The certification is offered by a group known as the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a non profit association that includes the Rodale Institute, Dr. Bronner’s and Patagonia, whose mission is to foster the agricultural approach around the world. The group has certifications in place for farming operations in a number of US states and Canada, as well as for farms in Central and South America, Africa and India.
Rodale partnership
Earlier this year Ancient Nutrition announced a partnership with the Rodale Institute. As part of the partnership, which is managed through Ancient Nutrition’s R.A.N.C.H. Project, Rodale’s scientists have been collaborating with the company on data collection and analysis on the following:
- Soil health improvements
- Carbon sequestration/drawdown per acre
- Topsoil depth
- Soil organic matter
- Water infiltration
- Micronutrient testing
- Microbial analysis
- Livestock carrying capacity
- Livestock health
- Ecological diversity in species of pasture, birds, animals, insects, and microbe
- Perennial plant production.
Jeff Moyer, longtime CEO of Rodale who announced his impending retirement yesterday, is the chairman of the board of ROA. The organization said the ROC imprimatur is meant for farms, food, fiber, and personal care ingredients and is claimed to go far beyond current organic standards to assure consumers that their purchase makes a positive impact at every level: environmental, ethical, and social. ROC is billed as a holistic agriculture certification that ensures farms and products meet the highest standards in soil health, farming, animal welfare, and social fairness.
Seeking to inspire others
"The all-encompassing standards of being Regenerative Organic Certified represent the pinnacle of ecologically sound agricultural operations that, if broadly implemented, will take our food supply far beyond organic," said Jordan Rubin, Co-Founder and CEO of Ancient Nutrition. "As the operators of the first ROC farms in the states of Tennessee and Missouri, we aim to establish a legacy of health and hope for Ancient Nutrition team members, partners and customers. With our "open source" research projects, we aim to inspire dozens, if not hundreds, of farmers to follow suit.”
Ancient Nutrition, which markets ‘superfood’ type supplements, sources its ingredients from organic farms. It grows many of its own raw materials on a 130-acre farm in Tennessee and another in Missouri, which covers more than 4,000 acres.
Ancient Nutrition is the third supplement manufacturer to achieve the certification. It joins Brevard, NC-based Gaia Herbs and Herb Pharm, which is based in Williams, OR.