What is “Regenerative”?

It’s aiming to regrow something. In our case, soil microbiology. Keep reading for more information or come to the farm for a deep dive.

Events

why is soil biology such a big deal?

it’s the foundation of a healthy planet

how we do it

We follow the six principals of regenerative agriculture written by Allen Williams, Ph. D. listed below

the principles

minimize soil disturbance

We’ve quit tilling and drastically reduced synthetic fertilizers and chemicals. There’s a steep learning curve in moving away from all 3 of these while maintaining a profit, but we’re determined to make it work.

Armor the soil

We keep the soil covered with organic matter all year round. Never leave your soil bare and exposed to the elements. It loves a cozy blanket in the winter and a nice barrier from the sun in summer. Organic matter also nourishes the underground life year round.

diversity

We grow a rotation of 16 plant species in addition to a diverse cover crop. This boosts a variation of soil microbes and attracts all types of insects and wildlife. The more the merrier!

living roots year round

We never leave soil bare. Roots nourish the underground life, year round giving sustinace to soil microbes, helping water infiltrate the soil, and helping draw down carbon into the soil.

livestock integration

Landscapes in nature are grazed periodically which stimulates biological growth underground. We have a healthy population of elk, mule deer, and antelope that frequent our fields, and we have added regeneratively raised beef grazing by Muddy Creek Ranch to our rotation!

context

This one’s important. Not every farm is the same and you have to manage the principles the best you can for your context. For example, we have an extremely short growing season, very small workforce, and a not so enormous budget. We follow each of the principles to the best of our ability while maintaining profitability.