Regenerative Agriculture

Cover crops get a boost through initiatives and funding

Two Midwestern U.S. states are planting seeds for cover cropping to become a more widespread farming practice. The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced a new crop insurance savings program—giving farmers $5 per acre toward paying crop insurance in 2020. Over 50,000 acres are funded (average farm size in Illinois is 372 acres). Since cover crop […]

Harnessing soil as a potent weapon against climate change

Farmers are a group who engage with climate impacts most directly—and floods in the Midwest in 2019, California droughts, and East Coast hurricanes have hit rural and agricultural sectors hard, along with already tight profit margins and trade disruptions. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sees agriculture not only as a victim of climate change […]

“Regenerative Organic Certified” is 2020’s biggest trend, says Whole Foods

Taking the organic label a few steps further, a new certification standard is moving into the mainstream. Regenerative Organic (ROC) will apply to foods made with organic ingredients, sourced from farms embracing pasture-based animal welfare, offer fair labor and economic stability for workers and communities, and prioritize soil health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and land management. […]

Minnesota farmers discover the rewards of cover crops

The Midwest has been beset by floods this past year, exacerbating an erosion problem stemming from decades of industrial agriculture’s mono-cropping. But seven farmers near Dundas and Faribault, Minnesota, are going against the centuries-old practice of fall tilling (leaving fields bare all winter)—instead they’re planting cereal rye and tillage radishes. They’re thrilled to find earthworms […]

A Big Idea

A Midwestern farmers’ network is trying to save our soils, one field at a time.