Putting Regenerative Farming into Practice
Written by: Dustin Madison, Engel Family Farms
With a passion for farming that extends back generations, today’s Engel Family Farms covers more than 30,000 acres in Virginia and North Carolina. For the past seven years, Dustin Madison has managed the agronomic, conservation and fertility operations on the farm, a task often complicated by extreme weather and volatile markets. Keeping the farm both productive and sustainable is one reason he’s using regenerative farming practices.
Three years ago, Engel Family Farms decided to participate in the Perdue Sustainability Program, in collaboration with the ForGround by Bayer program, which helps decarbonize grain farming, and supports Perdue’s goal of being the most trusted name in food and agricultural products.
“Corn and soybeans make up the bulk of our farm operations,” notes Dustin. “And we make extensive use of cover crops and no-till to improve fertility and soil health.”
Because of the environmental sensitivity of the Chesapeake watershed, protecting water quality is critical and goes hand-in-hand with regenerative farming practices. Regenerative agriculture takes time, but the benefits can also increase over time as farmers become more familiar with implementing these practices. The use of no-till, rotation and cover crops have been shown to improve soil fertility, moisture and weed management, which can result in lower costs and higher yields. The extra compensation farmers receive from participating in the Perdue Sustainability program together with ForGround by Bayer, can help overcome any initial hesitancy farmers may have. However, keeping programs simple and straightforward is a must-do.
“We looked at several other carbon reduction programs initially, but they didn’t seem to be realistic at an operational level, says Dustin. “Perdue’s Sustainability program made better sense, and the agronomic and documentation requirements were also manageable – which is a major consideration when dealing with a diverse business like ours. The use of the FieldView™ Drive 2.0 allows seamless data collection with many models of farming equipment. With a lot of ground to cover, simplifying paperwork and timelines will help keep things moving more efficiently.”
Of course, there are always challenges in any farming operation. This year, heavy rains in the southeast have hampered farmers’ ability to get into their fields, and if cover cropping was not done well in the spring, it can pose problems later. But Dustin sees the benefits of regenerative practices over time.
Of course, there are always challenges in any farming operation. This year, heavy rains in the southeast have hampered farmers’ ability to get into their fields, and if cover cropping was not done well in the spring, it can pose problems later. But Dustin sees the benefits of regenerative practices over time.“Sometimes the best thing to do is to pick a plan and stick with it,” he acknowledges. “I’ve yet to see a time when we haven’t had decent results, and our landowners appreciate seeing the visible signs of a healthy crop in their fields.”
Dustin is well aware that having a plan and sticking with it doesn’t mean being inflexible. For example, in 2023 the weather cooperated, but in 2024 it did not. Despite weather uncertainties, he knows it is especially important to continually evaluate everything to make a crop as resilient as possible. Recently, he’s been testing fertilization efficiencies – monitoring the effect of reducing nitrogen use by 25-30 percent in some fields.
As Dustin notes, “Our goal in regenerative farming is to keep getting better at what we’re doing.” That’s good for Engel Family Farms and it’s also good for a more sustainable future.
