One of the ranchers in the Grass Roots co-op describes her greatest title and role as a “land  steward.” She’s talking about her work to help heal the ecosystem on the ranch—to foster  healthy grasslands and soil that’s alive with roots and microbes continually drawing carbon out  of the atmosphere and into plants, roots and the soil. Like the other Grass Roots partners, she  manages the ranch based on principles of regenerative farming.  

Do these ideas sound familiar? Maybe you’ve clicked onto a TED talk or watched the 2020  documentary “Kiss the Ground” that’s garnered a major buzz in the worlds of food and farming.  (In less than a decade, filmmakers and farmers have produced more than 350 agri documentaries on regenerative farming, and counting.)  

Or maybe you haven’t yet taken a deep dive into agro-science and regenerative farming, but  you’ve been thinking that much of what’s happening in big, modern agriculture looks to be off  track. Mega farms, chemicals and genetic engineering doesn’t sound appetizing. Meanwhile,  climate change is altering life at high speed, in real time. Maybe you feel this world needs a kick.  

A revival, a recharge, a reset.  

Not to mention that you’d love to roast a chicken or a rack of lamb, or sear a steak without  feeling any ethical qualms about the source of the meat. You simply want the best-tasting, healthiest and highest quality meat available—even better if you know where it came from and how it was raised. (Grass Roots uses a little tech for that kind of transparency. Through blockchain  technology and individualized tagging, customers can quickly locate the farm source and date  info for each cut of lamb, turkey, beef, pork or chicken.)  

We believe this is the future of farming. Healthy soil is the start. At Grass Roots we’re working to develop ways to measure the positive impact our farms are having over time—and to share that information with you, our friends and customers, and with the wider community.

We, you—all of us—breathe out CO2. Plants breathe it in. Through photosynthesis and when  plants die and decompose, carbon-rich organic matter is transferred to the soil. (Thanks to the  work of nematodes and earthworms, bacteria and fungi.) The resulting organic matter is what naturally holds water, nitrogen and phosphates—all essential for the growth of plants and food.  A healthy soil microbiome is maintained. The cycle continues.  

Recognizing this essential role of carbon in the natural world is central to regenerative farming.  We hear plenty of negative talk about carbon. But carbon that’s sequestered in the soil isn’t a villain, rather, it’s a natural and fortifying part of the eco-system. And when there’s a variety of  plants and trees growing in living soil, moisture is better retained.

Regenerative farming involves agricultural methods that are holistic, sustainable and work to  heal the land and soil. Farmers and ranchers in the Grass Roots co-op grow a diversity of plants  and trees, establish cover crops and use no-till methods for planting, and incorporate grazing  animals that naturally produce compost.

Everything from microbes and insects to wildlife,birds and livestock can thrive. And hooved  herding herbivores are essential to the process. By continually moving animals to pastures and  paddocks with fresh grassland, management of the grazing process is targeted and beneficial.  Livestock forage for the most nutritious diet possible, and there’s never bare ground, so root  systems remain intact. The soil is stimulated by grazing chickens and the hooves of cows and  sheep, and improved by manure. 1

What we’re going for at Grass Roots is better than the sum of the parts—pasture-raised, grass fed, sustainable, traceable, delicious—although regenerative farming brings all those  features. Our higher goals are for healthier farms, animals, people, communities and the  environment as a whole—for healed soils and a healed climate. We’re in this for animals raised  right, so you can feel good about what you’re eating. We’re going for abundance.  

By now, maybe you’re as fascinated by the possibilities of regenerative farming as we are. If  you’re not, we’ll do our best to continue to inform you and get you there.

Please let us know if you have questions about regenerative farming, and we’ll keep sharing the  dirt science and farm stories.

You’re invited to slide in, to pull up a seat, to join this farm and food revolution. Everyone is welcome. No matter where you’re from, your skin color or age, your political beliefs, or who you love. All of us can take part.

Your daily choices can help to heal the environment and improve American agriculture. Every delivery of beautifully-marbled, aged steak or plump chicken wings from Grass Roots to your door is another step closer to a better future—to improving the soil, the plants, the animals, and the lives of people (you and your health), and the livelihood of hardworking farmers and farm communities—while having a major positive effect on the world’s climate issues.

A hearty welcome to all to this big, delicious table.