What is Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative Grazing to Increase Soil Health and Profitability

Graeme Hand

graemehand9@gmail.com 0418532130

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

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Typical Definitions

•Start with principles

• Increases soil organic matter

• Improve whole agroecosystems

•List of Practices

• No till cropping

• Compost

• Silvopasture

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Possible Definition

– based on farm visits, research, measurable indicators

People – actively promoting agriculture to family and others

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People – high well being scores

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Profit

High wellbeing scores and actively promoting agriculture Land Regen Ag

People

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Possible Definition

Land - No till as a practice

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Land - No till that is regenerative

MD/HD – medium/high diversity, ZS – zero synthetic fertilizer, Lvst - livestock

Source: Gabe Brown

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Land - No till that is regenerative No till comparisons

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What is the science?

• Most appropriate could be landscape function

• (Tongway et al 2004)

What is landscape function?

• Landscape function analysis (LFA) is a monitoring procedure that uses rapidly acquired field-assessed indicators to assess the biogeochemical functioning of landscapes…...

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© CSIRO Australia 2004

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LFA Manual © CSIRO Australia 2004

Landscape Function

Soil surface analysis

Simplified Indicator

1. Soil Cover

2. Basal Cover of perennial grass

3. Litter cover

4. Litter cover, origin and degree of decomposition

Soil surface indicators

5. Surface roughness STABILITY WATER INFILTRATION

NUTRIENT CYCLING

Landscape Function

Simplified

Soil surface analysis

Indicator

1. Soil Cover

2. Basal Cover of perennial grass

3. Litter cover

4. Litter cover, origin and degree of decomposition

Soil surface indicators

5. Surface roughness STABILITY

NUTRIENT CYCLING

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David Tongway http://members.iinet.net.au/~lfa_procedures/

INFILTRATION

WATER

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David Tongway http://members.iinet.net.au/~lfa_procedures/

Land Practice based to function based?

Function based Practice based

Land

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Photo: Gabe Brown https://www.greatplainsag.com/en/products/9774/1206nt-drill

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Combined LFA Results

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Land

Wilmond Park Treatment Control

Decomposing litter is the common link

• Perennial Pasture

Decomposing litter is the common link

• Cropping

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Decomposing litter is the common link

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Profit

High wellbeing scores and actively promoting agriculture Land Increasing landscape function and biodiversity Regen Ag

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People

Possible Definition

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Profit Stable or increasing

High wellbeing scores and actively promoting agriculture Land Increasing landscape function and biodiversity Regen Ag

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Profit – stable or increasing

People

Possible Definition

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