MEAT+POULTRY - November 2024 - 27

" When my parents were farming, and they
were doing no antibiotics, vegetarian fed, it
was very natural for us to not want to utilize
chemicals or to not utilize synthetic herbicides
or pesticides on our farms or in our ranches, "
Orrock said.
Orrock sees this moment in Diestel
Family Ranch's history as an example of the
company's commitment to be a pioneer in the
sustainable agriculture space. She recognizes
that going organic was " phenomenal, " but she's
always asking, " How do we do more? "
Orrock believes regenerative agriculture
is another step toward the family company's
continued mission for improvement.
" We're not the largest in the country, and
we never will be the largest producer in the
country, " she said. " That's not necessarily our
goal to be the biggest. But it is our goal to be
the best, and it is our goal to grow and scale
and continue to produce food with a mission. "
REGENIFIED
This past summer, Diestel Family Ranch took
a significant step toward its goal by becoming
the first turkey producer to achieve Regenified
certification. Orrock explained that Regenified's
seal is the first third-party regenerative
program to be recognized and accepted by the
US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS) for single and
multi-ingredient products.
To achieve certification, Diestel Family
Ranch met Regenified's 6-3-4 Standards
- named for six principles of soil health,
three rules of adaptive stewardship and four
ecosystem processes.
" Regenified certification is an important
recognition of what has always differentiated
Diestel turkeys from mass-produced poultry
products, " Orrock said. " We lead with the
strictest animal welfare and environmental
standards in the market to produce the leanest,
cleanest and most delicious birds. "
Regenified's certification process will help
Diestel Family Ranch track its progress in
advancing regenerative principles to improve
biodiversity, soil health, water quality and
nutrient density.
SOIL CENTERED
This endeavor was first instigated after Jason
Diestel, fellow fourth-generation farmer at
www.meatpoultry.com | 11.24 | MEAT+POULTRY
27
Diestel Family Ranch and brother to Orrock,
began researching waste diversion of organic
materials. He sought out ways to better
allocate Diestel Family Ranch's organic waste
like bird feathers or pine wood shavings from
the barn. Through connections he made with
professionals in the soil health sphere, Diestel
learned how to make a high-quality humus
compost out of organic waste.
Diestel Family Ranch has since
started producing nutrient-dense
compost, which it sells and gives
to its surrounding community.
Currently, the farm diverts 2,117
tonnes of waste annually from
landfills and produces roughly
6,350 tonnes of compost for
local use.
In seeking to improve soil
structure and health, Diestel
Family Ranch picked up
different practices that align with
regeneration today even before
the regenerative movement came
into play.
" We were growing this very
natural conversation around, 'Well,
wait a second, soil health doesn't
have to be a compost that you
Soil regeneration at Diestel
Family Ranch starts by
feeding the turkeys corn.
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MEAT+POULTRY - November 2024

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