What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative Agriculture presents a sensible solution to Climate Change which comes at no cost but has huge benefits; both financially and environmentally. In short, Regenerative Agriculture is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystems, supporting carbon sequestration (capturing carbon), increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil.
That’s all well and good but how does this relate to food?
Well – output (ie production) increases if your soil is in a healthy and natural condition, with its proper balance of microbes, minerals and pH. In contrast, all of these are disturbed or eradicated by chemical-based farming which leads to soil erosion, loss of top soil, and therefore poorer quality and lower output.
So, by leaving the worms to work away, keeping them undisturbed and the soil fed on good green manures and deep rooting legumes and grasses (so as not to lose carbon), making use of the muck from your farm and reinstating the natural order of things, the result will be that your output increases, especially in a mixed farming system, including a range of livestock. This means that more food can be produced at lower cost and at a higher quality. So, I’m all for getting rid of the agricultural sprays, increasing field margins for the birds and the bees with clean water supplies and supporting a system which improves the food shortage crisis and captures carbon at the same time.
Where does your interest stem from? I stumbled across the world of Regenerative Agriculture having spent some time in Romania working with a Peasant Farmer and his family. I wanted to work there because I had a hunch that following a traditional method of farming could be both better for the soil, the land and output. Peasant Farming is a way of life and of living sustainably. Life is slow, travel is often by horse and cart and life is guided by the seasons. With the growth of big industry and big business there has been an understandable turning away from what is deemed as being a lesser way of life. I was confident that We (the UK) could take inspiration from the past and apply it to today to improve upon the way we live and the environment in which we live in equal measure.
How does this relate to beef tallow and your products?
Traditionally, farming wasn’t just about putting meat and veg on the table. Sheep fleeces were used for insulation and cooling and clothing, horns were used and every bit of the animal was put to use with nothing going to waste. It strikes me that if we are going to eat animals and include them in our food system, we really should not be letting ANY bit go to waste.
From a medicinal perspective, tallow is particularly healing for rashes and other inflammatory skin conditions as well as cuts and scrapes. It is antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory. Grass fed tallow contains the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K which are only found in animal products and are necessary for health.
SO – if there are huge health benefits of eating Pasture Fed meat, there are also huge benefits from using up by-products such as tallow. After all, these cattle have been grazing on an abundance of wild flora, drinking clean water, eating non-modified grasses, have had limited antibiotics and have been left to live in their family groups so they can behave as they would do in the wild.
The process of making my skincare products supports the environment, regenerative farming, human health and well-being in equal measure.
I’m a vegetarian and I don’t really like what you’re saying
That’s absolutely fine if you are a vegetarian and don’t eat meat for ethical reasons. I am absolutely NOT a supporter of Industrial Farming and I only eat meat where I know its source and know that it has been pasture fed and led a happy and long life. If you’re interested in reading a little more about why pasture fed meat and dairy is so good for your health and what it really means for the environment and your diet then take a peak on the Pasture For Life Website.
How does NIMMO support the Regenerative Agricultural system?
For each product sold via the website, there is the option to top up your payment with a small donation to the PFLA. This is optional and discretionary. In addition, part of the profits from NIMMO are put back into helping to re-instate wild flora and fauna across the UK.