Meet Jeff Rowe, the Regenerative Agriculture Farmer

Jeff Rowe is much more than a Chief Executive, he’s also a fifth-generation farmer. Today, he runs his family’s 3,000-acre operation in Illinois, US, alongside his parents, Carol and Dean.

And now, he’s making a big bet on the farm’s future with an experiment in regenerative agriculture. As an approach that includes low-till methods, use of cover crops, and various other techniques, regenerative agriculture  not only reduces farming’s environmental impact – it improves overall sustainability, productivity and profitability.

But like any scientific experiment, it’s fraught with risks and uncertainties.

In this three-part series, we trace the trials and tribulations of incorporating regenerative agriculture into a historic family farm.

Part one sees the Rowe family begin their regenerative journey in Autumn 2024.

Introducing changes always comes with risks, so the Rowes have enlisted the help of Syngenta’s Dr. Abbey Wick and Dr. Jordan Wade, to ensure a smooth transition.

The trio discuss the power of earthworms in bolstering soil health, the importance of introducing new technologies on the farm, and the dangers of “going all in” immediately on regenerative agriculture.

Watch part one here:

Three months on from our first episode, we see Jeff back on the family farm, assessing the performance of his trial of cover crops – a regenerative practice.

And we follow Jeff as he uses precision agriculture to explore the potential of biodiversity-boosting perennial crops, which Carol Rowe suspects could also distract unwelcome guests.

“I think the perennials will put down the root system and maybe the deer and the turkeys will like that instead of the crop that is planted,” she says.

Watch part two here: