“Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there)” from filmmaker Peter Byck is a four-part documentary series about inventive farmers and maverick scientists building a path to revive rural economies and ecologies with hooves, heart and soil.

Cattle have been seen as eco-villains for a long time, but can an underutilized way to graze cattle, that mimics the way bison once roamed the land, help get farmers out of debt, restore our depleted soils, rebuild wildlife habitat and draw down huge amounts of carbon?

Byck and his team are coming to Oxford to screen episodes 1 and 4 of the docu-series as part of their “Roots So Deep Hometown Roadshow” nationwide release series.

Register to attend the free screening at Malco Cinema Grill from 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday – food will be for sale from 5-6 p.m. and the screening will take place from 6-8 p.m., immediately followed by a Q&A featuring director Peter Byck and Understanding Ag’s Allen Williams.

“Roots So Deep” is guided by Byck as he meets farmers on both sides of the fence – the folks practicing an adaptive way to graze, and their neighbors set in their family’s generations-old method of doing things. Byck’s team of scientists are measuring what’s happening on both sides of the fences – exploring if this adaptive grazing could create soil health and farmer wealth.

And one question looms over the whole series: even if the science shows that the adaptive way to graze is better for the land and the farmers’ pocket books, will the old-school farmers change, will they adopt a different method?

Event sponsors Etta Hills Farm are excited to help bring the film series to Oxford.

“’Roots So Deep’ is a must-see film for both consumers and farmers alike,” said Chris Williams with Etta Hills Farm. “The connection between the families and nature is profound and the research that the team has conducted tells the story just on its own. Come see the most compelling documentary of the year.”

Along with Etta Hills Farm, other sponsors include PowerFlex, Oxford Meat Company, Forklift Restaurant & Oxford Chiropractic.

Watch the “Roots So Deep” trailer here.