My husband bought land a couple years ago and it was previously being farmed and sprayed. He stopped leasing and stopped the spraying. Milk thistle is not absolutely taking everything over and choked out the cover crop he tried planting.....

The other day he told me he was thinking of spraying if he had to and I wanted to cry. Health is my heart and soul. Can someone, anyone provide advice for how to get rid of the milk thistle without spraying chemicals? :( :(

I also learned that when you stop spraying, the soil is trying to repair and many weeds will pop up and each has a purpose. Any more on this would be wonderful, too.

Thank you very much!

Hello Friends!

I have been working with farmers for a couple years now teaching practical soil biology and consulting on regenerative practices. I want to broaden my reach a bit as I am but one little person in abig world that wants help. So, I'm curious for those of you new to this discipline or considering it:

1- What are your biggest pain points in the process?

2 - What tools or products have you found to get around those pain pints?

3 - What solutions have eluded you?

4 - If you could design a perfect product or tool for your land, what would it be?

Thanks so much for any insights and feedback. Honored to be working towards a better future with folks like you!

I have the opportunity and great fortune to have 33 acres to utilize in any way that is financially viable for my family. For the last 4-5 years this acreage has been fallow. It is my grandmother's property. She has granted me the ability to use this land whichever way i see fit. It is my dream to make this property a regenerative farming operation. I live in the Central Valley of California in the middle of modern agriculture haven. My neighbors grow large singular crops of corn, sorghum corn, cotton, pistachio, walnut, and almond trees. They are all confined to the practices that have been repeated for multiple decades. This includes the usage of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and more than likely various other cides. I understand the economics of these farming methods to a small degree. However, I completely disagree with these modern practices and the damage I believe is taking place for the soil health and health of any living things living in these areas. It is a torment to me to have to continually see what I believe to be poison regularly used in my neighborhood and largely dispersed throughout our valley. My goal of this post is to seek out a mentor that would direct me to the most viable path for leading to a regenerative farm operation. I understand that this is a massive undertaking for myself and those who will be giving me guidance. I don't have much experience farming. I have access to a tractor that needs a lot of TLC. I have water rights but I don't have a deep well. As of now we have a shallow well that supplies the home I live in on the property. I have a great drive to do this work. This is very important to me and I want to make this land a better place for my family and my community. I know this is asking a lot and I know there will need to be some long conversations to be had and more information I will need to share. I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this post and I'm excited to hear of any advice or direction on how i should move forward. Thank you!

Hi All!

My name is Sammy and I'm currently completing my Master of Science in Agribusiness at Virginia Tech. My research focuses on Farm Sustainability through Diversified Operations, exploring how diversified practices can enhance profitability and resilience in agriculture. This survey is a vital component of my research, as it gathers insights directly from farmers and agricultural professionals. I would love your participation as it will provide valuable data to help me understand the real-world impact of diversified operations, shaping recommendations to support sustainable and profitable farming practices.

Hi. I am looking at purchasing a Walnut Orchard. I would like to adopt Regenerative Ag practices. Looking for resources that focus on Orchards & Walnuts.

I am fairly new at the homestead life. We recently bought 22 acres with pretty much all of it being possible pasture. Although there are probably hundreds of questions I could ask, I would say my first focus is choice of animals. Usually in order to decide that, you probably need to have a goal in mind.

My #1 goal - having 0 or AS LITTLE off farm feed I have to buy as possible. I would love to have animals that are pretty much entirely pasture fed with no grain. This includes chickens, goats, whatever I end up having. So with this being 1 goal is reduce costs and work more with the land I have, are there certain species of “meat chickens” that still get fairly large to eat without being pumped full of grain? If not, I would be willing to have smaller chickens, but is there anything that can simply survive and not border on starvation just by simply eating pasture? Are there species of pigs that do amazing being strictly pasture fed? I do not want to be buying tons of grain right out of the gate. I don’t feel this is a successful way to run a homestead. I don’t agree that you should lose money to homestead, which for some reason in the current agricultural model, that’s what seems to be taught.

My #2 goal - with this model of purely pasture raised for all my animals being the goal, are there certain cover crops that give more nutrients/calories compared to other crops? Red clover, winter wheat, hairy vetch, Austrian field peas, etc? These are just a few that I’ve researched. If you did have a certain species of chicken, cow, sheep, and pig in mind that is extremely efficient with pasture raised, what crops are these animals feeding on majority of time to sustain them.

In conclusion, list your top species of each animal with my goal of using less inputs to still achieve decent outputs, and also list your top cover crops to sustain these species and highest caloric amount?

Also, I know there’s a ton more to learn and I’m sure I will learn it along the way, but my first goal is to decide the right types of animals to begin this lifestyle. For example, when I visited an Amish farm in PA, they spoke very highly on the Dutch belt cows and their ability to maintain on strictly pasture.

I've been trying to find regenerative farms that sell heirloom wheat and corn that ship to US-based customers. The only one I've found is Blue Bird Farms for wheat. Does anyone know if there's others?

I looked at the list of farms in Regenefied, but I couldn't find any that sold direct.

One thing I constantly see against RA, specifically for livestock is that it's problematic because it's less calories per acre than intensive farming or vegan farming, and therefore "inefficient". At least for developed countries, it makes no sense to use this as a metric? Our current production methods meet our caloric needs by tenfold, an alternative farming approach could have that and it still wouldn't be an issue.

But more importantly, calories is not even close tot he only relevant factor for determining how/what we farm. If we want to be reductionist, then shouldn't we be thinking in terms of nutrition per acre?

At best I see "protein per acre" arguments which favor soy. But that fails to account for all the other relevant properties of food. Even if it yields the most protein per acre, (ignoring the obvious massive downside of monocropping it) it also has phytoestrogens, high levels of phytates and lacks important nutrients found in meat.

Example of the argument: I never hear people challenge this calorie per acre narrative.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/a59xfb/its_still_such_a_nobrainer_calories_per_acre/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

We've already watched Roots so deep.

I know there are some of the more pop culture ones like kiss the ground and dirt the movie but if there was something a little bit more in depth that would be more what I'm looking for than the surface level intro

So like one with specific subject matter within the Regen ag sphere. Not an intro to soils and how to heal them

Hello 👋

Several regenerative ag practitioners are looking for more peers to connect with.

We are a community of practice. We are professionals and hobbyists who regenerate soil and ecosystems, or support those who do through our work.

Unlike other online communities, our group is focused on forming long-term supportive relationships amongst peers. Those of us who are active have been with each other for several months. Our server has a growing set of incentives to encourage participation and to help keep our community more private and comfortable for discussion.

We are inclusive of all regenerative methods and perspectives. We welcome all people who are respectful of other people and ways of life. Our group upholds no way as the "right way." We are just peers looking to connect as we work on our regenerative endeavors.

Our community is democratic. We regularly welcome and ask for input. We will elect another moderator, and we will add term-limits for both admins and moderators, when our group grows more.

We are quite small, but our group is supportive and here for the long haul. If you are interested in online relationships with peers, we would love to meet you!

You can join our discord community using this link: https://discord.gg/DNH834xXZg

You can learn more about our community on our website: https://RegenAgCoop.org

We hope to meet you soon! 💞

I'm thinking of interning/working at a regenerative farm this summer. Should I? I'm studying environmental science in college, and this summer is between freshman and sophomore year. If I were to do this, what would I be doing realistically? Is it worth it?

I have a background in ecology, and I’ve always thought food systems were really intriguing. I don’t have any experience in this world, but I feel like it’s the biggest challenge of humankind. Itching to learn more.

What are your favorite resources on Regen Ag? Textbooks, studies, videos, documentaries, etc? I wanna dive in!

You: "I'm into regenerative ag."

Them: "So... you grow things without chemicals?"

You: Internally screaming as they’ve missed the whole point of soil health, biodiversity, and holistic grazing.

Let's start a petition to get "soil health" printed on T-shirts for clarity!

Who's with me?

You know you're deep into regenerative ag when you get a soil test back and it looks like an ancient scroll of doom. "Ah yes, nitrogen imbalance, calcium deficiency, and a touch of lead—just what I needed!" Meanwhile, the conventional farm down the road is still out there spraying Roundup like it's a weekend hobby. Anyone else feel like you’re in a battle against time and toxic fertilizers?

Hi, I've recently purchased a field with some older growth blackcurrant bushes on it. Most of these I intend to mulch with a flail mower or mulcher and leave the mulched remains to rot for a year or so prior to planting grape vines and raspberries in rows.

My question is, will the mulch retain any diseases the bushes carry? And would it be worth sowing a cover crop like buckwheat over the top?

Part of the fields will be used for pasture, some will become a garden and the rest will go to fruit growing.

Edit blackcurrants!

Sage Regenerative Kitchen seemed like a regen ag success story in the making. As I understand it, a vegan farmer/chef/owner realized the value of integrating livestock on her regen farm, saw the animals had a great life and it was great for the soil and the environment, changed her mind about veganism, and tried to convert/rebrand her successful vegan restaurant chain into a regen ag chain with both meat and vegan options. But now it seems her vegan customer base was just to doctrinaire to handle their beloved restaurant adding humane regeneratively raised meat options and roasted the restaurants in online reviews. Bummer. I don't blame hardline vegan folks for abandoning a restaurant that's no longer 100% vegan, I'm just bummed the rebranded restaurants weren't able to find success with their new format.

https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/sage-vegan-closing-over-meat-la-20013880.php

Hi all,
I would love to know if there are any regenerative farms in the south of Sweden, particularly in the Skåne area. So far the only regenerative farm I have heard about in Sweden is Richard Perkin's farm, Ridgedale. Which other regenerative farms are known in Sweden, and are there any in the south?

Zone 6. Recently changed from zone 5 (yay climate change)

I'm working for a government agency trying to to start a demonstration farm for no till, cover cropping, row farming methods.

When I signed on in November they had already planted rye. I would have liked to have paired it with a legume but oh well.

So I'm trying to look in to interseeding a legume in the spring. Right now my options I'm looking at is frost seeding red and sweet clover or drilling in field/winter peas.

I can find evidence of frost seeding clover in this system, but don't love that option because clover won't crimp kill with the rye and will need to be sprayed with herbicide

It looks like I should be able to plant field peas as early as late March but I'm concerned about the rye taking off and smothering out the peas so I don't get much out of them. Keystone winter peas look promising because they are said to "start fast" but I'm not sure I can find examples of this being done in practice.

An important aspect of this project is that we are NOT experimenting. We are trying to demonstrate at the edge of existing practices. So we want to be out their, but only so far as people have gone before.

Any citable sources to go along with this are very helpful.

It might end up just being best to not do any legume and maybe spreading some sort of fertilizer to help the rye debris breakdown. And FYI we will be following the rye and possible legume with a midsummer cover crop mix of sorghum Sudan grass, sunn hemp, radish and sunflower.

Edit: in case it's not clear I'm looking for specific help with a very specific problem. I already have the rye without any legume planted with it I would like to plant a legume that can crimp kill into the rye in the spring. Frost seeding clover is an option where I can see evidence of people having done it before but I would need to use herbicide to kill the clover. So I was thinking of using field peas but I'm worried they won't be shade tolerant enough and they just won't do anything. I have been looking into common vetch which looks more promising due to its shade tolerance.

I'm looking to see if anybody has any specific experience with this exact problem. I don't need a general intro course on cover crops.

Have you ever tried spring planting peas or veg into fall planted rye?

The more time I spend learning about this plant, the more I am blown away by its abilities. This is some info I have put together on this plant.

When you see plantain growing in your fields, it's telling you something important about your soil. This plant is like a natural soil doctor, diagnosing and treating problems below ground. Here's what makes plantain special:

In Compacted Soil

Plantain thrives where other plants struggle because it's actively fixing the problem. Its roots break up compacted soil, while its natural compounds help rebuild soil structure. When you see plantain in compacted areas, it's already working to repair your soil.

In Poor or Damaged Soil

The plant produces different healing compounds based on what your soil needs. If your soil is lacking minerals, plantain will develop stronger mineral-pulling abilities. In polluted soils, it increases its cleaning compounds. It's like having a soil technician who knows exactly what treatment to apply.

Working With Plantain's Schedule

Just like there are best times to plant and harvest crops, there are optimal times to work with plantain:

Best Collection Times

Early morning (4:30-6:00 AM) is when plantain is strongest. This isn't just old farmers' wisdom – it's when the plant's helpful compounds are most concentrated. If you can't make the early morning timing, aim to harvest before the day heats up.

Seasonal Timing

Spring: Best for soil activation and growth stimulation Summer: Ideal for soil building and strengthening Fall: Perfect for soil stabilization before winter Winter: Plant goes dormant but roots continue soil work

Practical Uses on Your Farm

For Soil Improvement

1. Let plantain grow in troubled areas of your fields. It's actually fixing problems, not causing them.
2. When breaking new ground or recovering old fields, encourage plantain growth for the first season.
3. Use plantain as part of your crop rotation to rebuild soil between demanding crops.

With Other Crops

Plantain works well with many common crops:

• Plant it along field edges to prevent soil compaction
• Use it in walkways between rows to maintain soil structure
• Let it grow under fruit trees to improve soil health

Making Plantain Soil Treatment

To make a soil-enriching treatment from plantain:

1. Collect plants in early morning when dew is still present
2. Chop entire plants (roots and all) into small pieces
3. Mix with water (about 1 part plant to 10 parts water)
4. Let sit for 2-3 weeks, stirring occasionally
5. Use the liquid to water problem soil areas

Signs It's Working

When plantain is improving your soil, you'll notice:

• Soil becomes darker and crumblier
• Earthworms become more numerous
• Water absorption improves
• Neighboring plants show stronger growth

Regional Considerations

In Dry Areas

• Plantain will grow smaller but develops stronger soil-healing properties
• Focus on morning collection when plants are moisture-rich
• Use more water when making soil treatments

In Wet Areas

• Plants grow larger with softer leaves
• Reduce water in treatments to account for natural moisture
• Watch for stronger growth in spring and fall

Problem-Solving Guide

Common Challenges

If plantain isn't growing well:

• Soil might be too toxic - start with small patches and expand gradually
• pH might be extremely off - add organic matter to help balance
• Ground might be too compacted - break surface slightly to help establishment

Improving Results

• Encourage diverse plantain patches rather than single plants
• Allow some plants to go to seed for natural spreading
• Don't remove all plants when harvesting - leave some to maintain the soil benefits

Working with Nature's Calendar

Plantain gives clear signals about weather and soil conditions:

Weather Signs

• Leaves folding up: Rain within 2-3 days
• Stronger morning scent: Pressure changes coming
• Rapid new growth: Extended wet period ahead

Soil Signs

• Very small leaves: Soil needs minerals
• Extra broad leaves: Good organic matter present
• Deep green color: Nitrogen levels good

Long-term Benefits

When you work with plantain as a soil improver, expect:

• Better water retention in your soil
• Improved nutrient availability for crops
• More resilient soil structure
• Stronger natural pest resistance
• Enhanced soil microbial life

Remember, plantain isn't just a weed - it's a natural tool for better farming. By understanding and working with this plant, you're tapping into an ancient system of soil improvement that's been proven over generations. Give it time, observe its effects, and let this natural soil doctor help heal and strengthen your land.

The best part? It's free, it's already growing on your farm, and it works while you sleep. That's the kind of farm helper we all need.

How do you use it?

Something I've been struggling to find good answers to- the main argument against RA is "it's not scalable" since it takes 1-5 acres of grass per cow, and that we couldn't feed the US on RA raised meat. While CAFO's appear to house tons of cows on a few acres, estimates are between 2-3 acres of corn and soy per cow. This means it's an average of 3 vs. 2.5 acres per cow between RA and CAFOs. So it seems the direct land requirements are comparable?

Obviously it would take time to get the current corn and soy fields to a place where they can grow grazing crops, but given that we can also use this land to house chickens/ducks, allow wildlife to coexist, and even live on the farms themselves which we obviously can't do in intensive corn/soy fields or anywhere near CAFO's then isn't the land requirements for RA pretty comparable?

Any resources on the topic would be appreciated too!

I have been applying for jobs in regen (mainly with regen cpg brands) and have been having conversations with people in the industry for probably 6 months. It is proving difficult…..Or maybe it is just the market right now? Seems like these companies operate on small budgets with incredibly lean teams? I have been told to offer up free work for a brand and another person told me to put my resume and skills on one of those contract employee / hourly work websites. I am a full time employee elsewhere and can’t do that. Also, just a disclaimer, we have a family ranch turned regen so I am fully bought into this movement.

Does anyone have any advice on how to land a job in this space?

Wondering if anyone has had an experience where they'd wanted to get a regenerative certification label, but their operation might take a significant hit in doing so. Or if you've done it, have you found it's helped?

This made me SO angry. And all the commenters could talk about was eating less meat (not that that’s a bad thought. The argument that regenerative ag requires more land is quite the lie. Feels like this journalist is a shill for the industry.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/opinion/food-agriculture-factory-farms-climate-change.html

Are you planting anything?

Zone 6. close to 5

I have winter rye in right now. Thinking about frost seeding red clover. Will be crimping rye and likely chemical termination of clover.

So it seems Sorghum Sudan grass is the king of biomass and carbon is a top concern. Field is also very compacted and has plating

I want a very diverse cohort but need a strategic plan for mowing or other management and killing for the winter and then how to keep the field over winter including kill for spring 2026.

I'll say this is a Government program for demonstrating regenerative principles so I can not tell you what will be growing in the 2026 season. That is not in the scope of my assignment.

We want to be on the edge of demonstration for regenerative practices but not researching or experimenting. So I'm willing to be out there a bit but it needs to be proven efficacy.

Thanks for your help

Does anyone have recommendations on books for designing silviopasture specifically for goats? I want to raise a few milk goats in a regenerative style by planting trees and grazing in my yard. I was wondering if such a book exist.