What is What is Regenerative Farming - Hidden Consumers Consulting

What you’re missing that could hurt you.

There are many misconceptions around what is Regenerative Farming and Regenerative Agriculture.

My goal, over the next few weeks, is to cover key topics to help you make the best decisions for yourself and your family by understanding what regenerative farming is, how to identify true regenerative farming practices, how it differs from organic and sustainable farming practices, what consumers should know to buy true regenerative farmed products, and what businesses can do it help their Hidden Consumers.

This will be done over a series of blogs. I love research and this has been a rabbit hole for me. However that does not mean you need to be hit with all the knowledge. Let’s start with the basics of what is regenerative farming and how standards vary around the world.

What is Regenerative Farming?

There is no standard definition. For the purpose of this blog Regenerative Farming and Regenerative Agriculture are mostly interchangeable.

The definition I found that I liked the best and would be understood by most is from the The Noble Research Institute:

“Regenerative agriculture strives to work with nature rather than against it. It is more than just being sustainable. It is about reversing degradation and building up the soil to make it healthier than its current state.”

In basic terms, it’s a type of farming that returns us back to traditional farming vs corporate farming. In my book, The Hidden Consumer: Uncovering the Power of Health-Conscious Buyers, I spent some time discussing soil and soil biomes. On page 45, I start the discussion with the impact on the environment. The soil biome is what Regenerative Farming and Agriculture are building back up. (Learn more about Amy’s book here)

Synthetic Fertilizers and Pesticides destroy the soil biome leaving zero nutrients for the plants growing in the soil to use. This leaves us with less nutrients in our food. Regenerative Framing, when done right, aims to replace the nutirents and biodiversity.

Let’s look at what regulations look like around the world. I was surprised to see who was leading the International Charge.

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What is Regenerative Farming Around the World

Untied States Government (FDA and USDA)

There is no nationwide mandatory standard or FDA/USDA definition currently requires or prohibits using the term “regenerative.” However:

Consumer protection and false-advertising laws (FTC Act and state unfair/deceptive practices statutes) apply: claims must be truthful, substantiated, and not misleading. Specific assertions about environmental or health benefits require competent, reliable evidence. Unqualified or sweeping claims (e.g., “regenerative = climate neutral” or “regenerative cures disease”) risk challenge. (See The Hidden Consumer page …, for my thoughts on Greenwashing)
Product labels that imply organic status, USDA certification, or other regulated attributes must comply with the relevant program rules (e.g., “organic” requires USDA NOP standards). Avoid implying certifications you do not have.

State of California

The state does have a definition and state polices for Regenerative Agriculture Programs. It was completed in January 2025.

However, before you get excited, California’s policy has come under fire by many groups. Primarily because they still allow the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. The basis of this stems from California being one of the largest agriculture producers and polluters in the country. I believe, only Iowa comes close to this level of pollution.

From Regeneration International:

“California has the highest toxic pesticide use in the US, some of the worst excesses in industrial-scale monocultures such as the almond and other fruit and vegetable farms in the Central Valley that have destructively tilled bare soil, drenched with toxic herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and chemical fertilizers. It has large scale cruel, confined animal feeding operations. California has an unsustainable use of water. These farms are causing severe health damage to people and the environment.”

The other issue is the definition does not come with funding to regulate companies or farmers. It’s more like a guideline to behave than having any legal backing.

According to Don Cameron, president of the state’s advisory board,“I look at this for different state agencies to have guidelines so they can put programs out there” The intent he said was not to create a certification process.

International Standards

Currently the EU does not have any standards on Regenerative Farming and Agriculture. It is being asked to consider taking this next step by the European Economic and Social Committee. Read the article here.

However, that does not mean there are no international standards.

Remember, how I above I stated that the State of California doesn’t have great regenerative policies? The top certification with International recognition is based in…Sacramento, CA. Regenerative Organic Alliance is leading the way in certification for Regenerative Farming practices. (in a few weeks I will cover different brands with different certifications)

The key practices Regenerative Organic Alliance focuses on:

Vegetative Cover -purpose is to help drawdown carbon and return nutrients to the soil
Crop Rotation – from the beginning of farming rotating crops has been key but corporate farms do not rotate thier crops
Minimal Soil Disturbance – basically little to no tilling, this allows farmers to maintain the soil biology and structure
Rotational Grazing – the natural way to fertilizer your soil and regain nutrient balance
Compost – this boosts soil health and diversity
No Synthetic Fertilizers or Pesticides – no toxins to destroy the soil biome

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Regenerative Farming Certifiers

The standard for International Certification is the Regenerative Organic Alliance. They were founded by Patagonia, Rodale Institute, and Dr. Bronner’s All-One.

From their About Page:

Our mission is to build soil health, ensure equity for farm workers, empower farmers, and improve animal welfare through a holistic farm-based, brand-driven certification.

The other company I found focused on Regenerative Agriculture is Regenified.

It was harder to dig through their information to find out exactly what they were ensuring farmers were doing to be certified as regenerative. This information comes from their homepage:

Regenerative farming integrates time-tested ecological principles that build healthier soil, biodiversity, cleaner water, and resilient ecosystems to revitalize communities, create a healthier planet, and better human health. We believe in working in harmony with nature to create a positive global impact that benefits us all.

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Conclusion: What is Regenerative Farming

At the end of the day, our food is only as healthy as the soil it is grown in.

Regenerative Farming and Agriculture, in theory, is a wonderful way to make our food nutrient rich again. The reality of making it a standard is much different.

We have to consider:

The extent corporate farming has already damaged soil across the country.
The cost to regenerate the soil.
The regulations need to include no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Programs that make Regenerative Programs financially accessible to all farmers.

I started this series because of my own experience with products claiming to be “regenerative”. I went back and looked at the products I had tried, and had become sick after eating. You know what I found? None were certified regenerative organic or farmed.

As a consumer, remember this is the wild west of farming right now. As I shared above, their are no regulations around regenerative farming, which means anyone can claim it.

Step one, if this is important to you, be sure to buy from a company that is certified through either ROA or Regenified.

In the next blog we’ll dig into the farming practices by comparing regenerative, sustainable, organic, traditional, and corporate farms. The differences may also help you better understand the terminology and determine what is the best option for you and your loved ones.

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