Regenerative agriculture may just sound like a new buzz word in the sustainable production space, but what does this term actually mean and why should it matter to Illinois farmers? 

Regenerative agriculture is an umbrella term used to describe the on-farm use of a wide range of sustainable agricultural practices.  It is a holistic approach to farming that focuses on improving soil health and making our agricultural systems work with nature, not against it.  In this way, it can be considered conservation-minded farming. Over the long term, regenerative agricultural practices can increase the resiliency, productivity, and profitability of our farms.  There is a growing interest in implementing regenerative practices on both small and large farms.

What are some of the key principles of regenerative agriculture?

Depending on who you ask, regenerative agriculture and the practices that it includes may vary, but there are some key principles that growers and researchers agree on:

Minimize soil disturbance

Tilling disrupts the structure of soils created by microorganisms.  It can also cause soils to lose moisture and worsen the problem of erosion.  Reducing tillage helps preserve the structure of soil.  Strip tilling is a compromise between no-till and conventional tillage that growers could use.  With this method, the soil is only disturbed in the seed row.  If growers have the appropriate equipment, strip-tilling is a good method to try that would reduce soil disturbance while maintaining yields.

Maximize biodiversity 

Our traditional, monoculture agricultural system, while being efficient at maximizing yields, can have negative impacts both within that system and on the environment outside of it.  Monocultures run the risk of disease and pest outbreaks and can deplete soil nutrients over time.  In Northern Illinois, we tend to rotate crops between corn and soy to combat some of these issues, but there is an opportunity for additional diversity to be added into our cropping systems.  Planting cover crops is one way to add biodiversity to the cropping system, but edge-of-field practices can be used to enhance diversity on the fringes of this system. This can look like implementing enhanced buffers along ditches and fencerows that include native and perennial plants or using constructed wetlands in areas with poor drainage. These practices and others bring diversity back into our cropping systems while attracting native pollinators and providing a habitat for wildlife.

Integrate livestock

Regenerative grazing is a new take on livestock management that uses livestock and perennial and annual forage species to improve soil health.  With a regenerative grazing system, livestock are moved throughout different pastures and are integrated into the crop rotation. For example, instead of using an herbicide to terminate a cover crop, animals can be used to graze down the cover crop in preparation for planting.  With multiple fields and pastures involved, multiple species of livestock can be fully integrated into a regenerative agricultural system. 

Build soil organic matter

Illinois is known for its “black dirt” soils that were formed under prairie vegetation and include a higher percentage of organic matter than other soil types. Illinois farmers are used to these high organic matter, highly productive soils, but our conventional agricultural systems often include practices that lead to soil degradation and a loss of soil organic matter (SOM).  It can take up to 1,000 years for one inch of topsoil to form, but less than 20 years to lose that same inch of topsoil to erosion.  This is why many regenerative practices focus on building and maintaining topsoil and SOM.   

Keep the soil covered

An important piece of the equation to maintaining the productivity of soils is keeping the soil covered as much as possible.  This means living plant material should be maintained throughout the year—not just through the growing season.  Much of the soil loss through erosion that occurs happens outside of the normal growing season as a result of heavy spring rainfall or snowmelt. Driving around this winter I saw far too many fields where the topsoil was sloughing off with the melting snow. When most of the biological productivity in soils is found in the top 6 inches, this type of loss to erosion is hugely detrimental—and preventable! 

As you can see, many of these practices focus on building and maintaining soils. Soil is the foundation of our agricultural system and is the basis for life on Earth.  Healthy soils produce healthy plants, which feed both humans and animals.  There are many practices that farmers can implement that can improve soil health.  Planting cover crops has the advantage of hitting many of the key principles—build soil organic matter, keep the soil covered, and maximize biodiversity—but there are many other practices that align with these key principles.

Why should growers and landowners care?

Farmers and landowners are in the unique position to shape what our landscapes will look like now and in the future.  Farmland in Illinois covers over 27 million acres or about 75 percent of our state’s total land area.  With only 4% of land in Illinois being protected natural areas, that leaves the majority up to farmers and landowners to decide how it is used.  Regenerative practices offer an avenue for growers to improve the land they work, on while also benefitting the overall ecosystem. Regenerative agriculture is not a specific set of practices that must be applied to all operations.  It is a suite of practices that can be adopted by growers to suit their unique operation and land.  With growers and farmland owners on board, Illinois has hope of reaching its goal of conserving 30% of the state’s land and water resources by the year 2030.

The University of Illinois is at the forefront of research in regenerative agriculture with the I-Regen Initiative and Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC).