HMI is excited to report that the 2022 REGENERATE Conference hosted by the Quivira Coalition, the American Grassfed Association and HMI and held at the National Western Center in Denver, Colorado on November 2-4, 2022 provided quality regenerative agriculture content to 582 participants who either attended the conference in person or virtually or participated in one of the many educational events connected to the conference held in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. Participants came from 40 states and 8 countries with a large percentage of participants new to this conference and/or young/new agrarians.
In addition, the conference also offered a very robust “Webinar Week” held the week before the conference with such topics as: Leasing Your Future; The Carbon Farming Market; Erosion Control and Amendments; Economic Success with Regenerative Grazing; Introduction to a Zero Waste Production System; 5 Steps to Protecting Your Farm, Legally Speaking; How to Do a Gross Profit Analysis; Low-Cost, Low-Risk Grazing; Accessing Markets for Regenerative Practices, and a host of other educational webinars.
The theme for this year’s conference was “Cultivating Restorative Economies” and speakers included: Sarah Mock, Kate Greenberg, Oliver Chedgey, Mark Biaggi, Coley Burgess, Beth Robinette, LaRae Wiley, John Liu, Dorn Cox, Jessica Chiartas, Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Linda Faillace, Neal Thapar, Mariela Cedeño, and numerous other informative speakers.
Roundtable topics where participants could engage more deeply with speakers and other members of the conference community included: Funneling the Money Where it Matters; Impact of Federal Policy on the Ground and How We Can Influence It; Developing Drought Tolerant Cover and Forage Seed for the Southwest; Giving Voice to Nature Through Data; New Paradigms, New Tools: Rethinking Rangeland Conservation; Alternative Economic Approaches to Food Sovereignty and Justice; Triple Bottom Line: Supporting Profit, People and Planet with Producer-Owned Collaboratives; Revisioning the Family Farm; Young Agrarians: Living the Questions Now and Seeking Bold Solutions; and Cultivating Holistic Wellness Among Agricultural Producers.
The National Western Center was a new venue for the REGENERATE Conference and there was a great deal of interest in the event with this new location and Colorado State University helped sponsor our opening social on the night of November 2. We also tried something new this year with an assortment of food trucks to provide a variety of foods and the opportunity to use donated food from regenerative farms and ranches.
As with previous REGENERATE Conferences, there was an application for scholarships for young agrarians through the HERD Fellowship. This year there were 23 HERD Fellows from around the country who came to learn about the innovative practices, programs, and policies discussed at the conference.
Thanks to all our sponsors who made this programming possible including: No Regrets Initiative, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, the 11 Hour Foundation, The Thornburg Foundation, Regenerative Agriculture Foundation, Grasslans Charitable Foundation, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, Lydia B. Stokes Foundation, Taos Ski Valley Foundation, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Tomkat Ranch Educational Foundation, Nancy Ranney & David Levi, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado State University, Natural Grocers, El Pomar Foundation, Denver Zoo, Fort Union Ranch, Other Half Processing, Lone Mountain Cattle, Ferrell Ranch, Biological Capital, Performance Food Service, Grassburger, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Merrill Lynch, Animas Foundation, Bumbleroot Foods, The Nature Conservancy-Colorado, Reba Epler-Land, Energy, Water Law & Real Estate, and First Southwest Bank.
We would also like to thank our business partners: National Indian Carbon Coalition, Brianna Straut, Que Desmadre Food Truck, Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, Turkish Chef on Wheels, Lziz Ya Lebanese Foods, Flying B Bar Ranch, Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed 100% Grass Fed Beef, JuneShine Kombucha, National Western Center, Dos Manos Mexican Food, Boney’s Barbeque, Spirit Hound Distillers, Bandwagon Sandwich Company, Full Image Multimedia, Pikes Peak Brewing Company, There There Back Up Care, and Aramark. Also, we would like to acknowledge our Media Partners which includes ACRES USA (the conference bookstore), High Country News, Green Fire Times, and On Land.
And, we would also like to acknowledge our field day and workshop partners which includes: Mimms Ranch, Weaver Ranch, Del Cielo Farm/Pica Flor, Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, Lowry Ranch, and the Agroecology Research Center.
Lastly, we would like to thank all our exhibitors including: AgRisk Advisors, Audubon Certified, Chelsea Green Publishing, Colorado Conservation tillage Association, Colorado Regenerative Network, Conservation Tax Transfer, Ecosystem Restoration Camps, Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance, Geofield Systems, National Bison Association, National Grazing Lands Coalition, NCAT/ATTRA, Nofence, Nourish Colorado, Open Range Consulting, OpenTEAM, PastureMap, Pawnee Buttes Seed, Pharo Cattle Company, Rodale Institute, Twin Mountain Fence, Vence, Ward Laboratories, Wind River Microbes, Land to Market, and Harvest Returns.
“Twenty plus years down the road, I still look forward to attending the annual conference–now called the REGENERATE Conference–of the Quivira Coalition, HMI and the American Grassfed Association. What a joy to reconnect with old friends and mentors and to be re-inspired to the work we all do on the land, especially by the younger folk who now lead us. The 2002 Quivira conference introduced me to the concept of regenerative management and provided the underpinning of my work as a rancher and producer. The principles of HMI solidified my practice and bottom line, and the early support of AGA was critical to our grassfed beef business. I am thrilled that the three now work together to broaden our work and outreach.”
--Nancy Ranney, formerly Ranney Ranch/now the Ramos Ranch, Corona, NM