Regenerative Agriculture 101

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

The term regenerative agriculture is believed to have been coined in the 1980s by Robert Rodale to describe a holistic system of farming that goes beyond sustainable and encourages continuous innovation and improvement. 

More recently, the term was promoted and taken mainstream by Allan Savory, the founder of the Savory Institute, who created a system of holistic management that mimics the ways wild herds of animals move to rebuild soil. 

Today, there is no one definition for regenerative agriculture, but there is widespread agreement on the type of practices used in regenerative farming.

Regenerative Agricultural Practices

Regenerative farming techniques are designed to improve soil health and increase the amount of arable topsoil. Common practices include:

Low- or No-till Farming

To stop the release of carbon dioxide.

Crop Rotation and Cover Cropping

To build and protect soil.

Increasing Crop Diversity

 To feed the soil and help to build a diversity of microorganisms in the soil.

Animal Integration 

 When animals graze, they feed on plants, which release their carbon-rich roots into the soil.  The animals also trample the ground, creating pockets for water to pool, and fertilize it with their excrement. This is why a popular slogan for regenerative farming is: Keep the poop in the loop!

Planned Holistic Grazing 

Not all grazing is created equal. Regenerative grazing means managing where and for how long animals graze and adapting that plan to the evolving needs of the landscape.

Our Definition of Regenerative Agriculture

As a meat company, Applegate’s definition of regenerative agriculture focuses on positive animal impact. So, we are helping to build systems in which the animals’ grazing and movement across grasslands is managed with the goal to improve their health as well as that of the soil.

We are also committed to continuous progress. In other words, we don’t just set a standard and ask ranchers to meet it. We measure outcomes and help ranchers to continuously improve their land and their soil.

How Does This Work?

To measure outcomes, we partner with the Savory Institute, a pioneer in the practice and measurement of regenerative agriculture, and creator of the Land to Market seal, a first-of-its-kind verification that assesses and monitors the impacts of regenerative agricultural practices.

To start, Savory representatives visit a ranch and take baseline measurements of soil metrics. These include biodiversity, soil health and ecosystem functions such as the water and mineral cycles and energy flows.

After 12 months, Savory returns to see what progress has been made and to make recommendations about how to make more progress over time. Savory also looks at carbon sequestration—the soil’s ability to capture carbon underground—but only takes those measurements every five years since (as you can imagine) it’s not a fast process.