One of the channels where Water Asset Management (WAM) delivers big bang for our investors’ buck is through scaled practice of regenerative agriculture, also known as “regen ag.” The shift to regenerative agriculture is really a return to regenerative agriculture, as it means farming in much the same way that our grandparents did. Examples of regen ag practices include using no-till and low-tillage practices, employing grazing animals, applying compost as fertilizer, and extending crop rotations.
Regen ag is based in the belief that we need to farm in concert with nature, rather than battling against it, to regenerate healthy soil and encourage the health of the living organisms that exist in, on and around it.
Regen ag addresses so many major problems – climate change, soil erosion, nutritional deficiencies, water quality and availability, and more. It’s one solution to the world’s biggest water challenges. So, how does regen ag accomplish all this? It all starts with the soil.
Top soil erosion makes it more difficult for the soil to store water and support plant growth. But regen ag regenerates top soil, which consists of organic matter, nitrogen, minerals, and a biological community. This regenerated soil sequesters carbon, combats pests without chemicals, grows nutritionally-dense food and feed, and better retains water. Therefore, growers don’t need to irrigate the fields as often – and when they do add water, the soil will be able to make better use of it, thereby reducing agricultural water usage. Since 70% of the world’s water is used for agriculture each year, this can have a huge impact on global water availability.
Regen ag also prompts collaboration to use innovative technologies like those we are using on our farms, including @Autonomous Pivot for precision planting, @Vence collars to facilitate management intensive grazing without fencing infrastructure, and the @Bio-Agtive emissions system that recycles farm equipment internal combustion engine emissions into plant nutrients.
Stay tuned to this blog for more to come on our regen ag journey and its impacts. For more details, please visit our website at WAM-farming.com and engage with us on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/company/winnemucca-farms-inc/about/