THE SMART BITE

What Regenerative Farming Really Means and Why It Only Works If We Eat Less Meat

Some of you may have noticed that regenerative farming is having a moment. You've probably seen it on a menu or a package: "regenerative beef," "regenerative dairy." Maybe you've read about farms bringing dead soil back to life. It's hopeful. It's real. And it matters more than most of us realize, because healthy, living soil works like a giant sponge, pulling carbon out of the air and locking it back in the ground. Bring enough soil back to life, and you've got one of the most promising climate tools we have, right under our feet.

And it sounds like the answer that lets everything stay exactly the way it is.

So let's back up. What does regenerative farming even mean?

I was lucky enough to talk with a friend at PCC Community Markets last week, the largest food co-op in the country, and they're working hard on this very question. Here's the thing: there isn't one official definition yet. At its heart, it's a whole way of thinking about the land, with one goal at the center, healthier soil.

In practice, it's farming that heals the ground instead of wearing it out. Living roots in the soil year-round with cover crops instead of bare fields. Lots of different plants instead of the same crop over and over. Stirring up the soil as little as possible, so the tiny world of microbes and fungi underneath can come back to life. Easing off the heavy chemicals. Sometimes moving grazing animals across the land the way wild herds once did, to feed the fields and spark new growth.

Genuinely good news, all of it. Animals can even be part of the picture, when they're raised this way.

So, where's the catch? Scale.

A regenerative farm raises far fewer animals per acre than a factory farm. That's the whole point, and it's why the land recovers. But it also means you can't raise today's mountain of meat this way. If every steak and every carton of eggs had to come from animals raised well on healthy land, we'd need more planets than we have.

So regenerative farming isn't a way to eat the same amount of meat with a clear conscience. It's a way to raise less meat, far better. It only works if, together, we lean toward less.

And that's the freeing part. No perfection required. Every plant-forward meal you add is one less animal the land has to carry, which is exactly what makes the good farming possible.

You probably know where my heart landed. This whole thing started with a pig. But I'm not here to hand you a verdict. I'm here to hand you a door.

YOUR SMALL STEP

Think about what "less" might look like for you.

Maybe that's one plant-based meal this week. Maybe it's swapping out one animal food a day for a plant protein. Start wherever feels easy, and let it grow from there.

Pigs Tips

Easy ways to swap out animal foods:

1. Soy milk for cow's milk. Keeps the protein. Easy on the environment.

2. Cubed tofu for meat. Add any marinade or sauce you'd use with meat. Soy sauce is an easy grab. Sprinkle on nutritional yeast, mix, and yum.

3. Edamame for a protein boost. Toss the shelled beans into stir-fries, grain bowls, or salads. Add a tablespoon or two of hemp seeds for even more protein.

4. Any beans, anywhere. White beans blend seamlessly into pastas. Lentils and garbanzos are simple to dump on a salad. A side of black beans, easy peasy.

5. Chia seed pudding instead of eggs and sausage. Bonus: just about as much protein, zero cholesterol, and a ton more fiber (eggs and sausage have none).

Go Deeper

Want to actually see what we're talking about? Two documentaries make the soil story come alive better than I ever could.

Kiss the Ground (narrated by Woody Harrelson) is the hopeful, approachable one, it's the best 90-minute intro to why soil matters.

Common Ground, the 2023 follow-up, digs deeper into the food-system and farmer side.

Both stream on Amazon Prime Video, and both will change how you look at dirt forever.

These films are big on hope. My take, and what this issue is about, is that regenerative farming only delivers if we pair it with eating less. Give one a watch this week with that lens on.

PIGS' INSPIRATION AND SMILES

Every animal food I don't eat leaves a little space for someone who isn't ready to go all the way yet. Everyone eating "less," whatever that means to them, truly adds up. That's the whole thing. You, leaning toward less. That's the movement.
​
​-Tammy Messina

Smoky White Bean and Kale Skillet

Warm, filling, and made almost entirely from the pantry. Creamy beans, hearty greens, and a smoky depth that tastes like it simmered all day, ready in about 20 minutes.

Serves 4 · 20 minutes

You'll need:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes

Make it:

1. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes, and broth. Let it bubble gently for 5 minutes.
4. Add the kale a handful at a time, stirring until it wilts and goes silky.
5. Finish with lemon, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Serve warm.

Pro tip: bloom the smoked paprika in the oil with the garlic for a few seconds before adding the liquid. That's what gives it that slow-simmered, smoky flavor fast.

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