California-based Braga Fresh, home of Josie’s Organics, is marking Earth Day 2023 by sharing progress on the company’s commitment to harvest and market regeneratively grown crops.
The grower is currently trialing a low-tillage farming method designed to increase the carbon content in soil and has shared its year two learnings in a video on its YouTube channel, according to a news release.
“Our team is committed to sharing our successes and failures as we focus on improving our practices and strive toward to becoming carbon neutral,” Eric Morgan, vice president of environmental science and resources for Braga Fresh, said in the release.
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This is Braga Fresh’s third season trialing regenerative agriculture practices. The company said 2022 was a learning year and an opportunity to build awareness with the Braga Fresh’s farming peers and retail partners.
In February 2023, Braga Fresh co-hosted a seminar for Salinas Valley growers with Sustainable Conservation and the Monterey County Farm Bureau that discussed cover cropping on California’s Central Coast and how cover crops can assist growers with complying with Ag Order 4.0, a Central Coast Regional Water Board water protection and restoration program.
Trialing regenerative farming practices
Multiple farming practices are being used in the regenerative growing trials such as:
Plant sap analysis.
Data management.
Companion plantings.
Crop rotation.
Intercropping.
Cover cropping.
Soil testing.
Water management technology.
Objectives of the farming trials are to conserve soil carbon by reducing tillage passes that allows for an increase soil biology diversity and decrease consumption of diesel fuel that powers the tractors conducting the tillage operation. With these goals, the company hopes to lessen water and fertilizer usage. All regenerative trials are grown to meet Good Manufacturing Practices and Leafy Green Marketing Agreement standards, according to the release.
“Our intent is to learn, adapt and demonstrate our proof of concept and feasibly change Salinas Valley farming practices,” Morgan said in the release. “Those changes could reduce our overall CO2 emissions.”
The next trial regenerative crop, organic sweet baby broccoli, will be harvested in June on the Braga home ranch in Soledad, Calif.
