Defining and validating regenerative farm systems using a composite of ranked agricultural practices

Abstract

Background: Ongoing efforts attempt to define farms as regenerative to aid marketers, policymakers, farmers, etc. The approach needs to balance precision with function, and must be transparent, simple, scalable, transferable, incorruptible, and replicable. Methods: We developed practice-based scoring systems to distinguish regenerative cropland and rangeland, and validate them based on whether these scores scaled with regenerative goals on actual farm operations. Study systems included cornfields of the Upper Midwest, almond orchards of California, and rangeland systems of the Northern Plains. Response variables included soil carbon and organic matter, soil micronutrients, water infiltration rates, soil microbial communities, plant community structure, invertebrate community structure, pest populations, yields, and profit. Results: Regenerative outcomes were strongly correlated with our approach to farm scoring. Soil organic matter, fine particulate organic matter, total soil carbon, total soil nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium and sulfur all increased alongside regenerative matrix scores in one or both of the cropping systems. Water infiltration rates were significantly faster in more regenerative almond orchards. Soil bacterial biomass and Haney soil health test scores were higher as cropland incorporated more regenerative practices. Plant species diversity and biomass increased significantly with the number of regenerative practices employed on almonds and rangelands. Invertebrate species diversity and richness were positively associated with regenerative practices in corn, almonds, and rangelands, whereas pest populations and almond yields were unaffected by the number of regenerative practices. Corn yields were negatively associated with more regenerative practices, while almond yields were unaffected by the number of regenerative practices. Profit was significantly higher on more regenerative corn and almond operations. Conclusions: Our scoring system scaled positively with desired regenerative outcomes, and provides the basis for predicting ecosystem responses with minimal information about the farming operation. Natural clusters in the number of regenerative practices used can be used to distinguish regenerative and conventional operations.

Regenerative Almond Production Systems Improve Soil Health, Biodiversity, and Profit

“…The treatments were defined by rankings derived from a character matrix of nine different practices that were considered as regenerative or conventional (Table 1) (LaCanne and Lundgren, 2018;Fenster et al, 2021). Engaging in a regenerative practice or abstaining from a conventional practice resulted in the farm receiving a score of 1 for that matrix category.…”

“…A minimum of five regenerative practices was used as the regenerative threshold for two reasons. First, there are five principles underlying regenerative agricultural systems: minimizing soil disturbance, eliminating or reducing agrichemical use, eliminating spatio-temporal bare soil events, maximizing plant diversity, and integrating livestock into a cropping operation (Rodale, 1983;Rhodes, 2017;LaCanne and Lundgren, 2018;Gosnell et al, 2019;Pecenka and Lundgren, 2019;Fenster et al, 2021). Furthermore, in Fenster et al (2021) it was found that in cropland systems, farms separated into two distinct clusters based on their regenerative score.…”

“…We believe that this improved profitability will stem from a reduction in synthetic input costs as well as a greater market value for their product (LaCanne and Lundgren, 2018). Overall, we do not believe these differences will be due to a particular management practice, but rather the interacting effects of stacked regenerative practices (Fenster et al, 2021).…”

“…Regenerative agriculture can be defined as an "approach to farming that uses soil conservation as the entry point to regenerate and contribute to multiple provisioning, regulating and supporting services, with the objective that this will enhance not only the environmental, but also the social and economic dimensions of sustainable food production" (Schreefel et al, 2020). The principles of regenerative agriculture are similar to those of conservation agriculture and consist of minimizing soil disturbance, eliminating or reducing agrichemical use, eliminating spatio-temporal bare soil events, maximizing plant diversity, and integrating livestock into a cropping operation (Rodale, 1983;Rhodes, 2017;LaCanne and Lundgren, 2018;Gosnell et al, 2019;Pecenka and Lundgren, 2019;Fenster et al, 2021). These regenerative practices increase organic matter in the soil, which is an active area of research for soil health and climate mitigation efforts (Veenstra et al, 2007;Ryals and Silver, 2013;Demestihas et al, 2017;LaCanne and Lundgren, 2018;Soto et al, 2021).…”

“…We hypothesize that practices that enhance soil health and carbon storage will also increase biodiversity. Specifically, we hypothesize that regenerative orchards will have higher levels of soil organic matter (SOM), Total Soil Carbon (TSC), lower soil bulk densities, higher rates of water infiltration, and more robust and diverse microbial and invertebrate populations (LaCanne and Lundgren, 2018;Fenster et al, 2021;Soto et al, 2021). We hypothesize that regenerative orchards will have reduced pest pressure relative to insecticide-treated conventional systems.…”