What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative Agriculture is a holistic farming system that enhances ecosystem biodiversity, improves water and air quality, produces nutrient-dense food and stores carbon to help mitigate the effects of climate change. It includes farming and grazing practices that leverage the power of photosynthesis in plants to close the carbon cycle and regenerate soil health, crop resiliency and nutrient density.
6 main principals of regenerative agriculture.
1. Minimize chemical, physical ad biological disturbances of soil
These disturbances can be the use of chemicals, like pesticides and fertilizers and reducing or eliminating the amount of tilling done on the land.
3. Plant diversity is improved
with healthier soils that can trap nutrients and water to provide and benefit wildlife. Diverse forage in pastures, permanent vegetation or conservation cover, planting multiple species of cover crops together are some of the techniques regenerative farms use. This diversity can also provide other sources of income for the farm.
4. Animals are integrated into the farm
Rotational grazing or moving livestock between pastures gives grazing cover crops or pants time to regenerate. Manure adds nutrients to the soil and reduces the need for fertilizers. When manure from livestock is used as fertilizer, valuable nutrients are added to the soil and large amounts of carbon and water are trapped into the soil of permanent pastures and the need for fertilizers is reduced.
5. Keeping living roots in the soil
Valuable resources like water and nutrients are sustained when roots are in place and soil is stabilized. With techniques like converting cropland to pastures, planting “green” into cover crops or over-seeding, regenerative farms can ensure fields are never bare. Over-seeding is the planting of cover crop seeds on the same fields as primary crops prior to harvest.
6. Practicing no-till farming.
Covering soil with vegetation or natural material. This practice includes techniques like mulching, keeping land as permanent pasture, planting cover crops (crops that provide soil improvement, weed suppression and water retention) and is done in place of tilling.
Learn More
As you can see there are many benefits to Regenerative Agriculture. While sustainable agriculture maintains the status quo, regenerative agriculture strives to improve the ecosystem health by putting the focus on soil health. Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm has been practicing Regenerative Agriculture for many years. To learn more about how it can benefit you, contact Mike Fischer at Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm.
Resources:
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (2022, February 15). Regenerative Agriculture. https://www.cbf.org/issues/agriculture/regenerative-agriculture.html
Perez, Dudez. (2021, September 23). Basic Fundamentals of No-Till Farming and No-Dig Gardening. https://ecowarriorprincess.net/2021/09/basic-fundamentals-no-till-farming-no-dig-gardening/