Brewing & Regenerative Farming...an Inescapable Reality

For those of you who know my past, I've spent the majority of career in the bowels of banking, finance and investments. I've spent many hours digesting the daily investment rags, listening to talking heads on CNBC and Bloomberg spewing rapid-fire recommendations about which stocks to buy. And geeking out in front of Excel spreadsheets and R models trying to optimize my family and I's portfolios. Accumulating some wealth was of course the objective, but solving the puzzle using quantitative techniques was equally satisfying.

More recently, my focus has started to move away from the quantitatively driven, macro-markets that tend to favor the few over the masses. Not only because the small guy is at a relative disadvantage but because, for the most part, I've had an awakening of sorts. The profit motive of most larger organization, while getting better, is still "profit at any cost" while having little concern for the 2nd and 3rd order effects of those profits. I've started to admire, and if possible, invest in those organizations that "do good" while ALSO making profits. This is known as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) or Impact Investing. In this realm, we are solving a different, existential puzzle.

So how does this all relate to beer and brewing?! I recently got inspired by a blog from one of my favorite impact investing outfits, RSF Social Finance. The blog is titled, #NoRegrets. It is a movement by Sallie Calhoun a philanthropist and impact investor. The premise is the absolute importance of soil health in our agricultural sector. Soil health across the globe is a significant concern. Soil health can be optimized by using methods such as, regenerative agriculture techniques, multi-strata agroforestry, silvopasture, tree intercropping, conservation agriculture and managed grazing.

The world has lost approximately one-third of arable land over the last 40 years due to soil erosion and from pollutants such as chemical pesticides. This is expected to be exacerbated over the decades as demands on the soil increase to grow food for the growing global population. There is once again, many solutions and we can start reversing some of the damage.

Soil health is important. It can aid in capturing and lowering atmospheric CO2 levels, while feeding hungry mouths and providing the inputs of our most favorite liquid.. beer! The brewing industry has an absolute interest in ensuring that we have enough high quality inputs for our thirsty customers. That is why we should wholeheartedly support the regenerative farming movement and I expect my craft brewing brethren to lead the way.

We should establish contracts and purchase raw inputs (malts/hops) from those farms that utilize or are on the path to using regenerative techniques and are grown organically, give/invest in organizations like RSF Social Finance and support other local growers and makers that are taking this battle to the streets!

Cheers!