From Minnesota to South Dakota and Wisconsin, farmers are embracing regenerative agriculture in 2026 not only to restore soil, but to reconnect with land, community and a deeper sense of purpose. The movement matters because regenerative practices are increasingly entering conversations about the future of U.S. agriculture, bringing together Indigenous traditions, conventional farmers seeking alternatives and faith communities around a different vision of land stewardship.

At the center of this story is Salvatierra Farms, a 63-acre regenerative farm in Northfield, Minnesota, transformed from conventional row-crop production by agronomist and farmer Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin. Instead of relying on herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers, the operation combines crop diversity, poultry and perennial plants. His approach draws on agricultural training and Indigenous knowledge rooted in his Maya heritage, while attracting an unusual network of farmers and communities who see caring for the land as something that extends beyond yields and conventional farm economics.

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The movement takes different forms across the Midwest. Missouri farmer Josh Payne transitioned his grandfather's land from row crops toward regenerative grazing and agroforestry, while former Kansas producer Gail Fuller moved away from conventional practices after farming genetically modified corn and soybeans across 3,200 acres. In South Dakota, Oglala Sioux member Nick Hernandez established Makoce Agriculture Development to rebuild Indigenous food systems on the Pine Ridge Reservation. For these producers, farming has become connected to cultural restoration, personal well-being and stewardship of the land.

Haslett-Marroquin is also trying to turn that philosophy into a scalable agricultural model. In 2022, he co-founded Tree Range Farms, bringing together independent poultry producers using regenerative methods. Their farms raise thousands of organic, free-range chickens beneath perennial crops such as hazelnut and elderberry, while Salvatierra Farms serves as a research and farmer-training site. In Wisconsin, the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa lease land to regenerative dairy farmers and provide agricultural training. The emerging network suggests regenerative agriculture is evolving from a collection of soil practices into a broader conversation about how-and why-Americans farm.