Regenerative agriculture is a way of farming that focuses on healing and improving the land instead of just using it for production. It’s about working with nature — restoring soil health, increasing biodiversity, and strengthening ecosystems so that the farm becomes more self-sustaining and resilient over time.

Unlike conventional agriculture, which often depletes soil and relies on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, regenerative agriculture regenerates the natural systems that make farming possible. The goal is to leave the land better than it was before. At its core, regenerative agriculture focuses on:

Building Healthy Soil

It all starts with the soil. Regenerative farming treats soil like a living community, not just dirt. By keeping it covered with plants and feeding it with natural materials, the soil becomes rich, alive, and full of nutrients. Healthy soil grows stronger crops, holds more water, and naturally supports the land year after year.

Encouraging Biodiversity

Nature thrives on variety. Instead of planting the same thing everywhere, regenerative farms grow a mix of plants that work together — some protect the soil, some attract pollinators, and others help feed the ground. This diversity creates balance, reduces pests naturally, and keeps the land resilient through changing seasons.

Restoring Water Cycles

Healthy soil helps water soak in and stay put. On a regenerative farm, rain doesn’t just run off — it’s absorbed deep into the ground, where it nourishes roots and refills underground water sources. This keeps the land green longer, even in dry times, and helps prevent erosion and flooding.

Capturing Carbon Naturally

Every plant has the power to clean the air. Through photosynthesis, plants pull carbon from the atmosphere and send it into the soil, where it’s stored safely as organic matter. Over time, this process helps fight climate change while improving soil health — a win for the planet and for food production.

Working with Nature, Not Against It

Regenerative agriculture is about balance — letting natural systems do what they do best. Every part of the process, from growing plants to building soil, follows nature’s lead. The result is a farm that gives back more than it takes, creating a healthier environment for everything that grows on it.

Mary’s Land Farm is a work of environmental stewardship.

Environmental Impact #1: Greatly reduce high speed water rushing off of the farm and flooding the stream. The blue lines on the ruling hills represent over three miles of swales and berms. The swales catch the rainwater as it rolls down the hill and stores the water for the 3,000 fruit and nut trees that have been planted on the swales.

Environmental Impact #2: Grazing animals live between the swales. Their manure is washed into the swale and not the stream. As a result, we do not contaminate the stream.

Environmental Impact #3: Our animals are grazed using a Managed Intensive Grazing paradigm that sequesters carbon instead of increasing green house gases.

Environmental Impact #4: All of the animals that are moved around the farm, as well as careful application of additional compost, is leading to restoration of soil vs hard, compacted dirt common in so many farms. The soil returns true microbial action restoring the natural environment.

Environmental Impact #5: We only use organic fertilizers and homeopathic pest control. No insecticides, herbicides, or fertilizers are used on the farm.

Environment Impact #6: We have a 1/2MW solar field, to empower the entire farm with clean solar.