Regenerative Agriculture is holistic land management that utilizes the intentional design of animal systems, crop plantings, and cycles of rest to create healthy and abundant soil.
Soil is not dirt. Soil is alive.
Unlike inert dirt, healthy soil is alive, brimming with microorganisms, fungi, and organic matter that work in harmony to nurture plant growth, sequester carbon, and retain water. By tending to the soil with regenerative practices, we foster a vibrant environment that supports resilient crops, thriving wildlife, and a more sustainable food system.
So how do you do it?
Depending on the condition of the land, there are a variety of tools used to remediate or tend soil.
Pigs, sheep, cows, chickens and cover crops are some of the most critical tools used within regenerative agriculture.
PIGS:
Pigs, with noses shaped like shovels, will turn barren, compacted, or old pastureland into cleared, turned and fertilized soil. They are usually the first to move through an area to clear it in order to prep the land for a first round of cover crop planting, and eventually crop planting for consumption.
COVER CROP:
Cover crops are plants that have deep taproots or spread wide along the surface to keep soil moist. There are three main categories of cover crops:
Grains – like annual grasses, rye, oats, and wheat These crops build biomass and break up soil compaction with extensive root systems. Their leaves also improve water infiltration by slowing down the movement of water from rain or overhead irrigation.
Legumes – like peas, soybeans, clover, and vetch These are commonly known as nitrogen-fixers. The varieties within this family each do slightly different things.
Broadleaves – like buckwheat, mustard, and alyssum These germinate quickly to shade out undesirables, like weeds, and they are easy to turn in for nutrient benefits.
CHICKENS:
Chickens are incredibly useful in rotation either through a cover crop field once it is ready to be turned and adding one more layer of fertility, or to rotate through larger pastures after ruminants like cows and sheep. With their sharp eyes and beaks, they scavenge insects that live in cow patties, and break apart dry patties with their talons.
RUMINANTS (Cows, Sheep):
Ruminants (mammals with cloven hooves and multiple stomachs) are rotated through dense grasslands in tight formation to concentrate their grazing and manure deposits. Their hooves break apart manure as they trample it into the ground, grass is trimmed but not ripped out by the roots, and then land is given time to rest and grow back over time.
CROPS:
After soil has been turned, fertilized, cover cropped, and turned again, the next phase would be to prep it for planting edible annual crops. Planting a diverse range of crops and not only one type of crop in a field creates biodiversity, nutrient diversity, and helps keep soil healthy. After crops have been harvested, pigs can be released into the field to clear leftover husks, plants, and other debris in preparation for a winter cover crop.
COMPOST:
After food has been consumed, the remnants can be brought back to farms to use as pig feed or inputs for compost piles. Pigs consume food waste, turning it into manure that is deposited back into the soil for another lifecycle! Compost piles do the same without animal influence, and compost can be spread over a garden or field for additional fertility before planting.
Ready to Invest in Soil?
Join the movement that is growing in Boulder County to invest your dollars into local farm projects and backyard businesses that are focusing their efforts on healthy soils.
The Stalk Market makes it easy to find, resource, and support Soil Stewards. Your investment into soil pays dividends! Find which Soil Services you want to support and receive dividends from the by-products that come from regenerative agricultural services.
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