How to Support Regenerative Ranching

People tell me they like the idea of regenerative ranching and then ask what they can do about it. More than you would think, and none of it requires owning land.

1. Ask where your meat comes from

Start at the counter. Ask the butcher or the person at the farmers market how the animal was raised and what it ate. You will learn fast who knows their product and who is reading a label. Ranchers who do this well love being asked.

2. Look for proof behind the word

"Regenerative" has no single legal definition, so anyone can print it. Look for a third-party certification, and prefer the ones that measure outcomes on the land, like soil health, over the ones that rely on a signed statement.

3. Buy direct when you can

Many ranches sell shares of an animal or ship boxes of meat. Buying a quarter or a half puts more of your money in the rancher's hands, and it usually costs less per pound than the store.

4. Use the whole animal

Regenerative ranching works when the whole animal is valued, including the cuts that are harder to sell. Learn to cook a chuck roast. Try the liver. Render the fat. Tallow was a kitchen staple for a long time, and it is the reason a pemmican bar holds together.

5. Visit a ranch

Plenty of ranches hold open days. Walk a pasture that is managed well and one that is not, and you will see the difference in the first hundred yards. It will change how you shop.

6. Stay curious

There are good books, films, and soil scientists explaining how grazing, grass, and soil work together. Read widely, including the critics. I would rather you understand the system than take my word for it.

What we do

BIVI buys beef from American ranchers on certified regenerative ranches, and we use both the meat and the tallow. That is our part. Buying food from people who raise it right is yours, whether it is from us or from the rancher down the road.