What are you growing out there?

You may notice things look a little different around the farm these days. We have fields of multi-species cover crops to help build soil health, prevent mining of nutrients, draw in insects and birds, and provide food for cows to graze, which gives us wonderful fertilizer that the plants can use and boosts that soil biology. We even have some areas filled with plants specifically for weed suppression working double duty to encourage pollinators and beneficial insects to hang around.

Why try something new?

Our goal is to continue to learn more ways to steward this land, for our family and the community around us, in order to keep up with the demands of growing high quality crops. We have shifted toward using more regenerative practices to help protect the resources on our small farm and to ensure farming will be a sustainable option for the future. We have learned that by focusing on building soil health, efficient water usage, and working with nature as much as possible, we will not only see the benefits now, but for generations to come.

What does regenerative farming mean to Gallatin Grown?

Regenerative farming practices are not new. Farmers have been using many of these for centuries. Regenerative farming is not just sustaining the soil, but building it. There are 5 main principles at play : minimizing soil disturbance, planting diverse crops, maintaining a living root, keeping the soil covered, and integrating animal grazing. Every farm is unique and each one can find ways of implementing these 5 keys to meet their needs. Our goal is not to be perfect, but to look for ways we can do a little more to let nature work. This has proven to be an ongoing journey and we will always be learning!

Where can I learn more about soil health?

We have compiled some of our favorite resources for you to learn more about soil health. Check them out on our "More" page. It is not a complete list by any means, but we hope it helps start you out on your own soil health journey!