Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

Hi Friends! Welcome to Season 2 of The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast! Thank you for listening, spreading the word, and helping to make this show such a hit, while expanding our community in the fast-growing regenerative agriculture movement. It is my honor to be part of this community along with you as we launch Season 2 of this show. For this season-opening episode, we are immeasurably pleased to bring Dr. Don Huber back again, sharing more of his wealth of accumulated knowledge. Don was our first guest on the show in Season 1, and you can listen to the first-ever Regenerative Agriculture Podcast episode with Don, here. Dr. Don Huber is a leading plant pathologist, Professor Emeritus at Purdue University, and prolific author, contributor, or editor of more than 300 published academic writings and three books. For more than 50 years, Don has been a renowned researcher and principal voice in the field of crop-plant pathology, especially as it relates to the overlapping spheres of mineral fertility and micr

John Kempf and Ed Curry take the stage in Louisville, KY at the ACRES Conference 2018 — a hotbed for regenerative agriculture practitioners for the last 30 years — to record the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast’s first ever LIVE show. The Acres Conference isn’t just another trade show or conference; this is a gathering of passionate and purposeful people working to share information and tools, and challenge the status quo in agriculture for the greater good. This is why we chose Acres 2018 for our first ever Podcast LIVE and why John and Ed make such a great pair to co-create this inaugural episode at this event. Ed is an old-school breeder and grower with a new-school mentality. More than 90% of the green chiles grown in the US and Mexico are from Ed’s breeding program. He is now the only breeder of his kind in the world. Even if you don’t grow chiles, you can certainly learn something from this discussion. The show covers important topics such as: The art of visual phenotyping Soil health’s impact on gene

"It's a very exciting time to be in agriculture, and a really great time to be a farmer, I think, and a great time to be an entrepreneur." ~Pam Marrone   Pam is the founder and CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations, a leader in bio-pesticide research and manufacturing. She is a Ph.D. entomologist, turned entrepreneur.  Pam is an inspiration to not only the next generation of microbial Ag researchers but to women in science and business. In addition, her work has helped farmers who are looking for more benign ways to address pest challenges.   Marrone’s career has taken her from Monsanto and Novo Nordisk to entrepreneurial ventures such as Agraquest Inc. and MBI.   Her research screening for microbes and their products has yielded a library of tens of thousands of potentially useful microbes, and has given the world several of it's most widely used Bio-Pesticides.Pam also co-founded the Biological Products Industry Alliance to help growers understand HOW to make the best use of these materials in a combined whole far

This week, we present a follow-up to the interview I conducted last week, in Episode 27, with Gary Zimmer. I hope you enjoy the chance to dive deeper into some of the topics raised in the previous episode.  Gary has been a key figure in the development of regenerative agriculture in America, is a sought-after speaker, and is the author of both The Biological Farmer (now available as an updated and expanded second edition), and Advancing Biological Farming. He is the founder of Midwestern BioAg, a consulting and fertility provision company headquartered in Madison Wisconsin. Gary's consulting has largely been in broad-acre crops and dairy, but the powerful information he offers can be universally transferred to any crop. Gary's analogies between ruminant digestion and soil mineralization helps us understand concepts in biological farming.  This talk is sprinkled with fast-paced wisdom, anecdotes, research, and philosophy. The conversation centered on three topics which are critical to every farm:   Trace M

Gary Zimmer’s impact on modern regenerative agriculture technique and proliferation is hard to overestimate -- with an enthusiasm and zeal that are positively infectious -- we are privileged to have him as a guest on the podcast. Zimmer is the founder of Midwestern BioAg, a company which advocates similar principals to Advancing Eco Agriculture, while focusing on dry soil amendments. He farms with his family in Sauk County, Wisconsin and is the author of two seminal books on biological agriculture, which I highly recommend: The Biological Farmer (now available as an updated and expanded second edition), and Advancing Biological Farming. In this episode, Gary: Provides stories and insights from his decades-long career Clarifies the distinction between soil-correction and crop-fertilizer Reiterates the need to focus on biology in our soils and to use crop variation Warns against simply replacing fertilizer sources point-for-point when transitioning to organic production The discussion is lively, informative

Gabe Brown is a clear, collected, and inspired voice for regenerative agriculture, having implemented and seen great changes on his family's ranch in North Dakota over time. In fact, Gabe’s A-Horizon (topsoil) is 27 in, and the soils on surrounding farms only have 4-6 in of topsoil! Gabe is the author of the recently published and highly-acclaimed book, Dirt To Soil, from Chelsea Green. I highly recommend reading this truly inspiring and informative book. Speaking and teaching about the practical steps for soil regeneration and farm profitability for more than 15 years, Gabe is also a partner with Soil Health Consultants LLC, an all-star group of ag thinkers and doers engaged in challenging the status-quo of agriculture. In this episode Gabe and I speak about: The time when Dr. Norman put a 4 ft long probe into the ground and the soil would collapse with only 2 ft in the probe because of tremendous pore space. The reception of his book and the increased adoption of regenerative agriculture he’s observed. How

In this episode, I explore the characteristics shared by farm managers whose operations are exceptionally successful, and consistently outperform similar farms in the region. In my experience as a field consultant and working with AEA's growers, I’ve observed a set of distinctive managerial patterns in the more successful growing operations. These traits bring outstanding results when farmers apply them over time. Listen to this episode for insights on these characteristics, and how they make growers more successful on their operations. This podcast episode was originally recorded an exclusive webinar and received such fantastic feedback, I wanted to share it with you. Because this was a webinar, the audio quality is a somewhat lower than usual. The concepts I cover include: Focusing personal energy on increasing revenue, while delegating responsibility for decreasing costs to  managers Developing an intimate understanding of the agronomic science needed to increase revenue Focusing on developing manageable

Peter McCoy speaks for the fungi. His mission is to increase awareness, appreciation and the practical use of all manner of mushroom and mycelia. Peter is a co-founder of the grassroots advocacy group, Radical Mycology. He is also the author of a book by the same name which I’ve found to be the most thorough, current, and inspiring mycological reference available. For those of you new to the wonderful world of Fungi and regenerative agriculture, mycology is the study of fungi (mushrooms, lichens, molds, etc.) and is a fundamental element of building soil health and profitable regenerative systems. Peter is in high demand -- appearing in publications, speaking, and recently starting the world’s first mycology school (Mycologos), dedicated to the practical arts and science of working with fungi and, after much fanfare, being successfully funded on Kickstarter. Peter is well-versed in fungal impacts on agriculture systems on which this podcast episode focuses. His advocacy also covers ecological restoration, me

Dr. Silvia Abel-Caines is a Veterinarian with a Ph.D. in Ruminant Nutrition, who is currently working as the Staff Ruminant Nutritionist for Organic Valley. She has researched neonatal immunity and colostrum supplementation in dairy calves and has also performed research on improving the fatty acid profile of milk through nutrition. Combining the knowledge from her experience with ruminants and her technical training and research, Dr. Silvia Abel-Caines provides grazing insights and key information on maximizing dairy production by managing all aspects of cow health. On this episode of the podcast, Silvia and I talk about The roles of key trace minerals in plant health and performance The science behind immunity with nutrition How the lack of key mineral access leads to plants being largely comprised of nitrogen Animal behavior and the feeding sequence How farmers can change what ruminants graze for by what they are fed prior to letting them out to pasture     Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Th

In this episode, John discusses specific methods for the management of nitrogen and phosphorous for maximum benefit while reducing leaching, runoff, and pollution. Learn how to address nitrogen and phosphorus from both organic and conventional approaches. This episode contains effective, actionable information geared towards responsible and regenerative fertilizer management. This episode is sourced from a previously recorded AEA webinar and contains specific AEA product recommendations -- which means, you can also tap into visual versions of this information, here: Recorded Webinar presentation (video) Webinar Slide deck       Preventing Nitrogen and Phosphorous Leaching - Episode Highlights  Key Points: Plant nutrients should be available without being water soluble Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers can be stabilized to prevent them from leaching We can maintain and increase yields while reducing nutrient runoff when the right technology is used   Phosphorus exists in the soil in four states:

Sometimes growers apply fertilizers to crops that don’t respond to the applications like they're expecting. When plant health and vigor is in a decline, and nutrient applications don’t move the needle, how can we reclaim the situation?    Through our consulting experience, we have learned that when nutrient applications bring little response and plants are going downhill, applying the right biology will reverse the direction of a declining crop with a speed and effectiveness that is almost magical. I discuss the three steps we take to flip directions in short order.    Enjoy!     Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.   Feedback & Booking Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or booking request have a

Sarah Singla is a farmer, agronomist, and educator from Southern France. Her family farm has been in no-till production since 1980. When she took the reigns in 2010 she additionally pursued a wonderfully complex diversified cover-cropping, mixed species, multi-income-stream approach that is highly thought-out, yet fluid. Sarah has visited growers the world over in direct communication about their production systems. Her experience is broad, yet she consistently finds the most successful producers reducing erosion, increasing soil microbiology and working with nature. She has since become a champion of regenerative agriculture. In this episode, you will find particularly useful information on cover/crop/animal/bee systems in grain-based production. Sarah expands on her compelling vision for the regenerative future in agriculture with multiple examples and options to fit any farm. We discuss: How learning and education for farmers is linked to farm profitability Goal-based thinking in agriculture - what it is

Jonathan Lundgren is an agroecologist, Director of the ECDYSIS Foundation, and CEO of Blue Dasher Farm. He received his Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Illinois in 2004 and was a professional pesticide evaluator with USDA-ARS for 11 years. Jonathan's research and education programs focus on assessing the ecological risk of pest management strategies and developing long-term solutions for sustainable food systems. His ecological research focuses heavily on conserving healthy biological communities within agroecosystems by reducing disturbance and increasing biodiversity within cropland. In this episode, Jonathan and I discuss How diversity in insect populations decreases pest problems Why the term "pesticide safety" is meaningless, and the ecological implications and risk assessment of pesticides How to develop agroecosystems that reduce the need for insect management products and other agrochemicals How to design a proactive pest management system Beekeeping, varroa mites, overwintering, and other

Soil analysis should be used as a milestone to monitor progress towards growing healthy crops; they should not be used as a goal. Every nutrient and soil amendment application needs to produce a strong crop response, not just a soil analysis response. When we apply this understanding properly it means that we will not apply uneconomical quantities of soil amendments to balance a soil analysis that do not first provide a benefit to the crop.   On the mini-episode this week, I talk about  where soil tests are needed for optimal farm performance how a soil test can be a detriment  what to look for in a soil report what the numbers aren’t telling you why you can decrease your annual fertilizer inputs and get a better crop response   Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be conn

Greg Pennyroyal is the Viticulture and Enology Coordinator at Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards in Temecula, California. He is also the Professor of Viticulture for Mt. San Jacinto Community College. Greg has worked in many industries including medicinal organic herb production, traditional eastern medicine, and botanical medicine research and development. Greg has been active in researching neurodegenerative diseases in conjunction with the University of California, Santa Barbara and has a breadth of knowledge about plant health that is a true delight.   In this episode, Greg and I discuss How the microbiome determines ‘terroir’ and influences flavor and quality, Using plant sap analysis, and how well it correlates with field observation Can you produce fruit with more flavor and metabolites in a stressed environment, or in an optimal environment? Plus many more highlights   Support For This Show This episode is brought to you by AEA - Advancing Eco Agriculture - leading regenerative agriculture since 20

I’ve been asked a lot recently about how to manage vegetative growth versus reproductive growth. On the mini-episode this week, I talk about which nutrients drive strong vegetative growth, and which drive strong reproductive growth and development, along with the hormonal interactions which drive plant dominance. Nutrients in both categories interact with and synergize or antagonize certain plant hormones. These interactions shape how trees and plants develop reproductive buds and fruitwood versus shoot growth. On this episode, I talk about which nutrients are vegetative, which are reproductive, and how to switch plant dominance between vegetative and reproductive stages.   4 Vegetative Growth nutrients: Nitrate Nitrogen (not ammonium or urea) Potassium Chloride Calcium   Reproductive nutrients: All other nutrients will bring a slight reproductive response but the below 3 drive the strongest reproductive growth. Manganese Phosphorus Ammonium    Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is bro

Dr. Jerry Pollack is a pioneering water researcher whose work in structured water and cell biology has been described as being some of the most important research that will be conducted in the 21st century. His research creates a completely new paradigm of cell biology and nutrient absorption. He is recognized worldwide as a dynamic speaker and author, whose passion lies in plumbing the depths of natural truths. Dr. Pollack received the 1st Emoto Peace Prize and is a recipient of the University of Washington's highest honor, the Annual Faculty Lecturer Award. He is founding Editor-in-Chief of the research journal WATER and Director of the Institute for Venture Science. Dr. Pollack's (award-winning) books include The Fourth Phase of Water (2013), and Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life (2001). Dr. Jerry Pollack maintains an active laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle. In this episode, Jerry and I discuss How water moves to the top of a 100-yard tall redwood How nutrients are absorbed across

On the mini-episode this week, I focus on why we should develop regenerative agriculture, how it is different, and why it is important. In the past 10 or 12 years, a lot of conversation has been had on sustainable agriculture. In this episode, I explore what it is that we want to sustain, why regeneration is important, and how regenerative farming systems impact the bottom line in a way that sustainability cannot.   Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.   Feedback & Booking Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or booking request have a Podcast episode recorded LIVE at your event -- to production@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com. You can email John directly at John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com.

Steve Diver has earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Horticulture and has conducted research on fruit and nut production, and seasonal changes in elemental concentration in pecan fruit and leaves. He has served as the Extension Horticulture Agent in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, and has also worked as an Agriculture Specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.  In 2010, he established an independent firm, Agri-Horticultural Consulting, which provided soil analysis and consultancy services in eco-agriculture, organic and sustainable farming, and environmental sciences.   In this episode, Steve and I discuss rock powders, biology, and bioenergetics, the oxidation/reduction potential in soils, the use of liquid biological agents in soil health and crop success, and the value of bioenergetics in agriculture. Steve has some really great knowledge from his many years of experience in the lab and in the field.   Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, lea

Professor Lynn Long has worked in sweet cherry research and Extension at Oregon State University since 1988. At that time, the main cherry variety being grown was Bing on a Mazzard rootstock, leading to disease and susceptibility to weather pressure. Lynn has been an advocate for diversity in varieties and rootstocks, maintaining a cherry variety trial since 1996, and evaluating nearly 100 varieties and selections for potential adoption by the sweet cherry industry in the Pacific Northwest. He has been instrumental in progressing the use of dwarfing rootstocks and new training systems in commercial orchards. Long has authored many publications and has spoken in grower oriented meetings in 16 countries around the world.  In this episode, Lynn and I discuss the future of sweet cherry production. Lynn believes the future development of tree fruit will emerge when we begin better managing ‘the other half of the tree' - the root system.   How soil health and compost applications contribute to varietal performanc