Incorporating Regenerative Practices

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Tyler and Tim Nuss grew up on a specialty vegetable farm in Lodi. Their careers have taken them off the farm, but they remain involved strategically. They’ve been studying up on regenerative agriculture and are working towards incorporating some of the principles.

I asked Tim Nuss to share what their father, who still operates the farm, thought of these ideas.

Tim Nuss… “Yeah, he's definitely been very open to it. Tyler and I have been kind of peppered him with ideas and things that we can be doing. And this past fall, he attended a Soil Health Academy course up in Chico; a couple day event. Gabe Brown was one of the instructors there. And, he came back and just totally, I think it was a turning point for him where he realized that some of the behaviors and practices that we've been doing aren't what's best for the soil. So that was kind of the tipping point for going down this path in a larger way.”

The family all read Gabe Brown’s book, “Dirt to Soil”, and will begin working with his consulting firm to look for ways to build healthier soils on the farm. They hope to simultaneously build a direct to consumer business, but according to Tyler, it’s not just about following a consumer trend.

Tyler Nuss… “What's interesting about regenerative is it's not just do this for the consumer, whether you agree with it or not. It's there's value in it for the farmer. Not just for profitability, but for the improvement of your soil.”

The transition is also easier than something like organic certification which requires going all in. The brothers are documenting their journey towards regenerative practices on their podcast called “The Modern Acre”