There is nothing equal to the support of the community
– something our family has felt first hand in our city of Northfield. Salvatierra Farms is still under construction. If you’d like to be a part of the Salvatierra Farms community, you can personally contribute to our vision by participating in the farm fundraiser.
Every chicken we produce supports an ecosystem of people
From farmers growing grain, and workers processing and delivering that grain, to consumers buying healthy meat for themselves and their family. Regenerative chicken has a personal impact on many.
While we have already planted 8,200 hazelnuts, it is our goal to nurture over 35,000 new trees on the farm
The layout of poultry perennial cropping systems include reforesting the land with native species (hazelnuts, oaks, elderberries, hickory nuts) to naturally manage water flow as well as soil health. Your contributions will also help in the effort to reforest so that more wildlife and pollinators will have shelter and food.
What We Do
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Salvatierra Farms is a 75-acre farm in Bridgewater Township, just west of the city of Northfield, Minnesota. 28 of the 75 acres are wooded with over 60 year old trees. An additional 8,200 hazelnut trees have been planted as we work towards the goal of reforesting the open land and integrating native species into the poultry production model.
This farm is our home, and a place to explore community, teach, learn and push the progress of regenerative agriculture forward. Salvatierra is Regi’s mother’s maiden name and is Spanish for “save the earth;” we intend to honor this heritage by working as part of a collective of regenerative farms under deployment throughout Minnesota and beyond.
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We are part of a larger regional and national ecosystem, within this ecosystem, we operate as the central regenerative poultry demonstration and training farm. As a part of the larger ecosystem, we participate in a collective of farms operating under a standardized regenerative agriculture design, publicly branded as Tree-Range®. This design operates as the foundation and economic viability of every farm.
To us regenerative agriculture means returning the chickens back to their natural “jungle-like” environment. At Salvatierra Farms this environment is built with an understory of hazelnuts and elderberries, an over story of oaks, maples, basswood, and a ground level covered with forages (ground level plants and sprouted grains that provide food for the poultry). This regenerative agriculture production creates a process in which nature can recapture and restore the energy that is being taken from it. This is a circle of production rather than a line, where every living system is valued and people can consume with integrity, knowing that their meat comes from a sustainable system.
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Regenerative agriculture starts by restoring the ecosystem on which these magnificent birds evolved. This means building jungle-like conditions wherever this model is deployed. At Salvatierra Farms we follow this indigenous understanding of regenerative ways of living and working as a foundation of defining what practices are best fit to a specific ecology. We understand that regeneration can only be achieved at the ecosystem level. At the current farm location we are focusing on key practices that can lead to a regenerative outcome:
Overstory: Native forest species such as oak, maple, basswood, hickory.
Understory: Hazelnuts, elderberries, and other native brambles.
Ground-Level: Cover crops, grain sprouts, perennial mostly broad-leaf forage crops.
Chickens: Slow growth breeds free range while they feed on forage and grain sprouts.
Chicken feed, Sprouts, and Forages: Certified organic and transition organic grains. Mixes are formulated to meet nutritional needs, medicinal purposes, soil health, and water management.
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As a part of creating an overall regenerative system, Salvatierra Farms sees the importance of community engagement and building a complete regenerative ecosystem inclusive of consumers, partners, other established farmers, workers, aspiring and new farmers, students young and all. This is something we look to do by:
Serving as a hands-on farm training site for aspiring, new and established farmers
Offering online trainings and workshops that can expand beyond traditional confines
Providing space for people to gather and engage in multicultural experiences
Bringing experts in community organizing, financial literacy, civic engagement
Providing onsite education for investors, funders, policy makers, and business leaders
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Regi has become an industry expert in his field, having opportunities to speak with and educate an array of audiences. He has trained countless farmers and professionals in Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. He’s helped to cultivate food and economic security for immigrants, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities, and new as well as established agricultural entrepreneurs. His work over roughly the last 14 years has been dedicated to developing and implementing this scalable regenerative poultry production system.
See more of Regi’s work:
Savana Institute – Food safety in silvopasture, and food systems decolonization with Regi
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Additional mention and information about Salvatierra Farms:
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Farm Hands
Reginaldo Haslett- Marroquin: Regenerative Agriculture Production and Farm Manager
Amy Haslett-Marroquin: Herb and Flower farmer