Regenerative Agriculture Archives (2024)

FAQs

Why are farmers against regenerative farming? ›

Therefore, the main disadvantages of regenerative agriculture are: Farmers will need to acquire new knowledge and skills. Less tilling may lead to more unwelcome plants. Some farmers compensate by increasing their use of herbicides.

Development of the term regenerative agriculture is attributed to Robert Rodale, son of the father of the “modern organic movement” J.I. Rodale (creator of the Rodale Institute). After the passing of J.I. Rodale in 1971, son Robert championed regenerative agriculture as going “well beyond sustainable”.

The study analyzed the average gross profits across 40 fields on 20 farms and found that regenerative systems had 70% higher profit than conventional cornfields, primarily due to significant decreases in input costs, seed costs, irrigation costs and fertilizers.

The regenerative practices that John and Molly embrace, practices like cover cropping, crop diversity, no-till, and integrating livestock, naturally feed all the microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi that live in the soil, helping to strengthen our plant-growing powerhouse.

Difficult To Do on a Large Scale

Regenerative farming is also difficult to do on a mass scale. The need for crop rotation limits how many types of produce can be grown at one time. Plus, adopting holistic grazing techniques requires greater land mass than traditional agriculture.

Regenerative farming and ranching sequesters atmospheric carbon into soils, building soil carbon, which in turn helps soils absorb and retain more water, making farms and ranches drought resilient.

Essentially, permaculture is more of a broad philosophy on creating sustainable human habitats and food systems. Regenerative agriculture, on the other hand, is a specific farming style that focuses on improving the soil and creating a closed system where waste from one element is used as food for another.

One outcome of regenerative agriculture is the potential for higher nutrient content of crops thereby feeding the population nutrient-rich foods, which leads to our society's improved nutrition. Getting there is not without obstacles.

Regenerative agriculture is not organic farming.

So, it is possible to practice regenerative agriculture and still use GMOs, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and other methods common in conventional farming but forbidden by organic standards.

From grazing and land management services to value-added products and agritourism options, there are plenty of opportunities to generate income while improving the health of your land and community.

Can you make money with regenerative farming? ›

Over time, however, and once farmers reach a relatively steady state of regenerative practices, our analysis indicates a positive long-term business case for farmers, resulting in between 70% and 120% higher profitability and a return on investment of 15% to 25% over 10 years.

According to Project Drawdown, the cost of implementing regenerative agricultural practices is estimated at US $355.05 per hectare while net profit is estimated at US $530.39 per hectare per year.

Alan convinced us to build a state-of-the-art worm compost facility, which is essentially an oversized palace for collecting worm poop, what he called the holy grail of soil food.

The research wasn't in yet and even today only about 1.5% of U.S. farms are regenerative(opens in new window). But things change, and the latest research shows that farmers and ranchers who add regenerative practices do see increased profits, especially over time.

According to Dr Kristine Nichols, a soil microbiologist and regenerative agriculture expert, of the 900 million arable acres in the U.S., only about 1.5% is being farmed regeneratively.

By enhancing soil health, crop diversity, water retention and reducing soil erosion, regenerative farming practices can help farmers adapt and ensure food production is more resilient to weather extremes like droughts and heavy storms.

Regenerative organic agriculture eliminates the threat of toxic chemicals and antibiotics from our food system and improves the soil for stronger, healthier plants. Even more powerfully, it improves farmers' lives.

Regenerative farming is a process of restoring degraded soils using practices based on ecological principles. It goes beyond organic farming by not only avoiding synthetic inputs, but also actively enhancing the natural ecosystems of the land.

Regenerative agriculture sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide, reversing industrial agriculture's contributions to climate change. Regenerative practices such as no till farming and cover cropping are reducing erosion and water pollution, and in turn, producing healthier soils.