So much of #RegenAg is people

Yesterday was a well-spent day for me and a bunch of other food industry folks learning in the fields and the shed at A-Frame Farm in Dawson, Western Minnesota.

Luke Peterson and his family and partners run an impressive 1200-acre operation that is blazing so many trails for the regenerative food system it was hard to believe without seeing it.

We ended the day in an almost magical field of chest-high buckwheat, flowering and producing and on the verge of being ready for harvest after a short 3 months in the ground. Buckwheat is something of a wonder in organic ag because it grows so fast, needs virtually zero cultivation or inputs, and grows on poor soil which it then leaves in better condition. Luke talked about the buzzing insects which were all around and how they would give way to birds later in the day.

Just behind me stood Emily Griffith - the founder and CEO of Lil Bucks, a visionary company that turns the heart-shaped seeds into delicious superfood snacks, making them more than a cover crop. In the foreground was local Twin Cities food hero Kieran Folliard whose business Food Building is another of Luke's partners. And while Luke talked to us about the risks he takes in running a farm business that uses 12 and 13 year crop rotations to build the soil, he kept coming back to the idea that it is these people, these relationships, and the true ecosystem of partnerships that is making food systems change a reality.

Earlier in the day we had walked a field of Kernza, a locally developed perennial grain crop that mimics the original flora of Minnesota prairies before the arrival big-Ag and with the potential to regenerate the soil deep down under our feet. Luke and a team from the U of M showed us the 9-foot deep root systems close up with a pit they'd dug into the field.

Paul Lightfoot from Patagonia Provisions and some of his team had made the trip from California, and shared how Luke's Kernza crop is going into Patagonia's pasta. Sandy Boss Febbo and the team from Bang Brewing in St Paul shared their Kernza beer with us during Q&A (highly recommend) and talked about their re-usable beer bottle model now available in 12 retailers in the Twin Cities. Again - seeing how these partners had come to support Luke and share their passion for regenerative ag was inspiring in itself, beyond the amazing work they are doing.

One of the most interesting discussions of the day was in the field of organic sunflowers. The team from Simple Mills talked about the Direct Trade procurement model they use to reduce risk for the farmer in buying 'identity preserved' product from farms like A-Frame. Luke explained that his neighbors practicing industrial agriculture have options for crop insurance to protect against the ups and downs of the weather, but that it doesn't exist in any practical form for organic, regenerative farmers like him.

One of the other highlights of the day was seeing the small grazing beef herd at A-Frame moving between pastures. They use a fenced grazing system to mimic herd grazing as part of the rotation cycle. The cattle had been on one area of pasture for some time and were visibly excited at the site of Carmen Fernholz coming to open the fence and allow them to move to the next area with fresh alfalfa. Carmen explained how the rotational model had also helped them manage with the dry conditions we've had this year in Minnesota. It was a good reinforcement of how valuable grazing animals are in the regenerative system, recycling vegetation into fertility, but we also heard how they play an important direct role in farm profitability too.