Arran Stephens (left) and Dag Falck (right). Credit: Nature’s Path[/caption] Nature’s Path says that it introduced the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) oatmeal today. Last month, the company’s Legend Organic Farm became the largest organic farm to obtain ROC.
“Some farmers are practicing organic kind of by default. They’re not using the prohibited toxic chemicals in production, but they’re not doing much to regenerate the soil,” says Nature’s Path co-founder and chair Arran Stephens. “We wanted to put a focus on our soil-building and carbon-capturing practices.”
Regenerative Organic Certification is relatively new. A group of farmers, business leaders, and experts formed the Regenerative Organic Alliance and established the framework in 2017, using USDA Organic certification as a baseline.
Environment + Energy Leader recently caught up with Stephens and Nature’s Path organic program manager Dag Falck to find out how certification works and what its advantages are for the family-owned organic food producer.
What is regenerative organic farming?
Arran Stephens: The term ‘regenerative organic farming’ was coined by Robert Rodale. He was the son of J.I. Rodale, who founded the Rodale Institute, the first organization that did scientific studies on the effects of organic farming on the soil.
Regenerative organic farming is not just farming by the absence of chemicals in the food production. It’s all about building soil health, drawing down carbon from the atmosphere, fixing it in the soil.
How does Regenerative Organic Certification work?
Dag Falck: It has a standard, definitions, and prescribed practices like tillage frequency and crop rotations. Like Organic, it has third-party oversight. An inspector visits during the season to ensure that the farm is operating according to the standard.
The main difference with the Organic standard is that it has three levels: bronze, silver, and gold. The concept is to make it easy for farmers to enter and then there’s continuous improvement. Every participant that gets certified, if they start at bronze they’re expected to progress to silver and to gold. There’s also a social welfare aspect built in.
Why did you pursue Regenerative Organic Certification for Legend Organic Farm?
Stephens: It shines a bright light on the farmers that embrace the principles of soil regeneration. We wanted to focus on soil-building and carbon-capturing practices such as green manuring, which is growing a cover crop that will enrich the soil and add more biomass. On our 5,000-acre farm in Saskatchewan, we’ve been doing these practices ever since we acquired the farm, and we will continue to do it for soil fertility.
How does this certification help your business?
Stephens: The wealth of any nation is in its soil. If we take care of the soil, then the soil will produce more healthy and abundant crops.
I got involved in organics before it was an industry, when it was hardly known and anybody that dared to embrace organic farming was considered a lunatic. But it made so much sense. Over the 53 years I’ve been involved in the natural foods business, it’s become mainstream.
We’re grateful that we ran our business on the triple bottom line of sustainability, social responsibility, and financial viability. We’ve had a strong financial base and were able to survive intense competition.
Falck: The soil is like a bank for humanity and it stores our wealth. Conventional agriculture is based on producing the largest yield this season, in this crop. Organic and regenerative farming is focused on building the health of the soil continuously.
The world, at one point, will run out of fossil fuels to make nitrogen fertilizers. When that happens, you don’t want your soil to be depleted. We’re building a resource for future generations.
Where do you see regenerative organic agriculture heading?
Falck: We hope that the regenerative organic focus takes off.
Stephens: When we became successful at anything, immediately we got copied by large companies. If we’re successful with our Regenerative Organic Certification, I’ll be very happy if a whole bunch of others want to get in on it.
Do you have advice for fellow leaders in your industry?
Stephens: There’s value in engaging in philanthropic or sustainable practices which initially may cost more, but ultimately have a significant payback.
If your end consumers realize you are a company that’s not just in it for money, but for the good of society, then they will support your brands. I think any business, if it’s successful, should return something of value to society as a thank you.
