Vast fields of corn line the roads near the village of Beecher. Over one hill, the landscape shifts, revealing plots studded with medicinal and industrial hemp plants. First-generation farmers Rachael and Jesse Smedberg grow hemp on their 120-acre organic and regenerative farm, Tulip Tree Gardens. Five years ago, the couple decided to buy the farm near the Indiana border, and they have since been experimenting with sustainable techniques.
Because our land is able to absorb that.” Cover crops are plants grown to cover the soil and protect it from erosion rather than for harvest. Another regenerative agricultural practice is that of agroforestry, which integrates trees and shrubs into crops and pastures to, among other things, protect soil, animals and plants from extreme weather. “Most people would understand agroforestry as ‘orcharding,’ where farmers may graze animals through an orchard.