When hundreds of small farmers from across California gather in Paso Robles at the end of the month to attend more than 50 workshops and forums, there will be many folks from Santa Barbara County in attendance, including featured panelists Guner Tautrim from Orella Ranch and Melissa Sorongon from Piedrasassi Wine & Bread. This year, the 32nd annual California Small Farm Conference, which runs from February 27-29, will be focusing quite a bit on regenerative agriculture, so I touched base with the organizers to see what attendees can expect to learn. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.
What is regenerative farming?
Hunter Francis, Cal Poly Center for Sustainability: It is the next big thing in agriculture. Unlike biodynamics and organics, it’s a newer way of approaching agriculture, and regenerative is evolving. It does not have a well-agreed-upon set of “rules.” (Biodynamics and organics each have a well-defined, even legal, set of certification standards.) A very common focus is the adoption of agricultural, ranching, and forestry practices that help sequester carbon in the soil, and thus strengthen the soil biome. California’s Healthy Soils Program is noteworthy for the many incentives it is giving producers to adopt such practices.