Regenerative agriculture is a land management and grazing approach that aims to reduce or even negate environmental harm from farming. Practices focus on things like topsoil regeneration, biodiversity improvement, and climate change resilience. However, regenerative farming doesn’t just benefit the overall environment—it’s also intended to improve the health of your crops and livestock.

Regenerative Agriculture Practices

Limited Tillage

Tilling grinds down fungal communities and damages soil structure, increasing soil erosion and surface runoff. Tilling also releases a large amount of carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Minimizing your tillage reduces soil disturbance, improves soil health, and, in turn, boosts the nutrients your crops can soak up.

Cover Crops and Crop Rotation

Bare soil, when exposed to the elements, can easily erode, and rain can wash away the nutrients necessary for successful plant growth. Planting cover crops helps ease erosion and boost soil health—it can even improve your crop yields.

Likewise, planting the same crops in the same location can lead to a buildup and shortage of certain nutrients. Rotating your crops and strategically adding cover crops will infuse your crops with soil organic matter and will help naturally prevent pests and diseases.

Plant Diversity

Increasing the plant diversity in your fields will help create varied, rich, and nutrient-dense soil, which improves crop productivity. As certain plants release different carbohydrates through their roots, a variety of different microbes feed on these carbohydrates and bring the nutrients back to the plants and soil.

Regenerative Grazing

Confined animal feeding systems and feed lots are contributing to unhealthy monoculture production systems, water pollution, and low nutrient-density forage. However, a well-managed grazing practice will stimulate the improvement of plant growth, increase soil carbon deposits, and improve the productivity of your pasture. Regenerative grazing practices can also improve the overall health of the animal and the human consumer.

At Carlson Wholesale, we’re in the business of keeping livestock happy and healthy. From drinking systems to calf pens, we have all the equipment you need to raise your livestock. Browse our supplies on our website, or check out our blog for more information on the agriculture industry.