GENERATIONAL REGENERATION

We all benefit from regenerating land with an eye to a sustainable future. North Dakota farmer Gabe Brown subscribes to a holistic philosophy of farming in nature's image. Author of Dirt to Soil (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018), Brown practices regenerative agriculture through a strategy of diverse cover and companion crops on his family's 5,000-acre ranch just east of Bismarck. Brown has seen the health of his soil and mineral and water cycles improve, providing a higher quality of life both for his family and for their cattle and sheep, while increasing production and profit. "We are moving toward sustainability not only for our future, but for future generations," Brown says. "It's the only way to go."

BECKON THE BARNYARD

Consider getting four-legged or feathered foragers to help you regenerate your land and keep it free of weeds. "Animals are still the best way for clearing land," says Van Hazinga, who hosts a neighbor's flock of sheep. "They work all the time. You need good fences, you can't let them stray, they need some care, and in some cases you have to feed them, but they root and fertilize without stopping."

Benefits of barnyard helpers:

• Sheep eat close to the ground, keep grass down, and help to eliminate weeds.

• Goats browse and eat thickets, underbrush, and other unwanted growth.

• Pigs till and fertilize the

• Poultry break up soil and consume a wide variety of plant matter, as well as feast on insects.

• Cows are fussy eaters and require rich pastures to keep their production stable.

Rebecca Holland of Holland Homestead in New Hampshire, who has kept goats to clear rough land, adds: "Make sure that there are no poisonous plants on the land. Rhododendrons and azaleas are deadly to goats." 

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Cynthia Van Hazinga, from a farming family, has always been interested in fields as well as flour and flowers. The author of 14 books, she can often be found in Greenwich Village (NYC) or New Hampshire.