What exactly is 'regenerative'
posted on
April 25, 2022
Organic Certified, Naturally Raised, Pasture Raised, Free-Range.
The labeling is overwhelming and confusing. The commodity market is slapped full of shiny labels and stickers. But, when you visit the grocery store, do you actually pick up the cut of meat with the shiny packaging or do you just grab the normal stuff and leave scratching your head?
All of the food certifications and labeling claims can be just plain frustrating. Let us provide some clarification.
You’re not alone. Many consumers are confused by these labeling gimmicks. Haven’t you asked yourself, “great label and claim but does Company X or Company Y live up to their claims?”
What does regenerative actually look like at the farm?
Regenerative is the application of production principles to elicit a desired outcome through the symbiotic relationship between the management, the livestock, the land, and the wildlife. In practice, the application of regenerative principles are as unique as the farm itself. Why? Because each farm experiences different variables that are unique to their individual operation. But, bottom line… If soil health is improving then everything else will follow including improved food quality, a cleaner environment, and a healthier society. The idea of soil health is the rejuvenation of soil biology (yes the dirt is alive) which will improve the carbon cycle, the water cycle, and the nutrient density of plant material.
“Leave it better than you found it” is our measure of effectiveness.
To help you grasp what regenerative farming looks like at Follow Me Land & Livestock, I’ve compiled a fun list of examples of how we’ve avoided conventional tools and practices with a regenerative approach:
Natural Biology is the Fertilizer
We do not apply tillage, heavy equipment, nor synthetic petroleum based fertilizers and sprays in our outfit. Synthetics simply burns the soil and sterilizes the land. Tilling the land and the weight of heavy equipment compacts the soil and destroys the vast underground network of symbiotic fungi, bacteria, protozoa, insects, and earthworms. Because we do not use these conventional production methods, our soils are beginning to explode with life to recycle litter and dead plant materials to feed the soil.
Throughout the growing season, we work to measure the presence of earthworms as these same critters can produce up to 160,000 Lbs. of castings per acre each year. Castings are extremely rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Who needs harmful synthetic fertilizers when you have millions of earthworms working below the soil!
Ruminants Replace Combines & Carbon
Each year over 14 million ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats) in the US are raised in feedlots and fed grain that must be mechanically harvested with expensive equipment and then hauled to the feedlot. But who needs a $500,000 combine to harvest and haul grain to the cattle feedlot when you consider the fact that ruminants on 4 legs and a multi-chambered digestion vat are perfectly equipped to self-harvest their own food.
Divinely designed harvesters.
The BIG benefit is that when ruminants are grazed properly on grasslands they work in symbiosis to regenerate the soil and sequester a net positive amount of carbon back into the soil. The international conglomerates tout claims of Carbon Neutral while we actually integrate carbon into biological life.
Clovers Replace Nitrogen
Each year an estimated 12 million tons of nitrogen is applied to crops at a cost 15 billion dollars for U.S. farmers. Not only does this toxic nitrogen degrade the soil, worse yet 30-50% of this unstable nitrogen leaches into our waterways creating algae blooms.
At Follow Me Land & Livestock we incorporate lots of clover plants and other legumes in our pastures because these amazing little plants capture free nitrogen from the air and release it safely in the soil where it’s stable. Why apply toxic nitrogen to the land when the atmosphere above every acre of land is made of 78% nitrogen!
Animals Replace Manure Spreaders
A single sheep produces upwards of 2000 Lbs. of manure annually. A single cow produces approximately 65 Lbs. per day. That's tons of s***. This manure represents precious nutrients that should be returned to the land it was harvested from. When ruminants are confined to feedlots this manure represents a big environmental liability as the nutrient density overloads the soil biology and the surrounding environment.
But because we raise our ruminants on pasture, our animals naturally return their manure right back where it belongs resulting in net positive nutrient addition to our soils. Also, there is zero risk of these nutrients leeching into your well water or down the Chattahoochee to Lake Eufaula.
Perennials Replace Planting (& tillage)
The annual tillage and planting of mono-crops like corn, soybeans, and peanuts represents one of the most destructive practices in modern agriculture and is the leading cause of soil health degradation.
At Follow Me Land & Livestock we are a natural perennial pasture-based farm which means the plants in our pastures regrow each year without having to till or replant. As a result, our system is regenerating and building new layers of soil each year.
Chickens Replace Pesticides and Herbicides
At Follow Me Land & Livestock the combination of our grazing management and species diversity eliminates the need for pesticides and herbicides. The diversity of bugs, insects and grasses, clovers, and forbs all work in symbiosis to keep our pasture ecosystem in a harmonious balance.
While conventional farms spray for “weeds and pests”, our sheep enjoy munching on thistles and briars (they are high in phosphorus and protein) and our chicken flock considers all the bugs and insects a yummy treat!
The list above is the simplified application of regenerative principle on our operation. Farming is both an art and a science with its own unique complexities.
However, in the end all we are doing is simply mimicking natural design, with a touch of artistic management. By improving the conditions of the soil, we heal our little portion of the earth.
Raising food in this way is very fulfilling work but without your support it would not be possible.
Thank you for your partnership, and I hope you learned something today.
Kevin
Follow Me Land & Livestock
And please remember,
"Only the Best for Your Family and Ours!”
Discover more as to why you should eat local:
Grass Based Health - Follow Me Land & Livestock (followmelandlivestock.com)
The Stark Truth: Grain-fed vs. Grass-fed - Follow Me Land & Livestock (followmelandlivestock.com)
