REGENERATIVE FARMING

DAVID SINGER & ROBISON

Local Produce That Tastes the Way it Should

BY Karen Sabath

It’s all in the soil. Soil provides the key ingredients that allow plants to grow, enable the nutrients to develop in crops, and manage the water cycle that is essential to successful growing seasons. Farming practices that are centered on the health of the soil are now becoming central to the conversation about agricultural practices that will be able to grow enough food to feed earth’s population. These ‘regenerative agricultural practices’, are not actually new at all, but are emerging once again as the world is reckoning with the damage caused by years and years of farming practices that maximize what is taken out of the land with reckless abandon.

Farmers that understand the need to let nature be the guide will be the saviors of the world’s food supply.

And consumers who choose farm products from these farmers are well rewarded! Vegetables and fruit grown with regenerative practices taste better and have more nutritional value than the conventional produce found at supermarkets.

Traditional agricultural practices rob the land of nutrients, create a need to add extraordinary amounts of chemicals and water to grow food, and yield food that is often tasteless - all while generating massive emissions that contribute to climate change.

Regenerative farmers look at the farm as an ecosystem, with soil at its center, and work with nature’s own cycle of photosynthesis to grow their food. The Regenerative Agricultural Initiative describes these kinds of practices as those that: (i) contribute to generating/building soils and soil fertility and health; (ii) increase water percolation, water retention, and clean and safe water runoff; (iii) increase biodiversity and ecosystem health and resiliency; and (iv) invert the carbon emissions of our current agriculture to one of remarkably significant carbon sequestration thereby cleansing the atmosphere of CO2. These practices improve the quality of the produce and take carbon out of the atmosphere to help reverse climate change.

Orchard Hill Organics

Orchard Hill Organics in Katonah started in 1994, as owner David Rowe’s personal garden. As the garden expanded, Rowe made the choice for the farm to serve the community. Wilson Chang joined in last year’s growing season as Farm Manager, having 15 years of growing experience running his Ridgefield farm. They plant in a combination of outdoor beds and high tunnels, or hoop houses, which lets them continue to grow seasonal produce all year round. They strive to be the community source for fresh produce, and sell at the Hastings Winter Farmer Market, the John Jay Homestead Farmers Market,and through their virtual market online. And, when the post-COVID environment allows, they plan to open a farm store right on the property.

“A lot of people have never tasted the real flavors of produce. The best genetics for heirloom tomatoes are mutually exclusive with the genetics for tomatoes grown for long shelf lives that need to be transported thousands of miles to supermarkets around the world. Tomatoes that are the most delicious ripen on the vine and are eaten soon after. We want to educate people about what food is supposed to taste like.”

Chang is motivated by the weather and season, and lets nature dictate his deadlines, including the challenges of the general trend for warmer weather. Chang notes, “When I first started farming, I remember we didn’t have to worry about irrigation, and there was more predictable pacing to the weather.” Now 15 years later, the number of intense storms and the heavy rains that come with them have made moisture harder and harder to manage. “Average precipitation hasn’t changed much, but we need to adapt to fewer but intense downpours that cause soil erosion.” And Chang thinks a lot about how what they’re doing is affecting the wildlife and believes that whatever passes through the farm needs to come out better at the other end.

D.I.G. Farm

Allison Turcan of D.I.G. Farm in North Salem, NY, grew up with a regenerative garden, and with a grandmother with an even bigger regenerative garden. She muses now about how many of her best memories involve the smells of filling her grandmother’s basket with fresh vegetables... and the tastes of her grandmother’s cooking.

D.I.G., or ‘Dealing in Good’, has a clear mission: “Reconnect people with our natural source of food: the farm.” They work to bring education and awareness to the community about locally produced sustainable food, and how to make choices that help instead of harm the earth. Turcan loves everything about farming, but particularly loves seeing the full cycle of starting with the seed, getting the seedling into the ground, caring for the plant as it develops, and then harvesting the produce...and getting to see others experience it. She gets special joy when kids get to first experience the taste of a tomato just picked from the plant, or pull carrots from the ground.

D.I.G. uses regenerative farming practices and believes that one of the most underappreciated aspects of growing is the quality of the soil. Turcan describes their highest priority is to think about ways to build the soil rather than tearing it down, and doing so naturally, instead of applying chemicals. She goes on to explain that, “There are literally connective highways of different mycorrhizae and bacteria in the soil, and the more that they are undisturbed and nourished, the more nutrient dense and the more resistant to disease the produce that grows there becomes.” Pesticides used in conventional agricultural practices kill these essential fungi in the soil, which necessitates the application of more chemicals for the produce to grow. That intensely harmful cycle is exactly what regenerative agriculture eliminates.

Something to aboutSmile

There is something new to smile about for the residents of Westchester. CareMount Medical, with its 650+ physicians and advanced practice professionals in 50+ specialties, has entered a clinical affiliation agreement with ProHEALTH Dental to expand its service offerings to include dental/oral health. Operating as CareMount Dental, the plan is to offer dental services at convenient locations throughout the Northern Westchester/Hudson Valley area. The first two offices will be located in Mount Kisco with grand openings slated for early 2021. There will be a dedicated Pediatrics and Orthodontics and a state-of-the-art, 14 operatory General Dentistry and Specialty office that will open later this spring.

ProHEALTH Dental currently operates in Long Island, Queens, Westchester and New Jersey, and collectively provides dental services access to over 3 million patients. CareMount Medical providers and CareMount Dental dentists will collaborate on coordinated care and patient education programs to improve the overall health and wellness of their patients.

There has never been a more important time to keep oral health and overall wellness a top priority. We recently caught up with Scott D. Hayworth, MD, President and CEO of CareMount Medical, and Norton L. Travis, CEO of ProHEALTH Dental to find out what makes this partnership so important for patients.

How will patients benefit from this new offering?

Dr. Hayworth: CareMount has always been patient-centered in all that we do. There is a direct connection between oral health and overall health, so it makes sense for us to expand our offerings to treat the whole patient. Our patients will now have access to state-of-the-art dentistry. This will now allow patients’ dental care to be coordinated with their other medical needs.

Mr. Travis: The mission of ProHEALTH Dental is to educate and promote oral health as an integral step towards improved overall health and to help people of all ages live healthier and more productive lives. Poor oral health is linked to heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and more. It is critical that we educate our patient and the general public that maintaining good oral health is a key element of their overall healthcare.

What measures are you taking to keep me safe in the office?

Mr. Travis: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we all provide care. Safety has always been a top priority and now even more important. When you enter our offices your temperature will be taken, you will fill out a COVID-19 screener and you will be greeted by our friendly staff who will be wearing PPE. All our offices have ADS Extraoral Suction Systems. This state-of-the-art equipment removes airborne droplets and aerosols produced during routine dental cleanings, greatly reducing infection risk for patients and staff. When feasible, patients are asked to wait in their cars and we call or text them when we’re ready.

Are there plans for more locations?

Dr. Hayworth: CareMount is always expanding to better serve the healthcare needs of our patients. Working with our dental partners, we plan to bring several more dental offices throughout CareMount’s service area in 2021 and beyond. CareMount’s mission has always been to provide comprehensive medical and now dental care in a patient-centered and compassionate environment, with the comfort and convenience of being close to home. Mount Kisco and Bedford will always be where CareMount formed its roots and while growth is on the horizon, we never lose sight of our goal to improve the overall health and well-being of our patients.

What services will you offer?

Mr. Travis: First and foremost you can expect the same exceptional care that you’ve come to know from CareMount. We offer a comprehensive menu of services including a full range of general and specialty oral health services to patients of all ages, with dedicated amenities for children.