Regenerative Ag Could Have Major Impact on Organics
Though a group of panelists agreed that organic farming practices must be the baseline for any official regenerative ag certification, one member of the panel said he does not expect that to happen. And all the members agreed that the regenerative ag movement could have a profound impact on agriculture and on the organic sector.
This informed panel of experts was speaking at the Organic Grower Summit, held in Monterey, California, November 29–30 and put on by Organic Produce Network and Western Growers.
Jessy Beckett Parr, chief program officer for California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) led off the questioning by asking each panelist where they stood regarding the role of organic farming in a regenerative ag certification. In fact, CCOF offers certification to the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) standard, which requires the USDA organic certification as a prerequisite. But there are others in the movement that do not believe organic farming practices have to necessarily be followed to be labeled regenerative.