
Grass Roots Farmers' Co-op
Regenerative Agriculture
What we’re going for at Grass Roots is better than the sum of the parts—pasture-raised, grass fed, sustainable, traceable, delicious.
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.
As Natural As Breathing
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
Farming That Adds Up—Abundantly.
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.
- Falling Sky Farm, AR
- The Other Side Farm, AR
- Vesta Valley Farm, AR
- Nash Cattle Ranch, AR
- Horst Family Farm,MO
- Martin Farm, MO
- J and M Farm, MO
- Shady Acre Farm, MO
- U 1st Farms, MS
- Nash Cattle Ranch, AR
- Wholesome Beast, OK
- Sunnyside Farm, Tunas, MO
- Carman Ranch, Wallowa, OR
- Stemple Creek Ranch, CA
- Stauffer Farm, MO
- Back Forty Bison
A Food Revolution
What you eat, and where and how your food is sourced is important. Grass Roots is a farmer-owned, fair wage meat company delivering nationwide. Our pricing reflects truer costs of farming, and the Grass Roots’ commitment to providing a living wage for the people who produce our food.
Thank you in advance for your support of regenerative farming—a food revolution in the making.
A Better Table, Where Everyone is Welcome
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.