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What Is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative Agriculture is a term now widely recognized but early on (in about 2011) popularised by John Kempf, founder of AEA. His AEA group initially used the term Advancing Eco Agriculture to signify advanced agricultural practices related to improved economic benefits to growers as well as improved ecology/ecological results. He now mostly uses the term 'Regenerative Agriculture' referring to a multifaceted program which utilises enlightened and evidence based analysis of sap, soil, geological testing etc. combined with keen empirical observation and experience to determine how best to optimize plant nutrition and health.
This approach has been proven in a thousand client experiences over hundreds of thousands of acres of varying crops varieties to simultaneously improve plant growth and yields while decreasing pest and disease entities. Over time this has lead to significant improvements in profitability, higher vegetable and fruit crop yields, better tasting and more bionutrient dense foods to deliver to the market place. Invariably it has led to dramatic reduction if outright elimination of chemical herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizer inputs.
His position is that: by providing optimal and suitable sunlight, water, CO2, bioinoculants, soil biology, micronutrients and trace minerals, most if not all plants can become highly or completely resistant to fungal, bacterial, insect and viral diseases while simultaneously achieving optimal plant growth and yields. Providing optimal plant nutrition is the cornerstone of his agricultural strategy.
A pyramid schematic shown below has been developed to help visualise and explain the foundational principles. These graphics and text are courtesy of John Kempf and AEA company. Although personally modest, he is widely considered to be an iconic pioneering researcher and educator for this form of Ag practice and one of the leading agronomists in the world. We are in total agreement with that assessment.
The Role of BEAM in this 'Complex Biological System'
As will be observed, the first two of the four levels of the pyramid have as their core elements 'Soil Biology'. Central to the soil microbiome are appropriate microbes and a more fungal dominant soil composition. BEAM, being a highly diverse, fungal dominant biological inoculant is a vital and fundamental addition to establish optimal levels of microbes to virtually any plant. This is in contrast to the majority of mycorrhizal additives which contain limited varieties of species. BEAM has, according to Dr. David Johnson-the developer of BEAM, over 2700 species of bacteria and 400-500 species of fungi so virtually whatever the requirements are for a particular plant, it will have available the corresponding group of synergistic microbes which will complement it. Many of these favourable associations have evolved over countless millennia but due to recent centuries of misguided agricultural tillage and chemical 'war-fare' applied to soils the microbiome in many respects has become a wasteland with widespread extinction of suitable and optimal microbes for plants. BEAM reintroduces theses back into the soils and the 'Regeneration' begins.
The Pyramid at first seems quite complicated but John step by step explains these elements. Understanding all this will give a profound understanding of the 'Foundational Principles of Plant Growth'. Knowledge is power and will lead to a new and exciting relationship with the plant world and plant performance only dreamed of prior to this information. The following information is from the AEA website resource section.
Optimal Nutrition Enables Advanced Function in Plants
The Plant Health Pyramid
John Kempf developed this chart to describe how soils and crops transition towards complete pest and disease resistance as they achieve higher levels of health.
As soils and crops transition with regenerative farming practices, they pass through stages of increasingly better health. The progression to better health restores the natural and biological abilities of the plant and soil system. During this process, plants will demonstrate increasing immunity to soil and airborne pathogens, better resistance to insects, improved production of lipids leading to stronger cell membranes for tastier fruit with better shelf life, and more.
John's mission is to communicate regenerative agriculture knowledge to growers and agronomists. He believes the next revolution in agriculture is a science-based agronomy revolution. Emerging science provides the foundation for developing regenerative agriculture ecosystems that produce more nutritious food per acre than present crop production systems, while also rebuilding soil health.
Watch the hour+ webinar
Levels one and two of plant health are purely a function of nutritional integrity and are usually not difficult to achieve with most crops and most soils, especially when we have the opportunity to use foliar applications of plant nutritional supplements. On most crops, we usually expect to reach level one and level two in the first 3-4 months.
Levels 3 and 4 are not as straightforward to accomplish as the first two levels. In order to get to level 3, it is imperative that we have a healthy, vigorous soil digestive system capable of providing a majority of the plant’s nutritional requirements. Without this microbial digestive process in place, the plants will never have the surplus energy required to achieve high levels of lipid production and energy storage.
In the first two levels of the Plant Health Pyramid™, changes are taking place in the plant chemistry. The third and fourth stages involve changes in biology and are only achieved through regenerative agriculture.
Level 1: Complete Photosynthesis
The volume of photosynthesis increases anywhere from 150-600% and the carbohydrate profile changes to be composed of a high proportion of complex carbohydrates with low levels of non-reducing sugars in the plant sap.
Plants develop resistance to soil-borne fungal pathogens such as Verticillium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Phytophthora, and others.
Plants require adequate levels of magnesium, iron, manganese, nitrogen, and phosphorus* to reach this stage of heath *Phosphorus is not directly involved in photosynthesis but is needed for photosynthate metabolism with the increased sugar production.
Level 2: Complete Protein Synthesis
The plant begins converting all of the soluble nitrogen compounds to amino acids and complete proteins so that 100% of all the nitrogen in the plant is converted to a complete protein in every 24-hour photo cycle. The result is there are no nitrates and no ammonium remaining in plant sap in every 24-hour photo period.
Plants become resistant to insects with simple digestive systems, especially larval and sucking insects such as tomato horn worms, cabbage loopers, corn borers, corn ear-worms, aphids, leafhoppers, white flies, and thrips.
Plants require adequate levels of magnesium, sulfur, molybdenum, and boron* to reach this stage of health. *Boron is not directly involved in protein synthesis but contributes additional pest resistance.
Level 3: Increased Lipid Synthesis
Plants begin absorbing the majority of their nutrition in the form of microbial metabolites which are extremely energy efficient, and they begin storing surplus energy in the form of lipids.
Plants develop increased resistance to all of the airborne fungal and bacterial pathogens such as downy mildew, powdery mildew, late blight, fire blight, rust, bacterial speck, and bacterial spot which land on the leaf surface and release pectolytic enzymes, because the waxes and oils on the leaf surface serve as a shield to prevent the enzymes from working.
Plants require a very aggressive plant microbiome in the rhizosphere to begin absorbing the majority of their nutrition in the form of microbial metabolites to reach this stage of health.
Level 4: Increased Plant Secondary Metabolite Synthesis
The plant’s immune pathways (SAR and ISR) are triggered by microbes in the plant’s microbiome, both in the rhizosphere and the phyllosphere or by other immune triggers resulting in increased concentrations of immune compounds and plant secondary metabolites
Plants develop increased resistance to the entire beetle family including Japanese beetles, corn rootworm beetles, squash bugs, Colorado potato beetles, cucumber beetles, and marmorated stink bugs, nematodes such as root rot nematodes, and viruses
Plants require the correct microbes in the plant microbiome to trigger the immune response to reach this stage of health.
AEA offers a three hour course which very thoroughly explores in greater depth the nuances of this foundational system of nutritional plant health. Alternatively, John has countless hours of webinars, interviews, conference talks on YouTube which eloquently describe these principles.
