Is Vegan Farming the Next Plant-Based Phenomenon?

But there’s a new contender looking for members, offering something unique, something more than just its cheeky name: Lazy Millennial Farms. The founders of the Salinas-based farm believe it is the only farm in the Bay Area that’s growing crops veganically. That means no animal fertilizers, fish emulsions, blood or bone meal (dried animal bones and blood that is processed from the remains at slaughterhouses) that are relied upon so heavily in organic farming. Matthew and Brittany Loisel started their farm because they felt that the little steps many eco-conscious people take, like recycling, just wasn’t going to have enough impact.“I was the kind of vegetarian that hated vegans,” said Matthew. “I said many times ‘I will never be vegan,’ among other pejorative statements about vegans. But halfway through ‘Cowspiracy,’ I was sure I was going to have to go vegan for environmental reasons.” Once they began to consider not using animal byproducts, “I was in a panic as I hadn’t heard of veganics, and my initial concern was that soil microbes would suffer without organic matter to feed them,” said Matthew.So he did what he’s done often in his life, he said; he asked someone more knowledgeable than himself on the subject.Matthew reached out to an expert who had spoken to their class.“His answer was that soil microbes are much more resilient than you give them credit for,” he said.While the veganic movement is so small most haven’t heard of it, it is growing, said Mona Seymour, Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Director of Environmental Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.Seymour said she believes there are about 50 farms in the United States doing so, but because there’s no official body, it’s very hard to track.