So, What is Regenerative Agriculture anyway?

How Farming Practices Could Save the Planet

Regenerative agriculture seems to be popping up more and more. So, what's all the buzz about? Simply put, regenerative agriculture focuses on soil health in order to reduce carbon emissions. Healthy soils that do not feel the harsh blades of tillage are able to sequester carbon in our enviroment. The United Nations believes adopting these practices could offset total global emissions by 10 percent, which is significant! 

You might be wondering how this is possible. Soil that has been undisturbed already contains carbon and microbes. Once the soil has been worked such as using tillage the carbon is released into the air. I often tell people I am a soil farmer. My goal is to rebuild the soil by increasing the organic matter that will effectivly store more water and draw carbon out of the atmosphere. But regenerative agriculture is more than just that...

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Going Beyond the Soil

Regenerative agriculture goes beyond caring for the soil. This is a wholistic approach to farming that includes sustainability, animal husbandry and environmental impact. Working with nature, is the key. In order to do this you must incorporate the following principles. 

The Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

1. No soil disruption: Most enthusiasts will agree that the first principle to regenerative ag is not tilling. Soil health is at the core of this method of farming and in order to nurture it, you must not disturb the microbes, tear up root systems and otherwise destory the microscopic eco system below our feet. There are more living organisms in a teaspoon of soil than people living on earth. Let that sink in. 

One of the most well known soil dwellers in the earthworm. Earthworms benefit soil in many ways. They can improve walter infiltration, which in turn mitigates erosion. Earthworms aerate soil delivering oxygen to plant roots helping them thrive. They improve organic matter, nutrients, soil PH and more. Tilling the soil decreases the amount of earthworms dramatically. Soils that have not been tilled have double the amount of earthworms as newly tilled fields. 

2. Protect the soil: Cover crops are like armor to the soil. They protect it from erosion by cushioning from rain and wind. This aides with soil regeneration by adding organic matter and nutrients. There are a variety of different way to implement cover crops that will depend heavily on your unique situation. Things to consider are what crops you plan on growing, length of growing seasons and your soil's specific needs. 



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3. No chemical fertilizers or pesticdes: I feel like this is a give in. Using chemicals on your soil does massive damage to the living organisms that call it home. There are also numerous enviromental impacts to chemical usage such as contaminating water supplies, killing beneficial insects, birds and fish. 

One peculiar piece of information to consider is there were ten times the amount of pests found on pesticide treated corn fields than a corn field using regenerative practices. Designing pest-resiliant food systems has been shown to outperform  conventional farming methods. 

4.Livestock: At the center of the climate crisis we hear pleas for everyone to go vegan! The cow farts are killing the planet. Well I respectfully disagree. Livestock are crucial to thriving plants and soil. By using holistic rotational grazing practices, livestock will actually have a positive impact to green pastures, as well as produce a higher nutrional quality meat. Farm animals chomp down the grasses in the pasture, stimulating plants to grow and eliminating the need to mow (burning less fossil fuels!) . They recycle the plant matter into nutrient rich fertilizer. Their hooves press seed into the soil, essentially seeding next season's pasture. 

5. Biodiveristy: All over the farm, biodiversity shall be implemented. Having many different microbes in the soil, plants and animals creates rich soil, healthy crops, and resiliency that does not require unnatural interventions to manage pests or disease. Each different plant, animal and microbe adds its unique piece to the ecosystem. The natural world has an amazing system of checks and balances. Understanding nature and using these checks and balances in our favor is integral. This includes native species and perennial plants. 

Different grazing and browsing animals help control differents plant varieties making it important to diversify your livestock. Just as in nature we see a diverse variety of ruminants (bison, deer, elk, antelope) living off the land, the farmer can mimic nature and do the same. 

The Future of Farming

According to retail giant, Whole Foods, regenerative agriculture is one of the top food trends for 2020. Companies such as Stonyfield and General Mills are already dedicating resources to research and implement regenerative practices within their companies. Whether or not this is a marketing strategy to green wash their products and dupe unsuspecting customers is yet to be seen. 

One thing is for certain, what it means to be a regenerative farmer will evolve as we continue to gather research and data on the impacts of healthy soils, how we sequester carbon and ensure a future for the next generation. Here on the farm, we know we have a long way to go! Implementing this system takes a lot of time and resources (resources meaning manpower and considering there is only farm husband and I that means a lot of resources!). 

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Baby Steps to Sustainabilty

We have begun our journey to use regenerative practices on the farm. It can seem overwhelming at first and the learning curve is sharp. The best advice I can give a farmer that is considering adopting these practices is just start somewhere! Even if you're not a farmer, start at the local farmers markets. Most farmers will relish at the chance to share how they manage their farm or ranch. If they do not jump at the chance, then there's a good chance they have somthing to hide. Ask your local farmer if they use cover crops, rotational grazing or no till methods. 

Our focus has been on rebuilding our pasture, acquiring animals to graze and browse the pasture and implement them in fertilizing it. It will be an exciting spring as we see the impact they have created since joining our farm family in October of last year. 

​In what ways do you plan on contributing to the regenerative movement? 

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