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Sun and Bloom Farms

@sunandbloomfarms

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Regenerative Land, Life. Business Design

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We are happy to share our "origin story"...how Lucian and I came together and merged our passions, interests, dreams, and goals. There is so much to expand upon from these slides and we will do so in the coming months in the form of case studies, articles, Substack posts and more.
We are grateful to the many of you who have been following and supporting our journey from the beginning. Many of you being our own teachers, mentors, colleagues, friends, and collaborators.
Cheers to this life, the community, and work we are committed to!
- Anna Maria and Lucian by @sunandbloomfarms

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2 days ago

From Lucian: I’m very grateful to share that the first digital edition of Regenerative Soil & Fertility Systems: A Practical Guidebook for Reading, Building, and Managing Living Soil in Gardens, Orchards, Farms, and Designed Landscapes is now available through Sun and Bloom Farms.

This work has been many years in the making.

It brings together my decade-long work with regenerative soil, fertility, compost, plants, farming, teaching, ecological design, and living systems.

It comes from years of teaching in community workshops, college-level horticulture and permaculture classes, farm-based education, design courses, consulting, university extension work, and hands-on experience with real soil in real places.

My hope was to make this material deeply practical — something grounded, useful, and followable for people wherever they are in their regenerative soil journey.

The guidebook walks through how to understand soil as a living system, read what soil is telling us, test and interpret soil without becoming overwhelmed, and begin building fertility through compost, mulch, cover crops, biological inputs, plants, animals, organic matter, and long-term management.

Each chapter includes exercises designed to help the reader observe their own soil, ask better questions, organize what they are learning, and begin designing a regenerative soil and fertility plan for their own garden, farm, homestead, orchard, food forest, landscape, or project.

This is the first digital edition, independently published through Sun and Bloom Farms. I wanted to release it now so this work can begin serving people who are growing food, building gardens, restoring land, managing fertility, or trying to understand what their soil needs next.

The book is available now at the launch price of $43.

Thank you to the students, teachers, farmers, gardeners, compost makers, soil stewards, regenerative soil researchers, soil and ecology writers, book authors, mentors, friends, clients, and everyone who has helped shape this work over the years.

Soil is powerful. Soil is important. Soil is alive.

I would really love your support in purchasing this book and helping spread the word. LINK IN BIO by @sunandbloomfarms

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4 months ago

How do we actually fund #regenerative #agriculture in the United States?

It is a question that has become increasingly important in my #design and consulting work - and the answer is much more complicated than simply finding a grant.

Land acquisition, soil and water improvements, grazing infrastructure, agroforestry, livestock, equipment, storage and processing, research, and long-term stewardship can all require different kinds of funding from different institutions.

That fragmentation is exactly what pushed me to organize this research more clearly. If we understand what actually needs to be funded, we can begin asking a much better question: what kind of capital, program, lender, grant, cost-share, or institution was designed to support that particular part of the project?

To answer that, I’ve brought some of my recent research and project work together in a new Regenerative Field Note: "Funding Regenerative Agriculture in the USA - Which institutions fund what—from land and infrastructure to conservation, research, farm development, and stewardship."

The article organizes the funding landscape into seven major categories and includes a substantial resource section with direct links to USDA programs, agricultural lenders, nonprofit organizations, regenerative finance groups, conservation programs, research funding, and selected state resources so you can continue investigating the opportunities that may fit your own project.

If you’d like to read the full article, comment “FUNDING” below and I’ll send you the link. And if you know a farmer, landowner, designer, or organization working through these questions, feel free to tag them or share this post with them. by @sunandbloomfarms

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3 days ago

@cultivatehomesteadretreat has become something I look forward to every year. As the growing season winds down and the chill in the air returns, I am anxious to meet with friends for a weekend of rest, learning, and connection. I have been to many gatherings, festivals, conferences and such, but not many of them come close to the value and hospitality I receive when attending cultivate.
In the past years I have offered workshops on herbalism and beekeeping. This year in addition to helping coordinate the gathering, I am facilitating a masterclass on a homestead audit.
My masterclass will offer participants an opportunity to reflect on what isn’t working on your homestead and create a plan to move forward with clarity.
I am teaching alongside some other powerhouse ladies with years of experience in their own niche specialties. At the end of the day though, we are all women managing our dreams, families, children, and a desire to do good in the world.
I promise you won’t find many other retreats like this!
Check out the details in this post, the website, and lock in your ticket. Send me a message if you have any questions! taken in Pleasant Hope, Missouri by @sunandbloomfarms

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24 days ago

A Closer Look: What Soil Management Can Look Like Below Ground

Earlier this week, we shared a longer field video from a large-acreage project we are working on, where Lucian walked through part of our soil assessment and the beginning of the transition toward #regenerative management.

This 60-second clip comes directly from that larger video, and we wanted to pull out one moment that is worth seeing on its own.
These are two soil samples from the same property.

One came from a less-disturbed area where grasses and a diversity of plants had been allowed to grow. Under the microscope, we saw considerable biological activity — bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and movement throughout the sample.

What we are seeing is part of the living soil food web at work. These organisms participate in decomposition and nutrient cycling, helping transform nutrients into forms that can become available for plant growth. Plants then capture sunlight, build biomass, feed organisms through their roots, shed leaves and roots, and continue feeding the system.

Life supports life, and nutrients continue cycling.

The second sample came from an area with a history of conventional management, including tillage, herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertility.

Under the same magnification, we observed dramatically less visible biological activity in the fields of view we examined.

It is only a small window into two soils, but it illustrates an important principle: How we manage land helps shape the biological conditions below ground (and as we will discuss in a future post, the life above it too, including human life).

And that leads to the question that matters most in regenerative agriculture: How do we create conditions in which soil biology, nutrient cycling, plants, and the larger ecosystem can thrive?

That is the larger conversation behind the project.

Learn the #soil. Read what it is telling you. Then design the conditions for #life. by @sunandbloomfarms

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a month ago

Two soils. Same farm. Very different worlds. Which future are we cultivating?

An Educational Reflection from Lucian:
I recently spent the day on a client’s farm as part of our in-person regenerative landscape assessment. I brought my mobile soil-testing kit, collected samples from different areas of the property, tested them, and later put them under the microscope with the farmer.

The difference was striking.

One sample came from a less-disturbed area with diverse vegetation. Under the microscope, we saw bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and lots of visible biological activity. We were watching soil biology at work. Organic matter is broken down. Nutrients move through the food web. Plants access those nutrients, capture sunlight, grow biomass, and feed the soil community again. Life supporting life.

The second sample came from a conventionally managed field. We saw dramatically less visible biological activity. Same farm. Very different management histories. Very different conditions below ground.

The point isn’t simply to say, “Look at the problem.” The better question is: What created these conditions — and how do we create the conditions for life to return?

That is where regenerative farming begins. Observe the soil. Test it. Understand the context. Then design the conditions for regeneration.

If you’d like to learn more, we’ve created a Soil Book, Master Soil Course, free resources, and regenerative land and soil design and consulting offerings.

You can find everything through our website and the links in our bio.
Learn the soil. Read what it is telling you. Then design the conditions for life.

Open to a dicussion in the comments if you are willing, able and excited!

#RegenerativeAgriculture #SoilHealth #LivingSoil #RegenerativeFarming #Permaculture #SoilBiology #RegenerativeDesign #SunAndBloom by @sunandbloomfarms

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a month ago

Not every #regenerative land project needs to become a business. But every regenerative land project has an economic reality — and every one of them has to fit the life of the people carrying it.

That land project may be a family homestead or farm, or a school, church, nonprofit, company, retreat center, or municipality project. The principle is the same: a regenerative vision still requires investment — money, labor, staff, volunteers, infrastructure, knowledge, relationships, or income generated by the project itself. And if healthier soil, biodiversity, local food, water resilience, education, or community impact depend upon continually exhausting the people responsible for the project, something important is missing from the design.

That is why in our work we don't only ask: What should we put on the land? We also ask:
• What is the project meant to accomplish?
• Who will carry it?
• What capacity do they have?
• What will it require over time?
• How will those resources be renewed?
• What kind of life — or organizational reality — will it create?

Some projects need a business model. Others may never sell a single thing. But they still need an economic model that can sustain the vision.

This LAND + PEOPLE + ECONOMICS relationship is built into the regenerative design process we use at Sun and Bloom, and we are beginning to bring the Life Design and Business Design sides of our work forward more intentionally.

If you're developing a land-based project, we've put together a short Regenerative Project Alignment Check based on questions we use in our own design work.

Comment ALIGNMENT and we'll send you the link to download it for free.

You can also tell us (and we will respond): What are you trying to create (or refresh) — and which piece feels hardest to align right now: the land, the people, or the economics?

We're also opening a small number of 15-minute Project Clarity conversations for people actively developing or refreshing a project - if that is something you want to tap into, let us know. by @sunandbloomfarms

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a month ago

A season of rest, redesign & renewal.

After a demanding season that included health challenges, farming pressures, and the continued growth of our teaching, writing, design, and consulting work, we had to listen to the feedback our own system was giving us.

And so, we are taking a sabbatical from commercial farm production. The farm isn't disappearing. We will continue stewarding the land, growing food for ourselves and those close to us, caring for the systems we've built, and determining what the next chapter of the production farm should become.

One of the deepest lessons regenerative design has taught us is this: A regenerative system must support the people responsible for sustaining it. So this season we are creating space for work that has existed alongside our farm for more than a decade to move back toward the center.

We are expanding Sun and Bloom Regenerative Design.

Over the years, our work together has included much more than growing food.
We have taught permaculture, designed landscapes, worked with farmers and landowners, developed educational programs, supported organizations and community projects, built soil and fertility systems, and helped people turn scattered ideas into coherent, resilient projects. At the heart of that work is something we have learned repeatedly: "The land plan, the life plan, and the business plan must support one another."

We currently have capacity for additional design and consulting projects through the remainder of 2026 — locally, remotely, and through travel when appropriate.

And fall is a powerful time to work with us - so if you are trying to understand what should happen next on your land — or know someone who is — visit the link in our bio. And if our work resonates with you, please share it.

This has never simply been a job for us. We remain committed to helping build healthier land, stronger communities, resilient livelihoods, and lives capable of sustaining the systems we create.

#RegenerativeDesign #PermacultureDesign #RegenerativeAgriculture #LandDesign #HomesteadDesign #FarmDesign #SoilHealth #Permaculture #RegenerativeLiving #SunAndBloom by @sunandbloomfarms

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a month ago

A regenerative project should restore both land and people.

We both (Anna Maria & Lucian) have seen this again and again through the land projects we have helped design, and through the individuals, families, business owners, community projects, and teams we have helped design with, mentor, and coach.

With our help people realize that the problem they have been trying to solve is not another investment, more experience, better equipment, or another business strategy - the problem is that the people carrying the vision were never really included in the design. That is why, as we design new systems with people, we ask questions like: How much time is actually available? How much energy? What kind of schedule already exists? What happens to health, relationships, children, rest, recovery, and joy outside of work?

We have watched people realize - with real emotion - that the dream they were building for their children or community was actually taking them away from being present with their children and community. That realization changes the design direction.

A beautiful garden can be too much to maintain. A productive farm can overwhelm a family. A successful business can consume the people who created it. A community or workplace project can have wonderful intentions while demanding more from employees or volunteers than their real lives can sustain.

Capacity, health, relationships, family life, rest, schedule, skills, interests, and desired rhythms are not side considerations. They are design information. If we want to design a more regenerative world, we cannot regenerate ecosystems while exhausting the people inside them. People Care has to be designed into the system.

Have you ever built something meant to improve your family, work, or community - and later realized it was asking too much from the people carrying it? How did you respond to that realization?

#RegenerativeDesign #RegenerativeLifeDesign #PeopleCare #LifeDesign #WholeSystemsDesign #RegenerativeLeadership #SunAndBloom by @sunandbloomfarms

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2 months ago

"I have been designing land-based projects for more than a decade—from backyard gardens and homesteads to hobby farms, community projects, and productive farms with multiple interconnected systems. For the past eight years, I have also been developing and operating two farms of my own.

Across that work, I have noticed the same pattern repeatedly. People naturally want to begin with the visible pieces: What should we plant first? Where should the greenhouse go? Should we begin with a pond, orchard, chickens, or a garden?

These are useful questions, but when they are answered before the project has a clear purpose, they can lead to misplaced infrastructure, unnecessary expenses, excessive maintenance, and systems that never quite work together.

A property can accumulate many valuable features and still lack direction. A collection of good ideas does not automatically become a coherent design. The same land could become completely different projects depending on the people involved, the resources available, and the kind of life it is expected to support. Purpose gives every later decision a reference point. It helps determine what belongs, what should happen first, and what may never be necessary.

I am continuing to study how people describe the deeper purpose of the land they own, manage, or hope to develop, and I would value your perspective. Answering the question below may also help you clarify the direction of your own project:

What is the land you steward—or hope to steward—ultimately meant to provide, protect, or become?"

#RegenerativeDesign #LandDesign #PermacultureDesign #LandStewardship #WholeSystemsDesign #SunAndBloom by @sunandbloomfarms

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2 months ago

To help solidify a much needed understanding about soil for as many people as possible, we are sharing an easy to follow free guide to open new doors of perception.

The new free practical guide, Three Keys to Regenerative Soil Fertility, was created to help gardeners, homesteaders, farmers, and land stewards begin thinking about soil as a living system.
Inside, we introduce three foundational ideas:
- Understand what your soil is telling you.
- Build fertility through living, regenerative processes.
- Design a soil system that can become more local and resilient over time.
This guide is a starting point—not an exhaustive soil-science textbook. It is meant to help you ask better questions and begin working more intentionally with the soil in your garden, orchard, farm, or landscape.

You can get the free guide here with the link in the first comment on the original post or somewhere in our page's bio - if you can't find it, comment REGEN SOIL wherever you found this post and we will send you the link!

PS: FIY, Our live Master Regenerative Soil & Fertility Systems online course also begins this Thursday evening, August 6, for those who want to study and apply this work more deeply.

#RegenerativeSoil #SoilHealth #RegenerativeAgriculture #Permaculture #LivingSoil #Composting #SunAndBloomFarms by @sunandbloomfarms

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2 months ago

Soil information is everywhere. There are videos about compost, posts about microbes, charts about nutrients, recipes for teas and ferments, recommendations for minerals, advice about mulch, and lists of cover crops. The challenge is not always finding another idea. The challenge is knowing:
- what matters first;
- what your own soil is telling you;
- which tests are useful;
- which strategy fits your plants and context;
- and how the different tools work together over time.

The live Master Regenerative Soil & Fertility Systems course was created to provide that framework. Across four Thursday evenings beginning August 6, we will move through 4 modules:
- Part 1 — Soil Foundations - Physical, chemical, and biological soil health.
- Part 2 — Reading and Testing Soil - Observation, field tests, chemistry, biological indicators, and interpretation.
- Part 3 — Building Living Fertility Systems - Cover crops, soil building plants, mulch, compost, liquid inputs, biological tools, and animals.
Part 4 — Integration and Soil Microscopy - Bringing the pieces together into a practical management approach.

Modules include PDFs, recordings, resources, practical exercises, discussion, and an optional certification path.

Which part would help you most right now: understanding soil foundations, learning practical tests, designing compost and living fertility systems, studying soil biology, or bringing everything into one workable plan?

Registration is available through the link in our bio and today’s Story.

#RegenerativeSoil #SoilCourse #SoilFertility #PermacultureEducation #SunAndBloomFarms by @sunandbloomfarms

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3 months ago