What is Regenerative Ag?
A recent article, “Regenerative Agriculture: World-Saving Idea or Food Marketing Ploy?” contained an interesting take on the Regenerative Agriculture movement. The author was correct in describing the confusion around the vocabulary and meaning of the term “Regenerative”. Your article looks at the movement from the perspective on the consumer and marketing to the consumer.
I encourage you to read our article 21st Century Growers’ Guide to Sustainable Farming for insight into the farmer or growers perspective. Most farmers don’t want to pay for carbon sequestration, which they perceive as a problem created by the industrial economy. They do however care about the health and fertility of their land, and ways to improve their farms profitability. (Some believe that 90% of all farms in America operate at break even or an operating loss.)
The opportunity to reduce costs while improving the quality and quantity of their crops is the true value of the Regenerative Agriculture movement. And it doesn’t need to be tied to organic certification, marketing or green washing.
Rather, improving soil health a straightforward application of 21st science, based on a better understanding of the soil microbial biome than humanity had 100 years ago. Regenerative agriculture is a rejection of the premise and mindset of the agrichemical industry, based on a clearer understanding of the chemical activity of the soil biology.
Regenerative agriculture (or Biological Farming) requires farmers to watch their land, and their plants, and respond to their actual needs, as opposed to pouring something out of a bottle … it requires a very different mindset. But the benefits are reduced costs and higher profits.
And, coincidentally, the restoration of a healthy soil biome sequesters significant amounts of carbon.
If it is carbon sequestration you seek, please check our website (SymSoil.com) and our Fungal Infused Biochar which can sequester 10 tons of carbon per year -per acre … and look into the research of David Johnson of Chico’s School of Regenerative Agriculture.
