A June 10 event in Columbia Falls will highlight regenerative agriculture and more sustainable approaches to food production and consumption.

“Soil to Soil: A Regenerative Agriculture Field Day” is hosted by the Regenerative Farming Collaborative through Montana Farmers Union.

Montana Caise, membership ambassador for the Montana Farmers Union, said the goal is to show a cyclical way of growing and consuming food.

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“A lot of today's production systems, agricultural production systems, are very linear in nature, and it's just not a good way to manage the resources at our disposal,” Caise contended.

The field day includes several stops showing the cycle of life, moving from soil to plants, animals, food and compost, which then turns back into soil.

The event is open to the public and runs from noon to 5 p.m. Registration is available through the Montana Farmers Union website. The cost is $15 for Montana Farmers Union members and $30 for nonmembers.

Caise noted many food producers who have shifted to regenerative practices have done so out of necessity. He stressed drought, hail, blizzards and economic pressures can force farmers and ranchers to diversify their operations and adopt different approaches.

He added the event is meant to counteract some of the negative information surrounding farming and ranching.

“There's a lot of education to be done on the potential that agriculture has to be a force of good and not just something that degrades the environment,” Caise underscored.

The tour will cover soil health, organic grazing and organic waste. It will include stops at a collaborative meat processing plant and a composting service, and will end with a gathering for food producers and members of the public.