Rooted in Science: Exploring Frontiers of Regenerative Agriculture Research

***If you are interested in submitting a late-submission poster, reach out directly to Erica at Erica.Patterson@colostate.edu.***

Students at any academic stage from any scientific discipline (natural sciences, social sciences) are encouraged to present their research to a diverse audience of ranchers/farmers, agency personnel, researchers, and others interested in regenerative agriculture. Students will gain experience connecting their research to on-the-ground practitioners, policy makers, and others outside of their primary discipline, a key skill in science communication. 

Abstract submission guidelines:

• Maximum 300 words, no headings
• Abstracts should cover research in the field of regenerative agriculture
• For each author listed: name, institution, email are required. Make sure that all co-authors have approved abstract submission. 
• The presenting author is the author who will receive all communications including acceptance and scheduling notifications. 
• Only one abstract per presenter

Abstract criteria:

• Includes a brief description of existing knowledge/problem
• Identifies question and hypotheses
• Provides a description of methods to address question
• Includes results supported by statistical or other appropriate metrics
• Includes a brief conclusion identifying relevance for the REGENERATE audience
• NOT include the names of commercial products
• presenters MUST be enrolled as a student at the time of abstract submission

Poster format guidelines:

• Maximum poster size: 48 in. wide by 36 in. tall 
• High resolution
• Recommend a sans-serif font, minimum size 10 pt for labels, larger than 12 pt for main text.

Awards:

Presenters will have the option to enter their poster in the first annual Regenerate Poster Awards. Posters will be judged, and students will receive feedback from peers, and regenerative agriculture experts, and awards will be provided to the top three posters.

Rubric for awards:

• Brief description of existing knowledge/problem
• Identifies question and hypotheses
• Methods appropriate to address question
• Results supported by statistical or other appropriate metrics
• Brief conclusion identifying relevance for the REGENERATE audience
• Poster addresses REGENERATE theme “Innovating for a resilient future”
• Poster graphics (tables/figures) are pleasing, well-organized, and informative
• Poster helps tell the story of the science, including minimizing jargon
• Poster design is visually pleasing, well-organized, and informative
• Meets size requirements and other formatting requirements
• Presenter confidently presents their poster and responds to audience questions
• References and acknowledgements are included (can be size 10 font) and shows how the authors have balanced transparency with need for confidentiality for landowners and other key stakeholders.

Key Dates:

Abstract submission deadline: July 14, 2024 5pm MT
Abstract acceptance: August 1, 2024
Conference poster session: November 7, 5:45 – 7:00 p.m.
Presenters must register by the early bird deadline in mid-August. We encourage students to apply to be Herd Fellows to offset conference costs and increase networking and support opportunities. The conference will take place November 6 – 9 in Denver, CO.

Questions? Please contact Erica at Erica.Patterson@colostate.edu 

Submitted Abstracts:

Erin Jackson
Graduate, Colorado State University

Farming systems in the US High Plains are shifting towards regenerative management strategies aimed at improving soil health. Regenerative principles that increase soil health—such as living roots, crop diversity, minimal disturbance and animal integration—are often achieved through multiple management practices implemented concurrently; however, the majority of studies focus on single practices and are often investigated in controlled settings. Here, we aim to address the knowledge gap in how the implementation of multiple on-farm practices impact soil health, particularly in semi-arid agroecosystems. The Colorado Conservation Tillage Association (CCTA) led the FARMS Project (Farmers Advancing Regenerative Management Systems), supporting farmers innovating in regenerative agriculture through a comprehensive approach integrating peer network building, economic analyses and soil health testing. Colorado State University collected and analyzed soil samples in 2020 and 2023 from 30 FARMS participants practicing a range of management approaches, from conventional to 10+ years of regenerative practices. To quantify the intensity of regenerative principles applied in each farming system, we adapted the regenerative index score developed by the CCTA based on farmer-reported management data of current and historical practices to create standardized z-scores. We are using hierarchical linear mixed models to examine causal relationships between management and biological, physical and chemical soil health metrics and crop outcomes. Preliminary analyses indicate that crop diversification is the most significant management predictor of soil health indicators. Further lab analyses will elucidate possible mechanisms. This collaborative on-farm research provides a rich dataset that we hope will inform farmer decision-making and policies for agroecosystem management for climate resilience.

Dr. Kakha NADIRADZE
Graduate, DesertNET International, DNI

Animal husbandry and deforestation and overgrazing usage of pastures contribute significantly to global warming, land degradation and desertification. Simultaneously, they are among the main causes of biodiversity loss and the destruction of natural ecosystems. In this regard the DesertNET International, DNI provides an insight into various projects in supporting the prevention of land over usage for grazing and changing the attitude to land by farmers, rangers, indigenous people from deforestation, soils heavy tillage methods and habitat destruction. We are dedicated to digitalization and social inclusion of local communities and farmers in order to establish deforestation-free production as a competitive advantage for small farmers. As farmers in many countries, first of all are strong conservators that always acquire their own knowledge with some innovative approaches for pasturing livestock, nomadic herders that have lost secondary property rights such as grazing on the fallow or harvested fields that are used by farmers. DesertNET International, DNI has launched the Virtual DNI Academy for all Soil Scientists and Practitioners, Doctoral and Postdoctoral Students and a wide audience about knowledge sharing from our Members in Landscape restoration that provides diverse solutions to interrelated crises, while also incentivizing community creation. Our Scientists have presented how successful landscape restoration depends on creating multidisciplinary approaches in their strategies and action plans. The process of planning the activities requires the strong commandment of the people to set aside their differences, focus on what they have in common, and collaborate on a project that transcends any one organization or individual. Every Session of the DNI Academy dedicated to the knowledge and technology sharing models and methodologies and studies of the characteristics of soil and climate, using conservation practices, for example no-till, which recommends crop rotation, minimal soil disturbance and permanent soil covering.

Spencer Burkhart
Graduate, Colorado State University

Virtual fencing, where cattle wear collars that represent a pasture with GPS boundaries and receive a shock if they leave the invisible boundary, adds flexibility to pasture management without the expense of physical fences. We seek to develop a web-based application that allows ranchers who adopt virtual fencing to easily design pastures that allow for maximal forage acquisition over time for their cattle. L-Range, a rangeland ecosystem model that simulates vegetation growth and forage consumption, will be coupled with agent-based modeling, a form of evolutionary computation in which a population of agents (cattle) compete to optimize some objective function (maximization of forage acquisition). A rancher will specify attributes that define their virtual fencing goals (such as species, herd size, stocking density, number of livestock movements and length of season) and the area in which virtual fence is being used (the ranch). L-Range results will be generated for that ranch and perhaps 50 populations of cattle that maximize forage acquisition will be modeled on that ranch. The populations that perform poorest at forage acquisition will be removed and the best performers will reproduce with related pasture distributions. When improvement stops, the model will produce a population that is best at acquiring forage for that specific ranch and the related pasture distribution that the population used will be generated. The optimal pasture distribution and timing is produced for the rancher in the web application, allowing them to plan virtual pastures in which cattle will be able to maximize acquisition of high-quality forage.

William Jin
K-12, Brookings High School

Grasslands are extremely important and when managed properly, they provide renewable resources useful for many purposes such as watershed management, hay production, habitats for wildlife, and grazing for livestock. In South Dakota, up to 100,000 acres of grassland are lost per year due to issues such as row crop production, climate change, and poor pasture quality. One possible solution to help preserve grasslands is by using rotational grazing, which involves moving animals across different pastures.

Using the 2023 South Dakota Rancher Survey prepared by South Dakota State University, I divided farmers into three groups with Group 1 farmers having no more than 3 pastures, Group 2 having 4 to 15 pastures, and Group 3 having 16 pastures or more. Several ANOVA tests were conducted to compare across these groups of farmers. During the past 10 years, Group 1’s grassland acres dropped by 2.1%, while those of Groups 2 and 3 increased by 2.8% and 6.2% respectively. Furthermore, the average length of grazing for Groups 2 and 3 (196 and 246 days, respectively) were significantly longer when compared to Group 1 (174 days). Correspondingly, these two groups also had the reduced amount of hay feeding days, which led to an increased likelihood of increase in grassland profit. Rotational grazing is found beneficial in increasing desirable grass and soil health, with over 60% respondents in each group ranking it as the top 3 benefits of rotational grazing. Rotational grazing also helps with drought resilience, and more percentage of farmers in Groups 2 and 3 (53% and 57%) viewed it as one of the top three benefits than Group 1 (45%). In conclusion, these results show that using rotational grazing with an increasing number of pastures would significantly increase grassland resilience, rancher profit, and environmental benefits.

Isabella Rodelius
Graduate, Colorado State Univeristy

Urban areas are expanding throughout the world creating an increase of infrastructure, concrete and roads leading to a decrease in green space. With this comes an increase in population and an inadequate availability of reasonably priced fresh groceries. This issue is known as a food desert. Growing food in urban areas and increasing green space has been a potential solution by allowing fresh foods to be grown directly in the food deserts. Here we aim to utilize native plants and urban infrastructure to provide healthy food options to increase the amount of urban food production. In this study we examine (a) how the presence of native perennial Colorado wildflowers may influence the yield of crop plants, specifically the three sister’s guild of maize, beans and squash plus sunchokes and (b) to evaluate how the crop yields may differ between sites in full sun and partial shade landscapes. This study was performed at Colorado State University in Fort Collins Colorado within four locations; on a green roof, at grade and on a simulated green roof in full sun, and under the shade of solar panels. The green roof and at grade crops were grown proximate to native wildflowers, while the crops grown on the simulated green roof were planted without wildflowers nearby. We hypothesize that crops with wildflowers nearby will produce a higher crop yield than the crops grown without wildflowers. Additionally, we expect that shade treatments will reduce yield compared to the full sun treatment. With this research we hope to provide notable insight to continue working towards the most efficient crop growth on green roofs in urban environments.

Ashley Banuelos
Graduate, Colorado State University

Rangelands, vital for livestock grazing and forage biodiversity, hold immense potential for mitigating climate change through soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. SOC plays a critical role in plant growth and water absorption, yet significant degradation of the world’s soils poses major risks to forage production and water quality. This study investigated how restorative land management practices—riparian restoration, oak plantings, and perennial range planting—can improve SOC storage in rangelands across California’s diverse climates. Using a multi-age-group approach, we simulated changes in SOC levels over time. Our research not only identified effective practices but also estimated the timeframe needed to detect these changes, aiding in the development of refined monitoring strategies for ranchers. Our findings reveal that the effectiveness of these practices varies with aridity and implementation duration. Riparian restoration showed the most promise for increasing SOC in arid and dry sub-humid regions, while perennial planting was most beneficial in semi-arid environments. Oak plantings did not show a significant SOC increase, suggesting a need for further investigation into older oak plantings (>10 years). By analyzing these practices across aridity levels and age groups, we identified potential “best-fit” regions for restoration practices in California. Future research should evaluate the long-term impacts of these practices on established rangelands to optimize SOC storage strategies further. Understanding SOC dynamics in mature sites is crucial for developing reliable and sustainable rangeland management practices.

Lina Sturman
K-12, Homeschooled

Invasive weeds spread by hay, animals, or people on dryland or irrigated pasture can very easily spread into native rangeland and destroy ecosystems of native plants and habitat for wildlife. From 2022-2024, I tested whether intensive grazing with sheep would prove to be an effective control on a dryland pasture area already infested with several species of noxious weeds. During three grazing seasons I set up small paddocks of electric netting and grazing the sheep on them for a short amount of time at a high density.
There were both social and scientific results from this project. I learned about the importance of landowner goals, expectations, and communications. I modified paddock size based on forage quality, species composition, flock size, and what point in the grazing season we were at. I determined when to start grazing by evaluating the weather and how mature the plants were. I found, that for maximized results, it is important when grazing weeds to graze them early in the season, when they are most palatable, before they flower out. Through the years that I was able to graze sheep on this property I noticed significant change in species composition, a decrease in noxious weeds and an increase in grasses and other forbs.
At the end of this project, I concluded that weed management with intensively grazed sheep is certainly possible and effective, but takes careful planning, management, and continued effort in order to be successful. Innovative management modifications improve resilience and set up range and pasture health for success in the future.

Melody Ruebush
Undergraduate, New Mexico State University

A resilient future in regenerative agriculture calls for the effectiveness of introduced regenerative efforts to be analyzed for not just ecological feasibility, but also for economic feasibility. Measuring the financial efficacy of regenerative practices is the best path to widespread adoption. Financial benchmarking and livestock/crop enterprise analyses are widely adopted in the Midwest.  For example, the USDA FINBIN includes 2,460 participating farms in Minnesota, 41 in Utah, and 114 in Nebraska, but Utah is the only western state with farm records available throughout the database. A USDA NIFA grant is allowing New Mexico to develop farm financial benchmarking services. The state’s novel approach utilizes farm accountants to streamline data collection, allow anonymous contributions, and incentivize producer participation. This poster details this approach.

Benchmarking services allow more individuals the opportunity to evaluate cost and revenue streams, set realistic goals, and identify areas for potential improvement. A widely-used financial benchmarking program will also improve available data for research of regenerative practices using submitted data from New Mexico farms. The program is still in development, but important for the Regenerate audience, one focus of the team is considering which practices focused on ecological sustainability and natural resource conservation should be included in the program. Which conservation measures should be included in producer surveys and thus be available for benchmarking comparisons of financial metrics? The preliminary results include qualitative assessment of feedback from potential participants and the agricultural accountants involved in the beta-testing of the submission process. Presenting at the Regenerate conference allows the researcher to receive feedback from conservation-focused agriculturalists to help shape farmer recruitment messaging early in the development process of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Management (NM-FARM) Program.