Regenerative agriculture, the basis of which is soil health, eschews plowing, diversifies crops, shifts from annual to perennial varieties where possible, uses cover crops, integrates animals, and incorporates productive trees. It achieves impressive results in varying degrees: biological diversity, human and animal health, plant vigor, and pollinator viability. Instead of producing greenhouse gases (one-sixth of global emissions arise from the farm sector), it sequesters carbon. Increasingly, farmers are transitioning to regenerative practices to retain more water in their soils, lower their costs, stop erosion, and get out of debt.
An innovative and promising example of regenerative agriculture is the 7,600-acre Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, California. In just one small corner of the ranch, a 25-acre organic demonstration vineyard was planted in 2017. It includes native perennial grasses and sheep. The aim is to combat climate change by sequestering carbon, minimizing water usage, and increasing healthy mycorrhizal soil fungi while making fruit to produce exceptional wine.
An increasing number of grape growers have stopped tilling for weed control; tilling exposes bare earth, releasing carbon into the atmosphere while heating and drying out the soil. Many even bring animals to control grasses and weeds and as a natural source of fertilizer, but only after the grapes have been harvested. The Paicines Ranch allows sheep among the vines even during the growing season. This practice is normally avoided because sheep can eat leaves, buds, and grapes.