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Narf234 t1_j0h2aoh wrote

Reply to comment by Isaac4777 in Cellular agriculture and other emerging food technologies could release 80% of the worlds farm land currently used for meat and dairy production back to nature by DannyMcDanface1

It would be cool if we can pay them to regrow/ manage native plants.

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jeffreynya t1_j0hrjhg wrote

that already happens. There is a program here in Minnesota that pays farmers the rent value of land per year to take it back to natural grass land. I don't have lots of details, but I think its a 15 year deal. But once its converted there is no cost to the farmers and they just collect a check.

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thedriftlessdrifter t1_j0j2hv9 wrote

I'm excited with the research coming out on using animal impact to manage these acres, positive results with the majority of them. There's obviously sensitive landscapes that shouldn't be managed with animals but large portions should be for the biological health of the land.

They've seen what not doing anything with the land besides chemical and fire management does, those acres loose their "vigor" and the biological processes slow way down and the topsoils nutrients float away in the wind and water runoff.

Typically those programs are a "cost share" program and the landowner pays a fraction of the bill and the government pays the majority. MN has been experimenting with a "working lands program" for quite a few years now and is just getting some great scientific research behind it to back up the claims of "Regenerative Farming" .. exciting times.

Agroforestry & silvopasture, Holistic grazing, and no-till cereal grains are going to be hitting the mainstream sooner than later with the generous grant money from the last Farm Bill finally being able to get the scientific research behind it to track the benefits.

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BafangFan t1_j0jj2jb wrote

But then you have all this tall grass that just grows and grows and grows. If only there were some autonomous..... animals that could cut the grass, keep it short, and fertilize it all at the same time....

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