Regenerative Agriculture
Our approach to regenerative agriculture is rooted in stewardship, science, and long-term land health.
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
For American Farmers Network and our production partners, regenerative agriculture is the process of repairing damaged soils through ecologically based management techniques, such as no-till planting, integrating animals with adaptive grazing methods, and minimizing the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Land under regenerative management has a certain inherent beauty. These farms and ranches are alive with the diversity of nature rather than monoculture pastures. Their variety of plant species feeds grazing animals, draws wildlife and beneficial insects, and gives humans who depend on them nutrient-dense food.
Regenerative agriculture is a way to build the health of the soil—and ultimately entire farms and ranches—by tapping into nature’s natural processes. The health of our soil can be regenerated with an understanding of how the land functions through the three ecosystem processes (energy flow, water cycle, and the nutrient cycle).
A Flexible, Farm-Specific Approach
At American Farmers Network, we recognize that regenerative agriculture is not a set of prescribed practices. For regenerative agriculture to be successful, management techniques must be modified to suit each distinct operation. Understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all or single recipe for success that can be adopted by everyone allows for customization and more adoptability among farmers and ranchers. Therefore, American Farmers Network works directly with our farmer and rancher partners to customize regenerative plans specific to their unique circumstances centered around no-till planting, adaptive grazing principles, and reduced chemical use.
- Planting crops using no-till, which minimizes disturbance to the soil.
- Incorporating cover crops and other diverse mixtures of forage species into monoculture crops and perennial introduced grasses.
- Decreasing use of fertilizers and pesticides
- Using adaptive multi-paddock grazing (AMP, or adaptive grazing)—moving cattle and other pastured animals (sheep, goats, bison) through smaller sections of the overall land and allowing grazed land adequate rest and recovery.
Measuring Impact & Progress
In the end, one of the main goals of regenerative agriculture is to achieve quantifiable gains in soil health. To quantify these gains, American Farmers Network uses the Haney and Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) soil tests in collaboration with their production partners to assess advancements in soil biology and nutrient cycling. Alongside soil health testing, American Farmers Network works with third parties to quantify the amount of carbon sequestered in grazing and farming lands.
American Farmers Network and their partners are guided toward sustained success in the regenerative agriculture movement by these practices and the metrics.
