Modern agriculture puts soil health first | Tyrolean

I love spring on the farm. Everything is fresh and green. Wherever you look, you see life. It is a period of renewal, of regeneration. This is really what modern agriculture is almost all year round. But spring brings this cycle in full technical technicolor to the farm.

When I look at my agricultural land, I remember that it has not always been so lush and green. It took years of hard work and dedication to bring us to this point. I am proud of the way my family worked to renew the soil and bring life back to these hills. The story of my farm can be repeated hundreds, thousands and even millions of times. This is the history of modern agriculture. While terms like climat-intelligent, sustainability and now regenerative have become fashionable words, these are all words for what farmers have been doing for decades: protect our natural resources and promote soil health.

Let’s talk about the last fashionable word, “regenerative”. Regenerative agriculture focuses on agricultural practices that promote soil health. If you are a farmer like me, you probably think: “It looks very much like what I am already doing every day.” And when we enlighten in modern agriculture, the practices associated with regenerative agriculture – as covered by culture, composting and rotation of cultures, to name only a few – are common practices.

Although the term, regenerative, is gaining popularity, many people do not know too much what it means. According to our research, there is a largely positive perception around the term, even if people cannot quite define it. Soil health issues and farmers agree. We know in the first hand how important the healthy soil is. This is why we plant cover crops to prevent soil erosion. This is why we rotate the cultures that we plant in a field to improve the nutrients of the soil. And that is why butcher’s cattle breeders like me turn where our cattle pay to restore the floor.

Farmers are at the forefront of regenerative practices like these because we see in first hand what it takes to grow and keep life. We know that we have great work to do, cultivate food, fibers and renewable fuels on which families in the country and abroad count. As we innovate and adopt new tools and technologies, we also grow more with less. Farmers like to talk about efficiency, but unfortunately, this term is misunderstood. He may have an impersonal tone for some. But efficiency is very personal for farmers. We want to do our job better every day – review for our land and our animals – because we care about our families and yours. For farmers, efficiency and regeneration go hand in hand. You cannot grow more, without first stretching your floor and ensuring that it is healthy this season and for the seasons to come.

Finally, we cannot talk about regenerative agriculture without recognizing the critical tools that help us do the work important to protect our soil. Modern agriculture has gone through a long way since the days when my grandfather transported a plow to its fields and reached it in its mule. Today’s precision agriculture equipment allows farmers to monitor culture health to the factory, use less water and locate the application of pesticides and fertilizers. And yes, let’s talk about pesticides. Farmers are committed to using these products safely, which often require additional training and certification. In addition, many of us live on the same country where we use these products, so we know how important security is for our families and yours. Without pesticides, our culture health would suffer, leading to more waste, and we would lose regeneration practices such as the coverage culture and not.

Conventional and organic agriculture has a role in the discussion of regenerative agriculture. Regenerative practices are not a single size either. What I have to do on my farm in Georgia will be different from what is necessary on a farm in New Hampshire or Idaho. Farms of all sizes also play a role in regenerative agriculture. Whether farmers work with 100 acres or 10,000 acres, they count on healthy soil and are determined to do well by the land.

While new terms such as regenerative agriculture increase in popularity, we must continue to intensify and share our farm stories. Take possession of this fashionable word, rather than letting others define it for us. For my farmers’ colleagues, I said it several times – the public wants to hear from you because they trust you. Farmers and breeders are the most reliable voices with regard to soil health. Our research shows that four out of five adults trust farmers and breeders to make decisions concerning regenerative agriculture practices. Show them that their confidence is founded in the right place.