Conversation Guide

This period of extreme change has revealed a need for the creative marketing of agricultural products—as necessity is the mother of invention or innovation. In thinking about ways to increase the market share for regenerative agriculture, we want to think about ways that we can connect to the end-user that not only generates revenue, but also shares the importance of the work and necessity of regenerative agriculture in our world today.

This panel will discuss innovative marketing ideas, such as community gardens connecting with restaurants to provide meals for a homeless shelter, CSAs that aggregate food from multiple farms, shifting from wholesale to retail, marketing online, value-added processing, and agritourism. Further, we hope to dive into what are the limits of current financial and economic systems to fully support both the philosophic and practical aspects of truly regenerative agriculture.

Agritourism-a commercial enterprise at a working farm, ranch, or agricultural plant conducted for the enjoyment of visitors that generates supplemental income for the owner.

• How does our current market support food, fiber and fuel that is produced in ways that support ecosystems?
  • How does the current market discourage food, fiber and fuel that is produced in ways that support ecosystems?
• What needs to happen to normalize patterns of consumption that account for how food, fiber, and fuel are produced?
• Is your approach or business unique to your place and context? Could any aspect be replicable for others?
• What role does the size of the market play in how others could adapt to your model?
  • How could we, or should we, adapt the model to scale up?

• How does my work connect with this?
• How could my work connect more deeply into this space?
• Are there concepts/ideologies from this plenary that I should shape my work going forward?
• Conversely, are there concepts/ideologies in the way that I currently work that need to let go of?  What will it take to do so?

Organizations/Projects to Check Out:

Holistic Management International and their courses

American Grassfed Association

Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance

Soil and Shadow

Good Meat Breakdown

CooperationWorks!

Rocky Mountain Farmers’ Union

Early Bird Farmers Cooperative

The Land Institute and their Kernza perennial grain

Sylvanaqua Farms

Alliance of Native Seedkeepers

Covenant Pathways

The Sioux Chef

Food Empowerment Project

Equal Exchange

New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association

Your local farmers market! Find one near you

Your local grocery co-op! Find one near you

Additional reading:

Books:

Whole Farm Planning by Elizabeth Henderson and Karl North

Greener Marketing by John Grant

The New Livestock Farmer: The Business of Raising and Selling Ethical Meat by Rebecca Thistlethwaite and Jim Dunlop

Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice by  Jessica Gordon Nembhard

Articles:

Farm Labor Worker Cooperatives

The Chicken and the Egg: Stop Linear Farming And Embrace Circular Agriculture

Other Media:

Busting the single family farm myth and why indigenous collectives are the way to go – podcast episode featuring Chris Newman, featured on Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food Podcast

Beyond Dollars and Sense: Creative Investment in Regenerative Ag Panel – Regenerate 2019

Can Soil Health Equal Rancher Wealth? – Richard Teague and Peter Byck, Regenerate 2018

Funding Sources:
USDA Value Added Producer grants

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grants

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

List of sustainable agriculture and food systems funders

Carbonplus Grasslands Credits for Regenerative Ranch Management – Regen Network video

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