Synergia Ranch
Synergia Ranch has been operating as a Center for Innovation, Retreats, and regenerative agriculture site since 1969. The ranch is home to the individuals who were the original inventors, creators, designers, and managers of the Biosphere 2 project.
The Ranch was the first of many demonstration sites. The founders regenerated land that was severely overgrazed and desertified by applying the method of ecotechnics; the harmonious integration of humans and technologies with the local ecosystems.
Currrently, the ranch hosts retreats and runs the Synergia Ranch Organics. Since 2019 the farm has used a no-till approach to maintain healthy soils. Recent tests show farm soils have 4.5-5.5% organic matter compared to soils nearby which have only 1.3%.Sequestering carbon by using natural, organic and regenerative methods helps mitigate global climate change.
Future plans include a native plant nursery, regeneration of the old pasture areas with intensive, short duration grazing coupled with long periods of rest, trials of promising native plants to create windbreaks and conservation hedgerows in pastures, orchard and farm areas, extension of micro-catchments to prevent soil erosion
Ranch History
The Institute of Ecotechnics, now both a US non-profit organization and a UK charitable organization, started at the ranch in 1969, working on the synergetic applications of technics and ecology.
The Theater of All Possibilities (TAP), began its long history at the ranch in 1969, and presented performances in the geodesic dome during the 80’s.
The ranch’s four and a half acre orchard is unique due to its ecological design and its location on high desert (6300 ft) of clay soil.
It was designed to minimize water usage and produce the tastiest fruit. Since it’s inception, the orchard was operated using organic methods.
To minimize water usage and give the trees a healthy soil, under each tree a compost heap three feet in diameter and three feet deep was dug. The compost materials came from the Ranch’s animals and horses at the then functioning nearby racetrack.
