What does regenerative farming mean?
posted on
April 13, 2021
According to Whole Foods top trends in 2020, the #1 food trend you need to watch is "Regenerative Agriculture".
Good news for you - you're WAY ahead of that trend!
Why?
Because Riemer Family Farm is a regenerative farm, and as a customer and supporter, you're already buying "regenerative foods".
But what exactly does that mean? What is Regenerative Agriculture?
It's essentially food derived from farming and grazing practices that restore soil health, protect clean water, increase biodiversity and capture more carbon to create long-lasting environmental benefits.
It is drastically different from the current monocrop, (herb, fungi, insecti, etc.)-icide driven industry approach to agriculture.
What makes us regenerative?
All of our animals are grass-fed and raised on pasture. Using mobile fencing, we move the animal herds regularly across the pasture in smaller areas (called paddocks) that force the animals to graze a single area well, then leave it after just half a day (for cattle). This gives every area in the pasture at least 30 days to rest and grow without our animals on it, which is good because it provides nesting habitat for birds, food for pollinators, and protection for the soil and water. The constant regrowing of plants helps bring carbon out of the air and into the soil, as well.
The grazing animals trample down and digest plants, breaking down the nutrients for the soil. The soil builds up it's nutrition and organic matter, and the cycle continues. Different plants have different root structures which help break up compaction in the soil from previous farm machinery and methods, which helps water infiltrate, replenishing the ground water and preventing erosion.
The list of environmental benefits (and improvements) is endless!
Why do we want to be regenerative?
Nutritious, healthy soils result in nutritious plants. Nutritious plants are eaten by healthy animals. Healthy animals produce healthy, nutrient dense meats and eggs that people then eat to become better nourished and healthy, themselves.
People can't live a healthy life without a healthy planet. It's all connected.
We first started farming to live a healthier lifestyle, to carry on the family legacy, to expose our kids to farm life, but as we've gone on, it's turned out to be so much more than that. We look at farming on a community, watershed size scale that goes so much further than our own front door.
Buying regenerative means buying a product that was raised with the land, the animal, the people, and the community's best interests in mind.
Regenerative Farming isn't just a trend - it's a step forward in the food system.
Shop our collection of regeneratively raised meat and eggs here.
