New View Ag

Regenerative farming is no longer viewed as a fringe concept. It is steadily gaining attention for its ability to deliver ROI to a producer’s bottom line in an undeniably tight economic environment. Practices such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, and biological inputs are doing far more than supporting soil and water conservation. They are also demonstrating a significant ability to reduce chemical needs and increase nutrient uptake in cash crops.

One important consideration, however, is that regenerative farming practices are not a one-size-fits-all approach. Producers in different geographies do not always see the same benefits from every regenerative practice, and that is where the role of trusted advisors becomes critical. Their work involves meeting producers where they are and identifying opportunities that address both economic and logistical challenges.

Most growers think only of cover crops and reduced tillage when regenerative farming is mentioned. However, the approach extends well beyond those two practices. Biological inputs, for example, can help cycle nutrients from the previous year’s residue and make them available to the current year’s crop much more quickly than through a typical natural cycle. This allows producers to make more efficient use of nutrients already present in the soil, reducing the need for additional purchased inputs.

One challenge with certain regenerative agriculture practices is that many of the benefits may take several years to materialize. For producers operating under shorter-term land leases, those potential long-term gains must be weighed against the duration and stability of the lease agreement. Another concern is the upfront economic investment required to implement some of these practices, particularly when it may take time before measurable returns are realized. With margins already critically tight, the additional capital outlay can be difficult for some producers to justify. Fortunately, both public and private initiatives have emerged to help bridge some of these financial gaps for growers.

Many consumer packaged goods companies have taken a proactive approach by investing directly into their supply sheds to support soil and water conservation as well as long-term resiliency. In addition, there are numerous United States Department of Agriculture cost-share programs available to producers interested in evaluating regenerative practices within their own operations. These efforts have helped move the needle, but they have also introduced additional complexity for growers trying to understand which programs are available to them and what participation requirements must be met.

Having an advisor who can help growers navigate these programs while also managing the logistics of existing farming practices has proven extremely valuable. Some private programs require entirely new practices for eligibility, while others include look-back periods. Some involve commitments for a single crop year, while others require multi-year participation.

Because agriculture operates within a living, constantly changing system, it is difficult to place every production challenge into a standardized solution. The approach must remain fluid, taking into account not only the immediate fix, but also the underlying cause, while drawing from a broad range of available tools and strategies. Regenerative farming is simply one of those tools.