Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

John Kempf and Vernon Peterson take the stage for a live-recorded conversation at the inaugural Acres U.S.A. Healthy Soil Summit, held at the University of California Davis Conference Center on August 21, 2019, for this Regenerative Agriculture Podcast episode.  Vernon’s experiences from 30 years of growing tree fruit and other crops on both conventional and organic acreage in California’s water, weather, and labor-challenged environment inform the wisdom he posits here.  Peterson was the recipient of the Grower of the Year Award from the California Certified Organic Farmers Association and the Organic Produce Network in 2017. He farms 300 acres of stone fruit, including peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots. Vernon’s operation also packs fruit for almost 80 neighbors, including stone fruit, pomegranates, and citrus.  Listen to hear Vern’s strategies for activating employees to achieve their fullest potential, his knowledge of organic fruit production and marketing, and a call to farmers to tell their stor