It's All About the Soil

Seems the phrase "Regenerative Farming" is getting tossed around a lot in some agricultural circles and messaging to consumers and their food choices. This post will attempt to answer the question, "What is Regenerative Farming?". As you might imagine from the post title and the image, it's all about the soil.  So, let's answer the question from The North Coast Ranch point of view.

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It is important to note that regenerative farming practices look  different on each farm or ranch. The common thread among them is the improvement of soil health, which leads to multiple other positive outcomes such as more nutrient dense food, a cleaner environment and a healthier society.

Understanding and believing the sentiments of Franklin Roosevelt, "The nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself," it becomes evident that preserving soil is crucial for our long-term well-being.

To offer you a deeper insight into what regenerative farming entails, let's explore how The North Coast Ranch has replaced conventional tools and practices with regenerative approaches:

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​1. Earthworms Replace Fertilizers
We avoid tillage practices which results in soil with millions of earthworms. These hardworking creatures come to the surface to break down plant material on the surface of the ground. In turn, this provides nourishment for the soil ecosystem. Remarkably, worms produce tons of castings (i.e. poop!) each year. These castings are incredibly rich in essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which stimulates plant root growth.

Besides the castings, the earthworm ejects granules akin to miniature lime stones. Like castings, these granules are dispersed into the soil where they improve soil fertility, biology and structure. The earthworm granule is mostly mineral and is a rich source of a variety of micronutrients. An abundant earthworm population will produce about a ton of these granules per acre every year. As such, soil full of earthworms becomes limed with calcium carbonate granules. These granules also take carbon dioxide that was in our atmosphere as greenhouse gas and trap it as insoluble carbonate. The little lime stones neutralize the soil, preventing it from becoming overly acidic. Calcium also serves to adhere all the different soil aggregates together, conserving both carbon and soil structure.

In conventionally farmed and tilled fields it is common to find few or no active earthworms. Pesticides, the destruction of their habitat by excessive tilling and the acidity and toxicity of fertilizers constitute a deadly trio for earthworms. When appropriate worm environment is produced, all of these constraints are eliminated and the need for synthetic fertilizer is reduced or eliminated.

So, with millions of earthworms working (for free!), buying and spreading synthetic fertilizers seems expensive and unnecessary.

(Whoa -- well that was a lot of info about earthworms !! )

2. Cattle Replace Combines & Carbon
Traditionally, 14 million cattle in the U.S. are raised in feedlots and fed grain. Grain requires mechanical harvesting and transportation to the feedlot. At The North Coast Ranch, we think we are pretty smart (ha!). How so? We have actually observed...with our own eyes...that cows have been designed with four legs and they are perfectly equipped to self-harvest their own food, saving us time, energy and money not transporting food to the cattle.

By properly grazing cattle on grasslands, they play a symbiotic role in regenerating the soil and sequestering a net positive amount of carbon back into the ground. This not only eliminates the need for expensive equipment like tractors, plantings, sprayers and harvesting equipment, it also benefits the environment.  Mother Earth...you're welcome.
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3. Clover Plants Replace Nitrogen
U.S. farmers apply an estimated 12 million tons of nitrogen to crops, costing around $15 billion annually. This amount of nitrogen can degrade the soil and can lead to much of it leaching into nearby waterways. Many farmers take preventative measures to alleviate this problem, but unfortunately, many don't. At The North Coast Ranch we embrace the use of clover plants in our pastures. These amazing plants have the ability to capture free nitrogen from the air and release it safely into the soil, ensuring stability. Instead of relying on synthetic nitrogen applications, we utilize the natural nitrogen in the atmosphere, which constitutes 78% of the air.  Free fertilizer. Neat, eh?  

4. Cattle Replace Manure Spreaders
A single cow can produce up to 82 pounds of manure...a day!  Simply stated, cow poop is great fertilizer representing a valuable source of nutrients that should be returned to the land. People spend a lot of money to get packaged manure or have some delivered from nearby farms for use in their gardens and flower beds.  Why? It's a great, all-natural fertilizer.

When cattle are confined to feedlots, their manure is transformed from a valuable asset to an environmental liability. Imagine, hundreds and hundreds of cattle, pooping and urinating in a confined area. Have you ever heard the saying that "the quality of something is relative to its quantity" ?  Even excellent things can seem terrible if they are used too frequently or exist in abundance. "Too much of a good thing." also comes to mind. So, all this excess manure in one spot needs to be relocated, using man-power and big equipment to drive over fields to spread it around the pastures.

By raising our cattle on pasture and rotating them on a regular basis to different areas of the ranch, those same four legs allows the cattle to distribute their manure directly back into the soil, where it belongs. This results in a net positive nutrient addition to our soils wherever the cattle roam...and do their business.

Bottom Line: When our cattle eat, they replace harvesting equipment. The back end of the cattle replaces the need for tractors and manure spreaders. It's kind of simple, but as humans we sometimes like to make things more complicated.

5. Perennials Crops/Plants Replace Annual Planting & Tillage
At The North Coast Ranch, we follow a perennial pasture-based approach. The plants in our pastures regrow each year without the need for tillage or replanting. This system allows for the regeneration of soil and the accumulation of new soil layers annually, eliminating the negative impacts of conventional practices like plowing and tilling.

6. Cattle and Birds Replace Pesticides and Herbicides
Adaptive grazing management and emphasis on diversity of plant/animal species eliminates the need for pesticides and herbicides. The presence of diverse bugs, insects, grasses, clovers and forbs creates a balanced and harmonious pasture ecosystem. While conventional farms resort to spraying chemicals to control weeds and pests, our cattle happily consume thistles and other "weeds". 

The dozens of tree swallow bird houses we construct and the birds that inhabit them each spring and summer consider the diverse bugs and insects a delightful treat. The tree swallows appetite for flying insects also serve as natural fly control for our cattle, thus reducing the need for any chemical treatment of the cattle. These natural control mechanisms ensure a healthier and chemical-free environment.


The examples provided above offer a glimpse into the regenerative farming practices implemented at The North Coast Ranch. By following nature's lead and trying to keep it simple, we strive to produce food while simultaneously regenerating our soils and healing the Earth. Engaging in this form of agriculture is fulfilling work.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

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