Standards for regenerative organic farming go into effect

A collection of farmers and ranchers from around the country has spent several years developing a set of standards for a classification that includes organic but goes further.

To be certified under the "regenerative organic" classification, farmers will have to meet additional standards in the areas of soil health, animal welfare and social responsibility.

"There are three pillars. The first, soil health, gets the most interest," said Elizabeth Whitlow, executive director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, the nonprofit that oversees Regenerative Organic Certified.

The first farmers and producers received regenerative organic certification in 2020, following three years of discussions and pilot projects.

The new program was developed by farmers, ranchers and processors who believe "organic" does not fully describe the standards they follow in producing food.

"Organic is a great thing, but it is just one piece of sustainability," said Jason Haas, partner and general manager at Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles.

Tablas Creek produces Rhone-style wines from its 120-acre organic vineyard, which served as the pilot vineyard-winery as the Regenerative Organic Alliance fine-tuned its standards.

"Organic doesn't really include biodiversity, carbon capture in the soil, resource use reduction, treating workers well and involving them in decisions, or animal welfare," Haas said. "Regenerative organic is a more comprehensive and inclusive system."

The ability to sequester carbon in the soil figures to generate interest among consumers, and Rodale Institute CEO Jeff Moyer said the goal is to adopt practices that build soil health—which can vary, depending on location and crop-rotation system.

"The easiest way to build soil health is to always cover the ground with something green and growing," Moyer said. "You can do that if you have a pasture of perennial grass, but we're also trying to fit a cover crop into systems of annual crops planted more than once a year."

On its land in Pennsylvania, Rodale also grazes cows for a nearby dairy farmer and raises pigs in a pasture operation that served as one of the pilot projects in developing the new standards.

"Our hogs have access to the outdoors and the pasture 24 hours a day, and access to the indoors 24 hours a day," Moyer said. "They are the happiest pigs you will ever see except for one day, and they don't remember that day."

The regenerative certification includes practices not covered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic standard, but Whitlow said the alliance will work cooperatively with the federal National Organic Program.

"We're working with accredited National Organic Program certifiers," she said. "Many already do bundled inspections at the same time, like organic and grass-fed, and they've expressed interest in adding regenerative as an option. We don't want the inspection to be duplicative or to make more work for farmers. We want it to complement a National Organic Program audit."

The key to the growth of regenerative certification will be, as for organic, whether the marketplace rewards farmers for their efforts.

"We don't know where the market is going to be," Moyer said. "We're counting on the brands to carry that message."

Horizon Organic dairy, Canadian cereal maker Nature's Path and Ventura-based outdoor clothing, equipment and trail snack maker Patagonia have all signed as sponsors of the Regenerative Organic Alliance.

Haas said Tablas Creek has enjoyed good market response to its decision to rely for weed control and fertilizer on a herd of sheep and alpacas protected by guard donkeys.

"The response from our customers has been very good," he said. "We have been farming biodynamically for a decade and got our certificate in 2016."

Haas said he expects the new regenerative organic designation will also eventually bring marketplace rewards.

"It will take a while to resonate, but it will," he said. "It will require some education, but it should be an easy story to tell."

While processors with brand names will market the category to customers, supporters of regenerative agriculture said measurements of soil organic matter could also bring compensation from regulatory agencies concerned with climate change.

"Farmers could monetize this through a price premium covered by the brands they sell to," Whitlow said. "Other possibilities we're exploring are monetizing through carbon credits and ecosystem services."

(Bob Johnson is a reporter in Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)