Regenerative agriculture is currently sweeping through the food and farming industry. With it comes many opportunities for farms and ranches alike to build their brand story and market what they grow and raise to eager consumers wanting better food.
Regenerative agriculture, also known as regenerative farming, is a way of farming that focuses on improving the health of the soil, creating more resilience to weather and stress, making food more nutritious, and requiring less external synthetic and chemical inputs.
In a recent article, we dug deeper to explain what regenerative agriculture is, as well as the core principles and practices of regenerative agriculture.
According to SPINS data, sales from regenerative products have soared 20% this past year. In addition, research by Grand View Research, Inc. estimates that the market size for regenerative products will grow 15% year over year from 2023 to 2030, reaching $2.9 billion USD.
Right now is the perfect time to evaluate your farm marketing and farming plan to see if leveraging regenerative agriculture could create profitable opportunities for your farm.
Customers are excited about new certifications and verifications that back up claims made by farms and brands. Another study from NIQ shows that 54% of consumers are curious about trying regeneratively grown products and 75% of consumers are looking for certifications.
Various third-party certifications are verifying farms’ and brands’ regenerative claims. Browse the current certifications below to see if their frameworks align with your farm.
Many farms and ranches practicing regenerative agriculture have a personal philosophy and ethos reflected in their operations. Something in their personal journey prompted them to re-evaluate their practices and led them to more ecologically minded farming practices.
This often aligns with many consumer demands and interests.
Customers appreciate the stewardship that results from regenerative agriculture, especially pieces around animal welfare, emphasis on fostering biodiversity, carbon sequestration related to climate, and more nutrient-dense food for their personal health.
Farms incorporating regenerative terminology and education into their marketing are much more likely to align with these customers looking for more. When it’s done best is when it’s wrapped into an authentic brand story and threaded into the farm’s mission, all while educating and entertaining customers about the behind-the-scenes of what’s happening on the farm.
One of the biggest drivers of customers searching for regenerative farm products is the connection between soil health and farming practices and food nutrient density. A great example of using nutrient density in marketing strategy is Maui Nui Venison, which showcases the nutritional profile of the meat it sells.
They went to great lengths to compare their venison to grass-fed and grain-fed beef to give consumers a comparison. Getting data and nutrient profiles of your products may be too expensive or too much for where you are on your farm. Still, you can reference studies and research on nutrient density and correlate them to regenerative agriculture practices on your farm.
Understanding your farm’s customers and what they care about is essential. Not all customers who want healthier food will know about regenerative agriculture. The same goes for their preferences, like chemical-free, animal welfare, climate impacts, and biodiversity. Most people probably haven’t heard of regenerative agriculture, or if they have, they don’t know the depth of its impact on the farm and the food being raised.
Sending a survey to your existing customers and asking them questions can enlighten you on the route and marketing points to emphasize moving forward.
For example, if most customers care about chemical-free farming, you can discuss how your farm utilizes cover crops instead of herbicides to control weeds.
Use your customer’s feedback to guide your farm marketing and on-farm practices.
Once you learn more about what your customers care about most, it’s up to you to educate them on how it relates to regenerative agriculture and management practices on the farm. Remember, customers are not farmers themselves, but they tend to be eager to learn if they are making the effort to buy directly from you.
Regenerative agriculture has many facets, but you can share how your farm practices the six soil health principles and why that’s important regarding their personal virtues.
Understanding what regenerative agriculture is and transforming your farm by following the principles will create many farm marketing opportunities. It doesn’t matter if you are selling meat, running a vegetable CSA, or some type of mixed operation; regenerative agriculture presents solutions that will help your farm become more profitable and also create farm marketing materials that resonate with the virtues that customers are looking to support.
If your farm or ranch decides to use regenerative agriculture in your marketing, please be cautious of making claims that are not backed up by a certification. There currently aren’t ramifications for making claims without certifications, but it’s best to maintain your integrity as a brand by partnering with a third party to verify on-farm regeneration.
Next, use images and graphics to educate your customers on the benefits of regenerative agriculture and the six soil health principles. As they say, a photo says a thousand words, and an image of your farm’s regenerative transformation could say even more to them!
Don’t criticize other forms of farming to uplift regenerative agriculture. Many brands and farms use degrading conventional farming methods to make themselves appear superior. This marketing approach is distasteful and disingenuous, regardless of your understanding or feelings toward industrial and conventional farming approaches.
My personal advice is to focus on the benefits your farm is experiencing by implementing regenerative agriculture in your operation. Once customers truly understand that the health of the soil is a farm's most important priority, they will start to support those farms that nurture their soil first and foremost while finding ways to work with nature rather than control it.
Let your regeneration do the talking and marketing for you. The proof will be in the fruits of your dedication to stewarding the land regeneratively, and your customers will know.
If you decide to practice regenerative agriculture on your farm or have been for decades, the stories and impacts it creates are key to your successful marketing. Customers are excited to buy directly from farms and ranches. They are also eager to explore emerging regenerative certifications to ensure their dollars go to farms stewarding the land regeneratively.
To help tell your regenerative story, consider Local Line. Our platform offers both farming e-commerce tools and an easy-to-use farm website builder, allowing you to showcase your practices, manage orders, and connect with sustainability-minded customers. With Local Line, easily turn your regenerative commitment into a powerful online presence and marketing advantage.
Understanding regenerative agriculture is a continual educational and experiential adventure. Here are some resources and articles from individual leaders and leading organizations in regenerative agriculture to help fuel your understanding.
