ancientorganicsbio.com- producer of a probiotic mix for remediating glyphosate and chelating heavy metals in soil (I'm very familiar with Raol Cano, the scientist who developed this. I've used this product the past two years while the company was being developed.)

Growing a Revolution- Bringing Our Soil Back to Life by David R Montgomery

A Bold Return to Giving a Damn- One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food by Will Harris

Dirt to Soil - One Family's Journey into Regenerative Agriculture by Gabe Brown

Toxic Legacy - How the Weedkiller Glyphosate is Destroying Our Health and the Environment by Stephanie Seneff, PhD

Documentary: To Which We Belong ( Excellent!)

Website by Dr Christine Jones, soil ecologist:   amazingcarbon.com

The Farm as Ecosystem - Tapping Nature's Reservoir.....Biology, Geology, Diversity by Jerry Brunetti

A Soil Owner's Manual - How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health by John Stika

Grass, Soil, Hope..a Journey Through Carbon Country by Courtney White

Grocery Story - The Promise of Food Co-Ops in the Age of Grocery Giants by Jon Steinman

Excellent blog post from Hungry Hollow Farm, Mason County, Washington.  https://www.hungryhollowfarm.com/blog/a-comparison-of-wild-pastured-and-industrial-meat

Excellent blog post by Charlotte of One Straw Ranch, Jefferson County, Washington ...WHY PASTURED MEATS ARE BETTER ....  "We are all tasked with being caretakers of this earth, and the choice to eat local, regeneratively raised, pastured meat and eggs is a choice made in favor of the environment every day of the year.

Much of the time it’s a choice that simply feels good. Something about it resonates with our soul and our consciousness - and our primal awareness of our connection to the earth is not something we should take lightly.

Even if we can’t spout facts and numbers off the top of our heads, many of us intuitively understand that a local, pasture-based system is better for the health of the animals, ourselves, and the earth.

But with Earth Day in sight, it’s a fitting time to go to the heart of that intuitive knowledge with just a few of the many truths behind the intuition.

Each of these concepts has whole books (if not libraries) dedicated to it. 

But, in a few words, here are five ways that the One Straw stewardship choices you support with your food decisions are better for the Earth.

#1 Carbon Sequestration. 

• Multiple independent studies now demonstrate that grasslands managed actively to maximize growth create productive carbon sinks. 
• Not unmanaged, stagnant meadows abandoned to grow only once to maturity. Not pasture overgrazed and beaten down constantly to the smoothness of a putting green. 
• But grass that grows, is grazed, and grows again and again during the growing season – creating a pumping action pulling carbon into the soil. 
• This is how the richest (and most carbon-dense) soils in the world were created. Think buffalo on the Great Plains, antelope on the Serengeti…

#2 Improving the Water Cycle. 

• Healthy, active soil in managed pasture (see #1) increases water retention and water quality. 
• Retaining water in the soil is one of the chief ways to combat drought, which even in the notoriously damp PNW we battle every year from June-September. 
• Water retention is intricately united to the health of soil life (bacteria and fungi) which directly correlates back to carbon sequestration abilities (see again #1). 
• Water stored in the soil is slowly released to feed plants and our streams, supporting healthy fish populations when they need it most.

#3 Reduced Transportation Cost. 

• The distance traveled by most commercial meat is staggering. 
• Our animals never leave the State and much of their feed is WA grown. 
• We personally know the hardworking, dedicated people that process our meat and the local farmers who raise the hay for our cows and the grain for our pigs and chickens.

#4 Habitat Diversity. 

• Diverse pastures, grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, are thriving habitats for countless species of birds, insects (including pollinators), rodents, amphibians, predators and abundant soil life. 
• Grasses, forbs, and wild flowers coexist in every stage of maturity, interspersed with trees, brush, and un-grazed areas, providing constant food and protection for thriving ecosystems. 
• Contrasted to feedlot or CAFO operations, there is no comparison in ecological benefit.

#5 Fertility Management. 

• Manure from animals managed on pasture is a benefit for the environment rather than the hazard it becomes in feedlot and CAFO situations. 
• To the commercial system, manure is a waste that contaminates water and must be expensively managed. 
• For a pasture-based system it is worth its weight in gold as the source of fertility that drives carbon sequestration, water cycle improvement and habitat diversity.
• See photos below for a visual representation of the power of livestock manure on pasture!

As consumers and as farmers, it is our privilege to be stewards of the earth.

Our privilege and our responsibility.

As regenerative farmers we feel the weight of that responsibility and we know you do, too.

Because as a conscious consumer you know that the food you choose is a vote for the agriculture system that creates that food.

The responsibility is great, but we are so excited about what we’ve already been able to accomplish together!

Each fruitful season, each successful year - even with the necessary failures and surprises mixed in along the way - bring us closer to our bigger goals.

And we have big plans for the future – a future involving the sweep of decades and forces we don’t even know are coming. 

Concepts like silvopasture, mixed perennial systems, vibrant health, and bio mimicry stir in our minds.

Stay tuned. We’re on a limitless ride together as thoughtful stewards of this beautiful Earth."

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