Regenerative Agriculture Paintings

For the past year, I have been fairly obsessed with regenerative agriculture. It all started with a 4 part documentary called “Roots So Deep (You Can See the Devil Down There)” by Peter Byck. It changed the way I thought about the world, and gave me hope in the face of all those heartbreaking videos of livestock in truly gruesome living conditions. It also meant that I didn’t have to be a vegetarian to help end this terrible system. The gist is basically that if you graze animals in small paddocks and move them everyday, they hit the land hard with hooves, teeth and fertilizer. Then you leave the land to rest and regrow. Leaving the land for around 90 days gives it time to do this, and wow - what a difference that makes! During the rest period, the seedbed germinated long lost grassland species in addition to the seeds that the farmer plants. Roots grow as deep as the stalks and leaves grow high. Then insects, animals, and birds all move back in. Water is retained in the soil, carbon is naturally sequestered, and the parasites’ life cycles are broken and die back. Natural cycles are restored. Costs for chemical inputs are cut as no pesticides or herbicides are needed. Just moving cattle, moving sheep, moving pigs daily and planting a rich mix of plants in the pasture for them to come back to when they are lush and tall to munch down again. More cattle can be supported in this system, so cattle per acre can increase. And the meat we eat is healthy and chemical free. And as for the quality of life for these animals - they can express their natural instincts in the sunshine and fresh air. A wonderful life with one bad day. And with a few years, the soil fertility increases, the soil depth increases, the water retention increases, and carbon is actually sucked out of the air and put right into the topsoil. It’s a win-win-win-win-win. Below are some organizations that use, teach and promote regenerative agriculture and adaptive multi-paddock grazing techniques.

• Roots So Deep (You Can See The Devil Down There)

• Carbon Cowboys

• Will Harris, White Oak Pastures

• Caney Fork Farms

• Smoking Oaks

• Xerces Society

• The Peter Byck Show

• Gabe Brown , Brown’s Ranch