When Regenerative Becomes a Buzzword

written by

posted on

February 28, 2026

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how quickly the word regenerative has been adopted in agriculture. In many ways, it reminds me of other well-intended terms like “free-range”, “grass-fed” or even “organic”. All of these lost their true meaning, eventually becoming marketing shortcuts. Today, just about everyone seems to be jumping on the “regenerative farming” bandwagon—but too often, it’s becoming just another label rather than a lived practice.

I see this most clearly in poultry. Simply putting chickens on pasture does not automatically make a system regenerative. I am regularly seeing operations running far too many birds per acre, far too many times per year. When that happens, soil biology cannot keep up. The microbial community simply cannot process excessive nitrate loads at that speed, and instead of building soil, the system begins to deplete it. On paper, and in pictures, it looks regenerative. In reality, it’s extractive.

Poultry cause a significant level of stress on the landscape. In order to stimulate the soil and plants, their impact must be controlled with daily moves. Too long in one place, or too fast back to the same place will damage the soil life.

The same applies to cattle. Animals being on grass is not the standard—outcomes are. True regenerative farming requires that the land be better every year as a direct result of our management: improved soil structure, deeper root systems, more biological activity, better water infiltration, and greater resilience overall. In many cases across the industry, that simply isn’t happening—because “regenerative” has become a broad, generic term that’s easy to promote but difficult to verify.

Regeneration isn’t accidental. It must be intentionally pursued, and measured. We rely heavily on cutting-edge science to guide our decisions—ecology, soil biology, plant physiology, and animal behavior all matter. Regenerative systems only work when the right animals are in the right place, at the right time, for the right amount of time. Miss any one of those variables, and the system breaks down

Skyrocketing demand for "grass-fed beef" is leading to over-grazing and too soon re-grazing. The proper amount of rotation and rest is necessary for the grassland ecosystem to function properly

That level of precision takes restraint. It takes observation. And it often means choosing slower, more deliberate progress over rapid expansion.

Erin and I have remained deeply committed to the core values of what regenerative farming is supposed to be. “Healing relationships with land and animals” forms the foundation of our mission, but more importantly, it shows up in how we make decisions every day. We don’t use labels. We don’t chase trends. We seek tangible outcomes that are measurably improving our stewardship of land and animals.

For us, regenerative farming isn’t a buzzword—it’s a responsibility. If the land isn’t improving year after year, then we’re not doing our job. It really is that simple. -- 🙏 Dustin

A Subject in Regenerative Farming Not Discussed

There are two struggles in regenerative farming. One is visible. The other is hidden. The visible struggle is obvious. Small farms like ours compete against companies with enormous marketing budgets, national distribution, investor backing, and public relations teams. A company like Vital Farms has a market capitalization measured in billions of dollars. They buy placement in grocery stores across the country, dominate advertising channels, and repeat carefully crafted messages nationally until they become accepted as truth. For years, terms like "pasture-raised" have been used because chickens were actually being raised in green, abundant pastures. Corporations like Vital Farms practice something entirely different. These details matter. Definitions matter. Transparency matters. Yet large companies have enormous resources to shape public perception. That is the visible fight. It's the proverbial “David versus Goliath” story everyone recognizes. Vital farms packs 50,000 birds in a barn with some doors open on the sides. They call it "pasture raised". They are trading off of the good will created by farms like us who DO IT FOR REAL. The hidden struggle, however, is far more important. Farming is heavily dependent on debt. Equipment, land, livestock and operation loans. Production seasons are financed and insured. Interest and insurance payments become significant cost centers. These payment schedules create a difficult reality - many farms spend a significant portion of their energy servicing financial obligations. Farming becomes less and less about stewarding land and animals and more about generating enough cash flow to satisfy lenders. This pressure, without doubt, changes behavior. It changes the way decisions are made and what priorities are highest. When debt becomes large enough, nearly everything becomes secondary to the repayment schedule. Erin and I recognized this hard reality early on. We decided that if we were serious about building a truly regenerative farm, it needed to be a financially regenerative farm as well. That meant refusing to finance our operations. No investors. No shareholders. No operating loans. No one sits at a table across from us explaining why we should relax our standards to improve profitability or efficiency. It has taken us three years to finish this structure without debt. We planned to construct the bare necessities first, then we prioritized the biggest needs as money became available. It is now fully functioning with ZERO debt. If we have a slow season, we simply slow down rather than cutting corners to pay loans To be clear - this decision has never been easy. Every year, peak production season is May through October, and we barely scrape by. We’ve nearly lost everything – several times. In many obvious ways, it has made our journey significantly harder. Growth is slower when you don't borrow your way forward. Infrastructure takes longer to build. New projects take patience. Expansion happens only when the resources actually exist. But there is a tradeoff that we found to be worth everything. Freedom. Freedom to tell the truth. Freedom to make decisions that align with our mission rather than someone else's financial model. Freedom to reject shortcuts. Freedom to say no. Investing in soil biology, grazing systems, animal welfare, local processing, and employees in alignment with our mission takes years. We remain free to serve the people who matter most. Our patrons. That is our secret weapon. Not marketing. Not venture capital. Not investor funding. Our patrons. Our relationship with our patrons remains rock solid because they provide the financial freedom for us to pursue our mission without distraction. Every food dollar entrusted to our care directly funds the farm itself. Food money pays to keep our mission going and growing, not servicing debt. Our patrons have become our shareholders. They may not own a piece of the business, but they make the business possible. Their support allows us to remain financially independent. We realized a valuable truth early -- the relationship between our farm and our patrons forms the symbiotic financial backbone of truly regenerative farming. As we invest in better stewardship, our patrons receive better food. As our patrons continued supporting the farm, we can invest in the resources to become better stewards. We strengthen one another. The cycle continues. It’s regenerative finance serving regenerative farming. This relationship has created something highly resilient. A farm that answers to no investors. No shareholders. No bankers. We are free to serve our mission and the One who has called us forward into discovering the riches of a food production design centered on healing rather than exploitation. A special thank you to all of our patrons who make this possible. ❤️🙏 Dustin and Erin

Bigger Than Growth

We could make a living if the farm was a fraction of its current size. We are not chasing growth for growth’s sake. We are not trying to become a national brand. We are not looking for outside investors. We are not building this business so that one day....

The Foundation of Regenerative Farming

Every characteristic that makes food desirable—flavor, aroma, texture, color, and nutrition—begins with sunlight. Plants are nature’s solar collectors. Through photosynthesis, they convert solar energy into sugars, proteins, fats, antioxidants, and countless other compounds that ultimately become the building blocks of every grazing animal on earth.

When Regenerative Becomes a Buzzword

More from the blog

A Subject in Regenerative Farming Not Discussed

Bigger Than Growth

The Foundation of Regenerative Farming

Daily Posts How We Raise Your Food