Economic Necessity Sparked Regenerative Transformation

Karl Lindam's farming roots run deep in Estonia's soil. His family has worked this land for seven generations. Having been involved in the farm since he was 5 years old, Karl has witnessed firsthand the evolution of their operations. But in 2018, extreme weather volatility transformed this conventional farmer into a regenerative pioneer when traditional methods became financially impossible. Located in northeastern Estonia at Aru Põllumajanduse OÜ, Karl and his brother Jakob Johan Lindam manage the family's 4,300 hectares alongside a dedicated team of 15 people across 200 fields in a 25-kilometer radius. While Jakob leads the farm as manager, Karl serves as the face of the operation, focusing on development and relations.

"Between 2018 and 2023, we experienced the worst droughts in decades, followed by 2024's extreme dryness. Then, this year became the wettest on record," Karl explains. "Climate volatility was our wake-up call. Most farmers in Estonia are used to predictable seasons, some spring moisture, summer rain, decent harvests. When the weather became unpredictable, our journey began."

The scale of transformation required seemed overwhelming. "We can't continue with the old ideas, practices, techniques, and technologies because they weren't working or economically feasible anymore," he explains. "While finances prompted us to start down this path, it evolved into a bigger journey of connection. Now, nature is where we look for inspiration."

The Challenge of Scale and Learning from Failure

Karl's honesty about failures sets him apart from typical regenerative success stories. Managing such a large-scale farm transformation brings with it unique complications. "We were blindfolded on this journey. Some regenerative practices we tried caused us more harm. You can't just swap techniques without understanding the whole system. We learned this the expensive way."

With 10 tractor drivers across 4,300 hectares, they initially tried large-scale composting, but didn't see the benefits. The complexity of coordinating regenerative practices across such vast acreage with multiple operators proved challenging. "It took us years to figure out what the right thing is for us. We had many consultants, each with their own opinion, but no one knows the farm like we do," Karl explains.

The team structure at Aru Põllumajanduse OÜ reflects their systematic approach: Jakob serves as the manager overseeing day-to-day operations, Sander Valder acts as Operational Manager and Agronomist, and Stefan Gernet is the Transition Manager. Karl's role focuses on development and relations, finding new leads, people, and connections to bring into the company, as well as to transfer information from the company to the public and to political decision-makers.

Despite challenges, they're seeing remarkable results. They moved from expensive composting to worm cast extracts and fermented soil brews that cost 70% less. Plant sugar levels increased 600% in test areas, which correlates directly to plant health and disease resistance. They conduct fortnightly sap tests and are developing custom organo-mineral fertilizers.

"The biological flywheel is finally spinning for us," Karl says. "We're seeing soil life and response increase, input costs decrease, and yields stabilize despite weather extremes."

Building the Northern Roots Movement

Recognizing that individual farm transformation wasn't enough, Karl co-founded Northern Roots to bring together farmers, researchers, and policymakers across the Baltic and Nordic regions. The initiative emerged from necessity. Estonia needed localized information on regenerative agriculture and farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange.

Northern Roots hosts conferences and workshops and has influenced policy. Karl provides direct input to Estonia's Agriculture Ministry for EU regulations. "Knowledge sharing is survival. No farmer should have to make expensive mistakes," Karl explains.

Karl believes the future of agriculture lies in working with nature rather than against it, but without romanticizing the process. His vision extends beyond his own farm to transforming agricultural policy and practice across Europe.

Through Northern Roots and his advocacy work, Karl is proving that regenerative agriculture can work at scale while remaining profitable and economically viable. "Farmers like us need to speak out louder!" he declares, emphasizing the need for large-scale operations to demonstrate that regenerative practices are both environmentally beneficial and economically sound.