There are lots of predictions for Agriculture in 2026, and many hope that Regenerative Ag will gain market share. If you only looked at market analysis reports, you would come away with the impression that regenerative agriculture is being fueled by technology and data analytics. You’d also see that Regen Ag is growing by a CAGR of 18.7%.
What do you hear from “real farmers and ranchers?” If they’re conventional, they’re still focused on yield as the only metric. Why? Because that’s how the agricultural system determines success. And if they don’t succeed, they are eligible for farm subsidies that are just enough to pay off the banker. That influx of money is just enough to keep many commodity growers on the treadmill, producing fuel for cars and CAFOs. We aren’t feeding the world; we aren’t even feeding our own country.
Although support for regenerative ag from our government is beginning, it’s nothing compared to the multibillion-dollar bailout supplied by the US Government to prop up corn/soy and other commodity crops. That bailout comes after another year of what analysts call “stagnation” of commodity crops. Will 2026 be any better?
On a recent ACRES USA podcast, Gabe Brown talked about how grass-finished beef available to US consumers accounts for less than 1% of the market, while the market for pastured proteins has grown by over 20%. This shortfall is being supplied by low-cost imported beef.
According to USDA ARS, 59% of all fresh fruit available in the U.S. is supplied by imports. Vegetables? According to the USDA, we import 35% of the fresh vegetables we put on our tables. Despite continued demand for organic products, US acreage devoted to organic farming and ranching declined in recent years. In other words, organic fruit, vegetable, and beef imports are rising because our organic acreage can’t keep up with consumer demand.
Yet, there is a disconnect between consumers and where their food comes from. Labeling in stores is confusing and overwhelming for everyone. Is imported organic the same as USDA organic? All-natural, pure, earth-friendly, sustainable, and regenerative all have different meanings and have no binding federal standard. Consumers are sceptical of companies and suspect greenwashing. They have every right to be concerned.
It’s a task that regenerative ranchers and farmers have to take on. Build the trust of consumers to make regenerative food mainstream. Most regenerative beef isn’t even sold in “grocery stores” but through direct-to-consumer retail online stores. And many regenerative fruits and vegetables are sold through CSAs or other direct-to-consumer channels.
Marketing to people who already know about healthy regenerative food is profitable. But it leaves the vast majority of consumers unaware of regenerative meat, produce, nuts, or other healthy foods. They will continue to support CAFOs and imported fruits and vegetables because they don’t see another choice. That just means regenerative farmers and ranchers need their marketing arm to be just as strong as their producing arm.
This is where ag producers fall short. Every farmer or rancher can produce, but how many can market? It’s a skill critical to grow your business and the regenerative ag market share.
First Steps to Develop a Marketing Plan
The first steps don’t include any marketing at all. They’re all about your business plan and vision. You have to know exactly how much it costs to produce a product. Not from your IRS P/L statement, but by figuring out every last penny that goes into that egg, rump roast, or bunch of radishes.
Only after you know how much it costs you to produce can you put a price on it. After this step, you’re ready to look at markets and marketing. And the market for regenerative healthy food is expanding rapidly.
Finding Your Market and Your Risk Tolerance
There are at least 5 pathways to find your market. The higher the risk, the higher the profit margin. Always keep that in mind. None of them initially involves social media or even a website. They do involve a presence in your community.
The key to success is to start small. You don’t need to scale up – you need to scale right.
Pathway #1: Sell to an existing buyer who already wants what you grow. This is the easiest, the least risky, and the lowest profit margin (usually). This requires knocking on doors, handing out samples, and just being a nice person. Examples in your vicinity:
- Local grocery store wanting local/regenerative produce
- Regional meat processor wanting grass-fed or pasture-raised
- A food hub looking for diversified crops (usually associated with a university program)
- A mill or bakery wanting identity-preserved grains
How do you find these buyers? Look around and see what’s in your community. As you knock on doors and explain what you’re offering, you’ll get a lot of odd looks. That’s why samples are great. Folks rarely turn down free food. Selling at your local farmers’ market for a few seasons gets you known, and you begin to develop a customer base.
Pathway #2: Contract with buyers before you plant. You can reduce risk when diversifying, and you can grow at scale if that’s what you want to do. You’ll know your price, the buyer specs, and start a relationship with the buyer before you put a single seed in the ground. You will be getting a wholesale price if you go this route. For example:
- Contract for food-grade soybeans
- Contract edible dry beans (black beans are high in protein and a high-value crop)
- Contract for small grains for malt, baking, or feed (maybe a local brewer needs a new malt)
- Contract grass-fed beef with a branded program (an already direct-to-consumer brand)
This pathway almost always requires growing at scale. But this is a good transition pathway if you’re a row cropper and want to have a profitable farm.
Pathways #3: Sell through a cooperative or local branded program. Local food co-ops are always looking for high-quality local produce, meat, and other products. If you have a livestock operation, consider value-added products such as tallow cream or goat’s milk soap. For example:
- Regenerative grain co-ops
- Grass-fed beef co-ops
- Organic vegetable co-ops
- Regional branded programs (in Michigan, we have “Michigan Grown,” “Great Lakes Grass-Fed”)
The co-op does the marketing for you. You have to meet their specs. You might get a somewhat higher price than wholesale, but they are the middleman that has to be paid.
Pathway #4: Sell direct-to-consumer. This is a high-profit-margin market. It requires you to be the producer and the marketer (or find a good marketing person). You have to be a producer who likes people, who likes to tell stories, who likes to show people around the farm or ranch. The ways you market this are limited only by your imagination and time. Examples of this include:
- CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
- Farm store
- Farmers markets
- Online meat boxes (these are shipped all over the US; dry ice is amazing)
- Restaurant accounts (this will be at a wholesale price)
Pathway #5: Sell to institutions. You won’t get top dollar, but local institutions buy in bulk, and they want to know you can deliver consistently. You need to have the infrastructure to accommodate these sleeping giants. Examples are:
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Universities
- Corporate cafeterias
These organizations want to say they support local, regenerative, and climate-positive food. You can get more than wholesale just because it’s a part of their public relations program and how they support the community.
How To Meet the Needs of Your Market and Be a Price Maker
This is where the work is. Commodity growers just call up the local elevator, feed mill, or processor and ask what the going rate is for their harvest. Commodity growers are price takers, not price makers. And we know how well that’s going.
To be a price maker, you start by asking the question, “What do you need from me to make this work?” You find out the rules, the specs, packaging requirements, and delivery windows. There are always rules.
The scale of your operation determines which markets will work for you. You need to be the right scale for the right market. For example:
- Selling to a grocery store chain? Consistency is golden
- Selling to a restaurant? It’s all about flavor and reliability
- Selling to a co-op? They may want volume (not all do, so ask this upfront)
- Selling DTC? It’s all about the story and the quality
Case in point: I purchase my regenerative meat from out west (I live in Michigan). I’ve tried the meat from a local regenerative rancher, and the processing quality isn’t as high. Local isn’t always the best.
Don’t Lose the Sale Because of Lazy Post-Harvest Protocols
This is the place where many sales are lost. Just because you have all the specs doesn’t mean you’re home free. Customer service means going above and beyond to make your buyer’s day easier. For example:
- With beef: processing dates, cut sheets, and freezer space all laid out and agreed upon
- Vegetables: washed & packed, cold storage (don’t deliver wilted lettuce), produce graded for size, shape, imperfections
- Grains: cleaning, drying, storing, testing (no bugs, weed seed, or mold)
Fruit also needs to be sorted with the same care as vegetables. Creating value-added products from the off-spec products is often a valuable additional revenue stream. Marketing on social media or your website increases the value of value-added products and your overall brand.
Be a Partner in the Food Chain
Partners communicate with each other. Buyers don’t need perfection. In fact, the story is almost always more important than a perfect peach, hazelnut, or chicken thigh. You are building a long-term relationship. It’s much easier to sell to the same person over and over than to keep finding new customers. But you have to let your buyers know what’s happening so there aren’t any surprises. For example:
- Tell your buyers early if yields look low
- Share the harvest timelines (they will be different every year, and this may be an educational moment)
- Ask for feedback (you can always improve your product, and if they love what you offer, ask for reviews)
- Deliver what you promise
And I would say – overdeliver on what you promise. If a buyer orders a ½ hog, add a value-added product like the fixings for a charcuterie board. You are building trust. Trust yields premiums.
The farmers who succeed at this don’t do it alone. They involve as many people as possible. Let your entire family know what you’re doing. Have them spread the word. You’ll be amazed at who some of your cousins know. Connect with local and regional universities, hospitals, and mom & pop stores. Be a fixture at the local farmers’ market, chamber of commerce, and other civic events.
You’re not just selling food, you’re strengthening the whole community with what you’re offering. You’re creating the kind of change that proves rural places aren’t fading, that they’re ready to flourish. How often can a person say they’re improving the soil, human health, and their bottom line all at once?