Regenerative Agriculture is the ability to regrow, renew, and restore the soil.

In a Regenerative system the farmer will focus on working with nature, and not against nature, to achieve agricultural goals. Regenerative Agriculture is a journey, not a destination, and will be ever-evolving for every Walden farm or ranch.

This is achieved by applying the Six Principles of Soil Health, the Three Rules of Adaptive Stewardship, and the Four Ecosystem Processes. The six principles, three rules, and four processes can be applied to every farm or ranch, regardless of region, climate, or soil type. Not all farms are the same, and decisions must be made according to the unique needs of each individual farm.

Six Principles of Soil Health:

• Know your Context – The local farm should raise/grow plants and animals that thrive in the local environment. What works on one farm may not work on another, even if they are neighbors!
• Minimal Soil Disturbance – Mechanical and/or Chemical disturbance does not occur in nature. The goal of the farm should be to immediately reduce, and eventually eliminate, dependence on man-made inputs and tillage.
• Cover and Build Surface Armor – Bare soil does not exist in nature, and that should be replicated on the farm. The surface of the soil should be kept covered, insulating the soil and protecting the biology below.
• Mix It Up – Nature does not grow monocultures nor should we.
• Keep Living Roots in the Soil – Land should never be left to lie fallow. Living roots feed soil microorganisms, protect soil structure, and improve water infiltration.
• Grow Healthy Animals and Soil Together – There is no substitute for the soil biology that results from grazing animals, and grazing animals depend on healthy soils.

Three Rules of Adaptive Stewardship

• Compounding – Decisions on the farm are never neutral – they will have either a positive or a negative effect, and those effects will ripple (compound) to every corner of the farm
• Diversity – Nature never supports a monoculture. Adding diverse plants and livestock yields improved soil biology and carbon sequestration
• Disruption – Ecosystems become stagnant when management practices become complacent. Planned purposeful disruption of the cropping schedule and the grazing plan is necessary to maintain the forward momentum of regrowing, renewing, and restoring the ecosystem

Four Ecosystem Processes

• Energy Flow – Solar energy flows unidirectionally from the sun to the earth (unlike the other ecosystem processes). Solar energy powers the plant-soil relationship, which is necessary for life itself. When plants die (or are consumed) their remains are recycled back into life again through soil biology, contributing to the other ecosystem processes.
• Water Cycle – Nature provides water via rain or snow, and we must steward the resource by managing the farm to increase water infiltration and retention.
• Mineral Cycle – In a properly functioning nutrient cycle, minerals travel from below the soil to above, through the plant and into the grazing animal, and from the animal back to the soil to feed the soil microbiome below the surface. Regenerative outcomes rely upon sequestering carbon, and carbon sequestration is not maximized without a functioning mineral cycle.
• Diversity – Also known as biological succession, it involves changes in, and the development of, all living things. It is best surmised by a quote from the Bruce Ward Legacy Trust, “A species will move into an environment when the conditions are suitable for its establishment and will move out of that environment when conditions become unsuitable for its reproduction.”

Why does it matter? Because industrial agriculture—the kind that churns out cheap meat by the ton—is destroying our soil, polluting waterways, and pumping out carbon emissions. Regenerative farming flips the script. It rebuilds the soil, nurtures biodiversity, and actively helps combat climate change.

Here’s the catch: It’s rare. Less than 1% of farms in the U.S. are truly regenerative. But at Walden, we’re doubling down. We partner exclusively with farmers committed to these practices and are working to make regenerative farming the rule, not the exception.

Better meat, better soil, better future. That’s regenerative farming. And we’re proud to be leading the charge.

The Walden Local Regenerative Agriculture Standards were written to coincide with the research and education performed by Understanding Ag, LLC. Learn more at understandingag.com.

Not exactly—and we think that’s a good thing. Here’s why:

We go beyond organic in many ways. While organic certification might sound like the gold standard, it’s often out of reach for small-scale farmers. The certification process is expensive, time-consuming, and has been co-opted by factory farming giants who bend the rules to slap an organic label on products that don’t align with the spirit of sustainable farming.

At Walden, we trust our farmers to use common-sense practices to care for their animals and the land—because they’ve been doing it for generations. They pledge not to use antibiotics or animal byproducts in feed. They embrace rotational grazing, nurture healthy soil, and raise animals as nature intended. And we don’t just take their word for it. We regularly audit our farms to ensure they’re upholding the Walden Way—our own set of rigorous standards that prioritize animal welfare, environmental health, and superior meat quality.

Here’s the kicker: Much of the organic beef you see in grocery stores still comes from cows raised in feedlots, eating organic corn or grain. While that might meet the USDA’s requirements, it’s not even close to what we’d call natural or healthy. Cows are grazers, plain and simple. Grain—organic or not—throws their digestive systems out of whack and produces meat that’s lower in nutrients and packed with unhealthy fats.

Walden beef? It’s 100% grass-fed and finished. No corn, no soy, no grain of any kind—ever. The result is better meat: higher in Omega-3s, lower in saturated fat, and loaded with flavor that factory farms just can’t touch.

So no, we’re not “organic.” We’re something better. It’s farming done right.

Let’s start with the elephant (or maybe the factory-farmed cow) in the room: grocery store meat comes from a system built to cut costs at the expense of farmers, animals, the environment—and frankly, you. Most of it is raised on massive factory farms, shipped across the country (or the globe), and processed in giant facilities. Big Food works hard to obscure where your food comes from because they know if you saw the truth, you’d put that shrink-wrapped package back on the shelf.

At Walden, we’re rewriting the story. Here’s how:

• A Better System for Farmers: At the grocery store, only $0.15 of every dollar you spend goes back to the farmer. With Walden, it’s $0.55 or more. That means your dollars are directly supporting small-scale, independent farmers who use regenerative practices and care for their animals and the land the right way.
• Exceptional Quality: Factory farming churns out bland, mass-produced meat raised on grains, antibiotics, and stress. Walden meat is pasture-raised, nutrient-dense, and packed with flavor you can actually taste. We even offer unique heirloom cuts you won’t find in any supermarket. Think pork jowls, bavette steaks, or lamb shanks—the kind of cuts chefs love but grocery stores skip.
• Transparency: Every cut in your Walden share is traceable to the local farm it came from. No mystery labels, no middlemen. Just food you can trust.
• Convenience: Skip the crowded aisles and freezer-section guesswork. Walden delivers straight to your door, so you get premium, pasture-raised meat without the hassle of grocery shopping.

Factory farms might own the supermarket shelves, but they don’t own us. The Walden Way is better for farmers, better for animals, better for the planet, and better for you. Because you deserve more than industrialized meat— you deserve meat with integrity.

Fresher than anything you’ll find on a grocery store shelf.

Here’s why: After processing, our meat is frozen at peak freshness to lock in flavor, nutrients, and quality. Freezing is nature’s way of preserving food—no additives, no chemicals, just pure, honest meat.

Unlike grocery store meat, which often spends weeks (or even months) in cold storage or on trucks before it reaches the shelf, and often pumped with carbon monoxide to look fresh, Walden meat goes straight from our farms to our processing partners and into your share. The result? Meat that tastes as fresh as the day it was frozen, ready for whenever inspiration strikes in your kitchen.

Because with Walden, fresh doesn’t just mean better—it means having the quality you need, always on hand.

Think of a share as your personal stake in a whole animal—just without needing a dedicated freezer in your garage.

See, we started out like a traditional meat CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), but we’ve reimagined it to make it more convenient. Each month, you get the equivalent of a whole animal share: cuts of the highest-quality pasture-raised meat delivered, curated based on your tastes and delivered to your door.

By evenly distributing the entire animal across our community, we honor the whole animal and reduce waste—a win for your wallet and the environment. This approach means you get an incredible variety of cuts over time, from mouthwatering steaks to rich, slow-cooking roasts, all without the factory-farming guilt trip.

Plus, if you ever want something specific—extra bacon for breakfast, that brisket for your backyard smoker or even staples like milk eggs and cheese—we’ve got you covered with à la carte offerings to supplement your share.

It’s better meat, responsibly sourced, for a food system that actually works for everyone. Simple, right?

Absolutely—because better meat deserves better packaging.

We’re committed to minimizing waste and maximizing sustainability every step of the way. Your share arrives in a reusable cooler bag that you simply return to us on your next delivery—no bulky boxes or excessive materials headed to the landfill.

The meat inside is vacuum-sealed in durable, freezer-ready packaging to lock in freshness while reducing food waste. In order to reduce package breakage and food waste, some products are sealed in a plastic tray. And as for keeping everything frozen? We use dry ice, which naturally dissipates into the air—no messy gel packs to toss.

Sustainability is about more than what’s inside the bag. It’s baked into everything we do.

It all starts with how our animals are raised. When you choose Walden meat, you’re getting food that’s not only rich in flavor but also packed with nutrients—and without the baggage of factory farming.

Take our 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef as an example:

• More Omega-3s: Studies show that grass-fed beef contains significantly higher levels of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids compared to grain-fed beef. These are the same “good fats” found in foods like salmon and walnuts. (Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35267281/)
• Higher in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid): Grass-fed beef has up to five times more CLA, a healthy fat linked to reduced inflammation and improved immune function. (Source: https://www.stonebarnscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Grassfed_Full_v2.pdf)
• More Vitamins: Grass-fed beef is naturally richer in Vitamin E and beta-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A), both powerful antioxidants that help combat free radicals and support your immune system.

But it’s not just about the beef. Across the board, our meat is better for your health because it’s raised the way nature intended:

• No Animal Byproducts: Our animals are fed diets that are natural, clean, and wholesome—never animal byproducts. Industrial farms might cut corners by feeding animals ground-up waste from other animals, like blood and bone meal. Not here. Our livestock eat the way nature intended.
• No Antibiotics or Hormones: Industrial meat is often pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones to make animals grow faster in stressful, unsanitary conditions. Not here. Our animals are pasture-raised and never treated with antibiotics or hormones, which means you’re not ingesting those, either.

And here’s the kicker: When animals are raised on grass, in open pastures, without shortcuts or chemical crutches, they’re healthier—and that health translates directly to you. With Walden, you’re not just feeding yourself or your family; you’re nourishing them with clean, nutrient-dense, responsibly raised food.

It’s better for the land, better for the animals, and better for you. That’s the Walden difference.