La Rhea Pepper came by her embrace of organic farming naturally: She grew up on a cotton farm in Texas that operated under organic principles, well before organic farming was popular.

“My grandfather had strong principles around stewardship,” Pepper said. “It was about being a caretaker of the land, respecting the land and working in harmony with it. So, when a lot of the other farmers started using increased amounts of insecticides and synthetic fertilizers in the ‘60s, we were using crop rotation, green manure crops and grazing to address soil fertility and build biodiversity within the ecosystem.”

That Pepper became a vocal advocate of organic agriculture can be traced to yet other reasons, including her concerns over the rise of cancer in farming communities and, particularly the death of her husband 17 years ago from a form of central nervous system cancer more common in men 40 to 60 years old that work in the petrochemical or agriculture industries.

“At that point in time, organic was no longer (just) important to me,” Pepper said, “it was imperative.”

Today Pepper continues to farm organically and has expanded into regenerative agriculture, as well.

“The appetite for regenerative and organic products is definitely growing,” Pepper said. “You have a percentage of consumers who are aware and want to support that lifestyle choice to buy organic milk and butter, as well as organic sheets. And there is a growing percentage that want ROC (Regenerative Organic Certified) to make sure that the social element is included too.”

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Pepper will share her experiences and insights in growing for the organic regenerative market as part of a panel discussion at the Organic Grower Summit, Dec. 4, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Monterey.

Awareness growing

Eric Morgan, vice president of environmental science and resources for Braga Fresh, who is moderating the panel, agreed that the market for regenerative organic agriculture is growing and could be the next big thing in agriculture.

“We are seeing that awareness start to grow at the retail level,” Morgan said. “I mean, just the fact that Walmart calls themselves a ‘regenerative company’ shows that at some level, the writing is on the wall. When we see that one of the largest retailers that we work with sees itself as a regenerative company, then we feel like it’s something that we definitely need to explore and move ahead with if possible.

“We know that consumers are changing over time, too, with Millennials and Gen Z wanting more sustainable products,” Morgan said. “Regenerative just seems like what is coming next.”

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Still, Morgan said, at this point, the average consumer is not familiar with what makes up regenerative agriculture.

Pepper, who is affiliated with ROC, said regenerative agriculture is similar to organic agriculture, the main difference being that regenerative is more inclusive on how a farm addresses soil health, worker standards and animal welfare.

“The National Organic Program addresses predominantly environmental issues,” Pepper said. “It does not address animal welfare, nor people welfare. So, one could say that ROC is organic-plus.”

In some cases, particularly where a farm produces multiple crops under intense rotation, meeting the standards can be difficult, according to growers.

Nuss Farms, a fifth-generation farm in California’s Central Valley, produces 10 different crops on 1,300 acres, has planted 5,000 feet of native hedgerows and 5 acres of riparian habitat for conservation purposes, and has tried its hand in organic vegetable production. But the farm isn’t actively looking for regenerative certification, according to CFO Tim Nuss.

“If you have a 10-acre walnut farm that is organic, that might makes sense (to obtain regenerative certification),” Nuss said. “But for a larger, diverse operation like us, with a lot of crops and a lot of moving parts, it is just a pretty tough bar to get to.”

Nuss added that the farm is continually transitioning toward regenerative practices, using more cover crops and green manure crops and adding minerals to soils to improve soil health. And the farm is open to regenerative certification in the future, but attaining the certification isn’t a high priority at this point.

“We are doing this to find better ways to optimize and improve the operation,” Nuss said, “and if we can figure out more profitable ways to farm, that is obviously very important to us.”

Similarly, Braga Fresh, which also produces multiple crops under intensive rotation, has yet to obtain a regenerative organic certification, in large part because its reliance on tillage for crop termination makes it difficult for the farm to meet the requirements of the certification. But, Morgan said, the company is actively pursuing a certification.

He added that some retailers have mentioned they would like to see the farm get regeneratively certified. “Our retailers are looking at us to get a certification for that, but because our production system is so unique, we have found it difficult (to do so),” Morgan said.

Higher costs

In addition to the complexities involved in regenerative farming, it also can cost more to farm regeneratively, Pepper said, particularly when it comes to adding inputs like cover crop seeds and green manure crops, inputs not necessarily needed in conventional systems. But Pepper has found that many consumers understand the value and are willing to pay more for Regenerative Organic Certified products, providing a fair return on investment for farmers. “Ultimately, there is a strong market for a ROC certified farm, because the market is finally valuing that investment,” Pepper said.

Even in nonfood items, like personal care products and textiles, consumers are valuing sustainable certifications and willing to pay a premium for the products, Pepper said.

“Consumers are wanting this,” Pepper said. “They want to make sure that not only are their foods free from toxic and persistent chemicals, but also where applicable that animal welfare principles are being applied, along with fair wages and good working conditions are being used to produce these products. They want to make sure that they’re covering all the angles and that they’re purchasing responsibly in a way that is both restorative and builds resilient communities.”

Pepper, Nuss and Morgan will be joined in the panel discussion by Ann Marie Hourigan, Quality Standards Principal Advisor for Whole Foods Market, and Thaddeus Barsotti of fieldTRUE Organic. The discussion will be held in Ballroom B.