Meet the Rancher
For The Regen Ranch owner and manager Christine Martin, a connection to ranching stems from her multi-generational family traditions. She was born in Argentina and raised in Brazil, on a quarter-acre plot where her dad experimented growing different fruits and vegetables, and rearing various animals, such as quail and pigs. Her paternal grandparents had a farm in Argentina where they raised cattle and grew grains. On weekends, the family would host a parillada (the Argentine version of a BBQ) for friends and neighbors to share stories, laughter, and food. Though she held these memories fondly, it would be several years before Christine began a ranching operation of her own. She first obtained a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and a Master’s in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University, afterwards working in the corporate world.
In 2001, she moved onto a five acre plot of land in East Texas to start homesteading while caring for her young children. Experiencing migraines and other health issues, Christine consulted a naturopath and began to explore the healing properties of natural foods. Struggling to find the healthy options she needed locally, she decided to grow and produce them herself. As her symptoms gradually faded after introducing these nutrient-dense meats and plants, she began sharing them with friends who were also looking to heal holistically from their own health issues. This led Christine to expand her operations, moving the ranch to a 100-acre property in Oakwood and investing more in regenerative techniques to raise livestock and chickens with practices that prioritized building and maintaining healthy soils. In 2015, Christine took a holistic management international (HMI) course, and is currently training towards certification as an HMI instructor.
The Regen Ranch held their first farm-to-table dinner on New Year's Day, 2022. True to Christine’s roots, they made it an Argentinian BBQ–a huge hit with the local community. The Regen Ranch seeks to harmonize their efforts to enhance ecological vitality with educational opportunities to share knowledge on the connection between biodiversity and human health. In the future, Christine plans to offer on-farm cooking classes and workshops to share her passion for nourishing the body through delicious food.
Regenerative & Sustainable Practices
Operations at The Regen Ranch support carbon, mineral, water, and energy cycles to benefit the health of ecosystems and the humans they provide for. Their holistic ethos avows that healthy soils produce healthy animals, which lead to healthier humans. Regenerative on-farm practices include:
- Using Holistic Management Planned Grazing to rotate animals across pastures, evenly distributing natural fertilizers for improved soil fertility and plant diversity.
- Caring for animals with homeopathy and natural healing techniques whenever possible to avoid the overuse of pharmaceuticals.
- Regular soil testing to ensure optimal mineral balance and fertility in the nutrient-rich soils.
- Hosting farm-to-table dinners to educate others on the health and ecological benefits of farming with regenerative practices.
