How does the way our food is grown impact our health and the health of the planet? Part 2 – Regenerative Farming

Last month, we explored how conventional farming practices have a negative impact on the health of our soil and the health of our gut microbiome.

This month, we will explore regenerative farming and what it can mean for our health and the health of our planet.

Regenerative agriculture practices vary based on the region and the farmer. The foundational principle is to farm and ranch in harmony with nature. They typically rely on farming practices that are no-till and minimize mechanical soil disruption. These farmers plant directly into groundcover so it will store more water and increase microbe growth. Tilling in modern agriculture produces a huge amount of CO2 contributing to global warming. In contrast, with every one percent increase in bacteria, fungi, and other soil microbes that come with regenerative farming, we see ten times greater draw down of carbon from our atmosphere.

In industrial farming, animals have been taken out of cropping systems and put into confined places leading to a host of problems including antibiotic resistant pathogenic organisms. With regenerative farming, livestock are used to graze on the crops in off-harvesting times. These animals disrupt the weed cycle without chemicals leading to resilient soil and growth. Having the animals graze on the living plants is part of a healthy ecosystem. They basically feed on the same small plot of land for a maximum of three days before they are rotated to another section of the farm. This allows for grassland covered healthy soil. Carbon is taken from the atmosphere by these healthy plants and grasses via photosynthesis. These healthy plants then allow for more moisture in the air eventually contributing to the water cycle that produces rain. Ultimately, this cycle produces moisture and organism-rich soil vs. the dirt produced with modern farming that leads to bare ground. Bare ground draws down no carbon and produces no moisture leading to desert-like conditions that are not conducive to growth.

We know that regenerative farms grow more food per acre, and they do so without the use of the chemicals that harm the health of the planet and of humans. We also know that they produce more nutrient-rich foods. Plants extract nutrients from soil, retaining them so they can be consumed by humans and animals. If the soil has turned to dirt, the foods we consume are insufficient in the nutrients we need to thrive. Studies show that wheat and vegetables we consume from industrial farming have lost 25% of their magnesium. Magnesium is needed for hundreds of chemical reactions in your body responsible for heart, brain, gut and muscle function. However, nearly 70% of adults in our country are not getting enough magnesium from our diet to support these functions.

If you want to learn more about this process, I highly recommend the documentary “Kiss the Ground”. This documentary provides hope and solutions for our current climate crisis. In doing so they lay foundational framework needed to uproot our current food system to take back our health and the health of our planet. Look for a regenerative farm near you. I love visiting Stonecrop Farms near my hometown.