Using Regenerative Agriculture to Transform the Way We Grow Food
Soil health farming practices can protect the environment and produce healthier food while reducing climate impacts.
Healthy Soil, Resilient Waters
When you think about conservation in Idaho, agriculture may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, agriculture, an industry that touches nearly every aspect of life in Idaho, holds the potential to unlock solutions to some of our most complex environmental challenges.
Idaho leads the nation as the top producer of potatoes and commercial trout and is the third-largest water user in the U.S., due in part to irrigation. This means implementing sustainable, regenerative agricultural practices in Idaho is among the highest-potential strategies for protecting the environment and reducing climate impacts in the state. At the same time, improving soil health and water quality also supports the economic interests of Idaho’s large farming community that depends on healthy lands and freshwater.
In 2018, The Nature Conservancy launched the Healthy Soil, Resilient Waters program. This initiative brings together the ingenuity of the state’s farmers and TNC’s conservation experience to transform the way we use soil and water to grow food using regenerative farming practices.
In 2018, The Nature Conservancy launched the Healthy Soil, Resilient Waters program. This initiative brings together the ingenuity of the state’s farmers and TNC’s conservation experience to transform the way we use soil and water to grow food using regenerative farming practices.
Quote: Brad Johnson
With regenerative farming practices, we have the opportunity to create better economic and environmental conditions for Idaho's agriculture community that will last for future generations.
TNC has continued to invest in this program by appointing Idaho native and long-time agriculture specialist, Brad Johnson, as the agriculture strategy manager. “Current agricultural practices are caught in a toxic cycle of high inputs of fertilizer, chemicals, and water while over-tilling the soil, which continues to degrade soil health, deplete water supplies, and affect our bottom line,” said Johnson. “With regenerative farming practices, we have the opportunity to create better economic and environmental conditions for Idaho’s agriculture community that will last for future generations.”
Program information
The Key Principles
Regenerative Agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that enriches soils, increases biodiversity, improves watersheds, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and preserves the livelihoods of farmers, now and in the long run.
TNC's program focuses on implementing six key principles of regenerative ag.
1. Soil Coverage
Soil coverage, also known as soil armor, in the form of cover crops or crop residue enhances soil health, reduces erosion and helps sequester carbon in the ground.
2. Living Roots
Keeping a living root in the soil for as long as possible helps maintain soil structure, sequester carbon and promotes biodiversity.
3. Minimal Tillage
The goal of minimal tillage is to reduce the amount of soil disturbance to help build soil structure.
4. Diversity
Rotating crops, or growing multiple crops on the same field, can help control pests and disease, create biodiversity and even provide opportunities to diversity farm income.
5. Livestock
Integrating livestock increases nutrient cycling and microbial activity in the soil.
6. Context
Regenerative agriculture is not one-size-fits-all—it needs to be tailored to every farm’s unique context and climate.
Project Highlight
Demonstration Farm
This spring, TNC and local farmer Todd Ballard launched a 30-acre regenerative agriculture demonstration farm near Twin Falls, ID, to test cropping techniques in the Magic Valley and expand public awareness of soil health in efforts to inspire wider adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across the state. The demonstration farm builds on TNC’s relationships with Idaho’s agriculture community as part of its regenerative agriculture initiative, a program that brings together the ingenuity of local farmers and TNC’s conservation experience to transform agriculture for the benefit of people and nature.
"Moving towards a regenerative food system can have significant benefits for both farmers and the environment, but we know there are real financial and practical barriers to adopting these practices." says Neil Crescenti, TNC's agriculture program manager. "The goal of our work is to reduce those risks and uncertainties so that more producers can be part of the solution. With TNC's new demonstration farm, producers will be able to learn about sustainable practices tailored to our unique region and see the environmental and economic benefits in action."
Program Goals
- Mitigate climate change through regenerative farming techniques that restore soil, conserve water, and store more carbon in the ground.
- Support the economic viability of Idaho's agriculture community by removing financial barriers to adopting sustainable practices.
- Ensure a resilient water supply through improved water quality and quantity.
- Demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of regenerative practices, catalyzing widespread adoption across Idaho.
Scaling up Sustainable Change
We’re working directly with farmers to implement regenerative practices and launched a new demonstration farm in Twin Falls in Spring 2021. Farmers interested in regenerative agriculture will be able to tour the demonstration farms to see proven regenerative methods in action, such as no-till and cover crop planting. By partnering with farmers to absorb financial risks and remove barriers to adopting regenerative practices, TNC aims to scale up the number of regenerative farmlands to a critical tipping point that will catalyze sustainable change across the state.
In 2023, TNC partnered with the University of Idaho to secure a $55 million grant—the largest in the university’s history—from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand “climate-smart” agriculture in Idaho. Through this effort, TNC is helping Idaho farmers by providing technical and financial assistance and sharing localized information about regenerative farming practices. With an investment on this scale, the grant opens exciting opportunities to help farmers transition to practices that reduce pollution and increase carbon storage in Idaho’s soils.
Interested in learning about how regenerative agriculture could benefit your farm? Contact Brad Johnson, TNC’s agriculture strategy manager.
project highlight
Farming Benefits for Fish
A TNC farm adjacent to Silver Creek Preserve recently received the first-ever Trout-Safe certification from Salmon-Safe, a leading U.S. ecolabeling organization. The farm met Salmon-Safe’s high standards for Trout-Safe certification verifies actions that protect streams and provide benefits for fish.
The designation comes after TNC began working with the farm lessee to implement regenerative agriculture practices, like cover crops and crop diversification, that will enhance soil health, biodiversity and water quality in the Silver Creek watershed. The certification demonstrates how regenerative farming practices can have wide-reaching ecological effects that even benefit fish habitat.
Using Nature to Fight Climate Change
The regenerative agriculture practices we are promoting are among the most powerful ways we can fight climate change in Idaho. For example, planting cover crops can increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil, and preventing excess fertilizer use can reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Natural climate solutions like improved agriculture practices can reduce one fifth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to a recently published peer-reviewed article in Science Advances.
In an agricultural state like Idaho, where agriculture forms a significant part of the state’s economy, a regenerative food system is one of our greatest opportunities—not just to protect nature, but to ensure thriving communities.
Soil Health Guides
- Soil Health Principles (.pdf)
- Soil Coverage (.pdf)
- Living Roots (.pdf)
- Minimum Tillage (.pdf)
- Livestock Integration (.pdf)
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