Regenerative growing practices and why the health of the soil matters

It’s called Regenerative Agriculture.

Creating fertile soil filled with biological life, is the beginning of a nutrient-dense salad.

It’s all about the soil. And there is a term that says a whole lot about food and our environment and it’s all encompassing. It’s called Regenerative Agriculture.

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic land-management practice that uses the power of photosynthesis in plants to sequester carbon. Many of us are familiar with mulch, compost, and manure as nutrient amendments that create a soil rich in organic matter that provides a nutrient dense environment for plants.

But there are many holistic practices of Regenerative Agriculture including crop rotation, crop diversity, reduced or no till,  tree and shrubs that provide food and shelter and share, and animal integration, are all a part of this synergy that works together. And as it turns out, regenerative practices imbue our crops with more anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants, that crops that are grown in conventional ways.

Animals grazing on cover crops allows for more nutrient cycling from crop to soil and carbon sequestration into the soils. It's a win-win in farming practices, and in grazing animals. There is also the growing of trees and shrubs that is called silvopasture that provide shade in hot summer and protection from wind and elements to the animals while building diversity, and  supporting our wildlife. 

Mitchell Posin of the Allen Farm in Chilmark, explained this to me one afternoon in late winter when he was ordering what seemed like hundreds of young seedlings of  American chestnut trees.   He was beyond passionate about how these hardwood trees  acted “like a sponge for greenhouse gases” (removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere) but more importantly, these trees provide shade and food for farm animals and wildlife and it’s all about diversity,...” honestly, I could not keep up with his excitement and explanation. But I asked more questions of my arborist son Oliver, and it turns out  American chestnuts were as common as oak until about 100 years ago but they were wiped out by a blight.  But now there is a blight-resistant hybrid  that will make a difference in the pastures of the Allen Farm. American chestnuts are fast-growing, the wide branches provide shade tree and in the spring provide food from the flowers before its abundant fruit production of small and flavorful chestnuts. The hardwood is great for making furniture. And because they are fast growing, they can store more carbon in a shorter amount of time. And this is just one practice of many  practices, that all encompasses more sustainable ways to grow food.  Together they  improve  soil health, increase crop yields, use less water, and increase nutrient density.

And why no -till and why avoid chemical fertilizers:

Soil fungi has the extraordinary ability to create a symbiotic relationship by exchanging enzymes into rock and extracting minerals. Sugars form plants are exchanged for minerals in the soil and when we till the soil, we destroy fungi that provides not only nutrients to the plant, but also provides numerous other benefits to soil and soil structure. The use of chemicals, in the form of pesticides and herbicides, significantly damages fungi.

Now back to the salad…of course it all starts in the soil. And there are endless articles written on the importance of Phytochemicals and how they matter to our nutrients matter to our health as these compounds have demonstrated connections to maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases. But if all plants have phytochemicals what’s the difference?

While the simplest way to consume more phytochemicals is to eat more fruits and vegetables— how they are grown matters! Studies consistently show that organic and regenerative crops contain higher levels than conventional crops. 

And plants grown on the regenerative farms contained, on average, more magnesium, calcium, potassium and zinc; more vitamins (including B1, B12, C, E and K), and more phytochemicals. Several independent comparisons were examined in a study that indicate regenerative farming practices enhance the nutritional profiles of crops and livestock and it builds a better environment for all life!

We can break down one bowl of salad he greens say it’s loaded with phytonutrients or minerals like magnesium necessary to build insulin, melatonin, and serotonin. Or we can make a wonderful salad dressing to go with our salad and enjoy the greens. But knowing the growing practices and asking questions of our suppliers and growers, spreads the word that these practices matter.

It’s much beyond “we are what our food ate”. It’s more we are, quite literally, made from the soil the plant grew in. In order to have nutrient dense food, we need healthy soil.

Look for farmers who are growing plants in regenerative ways. Talk to them and learn more. Such conversations are vital to our health of the planet and to ourselves! Really this is just the tip of how we can all work to save the planet and our health and there is so much more to learn and EAT!