For the one horizon
we all share.

We farm like the future depends on it.
Because it does.

Regenerative agriculture and organic principles go hand-in-hand, giving back to the land. Regenerative agriculture also helps us shrink our carbon footprint and makes our partner farms more productive and efficient. It’s a win-win-win way to farm. Here’s a quick explanation of regen ag principles.

Soil health

Did you know healthy soil actually traps carbon underground? Healthy soil is the foundation for growing nutritious, resilient crops. Full of organic matter and living microbes, a healthy soil microbiome retains water and prevents erosion. Worms and insects call it home too.

Ways we partner with farmers to boost soil health

  • Not tilling the land
  • Planting cover crops
  • Getting cows to help–they break up and fertilize soil during planned grazing
  • Testing soil to make sure it has the right nutrients
Turner Dairy

Biodiversity

Biodiversity means the variety of different kinds of species and organisms in one place, like on a farm. Having biodiversity helps the ecosystem be more resilient, adapt better to climate change, and improve agricultural production. It’s important to include native plant species on farms too, instead of just growing feed crops.

Ways we partner with farmers for more biodiversity

  • Planting diverse crops
  • Establishing habitat for pollinators, like bees and butterflies
  • Transitioning areas of low production, like along fences, to native plant species
  • Creating nesting boxes for birds and bats
Fair Hill Farms

Water management

Water is life. With ongoing drought in many parts of the country and our changing climate, water is becoming more and more scarce. We’re always looking at new technologies to help decrease water usage. We’re helping our farmers move towards more sustainable water management, leveraging rain water, reclaimed/recaptured/recycled water, and natural surface water like lakes and rivers.

Tech we’re using to help farmers use less water

  • Soil moisture probes to track how much water is really needed
  • Water-flow meters
  • In-field weather stations to forecast water usage needs
  • Micro-irrigation instead of surface irrigation
Quint-S Farm

Manure and cow diet management

About 15% of Horizon Organic’s carbon footprint comes from manure, so we’re working with our farmer partners to cut that number by improving how we deal with it. Dairy cows also put out a lot of GHGs by burping (in a process called enteric fermentation for you science fans), sending about 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in the U.S. every year*. All this burping accounts for about 20% of the carbon footprint of our milk.

Ways we partner with our farmers to help cut GHGs

  • Using manure separators to separate solids and liquids
  • Piloting manure composting and storage projects
  • Researching ways to reduce cow burps through diet

*According to 2020 United States Environmental Protection Agency data from their Greenhouse Gas Inventory Explorer: Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer | US EPA.

Nourishing a happy, healthy future for farmers, families, animals, and the land.

Going the extra mile every day.

It all starts with compassion.

rtbs
rtbs

Always organic.
Tried-and-true delicious.

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Fair Hill Farms

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