Braga Fresh, home of Josie’s Organics, says a portion of its regenerative farming acreage has earned official certification for its regenerative farming program from A Greener World, a nonprofit certifier of sustainable agricultural practices.
The certification applies to a 60.5-acre block on the Braga home ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, currently growing organic romaine hearts and sweet baby broccoli in the Josie’s Organic brand. The company calls the certification “a major milestone” in its ongoing Carbon Capture Farming project.
“What if the answer to climate change lies in the soil?” says Braga Fresh CEO Rod Braga. “If carbon capture farming can be a solution, then large-scale farming has the potential to become a force for good, for the people and the planet.”
To achieve certification, Braga Fresh says it adapted its traditional organic farming practices by reducing and changing tillage methods between crop rotations to preserve soil structure and microbial life and by using permanent plantings within crop beds to support biodiversity, root stability and carbon sequestration.
The company says it believes certified regenerative practices not only strengthen its Josie’s Organic regenerative program but also creates a replicable model for large-scale fresh vegetable and leafy greens farming.
“This certification is both a recognition of the progress we’ve made as a team and a motivation to keep pushing forward and continue the learning,” says Jaylen Calabro, sustainability specialist and lead for the certification process. “We’re proud to demonstrate how regenerative farming can scale in California’s Salinas Valley and beyond.”
