Eat with the planet in mind!
Regen Revolution
Regenerative Agriculture is a system of holistic principles and farming practices. These practices mimic the natural rhythms of Mother Nature and aim to improve the resources we use, rather than destroying or depleting them. The focus is to rebuild and enhance the health of the soil by drawing carbon down from our atmosphere and putting it directly into the ground where it belongs. By nourishing the health of the soil we are increasing organic matter that promotes greater biodiversity resulting in a more nutrient dense plant life. Regenerative efforts are our best means of restoring the balance of our ecosystem and combating global climate change.
LOYAL TO THE SOIL
Regenerative Agriculture is a new way of thinking about the production process. It promotes the idea of symbiosis throughout the entire food chain starting with soil health. Energy can be neither created nor destroyed but rather is transferred. In the food chain of traditional agriculture energy and nutrients flow from the bottom to the top with no recirculation. This leads to depletion and product lacking nutrient density. Over time we till deeper into the earth and dump more and more chemical fertilizer to try and supplement the energy required for plant growth to feed the animals to feed us.
This process is labor intensive, expensive, and is failing. A comparative study in the nutrient density between a pound of hamburger in 1940 and the same in the present day found that todays product contains 4 times less nutrients and requires substantially more to produce.
While in some instances the base line values in soil health may require artificial balancing to return the soil to viable levels of homeostasis, shortly after it begins to drive its own recovery in an organic fashion. Regenerative Agriculture advocates a multispecies cover crop that works in conjunction with the animals ranged on it.
Implementing Regenerative Agricultural practices, we create a cycle rather than a chain and focus on the symbiotic nature of each organic interaction.
In dry, depleted fields wrecked by decades of intense farming of traditional cash crops requiring tilling, chemical fertilizer, irrigation towers, a great deal of heavy machinery and labor we let the plants fix the soil. Turnips are planted to open the earth with their deep roots allowing for water and nutrients to begin to create a new habitat for the good bacteria that dwell in the soil. Clover is an amazing ground cover with a dense root system that helps retain water for the topsoil and suppress weed growth, reducing the need for chemical herbicides. Harry Vetch is a legume that is able to transform nitrogen gas into organic compounds and partner with beneficial bacteria in the soil to fertilize the ground and fuel growth for surrounding plants.
In combination with other plant species all selected with a specific role and designed to interact harmoniously with one another we are able to reduce the need to till the soil and dump herbicide or fertilizer which offsets the carbon the created by using heavy diesel machinery involved in each traditional practice.
Not only does this approach being to heal the earth but the plants work with the animals. A multispecies approach to grazing is used to help mange the plant growth. Sheep tend to do very well on legumes and prefer a shorter ground cover leaving tall grass and some browse available for cattle. As the animals graze the help fertilize and pollenate the next round of growth in a symbiotic cycle.
The rancher using different techniques such are intensive grazing can allow a pasture to receive increased UV light to remove parasites that live on the grass which decreases the traditional need for dewormer and promotes greater health for the animal. Alternatively, through rotational grazing and pasture management techniques the rancher can maximize the nutritional benefit of his fields while simultaneously promoting new continuous growth.
Soil health increases plant health, plant health increases animal health, animal health increases human health. Working together and being mindful of each unique role played by every partner in our food cycle we can use sustainable practices to better the environment, better ourselves, and create a better future.
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IS THE ANSWER.
FOR THE CONSUMER. FOR THE PRODUCER. FOR THE FUTURE.
GLOBAL SHIFT TO REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
-- Decrease GHG emissions. A new food system could be a key driver of solutions to climate change. The current industrial food system is responsible for 44% to 57% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Science suggests that pastures, managed properly, can absorb significant amounts of carbon.
-- Improve yields. In cases of extreme weather and climate change, yields on organic farms have been shown to be higher than conventional farms.
-- Create drought-resistant soil. The addition of organic matter to the soil increases the water holding capacity of the soil. Regenerative organic agriculture builds soil organic matter.
-- Support biodiversity. Biodiversity is fundamental to agricultural production and food security, as well as a valuable ingredient of environmental conservation.
-- Restore grasslands. One third of the earth’s surface is grasslands, 70% of which have been degraded. We can restore them using holistic planned grazing.
-- Improve nutrition. Nutritionists now increasingly insist on the need for more diverse agro-ecosystems, in order to ensure a more diversified nutrient output of the farming systems.
FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY
The demand for healthy, locally produced food and healthy ecosystems has never been greater. More consumers, producers and government programs are engaged in producing cleaner, safer food. The world recognizes the importance of changing our approach to feeding the global population, and holistic management offers a highly sustainable solution to this.
Agriculture focused on regenerative practices is by definition a system focused on improving soil health through increased soil carbon and life in the soil. While industrial agriculture has been mining the soil of minerals, fertility, and life for the last 50+ years, regenerative agriculture is about growing and feeding soil life, thus resulting in sustainable growth and more efficient production.
BUILDING SOIL HEALTH
Regenerative agricultural practices that focus on soil health are critical to a healthy land base that is more resilient against the volatility of weather, such as drought or floods. They are also critical for the longterm sustainability of agricultural businesses because they are less dependent on fossil fuel inputs that will only continue to rise in cost.
KEY REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE POINTS
• Increased profitability by not having to pay for expensive fertilizer.
• Plants and animals work together in the field to increase organic carbon material in the soil.
• Organic weed removal and parasite control.
• Fields come back greener and taller each year as the earth heals.
• Not only are cover crops great for repairing the soil, they are also perfect grazing to raise big healthy animals.
Source: Australian Food and Farming. Retrieved from www.ausfoodfarming.com.au/