A spring rainstorm more than 10 years ago was the catalyst for one fifth generation Indianan to reexamine his approach to agriculture.
Rick had just prepped a 200-acre field to corn when a 1-inch downpour overnight washed it out. Topsoil had flooded onto the road and was running into the ditch. When he saw soil heading for a nearby stream, he said, “enough.”
That’s when Rick began practicing “regenerative farming” at his 1,500-acre farm in western Indiana where he grows organic corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. He went from “total soil disruption” to organic, no-till cover crop methods and removed all synthetic, man-made products from the operation’s processes.
As a result, Rick shared, the farm is sequestering carbon and eliminating the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, all while rebuilding soil health. It’s the “epitome” of farming green, he said.
“We’re trying to do this in a symbiotic relationship with Mother Nature,” Rick shared.
In addition to running his own operation, Rick also works as a consultant to spread the practice of regenerative farming to other farmers. The payoff, he shared, is both in the process and the outcome.
“I do this for the challenge, I do this for the desire, I do this for human health."
