”

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Somerhalder narrated the Tail of Two Farms, Nutro’s animated short film that demonstrates the importance of healthy soil.

“[Nutro] is a 100-year-old company that is focused on building healthy nutrition for our animals,” he said. “Through that is understanding healthy soil practices, meaning protecting our soil now and securing our food later. And you don't find a lot of companies, especially big ones like this, that have that built into the framework of who they are. That, for me, is so consistent with how I live my life.”

For every view of the film in 2024, the company donated $1 to Nutro’s 2024 Greater Ground Soil Growth Grants to “help select growers implement healthy soil practices.” The total awarded to the grants was $300,000.

“It's been really special,” Somerhalder said about this collaboration with Nutro.

Watch Tail of Two Farms here: