Blue Dasher Farm Field Day

American Regeneration Advisor Jonathan Lundgren offered a rare opportunity to tour his labs and farm at Blue Dasher Farm in Estelline, South Dakota. 

Where it all happens - farm and lab in Estelline, SD.

I (Kelly) drove up to Estelline and met up with Jimmy Emmons from NRCS, where we discussed the state of farming with a variety of attendees. Jonathan has been working for several years on his 1000 Farms project at Ecdysis, and recently released the first of many papers proving that regenerative agriculture is just as, if not more profitable than conventional agriculture. Quantifying the benefits of regenerative agriculture was no easy task given the diversity of metrics - biodiversity, soil, nutrition, financials and more. The field day celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Ecdysis, which was founded to scientifically prove that regenerative agriculture is the path out of the farming and food crisis.

Thousands of samples of insects collected on farms, proving the growth of diversity as regenerative agriculture practices are adopted.

Benina Montes, also an American Regeneration Advisor from Burroughs Family Farms, discussed the challenges and successes she experiences farming at her regenerative organic almond farm in California, which notably integrates livestock in the almond groves. Jilian and Colton Jones from Wild Idea Buffalo shared their stories of returning bison to the Great Plains grasslands to regenerate the prairies while also producing organic, grass fed bison meat with high levels of nutrient density. 

The evening finished with a screening of Groundswell and brainstorming regen well into the night. I left the event reminded that there indeed is an uprising of people who are ready to make the pivot towards regenerative practices, and the proof of its viability is undeniably accumulating.