r/RegenerativeAg

posting this here because not only i want to work solely in reg and organic agriculture, but also because usually it's about smaller scale, low tech and low capital farms.

i've been WWOOFing for a while, after quitting university.

i've never been a really strong person (i am also a woman), but i've managed to work on low-tech/almost completely non automatized small scale farms (i am also a woman).

the problem is: i have back issues. had them for more than 6 years, i don't know exactly what happened (probably a mix of bad posture, flat feet, genetics and possibly a small injury), but basically my lower back is not ok. still trying to understand but possible osteoarthrosis, degenerative in nature.

asked my doc and she said that lifting heavy stuff is probably not good. and also i can notice that at the end of the day i have pretty bad back pain, to the point that just bending down hurts. i also notice that because of this i don't really have endurance in things like digging and raising vegetable beds.

i am coming to the sad realization that betting everything on being solely a manual worker in reg farms might not be the smartest and safest life choice.

the problem is that there's no way i am getting a degree in agriculture to aim at higher positions (i have never been good in STEM subjects and definitely can't be doing that at 23), or that i could possibly buy land — i have no family money and honestly in this economical and actual climate it seems pretty hard. i would have been ok with self-sufficiency and getting a small salary, i guess.

but who is gonna hire me? and most importantly, how long could i endure? hope to find people to discuss this with because i feel alone (also in the terms of "being content" with not being a landowner). thanks!

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I'm a 19-year-old university student (turning 20 in October) interested in getting into horticulture/vegetable farming and poultry.

I love my university programme and don't plan on dropping out, but farming is something I've become really passionate about and would like to build alongside my studies.

The problem is that I have very little experience and limited capital. I've had some exposure to farming, but I'm basically starting from zero when it comes to running my own project.

I'd really appreciate advice from Zambian farmers or people in the agriculture sector on:

How to gain practical experience as a beginner

Good places/resources to learn

How to start small with limited money

Funding opportunities for young farmers

How to balance farming with university

Any mistakes or lessons you wish you knew when starting

I'm not looking for a shortcut. I just want to learn properly and gradually build something of my own.

Any advice from people who've actually done this in Zambia would be greatly appreciated.

We built space stations, quantum computers, and advanced AI, but the base fuel of human civilization—corn—is basically just a plant Mesoamerican farmers bred by trial and error 9,000 years ago.
They just wanted raw calories, so they picked for pure starch. In the process, they stripped out the plant's deep roots, natural pest defense, and essential proteins. Now we spend billions on synthetic fertilizer and pesticides every year just to keep this genetically fragile crop alive.
We’re essentially using 21st-century industrial tech to prop up a stone-age bio-hack.
Now that we have AI genomic modeling and CRISPR, why are we still patching up this ancient, broken baseline instead of just re-domesticating wild teosinte from scratch? A perennial, low-fertilizer, high-protein version seems entirely doable now.
Is the bottleneck here just massive agricultural inertia, or is there a biological reason we’re stuck with ancient crop designs?

Do you think that this is also part of the corporate PR that committed to regenerative agriculture?

I know that there are many researches that support this concept for TRUE organic farming.

Farmers often have useful data spread across lab PDFs, weather sites, field maps, and notes, but still have to piece everything together before deciding what to do next.

I built ZarSage to bring that information into one desktop workspace. A grower can map a field, upload a soil lab report, pull weather data for the exact location, and use it to assess fertilizer needs, spray windows, frost and heat risk, water balance, and field tasks.

The AI is there to help interpret the data, not replace an agronomist. It works from the farmer’s own field information and shows the reasoning and sources behind its recommendations.

The Windows version is now available on the Microsoft Store and is free to start. I’m the builder, and I’d genuinely appreciate feedback from farmers, agronomists, and others working on agricultural decision-support tools.

Why do you think large corporations are expanding commitments to regenerative agriculture? 🤔🤔

Hi everyone! I’m looking for recommendations for farms where I could volunteer or work and, most importantly, really learn.

My long-term goal is to eventually start a farm of my own, so I’m looking for more than somewhere that simply needs an extra pair of hands. I would really love to find a farmer who enjoys teaching and sharing their knowledge. Ideally something that could develop into a mentor/apprentice type of relationship, where I can work hard alongside them while learning as much as possible about how and why they run their farm the way they do.

I’m particularly interested in regenerative agriculture, permaculture, soil health and creating resilient farm ecosystems. I’d love exposure to as many sides of farming as possible, including growing food, soil building and composting, water management, season extension and year-round growing, livestock if applicable, machinery and infrastructure, pest and disease management, harvesting and preserving, and also the planning, business and financial realities of actually making a farm work.

I’m absolutely happy to get dirty and do the repetitive or boring jobs too! I’m not expecting someone to stand beside me teaching all day. I’m just hoping to find the kind of farmer who is passionate about what they do, likes explaining the reasoning behind their decisions and genuinely enjoys passing their knowledge on to someone who wants to learn.

I’m considering applying for the Young Agrarians Farm Apprenticeship Program for 2027, but ultimately what I’m looking for is the right farm and the right mentor. If I find a great fit before then and I’m able to keep learning and growing there, I’d be very open to staying longer rather than moving on just for the sake of doing another program.

I’d particularly love recommendations for women-owned, women-led or women-centred farms. A mixed environment is absolutely fine too. I’d just prefer somewhere where there are other women around rather than an all-male farm or living/working environment.

Because I’m willing to relocate for the right opportunity, on-farm or nearby housing would need to be available, whether that is included as part of a work exchange or available at a reasonable cost.

I’m open to volunteering, work exchanges, apprenticeships or paid farm work. I’m currently in BC, Canada, but I’m open to opportunities elsewhere in Canada and potentially abroad as well.

I’d especially love personal recommendations from people who have actually worked or volunteered somewhere and came away feeling that the farmer genuinely took an interest in teaching them, rather than simply having them perform farm labour.

And if you’re a farmer yourself and this sounds like someone you might like to have around, please feel free to reach out!

Got a few paddocks coming out of winter bird food from my mid tier ending the turn of the year.

They are brashy shallow soils over limestone very draught prone.

Ive got a small cow herd (15 cows+ followers)

Would lucerne be an option to make into high protein silage for the cows. Just with thrse drier summers grass isnt as reliable. Im not geared up foe arable.

Uncle used to farm them reckon they did good wheat crops but stopped growing cereals in 2013. Ive got enoigh grass but could turn silage feilds over to grazing if this becomes a reliable forage source

I’m on year 2 of raised bed gardening, prior I gardened in ground with fabulous soil (thanks Vermont 💚🌿). When filling my beds two years ago, I did 50/50 organic topsoil and mushroom compost - I didn’t have many options rurally so I just got a truckload. W have 10 8x4x2 beds. I’ve been growing tomatoes (rotating - never using the same beds year after year), blackberries, raspberries, green beans, carrots and garlic among some other experiments. We live in the high desert of Northern California, technically zone 6b, but at 6,000 feet with cold nights.

Ok I digress but wanted to provide some background info. this year we amended with some compost (eb organics) and some amendment. For the fall I’m interested in doing some cover crops that I could then tarp down in the spring to add some good organic matter back in my soil. Is this a good idea? How is everyone amending their beds year after year to maintain good soil health? I’m 100% organic, practiced crop rotation and. minimal tilling in the past but am new to raised beds. Please share success stories that helped you build long-term soil health. Thanks!

Ps. I hope my rambling postpartum sleep deprived brain makes sense to someone. Just a first time mom trying to keep her garden growing and thriving 🤪

Wondering if anyone has any experience or knows of anyone who uses drones in any kind of regenerative or sustainable ag operations. I know they’re being used more on industrial farms for seeding, spraying, mapping, etc., but curious if people use them or think there will be a use for them on smaller/regenerative farms.

If so, what would be their best use cases to justify the expense of buying one and presumably paying for software like Drone Deploy or something similar?

I just moved to Davis and am looking to meet others interested in regenerative agriculture who would enjoy having a chat over coffee (or your beverage of choice). You don't need to be a regenerative farmer or offer any advice, just be someone who cares about anything related to regenerative ag/food, biodiversity, native plants, nature-based climate solutions, the environment, etc. Suggestions of regenerative ag groups, meetups, classes/workshops (ideally free/cheap), volunteer opportunities, etc. also welcome.