Volume 2: Regenerative Renegades
Regenerative Renegades are those accelerating the regenerative movement in our food systems and beyond. Those that understand that there is a better way and forging a path forward. Those on the front lines experimenting, innovating, creating and building a regenerative future. I am here to tell their stories and why it matters.
I aim to tell the stories of renegade farmers and ranchers that are raising the standard. Finding innovative ways to implement regenerative practices and closed-loop systems on the land, to reduce inputs and reduce waste by increasing ecosystem function. What is needed to make this system (nature, biology) run efficiently, with less effort and more yield? How do I create the conditions for it to do what it is designed to do?
I aim to tell the stories of renegade consumers that are choosing to opt out of the broken system and demand better products. Asking questions and connecting with local food producers to seek out better practices and collaborate with community. Participating in the process of where our food comes from, what gives us life. Understanding and caring about our own health, which then out-pours into the health of everything around us. What is needed to make this system (my body and my brain, biology) run efficiently, with less effort and more yield? How do I create the conditions for it to do what it is designed to do?
I aim to tell the stories of renegade entrepreneurs that are building the bridges between the farmers and the consumers. Disrupting the system and building an entirely new infrastructure. Creating decentralized, local solutions that are in line with what the community wants. Driving connection, collaboration, and creativity to constantly innovate, observe, iterate, and adapt to changes. When things are new and different, there will be some discomfort. We need those that can sit in the uncertainty, rooted down into the ground while the winds of chaos blow, remaining steady, stable grounded. Those that know that with uncertainty, comes the greatest form of opportunity.
I am so passionate about the massive opportunity available to us right now to rise out of the ashes we find ourselves in and build better foundations. It starts now, with an aggregate of tools, resources, education, and connection for farmers, ranchers, consumers, entrepreneurs, business owners and investors. A way to turn knowledge into power and build bridges for a regenerative future. Let’s fucking go.
I believe one of my gifts on this planet is to build bridges. Not the physical kind, like I thought of when pursing engineering and construction careers. But I have found that I am fascinated with the more ethereal bridges, the ones harder to grasp and even harder to build, but the ones that make life worth living, the ones that make being a human on this earth meaningful. The purpose of humanity on Earth is to build these bridges, between humans, between ideas, between concepts, between nature and the environment around us. Forming connections to the world around us, being in relationship with life.
And the more connections that are formed, the more I start to realize that a bridge is just the beginning, a good start, but too temporary and fragile. As I continue to learn and explore I begin to see how all these bridges can then start to form networks. Taking chaotic, complex, multi-faceted pieces and weaving together a structured web. A complex that transcends time and space, like the intricate tapestry of the mycelium network.
So rather than bridges, I want to create webs, networks of interconnection, finding the overlaps and the intersections to solve problems holistically and build lasting, stable foundations, upon which life can do what it does best, create more life. What is needed to make this system run efficiently, with less effort and more yield? How do I create the conditions for it to do what it is designed to do?
I have been working with this Venn diagram image as a practical tool to help visualize the concept of a mycelium network, to start to see the whole picture.
Where are the intersections? How do we connect this here with that over there? How do we create closed-loop systems and holistic solutions? How do we create the conditions for this system to thrive on it’s own, each part enhancing the whole? How do we begin to aim at that middle target, asking the right questions, what are the overlaps between:
A. Farmers/ranchers, land management, regenerative practices
B. Businesses/entrepreneurs, business management, sales and scale
C. Consumers, market management, education
Remember, everything is aiming.
Start Here: Podcast - Making Regenerative Ag Mainstream
Value: The business of scaling regen ag, why software companies are investing
food is the biggest industry in the world, covid showed it’s fragility, the entire infrastructure needs to be changed, huge opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors.
we need tools for farmers and ranchers (A), good brands that consumers can trust and innovation in distribution and supply chain (B), and we need to increase consumer awareness (C).
A. Tools for ranchers: PastureMap
Value: A record keeping software to validate the efforts of regenerative practices, provide real-time herd management decisions, leads to more profitable operations
software that allows ranchers to track livestock and forage performance using satellite maps
validate rotational grazing practices
B. Sales, Systems: How to scale? Soilworks Natural Capital
Value: Investment companies accelerating the regenerative agriculture movement by helping launch scale-able, repeatable businesses
The same people behind Scaleworks, with a proven record of acquiring and scaling software businesses
Soilworks acquired and scaled PastureMap and launched Wholesome Meats. Addressing the fact that the entire infrastructure needs to be changed.
C. Consumer Education: Why does this matter, how can you participate? Wholesome Meats
Value: Grazing practices are ultimately what regenerates soils and repairs degraded landscapes. Check out this amazing Soil is the Secret interactive graphic!!
Supporting companies that are practicing regenerative agriculture will send market signals that customers support it and want more, farmers are incentivized, businesses and investors are incentivized. Use your purchasing power to vote for what you want more of.
Nutrient Highlight: Liver!!!
Value: Increase health, decrease waste, cheaper for consumers AND more profit to farmers
When it comes to NUTRIENT-DENSITY, liver is a powerhouse. I’m going to be talking about this a lot so lets all get cozy with what it means: Nutrient density identifies the amount of beneficial nutrients in a food product in proportion to energy content, weight or amount of detrimental nutrients.
What is needed to make this system run efficiently, with less effort and more yield? How do I create the conditions for it to do what it is designed to do?
Eat more liver!
Increase Health
Vitamin B12 - promotes healthy brain function, helps in the formation of red blood cells and DNA
Vitamin A - improves immune, reproductive, heart, and kidney functions
Riboflavin (B2) - promotes cellular development, turns food into energy
Folate (B9) - promotes cell growth and DNA formation
Iron - essential nutrient in carrying oxygen around your body. Heme iron found in liver is more bioavailable than forms found in plants
Copper - activated enzymes that regulate energy production
Choline - promotes brain development and liver function, muscle movement, metabolism, and nervous system.
Support Regenerative Systems
Increasing sustainability in the food industry means eliminating waste streams. Utilizing the whole animal, including organs, allows for closed-loop systems that drive costs down and efficiencies up, thus creating more sustainable systems, more profit for farmers, more nutrients for you!
What about liver and accumulating toxins?
That’s why quality matters so much! If the animal is eating a mal-adaptive diet or the environment it lives in is contaminated, then yes, not so good to eat, but neither really is the rest of the animal. But healthy animals eating from healthy soils shouldn’t have many, if any toxins! The nutrient density far and away exceeds the minimal possibility of toxicity.
This article explains liver questions perfectly, and how the liver acts more as a processing plant than a filter.
Featured Farm: Helvetia Farm Market at Marion Acres
Remember the Venn diagram philosophy above? Let’s see an example of that in action on a farm.
A. On-site processing
Marion Acres started out as a small farm and now has built their own on-site processing facility. On-site processing ensures the entire process is humane and low-stress for the animal. It eliminates waste and transportation costs, utilizes the whole animal, and provides more profit for the farmer plus cost-effective products for you.
Connecting to how your food is grown is one step, and knowing how it’s processed is even better. Perfect ingredients for delicious, healing bone broth!
B. Farm market, sales outlet for other farms
Before the pandemic, there was no Helvetia Market, there was only Marion Acres Farm. When chaos struck, they adapted and quickly got a farm market up and running. Now it continues to grow and allows for direct farm-to-consumer sales and collaborates with other local, organic, pasture-raised farms, operating as a co-op and sales outlet.
C. Distribution, direct to consumer
Farms being able to distribute directly to the consumer provides more profit to farmers and lower costs for consumers. It builds more resilient food systems, it facilitates community and engages consumers by connecting them with the land and the process of where their food comes from.
Featured event: Bootleg BBQ Pop-Up
Get outside and support local! I know you are all looking for a safe, fun, out-of-house activity that supports local regenerative food systems. Bootleg BBQ popup is the place to be! Started by my dear friends Nicki and Drew, I worked and lived with Nicki on Spoon Full Farm and was privileged to witness these humans, this business, and their partnership blossom. They continue to kick ass chase their dreams while serving others. They were the first people to support my newsletter and are an inspiration.
Support, Feedback, Questions
My aim with this newsletter is to provide value and spark curiosity and enthusiasm! Please ask questions, let me know what you want to hear more about. Share this with a farmer or a conscious consumer and let me know what problems people need resources for!
Other ways you can support me and other regenerative renegades is by heading over to my Go Fund Me and checking out some of my other projects! My aim is to learn more about each area of the Venn-diagram discussed above!
A. Holistic Management Accredited Professional Training with The Savory Institute
Remember back in August when I got to participate in soil monitoring tests at Spoon Full Farm as part of a grant with the Savory Institute? Now I am progressing towards becoming an accredited consultant and working with this powerful network to begin to measure ecosystem regeneration.
B. Fit For Service Leadership Mastermind Community with Aubrey Marcus
Collaborate with creatives and entrepreneurs to build new business, implement new systems and infrastructure, create tools for food producers and education for consumers.
C. Regenerative Renegade Newsletter
I aim to provide tools, resources, education and entertainment. Hopefully this made you think or made you laugh.
Reciprocity: How every donation is regenerative
Every newsletter I will be donating 10% of the donations I receive for a week to another regenerative renegade small business. This week will be for my dear friends Nicki and Drew Marquis at Bootleg BBQ! They are moving from Seattle to Hood River, so anyone in Seattle check out their events this month before they move, and Portland people, get ready! 10% of donations made by 2/10/2021 to my Go Fund Me will be donated to them!