Regenerative Farming

*** Please note- I am not an agriculture expert. I am an art teacher who designs t-shirts and is a mother and wife. ***

We started out wanting to grow some things for our family to eat and help the kids to get a sense of work ethic.  And well, the truth is, Brent and I had some drinks one night at Enoch's and thought of the idea to grow pumpkins. It sounded like fun. That is how it all started.  

 Our first year, our garden grew very well.
We bought a soil test. We went and bought the synthetic fertilizers that it said we needed and then we tilled up our rows.  If we had an issue with a bug or something, we could go grab some type of pesticide and get rid of that sucker.  Now I'm trying to send the chickens out to take care of the bug problems. In the beginning, we used RoundUp to get rid of all those darn weeds. And that worked great.

There was no crop rotation. And over time, it seemed like our production got worse and worse and worse. Last summer, we did not use ANY pesticide sprays but we still were tilling up our rows. Uggggg.

In the beginning, we didn't compost either, except for saving our own egg shells and coffee grinds for our tomato plants. (Thankfully, we are now composting fools and have a whole team of families helping us, but more on that in another blog)

  I blame my ignorance on all my mistakes. 

And then a light bulb went off one day. 

Well, really a friend who I respect and admire tagged me on a post about regenerative farming on Instagram. (Thank you Laurie LeBleu!)

She is one of those people that I adore (she birthed our first child!) but she is not someone I talk to regularly. So, when she took the time to tag me on something, I paid attention.  The instagram page is "Farmersfootprint". (See more info below *1)  I read and watched the 20 minute documentary thoughtfully.

It all made perfect sense. 

 I then went on Amazon and ordered myself a few books to read. I read "Dirt to Soil: One Family's Journey into Regenerative Agriculture" by Gabe Brown and "One Size Fits None: A Farm Girl's Search for the Promise of Regenerative Agriculture"" by Stephanie Anderson.

Knowledge is power. I think I was very open to all of this, because I DID NOT grow up in a farming family. My Mom only grew a few tomatoes here and there and my Dad probably didn't know where our shovel was! 

What is Regenerative Farming?

 The Wikipedia says "a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing the ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration (this is the capture and storage of the atmospheric greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by biological processes), increasing resilience to climate change and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil." All of that sounds really good- right?

  If I was trying to explain Regenerative Farming to someone as simply as possible, I would tell them it is getting back to farming the way God made things to work. Allowing plants and animals to do their job without interference from humans. It seems like we as humans are always trying to "fix" things or speed things up to suit us.... Instant Gratification.

   It is the belief of regenerative farmers that the reliance of pesticides and mono-cropping (planting/farming only one crop) has damaged our soils and the health of every American. Many believe (and studies have been proven) that the active ingredient in Roundup (glyphosate) has caused chronic disease in many people and the food that is produced today is NOT as nutritious as the food produced 60 years ago......

Join me on a brief cliff notes version of what I read in the above two books. I promise to make it as interesting as possible.....

   In the good ole days, farmers were very self-reliant. They saved seeds for the next years to come. They used "fertilizer" that was produced by the animals. They used horse/oxen for muscle power and they controlled weeds through crop rotation and diversifying. The SUN powered everything while OIL powered nothing.

What we call organic food now, was just plain ole food back then.

  As food markets globalized, farmers faced overseas competition and began to specialize in ONE crop or ONE animal to stay in business and be able to compete. This could set a farmer up for bankruptcy if they had a crop destroyed by disease or weather. Growing only ONE of something also meant the end to the whole farm approach. The old days of spreading manure on fields and the feeding of covers crops to animals disappeared. So many farms got to the place where they only rotated two crops- Corn and Soybean. Many small farms were consolidated into large farms which set the stage for todays Mega Farms.
  Farmers began to embrace new mechanical tools that boasted production and reduced physical work. And I don't blame them for happily saying good bye to the horse/oxen/mule approach! I can picture myself last year pregnant with Leighton and trying to dig some holes for some seeds. I was crying to Brent that we needed a tractor...And was so relieved when we got one.  Other tools came along like self propelled combines, cotton pickers and bigger tractors. Production started exceeding the demand and crop prices fell. This made many farmers go out of business.
   In 1945, with the end of WWII, the government found itself with 10 Industrial plants that produced highly explosive nitrate. The Agricultural scientists came up with the idea to convert these bomb making plants into fertilizer plants and spread it across all of America's fields.

These new Nitrogen pellets or liquid enabled the farms to ditch the processes like cover crops and live stock grazing that originally recharged the soil. This was easier and so much faster. This synthetic nitrogen worked really well.....but over time, farmers have had to add more and more and more to get the same output. Plus, the result from the run-off of all this nitrogen fertilizer is HUGE areas in the Gulf of Mexico that are "dead zones". These are areas where little to no fish live. These spots are from all the nitrogen running off the farms and heading down the streams and into the Mightly Mississippi River where it all is then channeled into our Gulf.  See pics.

"Excess nutrients can cause harmful algal blooms (HABS) in freshwater systems, which not only disrupt wildlife but can also produce toxins harmful to humans." *2 You have to sit there and think about how this is poisoning the ocean, what is it doing to our local water sources??

  Now, on the other end of the argument, it is thought the use of today's fertilizers have enabled farmers to feed the world's growing population and helped to contain hunger and death to many parts of the worlds.  With the high cost of living and the growing population, we need food available at affordable prices. How many folks today can afford Organic produce? I'd say organic food is more geared to the middle to upper class who have the money to pay for the higher prices that these food items cost.
  "Though chemical fertilizers have indeed increased crop production, their overuse has hardened the soil, decreased fertility, strengthen pesticides, polluted air and water and released greenhouse gases, thereby bringing hazards to human health and environment as well." *3  So, we ARE feeding lots of people, but we are making the world sick at the same time? In "What's Making Our Children Sick?",  Dr. Michelle Perry and Dr. Vincanne Adams present a sobering thought: "If we are looking for evidence that our food system has failed us, we should look at our children. We have a generation of children whose chronic illnesses do not resemble those of previous generations. Our kids are sicker than their parents, and arguably sicker than their parents were when they were children, regardless of our agricultural and pharmaceutical advances. Clinical evidence indicates that we are doing something wrong. Quite possibly what we are doing wrong today started with the changes in our food production that began most of our children were born."

  Chemical Fertilizers WILL help plants to grow faster, but these same plants will not be as healthy and strong because they lack time to mature and develop a strong root growth and stems. These plants are more susceptible to pests and diseases as they lack good immune systems. Plus, these plants have less nutritional value.  Are you seeing a cycle here? Now, folks are needing to spray these plants heavily with pesticides to help them survive. It is like a huge hamster wheel!!

   And now we have GMO Seeds- Genetically Modified Organisms. These super seeds grow in the ground like any other seed, only they have characteristics that enable them to maybe handle drought better, or withstand harmful insects or weeds or disease better. Farmers have been using these seeds for approximately 20 years. There HAVE been many tests done on these seeds/plants to ensure that it is safe for people, animals and the environment (but keep in mind that many of these tests were sponsored by the folks that create them). The American Medical Association, and the World Since Organization are two groups that support GMO's.

Hmmmmm.

   Now... onto the other side of the argument...GMO Agriculture has led to super seeds and super pests that are very difficult for farmers to manage. Meaning, many farmers have had to "Up" their game and use stronger and more toxic chemicals to get rid of weeds or pests that are attacking their crops. There is a small growing group of folks like the Environmental Working Group who are very skeptical of these seeds. They believe the verdict is not out yet on them due to it being too soon to tell.  They think there is evidence that GMO's actually might have a detrimental impact on our health and on the planet. What do you think? Have you given GMO's that much thought??

What do I believe? 

I believe in what God created.

   I don't think things should be genetically modified. But on the same line, I don't believe ANY person should have to go hungry. When I'm ordering seeds for our garden, I will not ever be ordering GMO seeds. 

  Studies have chronicled the steady decline of dietary minerals in vegetables, including copper (down 24-75 percent), Calcium (down 46%), iron (down 27-50%), magnesium (down 10-24%) and potassium (down 16 percent). As Gabe Brown wrote in his book, "Another study noted that you would have to eat eight oranges today to get the equivalent amount of vitamins that your grandparents would have enjoyed in a single orange in their youth. It's the same for meat- you would need to eat nearly twice as much beef, chicken, or pork to acquire the same level of nutrients you would have two generations ago. "
   When I read things like this, I am alarmed for myself, my kids and my kids kids. Many Americans do not get the daily needed quantity of diverse nutrients needed for their bodies. Why? The reasons range from poor food choices to also not having a diverse supply of food options to pick from. The Big Industrial Agricultural giants are bias in their plant selection due to appearance, shelf life, growth rate, pest resistance and ease of transport. Does this bother you? Or are you happy with todays section at your local grocery store?

  Want to do something about your choices out there for food?

 Why not start small like grow your own garden? Order some heirloom seeds and taste a different type of tomato rather than the ones we get at the grocery store from Mexico.

Or, just try to support your local farmers market and restaurants that are trying to serve healthy local organic minded meals. Or start composting! I promise you will not feel as wasteful.

Regenerative Farmers is what I want Compton Farms 

to be for our community and for our children.

In July, Brent and I are heading up to North Dakota to tour Gabe Brown's ranch (www.brownranch.com) and learn what we can do to make this happen down here in Louisiana. To be continued! Lots of exciting things are ahead for us. I keep reminding myself, it's a marathon and not a sprint.

Thanks for reading-
Love
Lissy

*1 Farmer's Footprint is a non profit organization dedicated to help Soil health and promote Food Independence.  Check them out at https://linktr.ee/farmersfootprint. The documentary that I watched is on their website too.

*2 Taken from "Nutrient Pollution: The Sources and Solutions: Agriculture" by the EPA.

*3 "Harmful Effects of Chemical Fertilizer" on Researchgate.net