Can Regenerative Farming Save the World?

Unpublished Audio Script.

Glen Miracle and his wife Kenan both knew - one day - they would be farmers. All they had to do was save up enough cash and find the right land. In 2003, they found the perfect plot in Waller County, west of Houston. The farm is lush, overgrown, and home to an entire ecosystem of animals-- including 8 dogs. The Miracles sell their food to farmer’s markets and local restaurants. They also host community dinners right on their land. They named it Laughing Frog Farm and set out to grow vegetables using a technique called permaculture-  a type of regenerative farming that replicates the way plants grow in the wild. Their permaculture farm relies on an intricate planting design to boost crop diversity and produce no waste. 

MIRACLE: You know nature does a good job of growing plants, why don’t we look at how nature does it, and adapt it to how we want it? (:09)

Miracle is one of a growing population of small-scale farmers across Texas turning to regenerative practices to produce food. Unlike most large-scale farms, regenerative agriculture uses little to no-tillage and opts out of using synthetic chemicals found in popular pesticides. This is all with the goal to restore and preserve topsoil. These types of techniques seem to be growing in popularity among farmers looking to change the conventional ways of agriculture. 

DURHAM: There’s absolutely more talk about organic gardening than I’ve ever seen as far as regenerative agriculture. (:06)

That’s Gabriel Durham. He’s the sustainability coordinator for the University of Houston. To Durham, regenerative techniques are becoming more mainstream-- but almost everyone eats their food from industrial farms and he doesn’t see that changing in the near future. 

DURHAM: People want to talk to the people who grew their food. I don’t think industrial agriculture is going anywhere. (:05)

Large-scale agriculture relies on pesticides and practices more likely to produce greenhouse gases. Regenerative techniques -- like the kind Glen Miracle uses in Waller County -- focuses on improving soil health, using fewer resources like water, and avoiding soil erosion. 

DURHAM: I think there are camps of people who are doing it because it’s 100 percent environmental-driven, so they’re trying to sequester carbon better (:10)

But there are also economic motivations for making the switch. 

DURHAM: some are doing it straight up for profit, I’d say. Because you can sell organic produce for more money. (:07)

Consumers generally pay more to buy organic food than non-organic, and regenerative practices help farmers save money on resources. The word on the benefits of the movement is making its way to West Texas, too. Jeremy Brown a fourth-generation farmer in Tahoka-- about 30 miles south of Lubbock. He mainly produces crops like wheat and barley.

BROWN: I’m deeply concerned about the environment, especially what I create, I mean there’s so many factors that go into what we do. (:10)

Brown began using regenerative practices including no-till and diverse crop rotation - which increase soil health and water retention and ultimately- produce better crops to sell. But what led him down that path initially was a passage he found while studying his Bible. 

BROWN: there’s a story that Jesus was telling where he talked about you know, some seed fell on good soil, and it was a parable about our spiritual life and I understand all of that, but I just kind of had this revelation there that, maybe I need to start focusing my attention more on the soil. (:16)

Even though regenerative practices are spreading, there is still some hesitation from conventional farmers. The University of Houston’s Gabriel Durham says some critics of regenerative agriculture point out that these techniques may work on smaller-scale operations. But they may not work on larger farms. While regenerative farming takes time and money, there’s evidence it is winning over Big Ag. General Mills announced in March that they plan to invest in farmers to produce 1 million acres of regenerative farming by 2030, beginning in North America. Durham has noticed this interest by big ag too-- he says if the movement continues to grow in Texas, it could have major implications across the country.

DURHAM: We’re known as producers of food- a place for great food. Our livestock show and rodeo, for example, that's one of the biggest, if not the biggest trade events of agriculture in the world. (:10)

Back at Laughing Frog Farm, Glen Miracle is farming and spreading the news about regenerative agriculture and hopes to see more Texans taking the leap toward the practice. 

MIRACLE: My mission is to- first of all- find out what makes more nutritious food and preach the word, [laughs] you know get it out. And get more people to do it, yes.” (:13)