Editor’s note: This commentary is by Andrea Asch, of Richmond, who formerly led Ben & Jerry’ environmental program for 25 years. She now has her own environmental consulting business.
[T]he snow in Vermont is slowly melting and the woods and fields are springing to life with shoots of new growth. The soil is also re-awakening and is rich with an abundance of organisms and nutrients. Vermont relies on its soil for its most important economic driver – agriculture, and dairy farms. To keep that engine strong, many dairy farmers have turned to regenerative agriculture. More than just a set of practices, regenerative agriculture broadly supports many important environmental benefits.
Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming that develops the soil as a habitat for organisms, making the soil robust and resilient for the production of healthy crops that ultimately support good animal nutrition and contribute to quality milk.
The foundation of regenerative agriculture is a set of practices based on concepts that improve soil health:
• Grow cover crops: Keeping the ground covered in all seasons with a growing plant helps to keep soil in place, helps to reduce erosion into waterways, and promotes the return of nutrients to the soil.
• Use low or no-till practices: Leaving behind the remains of a crop will improve soil health and hold soil in place.
• Rotate crops: Alternating crops keeps pests from getting a foothold, enabling the reduction of chemicals.
Many well respected soil scientists have discussed at length, the benefits of improved agricultural practices to build healthy soil. Many farmers know this as well. Increasing soil fertility often relies on removing carbon from the atmosphere and putting it back into the ground improving the health of the soil. While there is a limit as to how much carbon can be stored in soils, there is a pressing need to protect and strengthen soils on a national and global scale, to strengthen agriculture and to address climate change.
Farming has changed over time and it will continue to evolve. All systems change; they must to remain viable. Many Vermont dairy farmers recognize the benefits of the three pillars of regenerative agriculture. These are the farmers that know their livelihood is subject to so many forces out of their control: climate change, turbulent economics, and changing consumer demands. In the face of all that, they also know they can take steps to strengthen their farms’ resilience.
While we live in an unpredictable global economy, now more than ever, farmers need to focus on the practices that keep their own farms viable and resilient. Restoring soil health by replenishing it is a crucial part of farm viability. A resilient farm brings additional benefits beyond sequestering carbon. These include; the retention of soil moisture, reduced erosion, improved habitat for beneficial species such as essential pollinators, reduction in chemical and nutrient inputs, and decreased reliance on fossil fuels.
Many Vermont farmers have adopted regenerative agricultural practices along with other technologies that have had a positive environmental benefit. These include solar panels, methane digesters, and other technologies to reduce carbon emissions and to protect waterways.
Farmers face many external pressures that make it challenging to survive in this changing industry. Low milk prices, an aging population without a next generation and labor concerns are huge and real factors that impact a farm. With so much out of their control, perhaps the ability to adopt practices that they can control will help sustain them into the future. I believe it is possible.
I believe that farmland is a farmer’s most valuable asset. The way farmers manage their farms must rely on regenerative agriculture. If we all benefit from these agricultural practices, then it is time to implement a strategy that compensates farmers. Compensating farmers means that as a society we recognize that the collective benefits of these practices will be reaped in many other aspects of our lives. This concept is known as payment for ecosystem services.
With collaboration, an openness to explore, ask questions, listen, and trust a different point of view, I believe that Vermont’s farms will endure into the future. They must. They make up the very fabric of our Vermont community.
