‘WE ARE MIMICKING NATURE’
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES CAN BE USED AT ANY LATITUDE By Tom Cherveny | West Central Tribune
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utside the Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar, howling winds ushered in sub-zero temperatures and stirred up the snow, which swirled against the church windows with every new gust. Inside the church, a screen showed images of cattle chomping on cacti, a thermometer recording a 154-degrees Fahrenheit temperature on bare ground, and other scenes from the sun-seared landscape of the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico, where an average year’s rainfall usually totals only 10 inches. Eight inches has been the norm in the last two years on the Rancho Las Damas ranch, located in this desert about 150 miles south of El Paso, Texas. The ranch belongs to Alejandro Carrillo, who brought the images to his guests at the Willmar church on Feb. 1. While the images of the 30,000 acres that comprise his
ranch contrasted sharply with the world of his guests, it mattered not. What Carrillo is doing to raise livestock on the desert can be done on Minnesota’s landscape with the same results: More production per acre and a better environment for it. The same principles of regenerative agriculture apply in livestock production no matter the latitude, according to Barbara Sogn-Frank, organizer with the Land Stewardship Project’s soil health program. She introduced Carrillo to an audience including area producers who graze livestock. Carrillo’s management strategy is all about improving soil health through regenerative agriculture. His operation involves no chemical or other inputs, with the exception of sea salt sourced in the region for its minerals. Continued on page 12
Tom Cherveny / West Central Tribune Pictured above: Alejandro Carrillo has increased revenues more than three-fold by implementing regenerative agricultural practices on his 30,000-acre ranch in the Chihuahua Desert of Mexico. While the landscape and weather could not be more different than what we know, Carrillo and his hosts emphasized that the principles of regenerative agriculture are no different, and the rewards no less. Carrillo is shown as he spoke as a guest of the Land Stewardship Project at the Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar on Feb. 1, 2022. FREE CONSULTA TIONS
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