Growing a Brighter Food Future: How the ROO Initiative is Inspiring a New Generation of Regenerative Organic Farmers
At Nature’s Path Organic Foods, we’re all about leaving the Earth better than we found it—and the Regenerative Organic Oats (ROO) Program is doing just that. This inspiring partnership is planting the seeds for a more sustainable, resilient food future, one regenerative organic oat field at a time.
Launched in 2021 as a three-year pilot, ROO is the result of a powerful partnership between Nature’s Path, Riverside Natural Foods, Bay State Milling, and Canadian Organic Growers. As a founding partner, Nature’s Path contributes $100,000 annually to the growth and development of the ROO Program. Together, we’ve created a vibrant, pre-competitive space for innovation, education, and real on-the-ground impact. The goal? Help farmers transition to regenerative organic farm management in a way that’s both practical and scalable, while simultaneously bringing together passionate brands, farmers, agronomists, and environmental champions. ROO is successfully building a strong community centered around regenerative organic farming. It’s not just about growing healthy & delicious food—it’s about restoring the land, protecting the planet, and empowering farmers and consumers alike to make meaningful, lasting change.
Understanding Regenerative Organic Farming
You’ve probably seen the term Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) popping up on food packaging in the grocery store and wondered—what does that really mean? In simple terms, regenerative organic provides an additional set of best practices that enhance and build upon existing organic methods for environmental & social sustainability. ROC certification starts with Canadian Organic Certification or USDA Organic Certification as its baseline, and it hones in on three key areas that matter deeply for the planet, people, and animals:
Soil Health
Actively restores ecosystems through regenerative organic practices like agroforestry, cover cropping, crop rotation, water protection and conservation tillage. Additionally, it builds organic matter and promotes biodiversity with no synthetic inputs. Excludes soil-less (hydroponic or aeroponic) systems – methods that replace soil-based farming with artificial, plastic growing environments & synthetic nutrient solutions.
Animal Welfare
Respects and protects animal welfare by ensuring the “Five Freedoms,” including grass fed and pasture raised systems, no crowded feedlots (CAFOs) or extensive stressful animal transfer, and suitable shelter and treatment for animal wellbeing.
Social Fairness
Improves the lives of farmers by ensuring fair payments and living wages for farmers and farmworkers, safe working conditions, capacity building, and freedom of association.
Together, these pillars create a farming system that not only sustains—but helps regenerate—the health of our soil, the wellbeing of animals, and the livelihoods of the people growing our food.
How ROO Works: Tools, Field Days & Farmer Connections
At its core, the Regenerative Organic Oats Program (ROO) is all about supporting farmers who are ready to take their sustainability journey to the next level. Our ROO Program doesn’t just offer support—it brings people together. Whether through direct funding, hands-on workshops, networking, expert support or virtual learning, the program gives farmers the tools they need to thrive.
The overarching goal of the program is to provide technical & financial assistance to oat producers in the Canadian Prairies to grow organic oats with a range of regenerative organic best management practices and to continue insetting rather than offsetting our environmental & climate impact as an industry. Our shared goal by the end of this year is to have 30+ ROO farmers across the prairies farming approximately 36,000+ regenerative organic oat acres.
The ROO program is all about leading, educating & empowering…
• The program equips farmers with key data, resources, technical extension support and education to drive towards innovative, climate-smart practices.
• The program builds communities of practice (or farmer-to-farmer networks) where organic farmers can connect, share, troubleshoot, innovate, and thrive together.
•And the program takes one big step further to stimulate market entry & development opportunities for Regenerative Organic Certified farmers through product innovation like our ROC Hot Oatmeals (available in US only)! Learn more about regenerative organic farming and our efforts.
Field Days are a major program highlight, giving participants the chance to connect face-to-face, visit regenerative organic farms to trade valuable tips about successes, troubleshoot challenges, dig into best practices & get to know each other better. From multispecies cover cropping to vermicomposting and soil health monitoring, the techniques shared are paving the way for a more resilient food system and field days are demonstrating the power of community-based collaboration and education.
Data also plays a big role in the program. By collecting real-time metrics on things like soil health, carbon capture, and climate resilience, farmers can track the progress & impact of their regenerative organic practices, and champion the power of organic and regenerative organic as a time-tested climate solution.
A Community That Grows Together
With a goal of supporting oat producers with a range of regenerative organic best management practices, Nature’s Path Foods together with Riverside Natural Foods and Bay State Milling have successfully built a pre-competitive program that has fostered a community of brands & regenerative organic farmers that continues to grow.
After the three-year pilot program, the feedback is in—and it’s glowing. Every farmer who participated in the first cohort said the program exceeded their expectations. One participant called it “an excellent community with good camaraderie.” Another added that, “what I found under the Regenerative Organic Oats Program is [that] the healing of - soil is critical [to] understanding the detriments that have been happening over the last 40 to 50 years.”
The first three-year ROO cohort welcomed 23 dedicated participants, each playing a key role in shaping the program’s early success. As we move into a new five-year program cycle beginning in 2025, all current participants will be invited to extend their involvement. Looking ahead, we’re excited to grow the community even further, with a recruitment goal of welcoming eight new farmers into the 2025 cohort.
Something New: The Regenerative Organic (Open-Source) Hub
To keep the momentum going, we recently launched the Regenerative Organic Hub—a brand-new, open-source, online space packed with curated resources for all organic farmers on their regenerative organic journey. From how-to guides to benchmarking tools, this hub makes it easier than ever to start (or continue) a regenerative organic journey and extends that opportunity to the public at no cost!
Farmers can explore:
· A deep-dive regenerative organic resource library
· Tools for measuring and understanding the impact of best farm practices
· Learning journeys on key topics like water infiltration, soil compaction, and biodiversity
· Access incentive programs, learning opportunities & community events, and connect with supporting organizations.
It’s everything a curious, eco-minded farmer needs—all in one place.
Looking Ahead
With a third of all farms from the initial cohort already Regenerative Organic Certified® and more on the way, the ROO community is growing stronger by the season.
This year, the next cohort of eight farmers will join the movement, while seasoned alumni from the first round will stay involved in the ROO community as mentors and perennial students throughout events and ongoing outreach. For program alumni, on-farm monitoring every five years ensures continuous learning and long-term progress against farm health & resiliency goals.
What makes this initiative special isn’t just the practices—it’s the people. ROO farmers are reimagining our food system, blending organic innovation with tradition, and championing food systems change that benefits everyone from seed to fork.
Together, We’re Growing Something Better
The ROO Program proves that by working together, we can grow more than food—we can grow a brighter, healthier tomorrow. With the continued support of Nature’s Path, Riverside Natural Foods, Bay State Milling and Canadian Organic Growers, protecting the precious natural resources and ecosystems necessary for future generations to thrive has become a reality throughout regenerative organic oat fields across our prairies.
