Recently McDonald’s announced a plan to pour four hundred million dollars over the next seven years into helping cattle ranchers shift to what they are calling regenerative systems. On the surface it sounds good. Supporting farmers. Prioritizing soil health. Investing in practices that could restore balance to land that has been stripped down. But here is the uncomfortable question. Is this really regenerative or just another shiny sticker slapped on the same old machine.

Why This Could Be Good

There is no denying that ranching and cattle production leave a heavy mark. Methane, overgrazing, soil stripped to dust. If a company as massive as McDonald’s actually leaned into shifting that system, the ripple effect could be huge.

Soil health could be rebuilt through rotating grazing and restoring grasslands. That means more carbon pulled back into the earth instead of floating up into the atmosphere.

Farmers could get real financial support. Money that lets them try methods they know in their bones might work but never had the resources to risk.

And maybe most importantly it could put the word regenerative into the mainstream conversation. People start asking questions about their burgers and their food system instead of just accepting it.

Why This Could Be Bad

Here is the catch. Regenerative is already on the edge of becoming the new organic. A word that once carried weight but got hollowed out into a marketing buzzword. I call it grass washing. The picture of cows on perfect pastures while the reality behind the fence is feedlots and shortcuts.

Certification is expensive. Just like organic, small farmers who are already out there working with the land might not be able to afford the stamp.

Standards are loose. Without clear lines, the regenerative label will be slapped on industrial scale operations that barely change a thing.

Consumers get lulled into trust. A sticker says regenerative and we stop asking questions. But the practices behind it may be anything but holistic or sustainable.

The Farmers Already Doing the Work

The truth is many farmers are already practicing regeneration every single day without the label. They are rotating herds, rebuilding topsoil, practicing grass fed and grass finished husbandry, pulling carbon down into the ground. Most of them do it quietly, often at personal cost, often overlooked. And if the corporations get to write the definition, those same farmers could get locked out of the very market they helped create.

What Do You Think

The word regenerative carries so much promise. If done right, it could mean richer soil, healthier ecosystems, animals raised with dignity, farmers who are respected for their work. Done wrong, it will become another empty word. Another tool to keep business as usual running under a greener banner.

So I’ll leave you with this. What does regenerative mean to you. Is it about carbon and soil. Is it about animals living well. Is it about community. And how do we keep this word from being stolen before it has a chance to mean something real.