The Trump administration has highlighted Del Norte County’s Alexandre Family Farm in the rollout of a pilot program to fund regenerative farming.
Supporters of the ecological agriculture methods praised the attention and resources, while animal welfare and organic watchdog groups criticized the Northern California business’s involvement.
Alexandre Family Farm, which claims to be the country’s first certified regenerative organic dairy, is facing pending lawsuits alleging animal neglect and fraud related to labeling.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide $700 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program to farmers who employ a range of regenerative methods, which are thought to improve soil, water and air quality. Those practices include crop rotation, mulching and prescribed grazing. Federal inspectors require a “whole-farm assessment” and soil health testing for businesses wanting to participate.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said regenerative farming supports the administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. “This new pilot is about results that will make our farms more productive, our land healthier and our water cleaner,” Rollins said at a press conference.
“I've kind of carried this load on my shoulders to attempt to help spread the message across the country,” said Blake Alexandre, owner of Alexandre Family Farm, at the meeting.
Alexandre said restorative farming was about working in harmony with nature.
“We're cleaning up the water supply on our farm. We're cleaning up the erosion... And we're cleaning up the air,” Alexandre said. “So everybody benefits.”
But Andrew deCoriolis, with the animal advocacy group Farm Forward, said taxpayer money has the potential to be misspent if the USDA is spotlighting a business like Alexandre Family Farm.
“I think they're bad spokespeople for what is otherwise a very important, potential movement in agriculture,” deCoriolis said.
A 2024 Farm Forward report alleged a host of animal neglect and potential environmental violations at Alexandre Family Farm. Those findings were shared in The Atlantic magazine last year.
A class-action lawsuit also claims the farm misled customers with its “Certified Humane” advertising. Another lawsuit seeks a court injunction related to animal treatment. Those complaints are ongoing.
Alexandre Family Farm did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has denied wrongdoing related to allegations of animal abuse in the past.
According to a USDA report, Alexandre Family Farm admitted to many allegations made by Farm Forward, including spraying cattle with diesel fuel for fly control. The company reported that 30 cows died or were euthanized after an equipment mishap.
Mark Kastel, with watchdog group OrganicEye, called Alexandre Family Farm the “poster child of what's wrong with organic oversight right now.” Kastel said the company buys many of the private certifications it advertises, creating bad incentives for product transparency.
“They have more endorsements on their website and packaging than any brand I've ever observed in my 35-year history of working in this industry,” Kastel said.
Alexandre Family Farm advertises a certification under Savory Institute’s Land to Market program, which monitors regenerative farming practices. According to OrganicEye, that certification has no published standards.
Land to Market did not respond to a request for comment. The company claims to use a method known as Ecological Outcome Verification, developed in collaboration with universities and The Nature Conservancy, to test regenerative farming outcomes.
