Regenerating Colorful Colorado

The news is flooded with overwhelming climate change stories, however, we rarely hear about the multitude of proven climate solutions that we can get involved with locally. Regenerative agriculture is one of those, and it addresses human, soil, and climate health. Agriculture is an exciting climate solution, as it involves something we all have a level of control over: the food we eat.

Despite the “natural” appearance of long rows of crops, modern agriculture is actually worsening climate change! We don’t have to look far for better alternatives, as nature’s been doing it for millions of years.

Conventional Agriculture

Conventional Agriculture, or industrial agriculture describes farming practices that rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers, irrigation, tillage, and other highly resource-demanding operations.

Tilling Damages Soil Health

Farmers typically use heavy machinery to break up the top 6-10 inches of soil and mix in growing supplements, in a process called tilling. Tilling displaces and kills microbes and insects in the soil, which are vital to healthy soil. This process is repeated every year, leaving the soil bare, dry, and more likely to be blown away by wind or washed away by water.

Crops become dependent on chemical fertilizers

Tilling strips the soil of nutrients, making crops grown out of it dependent on chemical inputs for productivity.

Heavy Irrigation is used

Heavily tilled soil loses its ability to hold moisture. Additional water washes nutrients away and flushes fertilizers into the waterways, harming aquatic life and even people!

Carbon is Release into the Atmosphere

Tilling releases carbon previously trapped in the soil into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

Farmer spend money

Maintaining machinery for tilling and continuously adding fertilizers, pesticides, and more water to crops is costly.

Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agriculture describes farming practices that prioritize healthy soil, biodiversity, and result in better water management, reduced fertilizer use, and have potential to reverse climate change.

No Till Practices = Healthier Soils

Regenerative agriculture practices use low or no-till practices, depositing seeds directly into the soil using specialized equipment, leaving the soil structure and residues from previous crops in place. When the soil isn’t perpetually disturbed by tilling, microbes and insects are left alive, both of which are vital elements of healthy soil.

Cover Crops Protect the Soil

Some farms plant a crop specifically to cover the soil, rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops can slow erosion, boost soil health, increase water availability for crops, suppress weeds, and even aid in controlling pests and diseases.

Carbon is Drawn Down from the Atmosphere

Carbon is left undisturbed in the earth. Crops draw additional carbon from the atmosphere into the soil through a process known as “carbon sequestration”. Cover crops adding more biomass which sequester more carbon.

Farmers Save Money

Since these practices require less heavy machinery, fertilizer inputs, and irrigation, farmers often save money in the long run.

Regenerative agriculture is a win on all fronts. Simple and efficient farming practices can eliminate agriculture’s chemical reliance while saving farmers money. The resulting crops are healthier and the farms reduces its carbon footprint.

Regenerative agriculture can be implemented anywhere. With 38,900 farms spread across 31.8 million acres, Colorado's farms have a huge potential to help combate climate change, and many already are!

No Till

“Plants need a home, and soil needs a cover.”

Soil that isn’t tilled is a robust ecosystem that supports crop growth.

Cover Cropping

Cover crops are an additional layer of defense, protecting soil from erosion by wind and water. They also boost soil health, increase water availability for crops, suppress weeds, and even aid in controlling pests and diseases.

They are planted with the intention of covering the soil, rather than for the purpose of being harvested.

Carbon Sequestration

During plowing, stored carbon in the form of organic material ( plant roots and microorganisms ) are brought to the surface. While this temporarily provides nutrients to the crops, the carbon present in the soil is exposed to oxygen and transforms into carbon dioxide.

Regenerative agriculture allows the soil to retain its carbon and absorb more from the atmosphere, regenerative agriculture can sequester millions of tons of carbon and fight climate change.

Estimated .1 metric tons of CO₂ per acre per year

Reduced Fertilizer Use

Healthy plants aren’t dependent on chemical fertilizers. Nitrogen fertilizers are bad news, they can contaminate our water supply, harming aquatic life and even people! Through methods like Cover Cropping, many farms in Colorado have opted to eliminate external fertilizers entirely.

What you can do?

No matter where you live, there are farms nearby that are implementing practices that help the climate, the soil, and improve the food you eat.

You can often get involved by signing up for CSAs, shopping at local farmers’ markets, taking farm tours, and volunteering.

Click on a county and hover over the points to learn about the farms using sustainable practices in your area.

Know of a farm in Colorado that is using sustainable farming practices but yet isn’t on the map?

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