Regenerative Agriculture

Healthy soils are the foundation of regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agricultural systems not only help increase the diversity and health of life in the soil, but can also improve wildlife habitat and ecosystem biodiversity above ground. These systems increase the land’s ability to filter and retain water, making farms and communities more resilient to drought and floods, while reducing erosion and polluted runoff. They also increase the nutrients available to plants and naturally protect against pests, reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides that contribute to pollution in the first place. Certain practices, like forested streamside buffers, also have a cooling effect on nearby land and streams—an increasingly important role as temperatures rise and threaten aquatic species, like trout, that need cool water to survive. 

There is a symbiotic relationship between plants and the tiny organisms that live in the soil, called soil microbes. Plants, through photosynthesis, provide liquid carbon that feeds the soil microbes. In turn, microbes provide plants with nutrients like potassium, iron, calcium, and others that help them grow and stay healthy, ultimately providing nutrient-dense food for animals and humans that is free from chemical contaminants.  

Healthy soils are also slower to dry out during periods of drought and have a greater capacity to soak water into the ground during heavy rainstorms, reducing flooding

Many of the same conservation practices that reduce water pollution by focusing on building healthy soils and maintaining permanent vegetation can also capture substantial amounts of carbon from the air and store it in the soil, helping mitigate the effects of climate change. They can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by reducing the use of farm equipment, as well as reduce nitrous oxide emissions by reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied to fields and increasing the amount of nitrogen used by plants. For example, CBF’s multi-year study of farms in the Bay watershed that converted conventional farmland to rotationally grazed pasture found an average reduction of 42 percent for net greenhouse gas emissions along with average pollution reductions of 63 percent, 67 percent, and 47 percent for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment, respectively. 

Practices that build healthy soils also make the land more resilient to the impacts of extreme weather linked to climate change, like flooding and droughts.

Improved soil health can lead to higher crop yields, better forage quality for animals, and reduced risk due to increased resiliency to pests, drought, or floods. Cost savings from reduced use of livestock feed, synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and antibiotics can also have a positive impact on farm profitability. For example, a group focused on promoting solutions to climate change estimated that an investment of $57 billion in regenerative agricultural practices would yield a projected return of $1.9 trillion through savings on costly inputs like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and increased farm profits.

Forested buffers, also called riparian buffers, are areas bordering stream banks that are taken out of crop production or pasture use and planted with native trees, shrubs, or grasses. They act as natural filters that slow water flowing off the surrounding fields and allow nutrients from fertilizer and manure to soak into the ground. They benefit both the farm and the streams by reducing erosion of soil, and farmers can select trees that provide additional benefits—such as shade for livestock or fruit and nuts that can be harvested as additional crops. 

The trees also help with climate change by removing carbon dioxide directly from the air, moving carbon into the soil, their leaves, and branches. Each acre of forest buffer removes approximately 0.91 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.  

Livestock operations often grow corn and other crops to feed their animals. By converting this land to pasture, farmers can build their soil health and create a permanent cover of vegetation that traps soil, water, nutrients, and carbon.  In addition, rotational grazing involves frequently moving livestock between small grass pastures, sometimes as often as once a day, rather than keeping livestock on the same area of land for long periods of time. This allows plants time to regenerate, preventing bare ground and keeping pastures more vibrant with healthier soil. By moving animals frequently, rotational grazing also spreads manure naturally over the land rather than concentrating it in one place.  

For information on how to manage regenerative grazing, see our brochure Stepping Up Your Grazing Management. 

Continuous no-till, also known as conservation tillage, reduces erosion and runoff by minimizing soil disturbances. Traditional plowing and tilling create deep furrows in the ground and turns soil over, leaving it unprotected and vulnerable to erosion by wind and water. By minimizing tillage, farmers can build their soil’s health and encourage beneficial microbial life. Healthier soils have a greater capacity to filter water and retain moisture, reducing runoff and keeping nutrients in the ground. Healthy, undisturbed soil can also store large amounts of carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere and benefiting the climate.

Conservation crop rotation is rotating the types of crops grown on a piece of land in a planned sequence. Crops may alternate, for example, between those with deep roots and shallow roots or those that depend on or fix certain nutrients. Growing the same crop on the same land constantly gradually depletes nutrients in the soil. A well-planned crop rotation can reduce reliance on one set of nutrients, reduce pests and weeds, reduce the need for fertilizer, and improve soil structure and organic matter, which increases farm resilience and decreases soil erosion and flooding. 

Conservation crop rotation is rotating the types of crops grown on a piece of land in a planned sequence. Crops may alternate, for example, between those with deep roots and shallow roots or those that depend on or fix certain nutrients. Growing the same crop on the same land constantly gradually depletes nutrients in the soil. A well-planned crop rotation can reduce reliance on one set of nutrients, reduce pests and weeds, reduce the need for fertilizer, and improve soil structure and organic matter, which increases farm resilience and decreases soil erosion and flooding.

Cover crops are not sold, but provide other benefits to the farm, such as soil improvement, water retention, weed suppression, and erosion prevention. They are typically grown at strategic times before or after cash crops, such as corn or soybeans, to ensure farm fields are continuously covered in vegetation. This both protects bare soil from erosion and makes sure any excess fertilizer in the field is held in plants, rather than washing off into waterways. Cover crops can also enhance the health of the soil. For example, certain crops add back nutrients that were depleted during the main harvest, while others help break up the soil with their roots—providing natural tillage without disturbing the soil overall. 

Silvopasture—intentionally planting trees on grazing land—can enhance herd health by offering shade, shelter, better quality grazing, and reduced stress on livestock. Mature trees also reduce polluted runoff, sequester carbon, and contribute to healthier soils. 

Nutrient Management Plans (NMPs) are documents that outline how much and when fertilizers should be used on a farm’s crops. This helps ensure that crops are able to use the fertilizer when it is applied, reducing nutrient runoff into local waterways and minimizing farmers’ fertilizer costs.

Installing fences along streams in pasture areas is a simple but essential way to reduce pollution on farms. Fences keep livestock and their waste out of waterways, reducing pollution and erosion and helping prevent the spread of waterborne disease. Water pumps and lines, and even solar-powered mobile watering stations, can provide viable alternative water sources for the animals. In addition, the purchase of necessary supplies and labor benefits local businesses. While streamside fences do not affect greenhouse gas emissions, they are often used together with other practices that do—such as streamside forest buffers and grazing systems.