Local farmers, researchers and agricultural scientists will gather to share the latest developments and progress in regenerative agriculture at the Annual California Soil Health Field Days, held on March 18 through 19 at the University Farm. The third annual field day series, hosted by the Chico State Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems, is welcome to students, ranchers, farmers, agricultural technical assistance providers, educators and anyone interested in prioritizing soil fertility and viability for more sustainable agriculture.
One might think regenerative farming is a synonym for organic, but it is not. Regenerative practices are unique because the first priority is preserving soil fertility and viability. This is done in a variety of ways to foster beneficial bacteria that live in the soil and provide nutrients for plant growth, to increase the amount of water the soil can absorb, and so the soil can be utilized for future generations of crops.
The field day agenda will be presented by farmers and scientists and will include the research behind cover cropping and livestock integration, along with the real-life implementation of these methods on orchard systems, vineyards and other cropping systems.
“We have a lot of researchers and scientists talking about practice, adoption, what they’re seeing economically, what they’re seeing in soil health, [and] water retention. And then day two, we have the grower perspective, so we invited growers to talk about their transition and what they’ve seen in their orchard systems, to get that peer-to-peer talk,” said Zion Brigham, a technical assistance provider from the Center.
Dr. Cynthia Daley, the director and co-founder of the Center and a Chico State professor, will be overviewing the groundwork of regenerative agriculture prior to the other speakers at the event. “It’s just a quick introductory to kind of what the current status of the science is… Most of the researchers that we have coming on day one are well advanced into their regenerative research programs, and they’re at the bleeding edge of regenerative agriculture,” she said.
The soil carbon accrual project conducted at the University Farm and multiple other locations in the state will also be presented. Funded by the University of California Office of the President and having earned the Climate Action Award, the purpose of the project is to compare the crop success and soil health results of conventional farming and regenerative-based farming. Experimenting with a variety of crop systems including rice, cereal grains, grapes, cotton, tomato and orchards, the project aims to display the success of regenerative farming in both desert and temperate environments.
Biochar, one of the latest regenerative practices being researched and implemented in the field, will be discussed by Dr. Kristin Trippe from the USDA Agricultural Research Service. “Biochar is a woody material of any type of carbon source that gets burnt at a very high temperature in these digesters that are geared to do that work. And what it does is it solidifies the carbon and makes it into like a charcoal,” Daley said. Trippe has researched the impact of adding biochar and composted biochar into soil to supplement its microbial ecosystems. It can also serve as a way to recycle animal waste, paper, wood and crop leftovers, according to Utah State University.
It is common for an entire orchard of trees to be ripped out of the ground. Dr. Brent Holtz will be presenting his research in recycling orchard trees into wood chip mulch to enrich soil. “So after they incorporated it and got that wood chip to be worked back into the soil, they came in with another orchard system. And he studied the economic return over time,” Daley said.
The Center’s mission is to educate California farmers on how to preserve soil and go regenerative amidst an unpredictable state climate and economic circumstances. Costs of farming are constantly increasing, including the costs of conventional methods such as pesticides and fertilizers.
“Regenerative practices are designed to minimize the need for those inputs over time. Cover cropping works as a mat that can prevent weeds from growing through, so that would reduce the need for herbicides. Pollinator habitat, hedgerows and different ways of increasing pollinators can bring beneficial insects into the cropping systems. Oftentimes, you can balance those beneficials with pest loads, and so that reduces the need for pesticides,” said Michele Auzenne, associate director of the Center.
The yearly atmospheric rivers that Northern California experiences can harm local farmers’ crops, causing fields to flood and leading to water runoff. However, regenerative practices such as cover cropping can improve the soil’s ability to absorb and retain nutrients, and reduce the occurrence of root rot and stuck machinery, according to Brigham.
However, regenerative agriculture is not foolproof. Sometimes cover crops can outcompete the cash crop and other times livestock do not effectively graze a given field, resulting in financial loss for farmers, according to Daley. Farmers continuously work with regenerative professionals to tweak regenerative methods and experiment to improve.
“It’s just being adaptable enough and intuitive enough to know how you change your practice, to make these things work. And you really have to have that mentality or it’s not going to happen,” Daley said.
Elena Mendonsa can be reached at [email protected]
