What Is Regenerative Farming? Benefits, Practices & Soil Health

When I started planning Mission Farmstead, I thought I knew what responsible farming looked like. I grew up around agriculture. I learned how to till fields with a disc, spray chemicals, and plant GMO seed. The goal was always production.

But when I bought this land and started thinking about what I wanted it to become, I saw that most of what I learned was part of a model designed to take as much as possible from the land, season after season.

Industrial farming drives efficiency, maximum yield, and profit. At the cost of soil health, biodiversity, and long-term resilience.

What I wanted for my farm wasn’t just to take. I wanted to repair the land. I wanted to build something that would give back. A true farmstead from the ground up.

That’s when I found regenerative farming.

What Regenerative Farming Means to Me

Regenerative farming is an approach to agriculture that focuses on healing the soil. It’s not just about sustaining what is already there. It’s about bringing back what has been lost: healthy soil, balanced water cycles, thriving biodiversity, and resilient ecosystems.

For me, regenerative farming means putting systems in place that work together over time. That includes:

• Using multiple plant species in pasture.
• Composting.
• Rotational grazing.
• Focusing on carbon sequestration.

Each practice supports the others and helps rebuild the land.

The principles come from permaculture, biodynamic farming, and eco farming. The goal is to create a system that feeds itself naturally.

When I say I want to farm regeneratively, I mean I am actively working to leave the land better than I found it. That will not happen by accident. It will take planning and intention. The soil, the plants, the animals when they arrive, the microbes, and even the weather patterns all need to be considered as part of one system.

This is not about checking a box by planting cover crops once a year or reducing tillage slightly. It is about designing the entire farm around soil biology, carbon sequestration, and real ecological function.

If I do it right, regenerative farming will rebuild topsoil, store carbon, support pollinators, and grow food that is more nutrient-dense for the families who eat it.

How Regenerative Farming Differs From Organic or Sustainable Farming

People ask me if regenerative farming is the same as organic. It's not.

Organic farming removes synthetic inputs like chemical fertilizers and pesticides. That matters, but it does not guarantee healthier soil or ecosystems. You can farm organically and still wear out the land. Sustainable farming aims to reduce harm as well, but regenerative farming goes even further.

Here is how I like to break it down:

• Conventional farming focuses on extraction. It’s about maximum yield, often ignoring the long-term damage to soil, water, and wildlife.
• Sustainable farming focuses on maintenance. It’s about doing less harm and keeping things from getting worse.
• Regenerative farming focuses on renewal. It’s about rebuilding what has been lost and improving the land’s ability to support life in the future.

I am not trying to avoid harm. I am trying to rebuild something that will last. That means designing a farm that improves the land for the next generation, not just preserves what is left.

Core Practices of Regenerative Agriculture

There is no single recipe for regenerative agriculture. Every piece of land is different. But these are the core practices I am putting in place as I build Mission Farmstead.

No Till Farming

I won't be plowing or heavily disturbing the soil moving forward. Tillage breaks down structure, releases stored carbon, and destroys the network of roots, fungi, and microbes that soil needs. By keeping the soil intact, I can preserve organic matter and support long-term fertility. This will be one of the best farming practices I adopt to build soil health.

Rotational Grazing and Animal Integration

I'm not raising animals yet. But once the fencing and pasture are ready, rotational grazing will be a core part of the system. Animals will move through each area in planned cycles. This gives plants time to recover, spreads natural manure, and reduces pressure on any one part of the land. The goal is to mimic natural patterns that build soil.

Diverse Pasture

This year I'm planting at least eight species in the pasture mix. Each one serves a different purpose. Some fix nitrogen. Others protect the soil. Some attract pollinators and beneficial insects. Together, they increase resilience and improve nutrient content in the forage and the soil.

Composting and Natural Inputs

I'm building compost systems to replace synthetic inputs. At home, we already compost food scraps. On the farm, I will expand that to include plant material and, eventually, manure.

Perennial Thinking

I am not just planning for this season. I am planning for the seasons, years, and decades ahead. Every decision I make today should support soil health, ecosystem balance, and the kind of impact I want this farm to have in the community.

These practices combine lessons from permaculture, biodynamic farming, and regenerative agriculture. They are not about trends or quick fixes. They are about doing what works, what lasts, and what gives something back to the land.

Why I Believe Soil Health Is Everything

If there is one thing that has reshaped my thinking about farming, it's this: soil is not dirt. It is alive.

Healthy soil is filled with microbes, fungi, organic matter, and life. It holds water like a sponge. It stores carbon and keeps it out of the atmosphere through carbon sequestration. It feeds plants and resists erosion. Without healthy soil, farming turns into a constant uphill battle. You end up needing more fertilizer, more water, and more effort just to get the same results.

All over the world, we're losing topsoil because of industrial farming practices that leave land bare, compacted, and depleted. That is not the kind of farm I want to build.

I'm choosing a different path. Planting cover crops, preparing for rotational grazing, and building composting systems. Every one of those steps is designed to support soil health.

This will take time, but I can already see the soil starting to change. I'm learning to pay attention to it, and I look forward to watching it come back to life.

How Regenerative Farming Helps More Than Just the Land

Regenerative agriculture doesn’t just help farmers. It helps everyone.

• The animals, like my future grass-fed cattle, get to live in healthier, more natural environments. They'll graze on pasture, not stand in crowded feedlots.
• The land becomes more resilient. It can handle floods, droughts, and weather swings without breaking down.
• The food becomes more nutritious. Real, living soil produces plants with better mineral content and stronger flavor.
• The people who eat it know exactly where it came from and how it was raised.

Why I Chose Regeneration Over Convention

When I bought this land, I could have followed the typical path. Spray the fields, plant corn or soy, run the numbers, and focus on yield. That’s what industrial farming teaches.

But I knew better. Once you learn about the cost of those choices—the depleted soils, the loss of biodiversity, the nutrient-poor food—you cannot unlearn it.

Regenerative farming is not the easiest path. But it is the path that feels most aligned with who I am, what I value, and what I want to leave behind.

How To Be a Part of the Regenerative Movement

If this resonates with you, here are some simple ways I've found to get involved and support regenerative farming.

• Buy regeneratively raised meat and products from farms that are doing it right.
• Ask questions about where your food comes from and how it was produced.
• Visit farms like mine and see it with your own eyes.
• Talk about it with your friends, neighbors, and family.
  

Every small step adds up toward a healthier, more resilient food system.

This Is Just the Beginning

Regenerative farming is not a finish line. It is a way of farming, living, and thinking that constantly asks: How can we make it better?

At Mission Farmstead, that question is guiding everything I'm building…

And I'm just getting started.

Will you make the transition to regenerative farming?