Filtra per genere
Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
- 420 - Episode 190: What the 1980s Farm Crisis Should Have Taught Us with Wendy Johnson
Wendy Mariko Johnson farms in Floyd County, Iowa, near Charles City. She grew up on an Iowa farm, left at 18 in the 1990s for an 18-year career in the Los Angeles fashion industry, and returned in 2010 with her husband Johnny Rafkin. Having watched farms close across Iowa in the 1980s, she came back determined to follow the three things that carried her parents through that era: diversification, low cost of production, and little to no debt.
Today Wendy runs two businesses from the same land. Jóia Food & Fiber Farm carries 160 ewes, 25 cows and their calves, plus hogs, chickens, and ducks across roughly 130 certified organic acres, alongside 15 acres of Kernza and more than 6,000 trees planted over the past decade. Jóia Sleep turns the farm's wool into comforters, mattress toppers, and pillows. She also co-manages Center View Farms, her family's thousand-acre commodity operation, and serves as vice president of the Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative, co-founder of 99 Counties, and chair of Iowa's USDA Farm Service Agency state committee. Her current question is how to take what she has proven on 130 acres and extend it across a thousand.
In this episode, John and Wendy discuss:
What carried her parents through the 1980s farm crisis, and why it still applies How direct marketing made her a price maker instead of a price taker Why the thousand-acre corn and soybean farm is becoming obsolete How Kernza thrived through a 10-inch drought year and a 12-inch rain month Why she hires custom operators instead of owning machinery What it would take to treat agrarian labor like the skilled trades Whether the next generation wants land ownership or just land access Why she would rather be paid on practice and nutrition than on yield Four years of silvopasture planted over field tileAdditional ResourcesTo listen to the podcast episode featuring Austin Unruh on integrating trees into working pastures, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/episode-97-integrating-trees-into-working-pastures-with-austin-unruh/
To learn more about Jóia Food & Fiber Farm, please visit: https://www.joiafoodfarm.com/
To learn more about Jóia Sleep, please visit: https://www.joiasleep.com/
To learn more about 99 Counties, please visit: https://99counties.com/
To learn more about the Perennial Promise Growers' Cooperative, please visit: https://perennialpromise.com/
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You GrowSince 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 01 Oct 2026 - 1h 24min - 419 - Podcast Extra: Why Corn Is Dying Early with John Kempf & Brody Benton
In this Podcast Extra, Brody Benton of Six B and John Kempf, founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, dig into why plants are shutting down weeks before black layer, what top dieback is actually telling you, and how nitrogen form, leaf temperature, and trace minerals decide whether a crop finishes strong or hollows out from the inside.
John explains why the fungi behind stalk rot and crown rot — fusarium, rhizoctonia, pythium — are saprophytes that navigate by electrical charge, and why they only attack cells the plant has already given up on. Brody brings the 2026 weather data: 43 nights above 68°F in Polk County, Iowa (vs. a 28–29 night average), 35+ in York County, Nebraska, and record dew points that opened the door for tar spot. Put those together and you get a plant burning protein for energy, converting rubisco and PEP carboxylase back to ammonium, robbing amino skeletons out of the leaves, and dismantling its own photosynthetic engine during grain fill.
From there the conversation goes well past stalk rot: front-loaded nitrogen and electrolyte overload, chloride and sodium from manure histories, herbicide and fungicide effects on fungal-to-bacterial ratios, the depletion of microbially active carbon under corn-on-corn and corn-soybean rotations, molybdenum and nitrate assimilation in soybeans, EDTA chelates that pull one nutrient out while adding another, plant sap pH targets, and how humic substances turned a manure pit into liquid gold.
Additional ResourcesIf you farm in the midwest and would like to get in touch with Brody, please reach out to him via email, brody.benton@gmail.com To listen to the Podcast conversation with Mike Omeg, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/episode-188-eliminating-ground-applied-urea-with-mike-omeg/
About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 24 Sep 2026 - 1h 29min - 418 - Episode 189: Why Your Nitrogen Program Is Costing You 50 Bushels with Ed Baumgartner
Ed Baumgartner is a corn breeder and co-founder of Bass Hybrids in Olivia, Minnesota. His family has been in the seed corn business since the late 1930s, when his great uncles began producing hybrid seed as Troy Farms. Ed studied agronomy and plant genetics and spent 21 years and five mergers inside the commercial seed industry, much of it running winter nurseries in Puerto Rico and doing trait integration work for major companies.
At Bass Hybrids, Ed breeds non-GMO corn using a shuttle breeding model borrowed from Norman Borlaug, cycling material between Puerto Rico and Minnesota for three generations a year under deliberate heat, drought, and disease stress. Working in 18 identified genetic families rather than the industry's two, he has selected for native insect tolerance and broad stress resilience and found those selections also produced plants with unusually strong microbial association and markedly lower nitrogen requirements. His current work includes nitrogen rate trials across genetics, interseeded cover crop studies in three states, and a 148-acre discovery farm dedicated entirely to regenerative research.
In this episode, John and Ed discuss:
Why corn inbreds developed before heavy nitrogen fertilization still carry the genetics for nutrient efficiency How some Bass hybrids produce 200 bushel corn on 50 pounds of applied nitrogen, and drop to 150 bushels when nitrogen is pushed above 200 Why Y-drop nitrogen placed too close to the stalk causes a yield hit on biologically responsive genetics The plant characteristics that signal high biological receptivity, including pubescence, leathery leaves, multiple ears, and heavy pollen loads Results from interseeding nine species of cover crops at V3, where the highest yielding treatment came with nitrogen cut by 25 percent Why Bass asked its seed producers to apply AEA's Pinion this season in place of conventional fungicide How AEA's fertility guidance gives growers an off-ramp from high nitrogen and an on-ramp for soil biology What germinator trials revealed about fungicide-treated seed versus seed grown without fungicidesAdditional Resources
To listen to John's first conversation with the BASS Hybrids team, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/podcast-extra-john-kempf-bass-hybrids-on-the-future-of-corn/
To read the University of Wisconsin research on nitrogen-fixing corn in Mexico, please visit: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2006352
To learn more about AEA's Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/
To find Charles Walters' book Eco-Farm, please visit: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/eco-farm?srsltid=AU7gw4XfkT_GNsryakPAWEYC5avS6GxN3ikUv9nbqaG0cJXfyZIq3Y8_
To learn more about BASS Hybrids, please visit: https://www.basshybrids.com/
About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 17 Sep 2026 - 1h 43min - 417 - Episode 188: Eliminating Ground-Applied Urea with Mike Omeg
Mike Omeg is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up on a diverse family farm in Oregon, initially producing cherries, hay, cattle, apricots, apples, and wheat. Over time, he honed in on fresh cherry production. He is currently the Director of Orchard Operations at Orchard View Cherries. Drawing on decades of tree-fruit experience and driven by a vision to keep his operation thriving for the next 100 years, Mike has spent the last 13 years collaborating closely with Advancing Eco Agriculture to challenge the conventional .
Currently, Mike is implementing management practices to maintain high cherry yields while drastically reducing input costs . He has completely eliminated dry nitrogen ground applications, shifting toward targeted fertigation and carbon-based energy sources to optimize tree metabolism . By focusing on biological precision and custom blends, he is growing firmer, higher-quality fruit while successfully testing new methods to control severe powdery mildew pressure without relying on conventional fungicides .
In this episode, John and Mike discuss:
How eliminating dry nitrogen ground applications improved overall tree health and nutrition .
Boosting calcium absorption by 45% using Advancing Eco Agriculture custom blends .
Turning large cherry crops into high-yield, premium-sized fruit while lowering harvest labor costs .
Utilizing carbon and targeted sugars as energy sources to expand leaf size and drive tree vigor .
Testing AEA's Pinion to manage severe powdery mildew without applying conventional fungicides .
Maintaining a strict twenty-dollar-per-acre budget for foliar applications .
Supporting multi-year crop loads without sacrificing branch strength or tree vitality .
Additional ResourcesTo listen to the podcast episode featuring Jim Dunlop, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/episode-183-overcoming-the-ammonium-death-spiral-with-jim-dunlop/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Fri, 11 Sep 2026 - 1h 19min - 416 - Podcast Extra: Building High-Efficiency Fertility Systems for Row Crops
Join us for a discussion led by Heather Poutre of Agronomy Diversified LLC, Jeff True of True Potential Ag Consulting, LLC, and John Kempf, founder of Advancing Eco Ag. With nitrogen management remaining a central topic amidst heightened focus on water quality, Heather, Jeff, and John will dive into practical agronomic strategies designed to balance environmental stewardship with farm profitability.
Topics in this webinar that are discussed include: Navigating evolving water quality focuses and proactive nitrogen management. Building a practical fertility program designed to maximize nutrient efficiency and profitability. Implementing management practices that address root causes rather than relying on bulk fertilizer top-ups. Actionable strategies for cutting conventional commercial fertilizer dependence while maintaining yield. Utilizing biology, humic and fulvic acids, and amino acids to improve nutrient uptake. Maximizing Return on Investment (ROI) by lowering unit costs per bushel through smarter nutrient delivery.Additional ResourcesClick here to watch "How Excess Nitrogen Creates Yield Drag"
For Iowa/Midwest growers who want to reach out to Heather or Jeff, contact info is below:
Jeff True, True Potential Ag Consulting, LLC. 641-431-0436 Jeff serves the NW and SE corners of Iowa Heather Poutre, Agronomy Diversified LLCAbout John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Fri, 04 Sep 2026 - 1h 17min - 415 - Episode 187: Clearing Nitrogen "Constipation" in High-Yield Corn with Brody Benton
Brody Benton is an agronomist and no-till farmer in Guthrie County, Iowa, specializing in continuous corn rotations and hoop-barn hog manure management . Brody works with growers in Iowa and the midwest as an independent consultant through his company, Six B, using sap analysis and field trials to help growers reduce synthetic chemical dependency.
To forward regenerative agriculture, Brody focuses on restoring soil fungal communities, accelerating humification, and keeping living roots in the ground year-round through cover cropping . He advocates replacing synthetic fungicides with targeted trace mineral nutrition to resolve plant nutrient backlogs, boost photosynthesis, and rebuild natural crop immunity .
In this episode, John and Brody discuss:
The historical shift over the last 50 years from naturally maturing green corn to crops dependent on continuous synthetic inputs .
How late-season cover crops feed soil biology with exudates to increase organic matter and boost cash crop yields .
The severe impact of chemical herbicides on soil fungi and how proper planting depth protects biological inoculants .
How AEA ReBound trace minerals and PhotoMag clear nitrogen backlogs, lower plant nitrates, and reactivate photosynthesis .
The success of Pinion as a fungicide alternative that suppresses tar spot without harming soil biology .
How trace mineral nutrition prevents phantom yield loss by maintaining a reducing internal environment in the plant during grain fill .
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 27 Aug 2026 - 1h 14min - 414 - Episode 186: The Power of Precision Management and Multi-Species Covers with Mike Thompson
Mike Thompson is a fifth-generation farmer in West Texas who grew up in conventional "cotton-on-cotton" country. After leaving the farm for 16 years, he returned to face the region's harsh climate, hot winds, and declining water reserves. His perspective shifted during his first year back when his plow hit a patch of decomposing hay on pasture land, effortlessly slicing through moist mud instead of pulling up massive dirt clods.
Today, Mike manages a resilient operation by rotating corn, wheat with summer cover crop mixes, and cotton, while dividing his pivot irrigation fields into thirds to optimize water efficiency. By incorporating livestock grazing and multi-species covers like sunn hemp, he has built rich soil structure, eliminated synthetic plant growth regulators, and produced his highest-yielding cotton crops even during severe dry spells.
In this episode, John and Mike discuss:
Navigating landlord relationships by splitting fields into thirds for consistent annual cotton income and incorporating vegetable species in cover crop mixes.
The crucial role of deep pre-watering before planting to build subsoil moisture reserves for late-summer heat.
Haney soil test results showing 57 pounds of available nitrogen remaining after harvesting a heavy three-bale cotton crop.
Plant physiological changes under regenerative management, including dark green, dinner-plate-sized leaves that act as massive solar panels.
Using AEA sap analysis to track how a targeted spring boron application activated a massive mid-season surge in boron, calcium, and magnesium uptake.
Testing handheld Croptix sensors for instant field data and utilizing FieldLark AI to analyze root zone nutrient mobility.
Mike's advice on the intense scouting, preparation, and attention to detail needed to succeed in regenerative agriculture.
Resources To learn more about Croptix, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/news/how-the-croptix-platform-is-changing-plant-nutrition-and-disease-monitoring/
To learn more about FieldLark AI, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/fieldlark/
To learn more about plant sap analysis: https://advancingecoag.com/plant-sap-analysis/
To learn more about Green Cover, please visit: https://greencover.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 13 Aug 2026 - 52min - 412 - Podcast Extra: John Kempf on Soil Biophysics, Plant Immunity & Foliars on the Permaculture Orchard Podcast
In this Podcast Extra episode, John Kempf joins Stefan Sobkowiak and his son, Zach, on the Permaculture Orchard Podcast . During the course of the episode, they discuss John's background growing up on an Ohio Amish farm ; plant biophysics, including seeds as living microbial inoculants and quantum mechanics in photosynthesis ; high-ROI grower tips like adding sugar to foliar sprays to cut nutrient inputs in half , planting eight plant families to trigger quorum sensing , and avoiding excess nitrogen and potassium to prevent pest outbreaks and extend storage life ; and Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA), the company John founded to offer living, non-suppressive fertility inputs alongside AI agronomy tools like FieldLark.
Host Stefan Sobkowiak uses The Permaculture Orchard Podcast to give growers access to cutting-edge insights on ecological agriculture . Through the podcast, resources like the Permaculture Orchard Blueprint ebook , and his work transforming traditional monocultures into diverse permaculture ecosystems , Stefan demonstrates how hands-on testing, non-chemical weed management, and multi-family ground covers build long-term soil health, fruit quality, and farm profitability.
Resources To listen to more episodes of the Permaculture Orchard Podcast and learn more about Stefan's work, please visit the links below:
YouTube Channel : www.youtube.com/c/stefansobkowiak POP Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@PermacultureOrchardPodcast Permaculture Orchard Masterclass: https://permaculture.study/ Talks: Stefan Sobkowiak Les Fermes Miracle Farms & Courses: miracle.farmSocial Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesfermes.farms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefansobkowiak/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-sobkowiak-91694442/ Ma Chaîne Française YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-fKD72AtioxXV2C9oZf6ZQ
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Fri, 31 Jul 2026 - 1h 44min - 411 - Podcast Extra: Ask Me Anything with John Kempf - July 10, 2026
In this Podcast Extra, Join John as he answers a wide range of grower-submitted questions covering challenges in agriculture. The discussion focuses on managing high summer leaf temperatures, optimizing organic nitrogen budgets, and navigating severe base saturation imbalances. John emphasizes the critical connection between precise crop nutrition, active soil biology, and the natural suppression of destructive diseases and pests.
Other topics discussed include:
Managing nutrition and the microbiome through AEA's integrated approach to help achieve crop resistance to spotted wing drosophila in berries. Reducing pecan scab and weevil pressure by balancing trace minerals and applying AEA products like Pinion and PhotoMag. Evaluating plant metabolism and internal health by measuring sugar levels, EC, and pH/EH homeostasis on a sap analysis. Managing almond bloom diseases and pests like navel orange worm using AEA's Pinion alongside targeted applications of calcium and boron. Executing safe foliar applications of solubilized urea by managing overall solution concentration and electrolyte levels to prevent crop leaf burn. Improving late-season calcium absorption in fruit crops through soil shading and foliar boron applications. Pre-blending AEA nutritional products before spraying to create a synergistic response because the formulations are designed to support living biology. Addressing insect pests like the apple borer using a foliar combination of AEA's PhotoMag, Rejuvenate, and Rebound Boron. Mitigating crop damage from herbicide drift using AEA products like SeaStim, MacroPak, MicroPak, HoloCal, and Rebound minerals to bind chelating herbicide molecules. Utilizing micronized mineral products like AEA's Accelerate and HoloCal to deliver fast results as leaf-surface microbes rapidly metabolize the minerals. Generating disproportionate crop responses in soil by fertigating and feeding rhizosphere microbes with the same consistency as foliar feeding. Increasing lipid levels in pasture forage through adequate soil levels of calcium, sulfur, and boron combined with strategic grazing management. Understanding how high sodium and chloride accumulation distorts refractometer brix readings by inflating total dissolved solids rather than indicating pure sugar content.About John Kempf A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits. Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Visit https://advancingecoag.com to learn more.
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 - 1h 13min - 410 - Episode 185: Pioneering Solubilized Urea and Foliar Nutrition with the Fabian Family
Patrick Fabian and his two sons Andrew and Stephen operate a third and fourth-generation farm in Southern Alberta, Canada. Farming on 100% irrigated land, they specialize in producing a diverse range of pedigreed seeds, including cereals, flax, corn, alfalfa, canola, and peas. Their operation encompasses roughly a thousand acres and revolves around cultivating high-quality seeds that boast robust germination and exceptional vigor.
In their transition to regenerative agriculture, the Fabians drastically reduced upfront synthetic nitrogen, opting instead to spoon-feed crops with highly efficient foliar applications of solubilized urea. By combining biological seed treatments like compost tea with targeted carbon sources and micronutrients, they successfully eliminated the need for conventional fungicides and insecticides. Their practices focus heavily on maximizing net income per acre and enhancing soil biology rather than chasing sheer volume. In this episode, John and the Fabians discuss:The efficiency gains achieved by switching from upfront soil nitrogen to foliar applications of solubilized urea.
The operational shift from chasing maximum gross yield to prioritizing net income per acre.
Replacing conventional synthetic seed treatments with compost tea and biological inoculants.
How microbially active soils produce heavier pedigreed seeds with superior cold-stress vigor.
Utilizing plant sap analysis and tissue testing to address precise nutritional needs.
The remarkable crop resilience and yield recovery observed after severe early-stage hail damage.
How Advancing Eco Agriculture helps growers make data-driven decisions through sap testing.
Resources To keep up with the Fabians, follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FabianSeedFarmsInc/
To learn more about plant sap analysis: https://advancingecoag.com/plant-sap-analysis/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 16 Jul 2026 - 1h 22min - 409 - Episode 184: The Crisis of Blandness in Agriculture with Mark Schatzker
Mark Schatzker's path into food science and journalism began in 1997 when an unforgettable Chilean steak completely changed his perspective on taste. Armed with a degree in philosophy, he became obsessed with understanding why standard North American food had lost its flavor. This curiosity sparked a decades-long global journey investigating the deep connection between soil quality, plant genetics, animal nutrition, and culinary excellence.
Today, Mark is the acclaimed author of three groundbreaking books—Steak, The Dorito Effect, and The End of Craving. Beyond his writing, he collaborates on clinical neuroscience and physiology research at Yale University and the University of Bristol. His current initiatives focus on studying how artificial flavorings, declining crop nutrient density, and a degraded food environment physically alter human brain chemistry, cravings, and overall public health.
In this episode, John and Mark discuss:
How modern agriculture's intense focus on yield has accidentally bred the natural flavor and nutrition out of whole foods.
The internal wisdom livestock use to actively seek out specific nutrients when grazing diverse, healthy pastures.
How synthetic flavorings are engineered in factories to trick human brain chemistry into a cycle of overconsumption.
The direct link between Advancing Eco Agriculture's focus on soil microbiomes and the creation of truly flavorful, nutrient-dense crops.
The stark differences between commodity-driven bulk food markets and traditional food cultures like those in Italy and Japan.
How regenerative growers can leverage exceptional crop flavor to command higher value and disrupt standard commodity markets.
ResourcesTo learn more about Mark's work and purchase his books, please visit: https://www.markschatzker.com/new-page-1
To follow Mark's ongoing research and writing, check out his Substack: https://markschatzker.substack.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 09 Jul 2026 - 52min - 408 - Episode 183: Overcoming the Ammonium Death Spiral with Jim Dunlop
Jim Dunlop is a senior agronomist with Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) whose journey into agriculture began after serving in the Marine Corps. He used the GI Bill to study biology and chemistry at CSU Stanislaus. While there, he started a CSA farm in the Yosemite foothills, which grew significantly as he collaborated with organic growers. Jim later managed a pasture livestock operation on California's Central Coast and spent a year traveling the country in an RV to visit diverse farms. He eventually settled in Oregon's Columbia Gorge, transitioning from a compost facility to managing orchards for Mike Omeg, where he first discovered AEA.
Today, Jim is working to build the AEA business in the Pacific Northwest. He works with conventional and organic growers across a variety of crops, including tree fruit, berries, vegetables, and livestock pasture. In his role, Jim uses his years of experience, sap analysis and AI to pinpoint plant metabolic bottlenecks, helping growers overcome environmental stress and unlock peak crop performance.
In this episode, John and Jim discuss: How adding small amounts of sugar to foliar sprays stops a destructive "ammonium death spiral" by balancing nitrogen and raising sap pH. How addressing a plant's foundational sugar and boron levels successfully unlocks calcium movement into new leaves far better than heavy doses of foliar calcium alone. The way using AEA's pre-mixed nutrient blends rather than standard tank mixing helps farmers cut application costs while achieving identical sap movement. The impressive field trial results of AEA's Pinion product in successfully making powdery mildew less active in highly susceptible conventional cherry orchards. The powerful synergy of pairing fertigation and foliar applications together to trigger rapid shoot growth and maximize fruit size. Resources To learn about working with AEA, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/consulting/ To buy and see what Pinion can do for you, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/ To buy SeaStim, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/seastim-gal-p685008/About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 - 59min - 407 - Podcast Extra: Ask Me Anything with John Kempf - June 4, 2026
In this Podcast Extra, Join John as he answers a wide range of grower-submitted questions covering challenges in agriculture. The discussion focuses on managing high summer leaf temperatures, optimizing organic nitrogen budgets, and navigating severe base saturation imbalances. John emphasizes the critical connection between precise crop nutrition, active soil biology, and the natural suppression of destructive diseases and pests. Other topics discussed include:
Distinguishing between air temperature and leaf temperature, highlighting how a healthy wax lipid layer lowers a plant's canopy temperature by 8 to 10 degrees. Managing the photorespiration process in C3 and C4 plants to prevent protein degradation and the buildup of high ammonium levels. Utilizing trace amounts of nickel (3 to 10 grams per acre) as an essential enzyme cofactor to rapidly lower ammonium in plant sap. Applying Rejuvenate as a foliar tool to provide stressed crops with carbohydrates, enzymes, and high-energy compounds. Addressing low magnesium and potassium in soils with extreme calcium base saturation using targeted applications. Citing historical 1960s data on fire blight indicating the disease cannot establish when sap sucrose levels remain above a 22–26% threshold. Restructuring high-chloride potato programs by pairing Rebound micronutrients with Holo-K, SeaShield, and SeaStim. Remediating the typical "burnt leaf tips" on garlic by satisfying the crop's unusually high molybdenum requirement. Evaluating the limitations of indigenous microorganisms (IMOs) and acknowledging that 90% of living soil microbes require active plant roots to propagate. Deploying PhotoMag to optimize plant sap ratios, delivering magnesium, sulfur, molybdenum, and boron to efficiently convert excess ammonium into complete proteins . Advocating for a national food policy focused on nutritional quality and farmer economic viability over cheap, abundant food. Utilizing MacroPack and MicroPack within target foliar combinations to halt disease progression. Understanding why high-salt content fertilizers solubilize trace minerals and leach them down the soil profile over a 20- to 40-year period.Additional Resources: To learn more about managing nutrition during Critical Points of Influence, please watch this webinar.
To learn more about how optimizing foliar applications, please watch this webinar. To learn more about AEA's Integrity Grown program, please listen to this podcast episode.
To hear John and Michael McNeill's conversations, please listen to this podcast episode.
About John Kempf A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits. Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide. Visit https://advancingecoag.com to learn more.
Thu, 18 Jun 2026 - 56min - 406 - Episode 182: Reclaiming Independence from Corporate Meat with Cole Mannix
Cole Mannix is a multi-generational rancher from central and western Montana who serves as the founder of Old Salt, a vertically integrated startup enterprise. Coming from a background rooted in mountain grazing and extensive holistic management, Cole spent decades working alongside his family and regional producers to optimize ecological function, riparian health, and predator coexistence on their expansive home landscapes. Recognizing the vulnerabilities ranching families face as processing and retail channels become increasingly consolidated, Cole launched Old Salt to construct an alternative ecosystem of localized market power. Under his leadership, Old Salt has grown to incorporate a membership of ranches operating alongside processing hubs, a direct e-commerce engine, local restaurants, and an annual community festival hosted directly on his family's ranch. Cole is dedicated to creating experiential, relational marketplaces that adequately reward producers, support active workforce ownership, and increase the sheer volume of passionate hearts and hands managing the landscape.
In this episode, John and Cole discuss:
How Cole engineered an LLC model with cooperative principles to access external capital without risking members' family lands. Constructing a vertically integrated market to disrupt highly consolidated, downstream corporate meat packing and processing monopolies. Establishing regional slaughter facilities and custom restaurants to stabilize profit margins and balance animal carcasses locally. Rerouting financial value directly back upstream to give independent ranchers viable financial alternatives to commodity supply chains. Why integrating livestock back into modern cropping systems is restricted by structural barriers like missing fences and scarce water infrastructure. Creating parallel government incentive programs focused on funding active farm labor rather than subsidizing crop insurance yields. Additional Resources To learn more about Cole's ranch, please visit: mannixbeef.com To learn more about Old Salt Co Op, please visit: oldsaltco-op.com/ About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits. Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide. Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.comFri, 12 Jun 2026 - 1h 03min - 405 - Episode 181: Plant Immunity Through Custom Foliars and Targeted Nutrition with Peter Henry
Peter Henry is a first-generation farmer who manages a diverse, seven-hectare operation in the mountainous terrain of Puerto Rico alongside a dedicated four-person workforce. He transitioned to agriculture during the pandemic after a successful career as a tech executive and startup vice president, initially purchasing the abandoned land with the intent of establishing a shade-grown specialty coffee farm. After encountering significant challenges with his initial coffee crops, Peter successfully shifted his operation toward passion fruit and a highly specialized niche market growing traditional African heirloom vegetables and tubers for buyers in the United States and Canada. Peter focuses heavily on biological soil health and precise nutritional balance instead of conventional chemical applications. He works closely with Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) to run on-farm trials and design sophisticated nutritional programs using AEA's data-driven inputs. By utilizing rigorous soil testing to address extreme iron and manganese imbalances, Peter designs custom foliar stacks delivered through a specialized micro-sprinkler system to proactively build plant immunity and suppress heavy tropical disease pressure.
In this episode, John and Peter discuss:
How Peter manages a complex landscape by separating the farm into distinct irrigation sectors to address vastly different soil mineral profiles on opposite sides of a river .
Utilizing an aggressive pre-planting soil amendment strategy that combines lime and custom humic-complexed fertilizers based on comprehensive soil tests .
How the operation completely avoids synthetic nitrogen applications because excess nitrogen immediately triggers insect pressure and fungal blights across his pepper and okra crops .
Peter designing an innovative micro-sprinkler trellis system to broadcast humics and biology over multiple hectares in just over an hour .
Mixing AEA's Humacarb, HoloPhos, and Spectrum directly into the irrigation system to actively inoculate both the soil and plant foliage with beneficial microbes .
How running an on-farm trial of AEA's Pinion product for six weeks successfully eliminated severe bacterial leaf spot and stem issues on highly susceptible heirloom bell pepper crops .
Integrating AEA's Rebound Copper alongside Rebound Molybdenum to completely reverse visual deficiencies and provide a dramatic greening effect on the farm's terraced pepper fields .
Utilizing AEA's SeaShield and MacroPak to safely deliver trace organic nitrogen and essential amino acids without overriding the plants' reproductive cycles .
Additional ResourcesTo follow Peter's farm on Instagram, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/imfarmerpete/ or imfarmerpete on the app.
To learn more about AEA's products, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com
To learn more about AEA's Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/
About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You GrowSince 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Fri, 05 Jun 2026 - 1h 11min - 404 - Episode 180: Shifting Management Logistics to Build a Better Lifestyle with Tom Cotter
Tom Cotter is a third-generation farmer from Austin in southeast Minnesota who operates a diverse operation alongside his family and brother-in-law, Tony. He began farming with his dad in 1994 under a purely conventional system characterized by full tillage and routine chemical applications. Tom's journey into soil health began unexpectedly when his father purchased a tile plow and they noticed how much easier the equipment pulled—and how much better subsequent yields were—following a 20-acre test planting of rapeseed cover crops.
Today, Tom manages an operation encompassing 340 acres of certified organic ground, 430 acres of conventional no-till ground, and an 80-acre pasture. Driven by a desire to cut input costs and work with nature, Tom has successfully integrated a five-way crop rotation with multi-species cover crop mixes and intensive grass-finished livestock grazing. He is passionate about helping his local community and fellow producers, actively collaborating with the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition to host annual field days and food health days.
In this episode, John and Tom discuss:
A small trial of rapeseed in the 1990s that dramatically improved soil structure, earthworm populations, and subsequent corn yields.
How integrating a 40-way cover crop mix and livestock triggered a massive biological explosion of 25 to 30 earthworms per shovelful.
Balancing organic and conventional no-till acres using a simple plus-and-minus grading system to track soil health trends.
Grazing livestock on crop ground for up to 10 months out of the year to cut feed costs and to act as a natural, variable-rate fertilizer system.
Shifting to an adaptive multi-crop rotation distributed the workload, eliminated grueling hours, and reduced seasonal stress.
How designing smart crop sequences and planting winter rye allowed him to completely eliminate fungicides and insecticides on his conventional acres.
Distributing his workload so that he can take weekends off and enjoy motorcycle rides during harvest season . Additional ResourcesTo learn more about Tom and the work of the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, please visit: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/about-us/tom-cotter/
About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You GrowSince 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 28 May 2026 - 1h 05min - 403 - Podcast Extra: Rethinking Fertility Inputs | Soil Strategies Podcast
In this Podcast Extra, John Kempf joins the Soil Strategies podcast, hosted by Roy Thompson of the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, to break down a radically different operating system for agriculture that transitions away from traditional NPK mindsets toward biological agronomy .
In this episode they discuss:
How high-salt index, electrolyte-based fertilizers interrupt plant signaling and create a long-term dependency by sabotaging effective microbial colonization .
The powerful role a healthy microbiome plays in supercharging a plant's native genetic expression for ultimate disease and insect resistance .
Why conventional soil tests have historically been utilized primarily as fertilizer sales tools rather than agronomic guides .
The incredible economic opportunity growers have to break away from being "farmed" by input companies by optimizing free resources like water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide .
And how well-designed foliar applications can harness the plant's photosynthetic engine to dramatically increase sugar production and feed soil biology without causing a yield drag .
Additional ResourcesTo listen to more episodes of the Soil Strategies Podcast, please visit: https://www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/podcast/
About John Kempf John Kempf is an agronomist, entrepreneur, sought-after speaker, and the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) . He is also the host of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast . Growing up in the Amish community on a family fruit and vegetable farm, John experienced firsthand the financial pain and escalating pest pressures of traditional chemical-intensive models . This led him to study plant physiology and soil health deeply, helping him build a scientifically established, systems-based approach to plant nutrition that moves beyond electrolyte agronomy and leverages biological soil function .
Support For This Show & Helping You GrowSince 2006, AEA has worked globally with professional growers to improve crop performance, build farm resiliency, and increase profitability through balanced nutrition and biological soil function . AEA believes in testing instead of guessing, relying on rigorous laboratory data to measure what the soil can actually deliver before making recommendations . Through a unique line of products—including biological seed treatments, well-designed foliar nutrition, and their highly effective broad-spectrum disease-resistance product, Pinion—AEA empowers farmers to reduce synthetic inputs, optimize photosynthesis, and transition smoothly into highly successful, resilient biological systems .
Thu, 21 May 2026 - 50min - 402 - Podcast Extra: Our Crops Aren't Sick, They're Dependent | Soil Talks Podcast
In this Podcast Extra, John joins the Soil Talks Podcast to break down a radically different way to think about crop health, soil biology, and system function.
In this episode they discuss:
• Why pests may not be attacking your crops but reporting a deeper issue • How soluble fertilizers can create long-term dependency • The hidden relationship between plant immunity and soil microbiology • Why modern agriculture succeeds in yield but fails in resilience • And how some growers are producing healthier crops with fewer inputs
Additional Resources To listen to more epsidoes of the Soil Talks Podcast, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVD04wz0u2J9qqu3L0zcZ9V8_YVzpr81 About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 14 May 2026 - 1h 01min - 401 - Podcast Extra: Ask Me Anything with John Kempf - April 9, 2026
In this Podcast Extra, Join John as he answers a wide range of grower-submitted questions covering real-world challenges in regenerative agriculture. The discussion focuses on the practical application of biologicals and biostimulants, nutrient management strategies for specific soil types, and the use of AEA products to improve crop resilience. John emphasizes the importance of synergistic "stacking" of products and the role of microbial diversity in achieving disproportionate yield responses. Other topics discussed include:
Distinguishing between biological inoculants for the soil rhizosphere and those designed for plant foliage. Defining biostimulants as non-living materials, such as humic substances, seaweeds, and organic acids, that trigger plant or microbial responses. Achieving geometric yield effects, where one plus one equals five or more, through the synergistic stacking of diverse inoculants and biostimulants. Recommending BioCoat Gold and Seed Flare as the primary choices for seed treatments to enhance the native microbiome. Including molybdenum in all nitrogen applications because it is a necessary enzyme cofactor for nitrate reductase. Improving nitrogen use efficiency for both plants and soil biology through the use of Rebound Molybdenum. Adding ammonium thiosulfate to nitrogen mixes to help achieve a proper 10:1 nitrogen-to-sulfur ratio. Utilizing Pinion as a broad-spectrum biocontrol that activates the plant's own immune, genetic, and microbiome pathways. Acknowledging that the effectiveness of Pinion is heavily influenced by the amount of oxidative stress a plant is under. Identifying plant species and family diversity as the most effective practical steps for improving soil microbial communities. Using single-species inoculants, such as Rhizobium or Mycorrhizal fungi, to disprove the myth that small amounts of microbes cannot be successful. Remediating high sodium in soil and water by combining gypsum, humic substances, and Spectrum DS. Treating hard water with an RO water purifier for foliar sprays to ensure the best possible crop response.Additional Resources To learn more AEA's Nitrogen Effeciency Program, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/nitrogen-efficiency/ To learn more and purchase Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/pinion/ To learn more about AEA's seed treatments, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/seed-treatments/ About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 07 May 2026 - 57min - 400 - Episode 179: Rewilding Livestock Instincts for Soil Health with Bob Kinford
Bob Kinford is a veteran stockman and grazing consultant who has spent a lifetime observing and refining the way we interact with livestock. His journey began as a child watching cattle scatter while sheep and goats remained bunched, leading him to question the conventional belief that cows lack decision-making capabilities. Through decades of working alone, he developed a unique approach to managing large herds without the use of permanent or electric fencing, focusing instead on the intuitive relationship between the handler and the animal's natural instincts.
Bob advocates for the "rebooting" of cattle to restore their innate herd instincts and selective grazing habits. He demonstrates how this transition allows livestock to become more nutritionally self-sufficient, often consuming invasive species and "weeds" like leafy spurge or spotted knapweed that they would typically ignore in a stressed environment. By utilizing proactive management, he illustrates how stress-free handling can significantly increase forage productivity, soil health through distributed fertility, and overall ranch profitability. In this episode John and Bob discuss: The inherent intelligence and decision-making capabilities of livestock compared to mainstream scientific views Managing large herds across vast landscapes without the use of traditional or electronic fencing Creating murmurations in cattle to guide their movement through subtle body positioning and intention The three-day "reboot" process that triggers cattle to begin eating highly nutritious invasive plants Strategies for increasing animal weight gain by reducing the stress associated with traditional feeding and moving The relationship between animal bedding patterns and the development of mycorrhizal fungi in the soilAdditional Resources To learn more about Bob and his work, please visit: https://migratorygrazing.com/ or http://bobkinford.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Fri, 01 May 2026 - 1h 10min - 399 - Episode 178: Reducing Inputs and Reclaiming Independence with Alex Udermann
Alex Udermann is a fifth-generation farmer from Minnesota who operates a dairy farm alongside his brother, parents, and wife. He began his career farming full-time immediately after high school and currently manages a diverse operation that includes milk cows, steers, and row crops. Facing significant financial struggles and equity erosion in 2016, Alex transitioned the farm toward regenerative practices to ensure the operation's future survival and profitability.
Today, the farm is 100% no-till and incorporates cover crops, nutrient management plans, and large-scale composting. Alex uses advanced technology like drones for interseeding and foliar feeding to mimic natural processes he cannot achieve through traditional grazing. Driven by a passion to help others avoid the costly mistakes he encountered, he serves as a mentor for the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, where he shares his experiences with other producers through field days and educational panels.
In this episode, John and Alex discuss:
The financial challenges and equity erosion that forced the farm to change its management style
Alex's experiences dealing with unsupportive banks and traditional agronomy managers during his transition
How the farm successfully moved to no-till soybeans using a small investment in existing equipment
The dramatic reduction in veterinary expenses and improvements in livestock health following soil health changes
Observing massive improvements in water infiltration compared to neighboring conventional fields after heavy rains
The use of drones and compost extracts to increase fungal levels and biological diversity in the soil
Additional Resources To learn more about Alex and his farm, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/al.and.krissy/
To learn more about the work of the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, please visit: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 - 49min - 398 - Episode 177: Leveraging Native Biology and No-Till Strategies with Bob Tillman
Bob Tillman is a former electronics professional who launched Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery in 2003 on the steep, mountainous terrain of Paso Robles, California . Managing thirty-two acres of grapes, he has spent two decades transitioning from conventional methods to a biological approach centered on the natural resilience of his native ecosystem.
He eliminated tillage in 2006 and moved away from synthetic inputs to rely on native ground cover and biological cycling . By utilizing total nutrition testing, he identifies vast mineral reserves already present in his soil and focuses on microbial health to make those nutrients available to the vines
In this episode, John and Bob discuss:
Tranisitiong to a completely no-till system after observing that native grasses were more effective and resilient than planted cover crops .
How nutrition testing revealed that the soil contains enough potassium for over six hundred years and enough iron for millions of years of production .
Utilizing AEA and sap analysis to identify specific micronutrient deficiencies and adjust nutrition throughout the growing season through foliar applications.
Applying AEA products like CalGuard and Rebound Boron helps address seasonal trending deficiencies in calcium and boron levels .
How the vineyard uses compost extracts and teas to inject biological activity directly into the soil through the irrigation system .
High-density native plant populations providing ground cover that supports deep-rooted vines while maintaining high soil organic matter .
Additional Resources To learn more about Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery, please visit: https://altacolina.com/learn-more-about-alta-colina-wines/
To learn more about Advancing Eco Agriculture and their products, please vist: https://advancingecoag.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 - 1h 00min - 397 - Episode 176: Vertical Integration for Regenerative Farmers with David Stelzer
David Stelzer is the founder of Azure Standard, a company born from a 1970s family health crisis that inspired a switch to organic farming. When a major processor dropped their organic grain for conventional wheat in the 1980s, David began delivering his own crops directly to co-ops in a pickup truck. This grew into a massive independent distribution network that now manages roughly 12,000 SKUs, connecting growers directly to consumers.
In the field of regenerative agriculture, David focuses on vertical integration to bypass the expensive and often unethical mainstream middleman. By managing the farming, processing, and distribution in-house, he is able to pay farmers higher premiums while keeping food affordable for families. On his 5,000-acre farm, he proves that regenerative systems can match conventional yields while producing nutritionally superior food.
In this episode, John and David discuss:
David's childhood recovery from a life-threatening respiratory illness after his parents transitioned the family to a whole-food, organic diet.
The decision to stop using mercury-treated seeds after realizing the chemical was intended for a disease that didn't exist in their region.
How the loss of a major organic grain contract forced David to start his own distribution route, which eventually grew into Azure Standard.
The vertical integration model that removes middlemen and brokers to pay farmers more while keeping consumer prices competitive.
David's observation that their 5,000-acre organic farm maintains yields comparable to conventional neighbors without long-term losses.
The astronomical demand for domestic organic and regenerative products, including frozen fruits and legumes, which currently outpaces US supply.
Additional Resources To learn more about Azure Standard, please visit: https://www.azurestandard.com/about-us
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 - 1h 12min - 396 - Podcast Extra: Adjusting Nitrogen Management with John Kempf and MSHC
In this webinar for the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, John Kempf discusses a paradigm shift in nitrogen management . John outlines how moving away from high-electrolyte "chemistry" fertilizers toward biological nutrition can build crop resilience and significantly reduce input costs . By understanding how different forms of nitrogen, such as ammonium and urea versus nitrate, impact plant physiology and water requirements, growers can navigate a transition to a system where soil biology provides the majority of the crop's nutritional needs . In this webinar, John discusses:
High-yielding crops historically receive about 80% of their nitrogen as ammonium and 20% as nitrate .
Plants and soil biology interact with specific nitrogen forms like amino acids rather than generic N .
Nitrate requires three molecules of water for conversion, increasing a plant's total water requirement .
Foliar urea can be four to seven times more efficient than soil-applied nitrogen
Replacing the first 25 pounds of nitrogen with 25 pounds of sulfur can deliver an equivalent yield responses
Managing nitrogen with carbon and molybdenum reduces leaching and supports biological fixation
Additional Resources To learn more about the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, please visit: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/
To learn more about AEA's approach to Nitrogen Management, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/article/regenerative-nitrogen/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 - 1h 00min - 395 - Episode 175: Wild-Range Metabolomics and Nutrient Density with Glenn Elzinga
Glenn Elzinga is a seasoned rancher who has spent 34 years managing Alderspring Ranch in the wild, high-country landscapes of Idaho. Growing up on conventional farms that relied heavily on chemicals and formulaic business models, Glenn's career shifted dramatically after a "clobber over the head" moment forced him to innovate to survive. Today, he and his family manage 47,000 acres of wilderness rangeland, where they have pioneered "inheritance grazing" by living with their cattle 24-7 on horseback to coexist with wolves and maximize plant diversity.
By collaborating with researchers like Dr. Stephan van Vliet, he has provided empirical evidence that grazing cattle on diverse wild ranges produces beef with significantly higher anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds compared to feedlot alternatives. His work emphasizes the "nutritional wisdom" of animals and the importance of vertical enterprise stacking to create a profitable, multi-generational future for regenerative agriculture.
In this episode, John and Glenn discuss:
The shift from formulaic commodity agriculture to the "Wild West" of the regenerative space.
How maintaining human presence on the ground allows ranchers to coexist with predators like wolves.
The results of metabolomics research comparing wild-range beef to feedlot beef.
The concept of nutritional wisdom and how cattle self-select plants for preventative medicine.
Why handling cattle with a focus on their left-eye perception reduces stress and improves performance.
Moving from horizontal expansion to vertical stacking to bring the next generation into agriculture.
Additional Resources To learn more about Glenn and Alderspring ranch, please visit: https://www.alderspring.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 26 Mar 2026 - 1h 41min - 394 - Episode 174: Scaling Regenerative Practices from Micro-Farms to Row Crops with Briana Bosch
Briana Bosch is the founder of Blossom and Branch, where she manages a two-acre flower micro-farm in Denver and a 180-acre family grain farm in Minnesota. With a background in journalism and a master's in marketing, she has become a prominent voice in the regenerative movement by focusing on scaling soil health concepts for both small-scale market gardens and large-scale commodity operations.
Last year marked a significant milestone in her transition of the family's century-old Minnesota farm, as she implemented intensive regenerative practices for the first time, including the total elimination of herbicides and fungicides on her experimental acreage.
In this episode, John and Briana discuss:
The role of authenticity and maintaining the "true voice" to build lasting trust
Her transition from using plastic mulch and netting to implementing living ground covers and high-carbon mulches like wood chips
How flower production can net a higher profit per acre than almost any other crop, including marijuana, when focused on local markets
The benefits of 60-inch corn rows for facilitating intercropping and cover crop growth within the constraints of a short northern growing season
Seed inoculation as the most effective "low-hanging fruit" for jump-starting soil biology and reducing synthetic fertilizer needs
The psychological and cultural barriers, such as "groupthink" and defensiveness, that often prevent farmers from adopting new practices
Additional Resources To purchase Briana's book, The Regenerative Gardener's Handbook, please visit: https://www.blossomandbranch.com/the-regenerative-gardeners-handbook
To follow Briana on Instagram, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/blossomandbranch/
To subscribe to Briana's YouTube channel, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/@BlossomandBranch
To purchase BioCoat Gold, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/biocoat-gold-2/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 19 Mar 2026 - 1h 16min - 393 - Episode 173: Building Soil Health on Limited Rainfall with Jeremy Brown
Jeremy Brown is an organic farmer and the founder of Broadview Agriculture in the Southern Plains of West Texas. Managing nearly 4,000 acres of certified organic land, Jeremy is a leader in adapting regenerative practices to "brittle," low-rainfall environments. He brings a pragmatic approach to the movement by aligning his production with the natural limitations of his ecosystem, prioritizing soil biology and local economic health over the high-input "rat race" of conventional technology.
In this episode, John and Jeremy discuss:
Jeremy's transition from the "Roundup Ready" era back to organic farming to discover what truly constitutes "good soil."
How high yields in desert-like environments creates a financial "rat race" that ignores the farm's natural context.
30-year plateau in dryland cotton yields despite massive advancements in chemical and seed technology.
How Jeremy uses a weather-responsive approach to interseed multi-species cover crops.
The integration of stocker cattle to offset the cost of cover crop seeds while providing natural fertilizer and biological stimulation.
Why Jeremy chooses to invest in local labor and home-raised seeds rather than high-tech machinery and expensive technology fees.
Additional Resources: To learn more about Green Cover, please visit: https://greencover.com/ To learn more and to purchase BioCoat Gold, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/biocoat-gold-2/ To learn more about Allan Savory and the Savory Institute, please visit: https://savory.global/ To learn more about Gabe Brown, please visit: https://brownsranch.us/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 - 58min - 392 - Podcast Short: BioCoat Gold and the Future of Risk-Sharing in Ag
In this Podcast Short, John discusses how shifting from extractive to collaborative business models can help farmers reclaim their economic destiny. This episode also explores:
Historical farm economics, noting that while it was once common to pay for a farm in under ten years,
How "regenerative relationships" and shared risk-taking between vendors and growers are essential to restoring farm profitability.
A new performance warranty for BioCoat Gold is introduced as a way to remove financial risk for growers
Inviting large-scale operators to engage in broader risk-sharing partnerships that extend beyond single products to entire agricultural systems.
Additional Resources To learn more about AEA's new BioCoat Gold warrant, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/warranty-biocoat-gold/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Fri, 06 Mar 2026 - 19min - 391 - Podcast Extra: Electrolyte Nutrition vs. Biological Nutrition | ACRES USA Webinar with John Kempf
In this Podcast Extra, John Kempf compares Electrolyte Nutrition vs. Biological Nutrition in a webinar with ACRES USA and explains why conventional nitrogen strategies often lead to loss, inefficiency, and disrupted soil biology. Drawing from real-world agronomy, John outlines a biology-centric approach to nitrogen management that improves profitability, reduces synthetic inputs, and strengthens plant resilience. Topics include nitrogen timing, loss prevention, biological on-ramps and off-ramps, and practical strategies for in-season management. The webinar concludes with a live Q&A, where John answers grower questions and expands on implementation details.
Additional Resources To learn more about ACRES USA and to become an Eco-Farmer member, please visit: https://eco-farming.com/ To view their bookstore, please visit: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 - 1h 10min - 390 - Podcast Extra: John Kempf & BASS Hybrids on the Future of Corn
In this podcast extra, John Kempf joins Ed Baumgartner, Founder, and Andrew Dixon, Business Development Manager, of BASS Hybrids on a BASSCAST to discuss regenerative corn production. They explore transitioning from chemical-heavy practices to biological systems using microbial inoculants like Biocoat Gold to improve soil health and plant resilience.
They also discuss:
Using Biocoat Gold as a biological seed treatment to set plants up for better long-term success.
The "rhizophagy cycle," where plants meet nutritional needs by recruiting and "consuming" soil microbes.
Observations of interseeded companion crops increasing corn yields rather than just competing for resources.
Delaying the "black layer" in corn by up to 12 days through optimal biological nutrition to gain test weight.
The effectiveness of biological treatments even when applied to seeds pre-coated with traditional fungicides.
How diverse microbial health naturally lowers excess sodium and chloride levels in irrigation systems.
Strategies for reducing synthetic nitrogen dependency while maintaining high-yield performance.
Additional ResourcesTo learn more about BASS Hybrids, please visit: https://basshybrids.com/ To purchase BioCoat Gold, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/biocoat-gold-2/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 - 1h 38min - 389 - Podcast Extra: Market Differentiation Through Regenerative Agriculture - John Kempf Keynote
In this Podcast Extra episode, John Kempf delivers his keynote address from "The Quality Edge: Market Differentiation Through Regenerative Wine Growing," an event hosted by Grgich Hills Estate in Rutherford, California. Speaking to an audience of professional wine growers, John explores how regenerative agriculture is becoming the ultimate differentiator in a crowded global market. He details how focusing on soil biology and plant physiology not only restores ecosystems but drives the production of wines with distinct character and superior quality that today's consumers demand.
Key Topics Discussed:
Why wine grapes are one of the few crops where microbiome integrity translates directly to harvest quality and financial return.
The "Rhizophagy Cycle" and how plant roots absorb entire microbial cells to extract nutrients.
Recent discoveries that microbes act as "truckers", transporting lipids and nutrients into plants before returning to the soil.
The concept of "quorum sensing" and how microbial communities behave as a superorganism once they reach a critical threshold of diversity.
How trees and plants demonstrate intelligence and support one another through fungal networks, including the "Mother Tree" concept.
The three major suppressors of soil biology: bare soil, high-salt fertilizers, and synthetic fungicides.
Why synthetic fungicides are often more damaging to soil structure and biology than tillage or herbicides.
Introduction to Pinion, a new biocontrol product from AEA that influences plant redox environments and activates immune pathways.
The critical role of Manganese and Boron as bottlenecks for photosynthesis and sugar translocation.
Additional ResourcesTo learn more about Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 29 Jan 2026 - 1h 17min - 388 - Podcast Extra: Navigating Macroeconomic Shocks with John Kempf and Dr. Michael McNeill - Acres Eco-Ag Conference 2025
In this Podcast Extra, John Kempf speaks with Dr. Michael McNeill at the Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag Conference in December 2025. During their conversation, they field questions from the audience and dive deep into the intersection of macroeconomics, history, and the future of farming.
Topics discussed include:
The historical context of the 1962 "Adaptive Program for Agriculture" and its intentional design to reduce the American farm population.
Personal reflections on the 1980s farm crisis and the role of high-interest rates in driving farm bankruptcies and consolidation.
Strategies for developing resilient farming systems that can withstand economic shifts, political changes, and climate volatility.
A vision for a "major reset" in American agriculture within the next five years, shifting toward either massive consolidation or smaller food-as-medicine operations.
The critical role of collaboration and mentorship between older and younger generations to facilitate land transition and knowledge sharing
Additional Resources To learn more about Acres U.S.A, please visit: https://www.acresusa.com/
To listen to a previous Regenerative Agriculture Podcast episode featuring Dr. McNeill, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/disease-resistance-and-regenerating-soil-with-michael-mcneill/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 08 Jan 2026 - 1h 12min - 387 - Podcast Extra: Coffee with John Kempf - Acres Eco-Ag Conference 2025
In this Podcast Extra episode, join John at Acres Eco Ag 2025, where he hosted a "Coffee with John Kempf" session, answering questions from the audience. In this episode, a wide range of topics are discussed, including:
The use of foliar-applied low-biuret urea to significantly reduce a crop's total nitrogen requirement .
The potential for amino acid forms of nitrogen to replace large amounts of conventional mineral nitrogen .
Why plants fail to absorb or metabolize calcium efficiently when soil boron levels are low .
Recommendations for conducting sap analysis every 7 to 10 days to identify nutrient needs .
Optimal spray timing and the "point of deliquescence" to keep droplets liquid on leaves longer .
The necessity of using clean water free of carbonates, such as rainwater or reverse osmosis water, for effective foliar sprays .
AEA's new product, Pinion, which stimulates the leaf microbiome and activates plant immune pathways .
Strategies for decompacting soil by building organic matter and mycorrhizal fungi rather than just chemical balancing .
Additional Resources To learn more about Acres U.S.A., please visit: https://www.acresusa.com/
To laern more about Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Wed, 31 Dec 2025 - 1h 01min - 386 - Podcast Extra: The Future of Agriculture Podcast - AI For Regenerative Agriculture With John Kempf
In this Podcast Extra episode, John Kempf joins The Future of Agriculture Podcast hosted by Tim Hammerich to discuss the intersection of cutting-edge technology and regenerative farming. As the founder and Chief Vision Officer of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA), John reflects on his journey from managing a struggling family farm in Ohio to becoming a leading crop health consultant. The conversation centers on the launch of FieldLark AI, an innovative regenerative agronomist tool, and John's personal project of creating a "digital clone" of his own agronomic expertise to streamline decision-making. Beyond technology and ethics, the duo dives into advanced nitrogen management strategies, offering technical insights for growers looking to optimize plant health.
Additional Resources To listen to more episodes of the Future of Agriculture Podcast, please visit: https://futureofagriculture.com/To learn more about FieldLark, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/fieldlark/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 18 Dec 2025 - 45min - 385 - Episode 172: Systems, Software, and Stewardship with Matthew Fitzgerald
Matthew Fitzgerald is a "1.5 generation" organic grain farmer operating 2,500 acres in Minnesota, situated where the big woods meet the prairie. Alongside his father, Joe, he manages a diverse rotation of crops on land originally preserved by organic pioneer Mabel Brelia. Matthew focuses on navigating modern economic challenges while actively fostering opportunities for the next generation of land stewards.
To manage scale and improve yields, Matthew founded FarmFlow, a system that began as a visual whiteboard to track field passes and has evolved into software for optimizing execution. By integrating these standard operating procedures with emerging AI tools, he aims to professionalize organic operations and prove the financial competitiveness of sustainable agriculture.
In this episode, John and Matthew discuss:
Overcoming high barriers to entry for beginning farmers through creative partnerships and policy.
The concept of FarmFlow and using visual tools to manage complex organic systems.
Data analysis revealing the strong correlation between field pass frequency and increased crop yields.
Decommoditizing organic grain to ensure financial viability and economic independence.
Leveraging AI tools like FieldLark to enhance agronomic decision-making and operational efficiency.
The importance of team diversity and "quorum sensing" in building resilient farm operations.
Additional Resources To learn more about FarmFlow, please visit: https://www.tryfarmflow.com/ To learn more about Matthew, please visit: https://www.fitzgeraldorganics.net/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 11 Dec 2025 - 1h 07min - 384 - Episode 171: Turning Texas "Weeds" into Wellness with Abianne Falla
Abianne Falla used to see the native holly shrub as a pesky invasive on her family's Texas land, until the 2011 drought highlighted its resilience: it was the sole green survivor. Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is North America's only caffeinated plant, though its roots as a ceremonial brew in Gulf Coast indigenous societies have been suppressed by colonial forces and lost to commercialization. As a member of the Chickasaw Nation, Abianne became interested in yaupon and crafted a variety of flavor profiles in her home roasting experiments, which she grew into her company, CatSpring Yaupon.
Abianne harnesses yaupon for regeneration, harvesting on 500 acres while restoring degraded grasslands, boosting biodiversity by 70% and soil carbon by 7%, and fostering balanced ecosystems through grazing. Abianne's organic, wild-harvested model turns a 20-million-acre nuisance into sustainable income and regenerative opportunities.
In this episode, John and Abianne discuss:
Yaupon's drought resilience and its takeover of Texas savannas.
Its balanced caffeine mix for crash-free, joyful energy, plus anti-inflammatory benefits.
Reviving indigenous traditions with cultural care in branding.
Turning "weeds" like yaupon or kudzu into crops via history, AI, and observation.
Building a new category from markets to multi-channel sales.
The market potential for local, climate-resilient caffeine amid global shifts.
Additional Resources To learn more about Cat Spring Yaupon, please visit: https://catspringtea.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
Thu, 13 Nov 2025 - 45min - 383 - Episode 96: Revolutionizing the Chicken Industry with Paul Greive
Paul Greive founded Pasturebird after searching for high-quality pasture-raised chicken to feed his family. Unable to find this chicken in stores, Paul and his family took matters into their own hands, setting out to produce nutrient-dense pasture-raised chicken. In the spring of 2012, Paul's brother ordered 50 chicks, marking the inception of their business. Pasturebird is now the largest pasture poultry producer in the world, with a mission to make nutrient-dense chicken more affordable and accessible to all. Pasturebird is revolutionizing the chicken industry by integrating solar-powered, self-driving chicken coops. This innovation provides their birds access to the outdoors, fresh grass, insects, and sunlight and contributes to soil regeneration for future generations.
In an unconventional move, the company partnered with "Big Ag" giant Perdue. This strategic partnership granted Pasturebird access to hatcheries, feed mills, and slaughterhouses, sparing them from the significant debt they would have otherwise incurred to build these resources.
In this episode, Paul and John discuss:
Improving the way "Big Ag" operates
Scaling up operations to reduce costs
Focusing on one thing and outsourcing the rest
Pasturebird's collaboration with Perdue
The innovation behind self-driving chicken houses
The importance of effective marketing and messaging
Incentivizing regenerative ag through fractional land ownership
Additional Resources To learn more about Pasturebird and to place an order, please visit: https://www.pasturebird.com/ Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgreive/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 30 Nov 2023 - 1h 19min - 382 - Episode 95: Regenerative Innovation on a Large-Scale Dairy With Austin Allred
Austin Allred is a dairyman located in the Columbia basin of Washington State and operates Royal Family Farms. His parents started farming 50 years ago, and now Austin, as well as his brothers, own their own operations. Together, their four farms have grown over 1 million tons of potatoes, boxes of apples, boxes of cherries, bushels of corn, and bales of hay, beans, peas, asparagus, and more. Austin's dairy produces 1 million gallons of milk per month.
Fifteen years ago, the family began their regenerative journey when they decided to become more self-sufficient and reduce their dependency on synthetic fertilizers. Their different farming operations work together to create a self-sustaining loop, a key to their innovation and success.
Today, Austin Allred is a strong proponent of regenerative agriculture and loves finding innovative ways to work together with his family to further the success and overall health of their soil, crops, and cattle.
In this episode, Austin and John discuss:
Reducing the need for fertilizers by bringing in cattle to his operation
Using byproducts from neighboring farms for nutrient balance feed
Increasing nitrogen independency
Liquid manure management and composting systems
Reducing water consumption by recycling it on the farm
Utilizing marketing to showcase the story of products
Developing other income streams on the farm
The importance of collaboration between growers
Additional Resources To learn more about Royal Dairy, please visit: https://www.royaldairy.com/on-the-farm or watch their documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfSzdzgDXjE
Friend Earthworm by George Oliver: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0980297613/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0980297613&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 - 56min - 381 - Episode 94: Challenging Assumptions About Regenerative Agriculture with John Kempf hosted by Future of Agriculture
In this special episode, hosted by Tim Hammerich and the Future of Agriculture Podcast, Tim and John Kempf will challenge several commonly held assumptions about the future of agriculture. Take regenerative agriculture, which is often defined by the ability to improve soil health and sequester carbon. But John Kempf says these are outcomes, even by-products, not the complete definition of regenerative.
In this episode, Tim and John discuss:
What it means to be regenerative
AEA observations from working with over 10,000 growers and 4 million acres
AEA's Wefunder campaign
How to look at agriculture problems and solutions through a regenerative lensFuture of Agriculture explores the people, companies, and ideas shaping the agriculture industry's future. Every week, Tim Hammerich talks to the farmers, founders, innovators, and investors to share stories of agtech, sustainability, resiliency, and the future of food. Future of Agriculture believes innovation is an important part of the future of agriculture, and real change comes from collaboration between scientists, entrepreneurs, and farmers. Lead with optimism, but also bring data.
Additional Resources: To listen to more episodes of Future of Agriculture, please visit: https://www.futureofagriculture.com/ To learn more about AEA's Wefunder campaign, please visit: https://wefunder.com/advancingecoag
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Wed, 25 Oct 2023 - 49min - 380 - Episode 93: Growing Organic Wheat, Cotton, and Peanuts with Kelton Coleman
Kelton Coleman has been farming since 2011 in the panhandle of Texas. He farms with his dad, grandfather, and father-in-law. He started with conventional agriculture in 2011 but shifted to organic peanuts and wheat in 2013, followed by organic cotton in 2016.
His initial journey into organic farming was based solely on economics, rather than soil or plant health. That has since changed, and now Kelton is deeply vested in his crops' health. He first got connected to AEA through the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast and then through personal connections in his community. He now uses several programs and products from AEA, and he is seeing many successes on his farm, such as reduced nitrogen usage, 20% more yield on his cotton (including a large increase in 6-lock cotton bolls), and better protection from root rot in his peanut crop.
In this episode, Kelton and John discuss:
Memorable failures that led Kelton to where he is today
The unintended consequences of inputs on microbial organisms, insects, and plants
How he implemented regenerative practices on his farm
Working with AEA and their products
Improvements he is seeing in peanuts and cotton
Improving drought and heat resilience
Crop-wide nitrogen reduction
Improving no-till organic systems
Additional Resources To learn more about developments of no-till organic systems, listen to this podcast episode featuring Helen Atthowe: https://regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com/episodes/episode-87-helen-atthowe/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Mon, 16 Oct 2023 - 48min - 379 - Episode 92: Growing Regenerative Opportunities with Koen van Seijen
Koen van Seijen has interviewed over 250 investors, investment fund managers, opinion leaders, farmers, and scientists to find out how money can best be used to regenerate soil, people, local communities, and ecosystems. He is currently a member engagement manager of Toniic, the global community of dynamic and active impact investors. Previously Koen supported Aqua-Spark, an impact investing fund focused on sustainable aquaculture companies. In this conversation, John and Koen discuss:
Current investment activity in agriculture
The role of capital in regenerative adoption
Regenerative practices and topics attractive to investors
Regenerating the water cycle at a local ecosystem level
The benefits of nutrient absorption through foliage
The need for education in the finance world
Areas of opportunities for growers today
Increasing consumer interest through nutrient density
To learn more about Koen and the "Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food" podcast, please visit: https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/
Additional Resources
"Back from the Brink: How Australia's Landscape Can Be Saved" by Peter Andrews "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben "The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth" by Tim Flannery Walter Jehne YouTube PlaylistAbout John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 28 Sep 2023 - 1h 19min - 378 - Episode 91: You Are What You Eat: Examining Beef and Plants With Dr. Stephan van Vliet
Dr. Stephan van Vliet performs clinical and translational studies to evaluate the effects of whole food ingestion and physical activity interventions on body composition, physical function, inflammation, insulin action, and intracellular signaling pathways that regulate muscle mass with advancing age. His work has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Physiology. Dr. van Vliet earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Community Health as an ESPEN Fellow from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received post-doctoral training at the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Dr. van Vliet also holds a Masters in Nutrition Science.
As a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute within the Duke University School of Medicine, his work focuses on the effects of primary (protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins) and secondary compounds (phytochemicals, polyphenols, antioxidants) and the molecular mechanisms by which they impact human metabolism. His work often involves physical activity interventions and utilizes an integrative approach to improve human health.
In this conversation, John and Stephan discuss:
Nutrient differences in grass-fed beef
Other studies focused on beef, bison, and milk
Implications of plant secondary metabolites being consumed
Variations in phytonutrient density
Soil health and ergothioneine levels
How different plant species provide different compounds to livestock
Organic production and nutrient density
Additional Resources Follow Stephan on Twitter: @vanvlietphd For more webinars featuring Dr. van Vliet, please search "Dr. Stephan Van Vliet" on YouTube Stephan's Google Scholar Profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=L5KcySQAAAAJ&hl=enTo learn more, please visit his website: https://stephanvanvliet.com/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Fri, 08 Sep 2023 - 1h 02min - 377 - Episode 90: Scaling Regenerative Supply Chains with Anthony Corsaro
Anthony Corsaro is an entrepreneur, investor, and regenerative agriculture evangelist whose mission is to help heal our people and planet through ventures that inspire the production and consumption of healthy, nutrient-dense foods. Anthony's family has been deeply involved in the food system for almost 100 years since his orphaned grandfather started selling produce in the early 1930s. That business grew into one of the country's leading regional fresh produce distributors and today serves 2,500+ retail customers in 20 states.
Anthony is the Founder and Managing Director at Outlaw Ventures: a family office backing the rebels, radicals, and revolutionaries building the better food system of tomorrow. Outlaw Ventures is raising a venture capital fund to invest in early-stage regenerative consumer brands. Anthony is also the Creator and Co-Host of The ReGen Brands Podcast: a podcast about the consumer brands supporting regenerative agriculture and how they're changing the world. He is also the Founder of Regeneration Nation: a clothing company and community hub for the heroes and advocates of regenerative agriculture.
In this conversation, John and Anthony discuss:
Regenerative vs. extractive relationships in supply chains
Building regenerative infrastructure to create better routes to market
Increasing market accessibility for growers
Nutritional integrity and its impact on buyers
"Upstream Disease" - examining the whole supply chain
Opportunities and limiting factors for growers
The importance of networking to expand market access
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 - 52min - 376 - Episode 89: Regenerative Agriculture, Cover Crops and Water Holding Capacity with Jimmy Emmons
Jimmy Emmons is a third-generation farmer from Oklahoma. He and his wife Ginger have been farming and ranching together since 1980. They have a 2000-acre farm with a diverse rotation of crops that include: wheat, soybeans, sesame, sunflowers, irrigated dairy alfalfa, canola, grain sorghum, and several cover crops for seed.
Jimmy has been monitoring soil health with soil testing since 2011 and is a proponent of using multi-species cover crops to enhance soil health. He is currently involved in a multi-year water holding capacity study examining the water use of cover crops. Jimmy also incorporates other regenerative practices, such as companion crops, to attract beneficial insects and decrease the need for additional synthetic nutrients.
In this conversation, John and Jimmy discuss:
The benefits of cover crops for water retention in the soil profile
Drought resilience of crops and plants grown in diverse environments
Companion crop mixes and their benefits
The importance of talking to your legislatures about regenerative farming
The negative effects on quality markers from grower practices and input decisions
Using nutrient-dense food as medicine
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 03 Aug 2023 - 1h 03min - 375 - Episode 88: The Relationship Between Fungi, Endophytes, and Native Soil Biology with Dr. Mary Lucero
Dr. Mary Lucero has over 30 years of experience in scientific research and education in agriculture. Her research examines the microbial relationships between plants and soil health and proves that the regenerative approach offers a way forward for growers and consumers. As Co-founder and Systems Biologist at End-O-Fite Enterprises, she works with growers and biostimulant producers to optimize regenerative techniques to restore microbial ecosystems.
Mary and her husband, David, run Jal Farms, a family-owned fruit and beef operation in Eastern New Mexico. Her farm focuses on regenerative practices to restore soil health and growing nutrient-dense foods and even has an on-farm lab for her research.
In this conversation, John and Mary discuss:
The importance of creating an environment for native biology to thrive
How fungi are great shapeshifters
The Mycosome Hypothesis developed by Peter Atsatt
The importance and complexity of endophytes
Horizontal organism transfer
Indigenous concepts and principles
Mary's experience with farm ownership
To connect with Mary and her work and to learn more about her online classes, please visit: https://endofite.com/
To learn more about the Mycosome Hypothesis developed by Peter Atsat, please visit: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12730709/.
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
To get started, contact AEA here: https://www.advancingecoag.com/contact
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 20 Jul 2023 - 1h 18min - 374 - Episode 87: Managing Ecological Systems with Living Mulches in Orchard and Vegetable Production with Helen Atthowe
Helen Atthowe is an author and farmer who has worked on developing systems that focus on ecological health by utilizing living mulches and minimal tillage. She is passionate about using the natural nutrient cycles present in ecosystems to reduce system inputs. Her research and experience have shown how focusing on the system can impact weed, disease, and pest management.
She and her late husband, Carl Rosato, co-owned and operated a certified organic orchard in California, where they pioneered methods for raising apples, peaches, and other crops to replace the need for pesticides. She also farmed and conducted additional research at Wood Leaf Farm in Eastern Oregon until early 2023. Now living in Western Montana, she is starting a new farm where she has planted a no-till orchard. Atthowe has a master's degree in horticulture from Rutgers University and has worked in education and research at many other institutions.
In this conversation, John and Helen discuss:
No-till living mulch systems in orchards
Managing ecological systems with residues
Strategies for disease and pest management
Minimizing inputs and maintaining yields
Mowing management and the importance of timing
Thinning and pruning practices
Vole management outcomes
Selective strip-till system in vegetable production
Click here to check out Helen's new book, The Ecological Farm
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You GrowSince 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products.
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 06 Jul 2023 - 1h 27min - 373 - Episode 86: Regenerating Hearts and Minds, The Basis of Regenerative Agriculture with Charles Eisenstein
Charles Eisenstein is a speaker, teacher, and author. A graduate of Yale University with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy, his work covers various topics, including human civilization, economics, spirituality, and ecology. His published works include "The Coronation," "The Ascent of Humanity," "Sacred Economics," "The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible," and "Climate—A New Story." In the last-mentioned title, he argues that reducing environmental discourse into the single issue of global warming is a huge mistake for the environmental movement. The book focuses instead on the "Living Planet" view, envisioning what our relationship to nature might be if we saw that everything is alive, conscious, and sacred. Overall, his primary interest is exploring the boundaries of what is possible according to our received beliefs, habits, technologies, and ways of knowing. In this conversation, John and Charles discuss:
What defines regeneration
What we need to do to embrace regenerative landscapes
Why the quality of our life depends on the quality of our relationships
Indigenous knowledge of landscape management
The understanding of what real wealth is
The differences between control and responsibility
The Importance of exercising our capacity to create
The growing community and movement of regenerative farmers
To learn more about Charles Eisenstein and his work, please visit his website at https://charleseisenstein.org/ or subscribe to his substack at https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/
To learn more about his published work, please visit https://charleseisenstein.org/books/
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA is on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with their products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers around the world. Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/
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VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 22 Jun 2023 - 1h 03min - 372 - Episode 85: The Opportunities That Come From Regenerative Agriculture with Steve Tucker
Steve Tucker is a western Nebraska dryland producer who has been farming for 30 years. He introduced regenerative practices into his operation over 10 years ago and values diversity in his approach. Growing upwards of 10 crops per year while integrating livestock, such as chickens, pigs, and cows. Steve also uses no-till farming practices and biological applications on his farm. Steve advocates for growers to market themselves in order to access more opportunities and advises them to look for alternate streams of income for the crops they are growing.
Steve runs Agriforce Seed with his business partner Jeff Olsen. Steve grows sunflower, hay millet, oats, yellow field peas, winter wheat, Golden German hay millet, and forage pea/oat hay blends. His ultimate goal is to build soil health by mobilizing soil microorganisms to grow better, higher quality, more nutrient-dense food.
In this episode, John and Steve discuss:
Being content with the size of the farm you operate
Making connections by marketing yourself
Selling by the pound vs selling by the bushel
Looking for sales opportunities around you to sell
Pursuing multiple streams of farm income
Identifying opportunities that come from promoting more life on the farm
Using biologicals, including AEA's BioCoat Gold
Finding the freedom of doing things on your own terms
AgriForce Seed is Nebraska's largest pulse seed producer. Agriforce provides yellow peas, chickpeas, and many other types of pulse crop seeds. Also available are hay millet seed and a large selection of cover crop seeds and forage products. To learn more, call 308-289-4853
To learn more about AEA's BioCoat Gold, please visit - https://land.advancingecoag.com/buy-biocoat-gold-now
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in the field of biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow The recognized leader in regenerative agriculture since 2006, AEA is on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable.
AEA works directly with growers on the application of its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with their products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers in North America to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers around the world who thirst for actionable information about regenerative agriculture.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products.
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VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this amazing conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 08 Jun 2023 - 1h 11min - 371 - Episode #84: Joel Williams
Joel Williams is an independent plant and soil health educator who provides lectures, workshops, and consultations on soil management, plant nutrition, and integrated approaches to sustainable food production. Joel enjoys designing farming systems that focus on managing soil biology along with crop and soil nutrition to optimize plant immunity and soil function. He has extensive experience working in Australia, the UK, and Canada, integrating soil and plant analyses as a joined-up strategy for managing production.
In this episode, Joel and John discuss:
The differences between the chemistry vs. biology approach
The importance of a well-structured soil
Reasons for using biological seed coatings
Efficiencies of foliar applications vs. soil applications
Crop responses to incremental changes over extended periods
Strategies for efficient foliar applications
Nitrogen applications and management
Yield expectations during regenerative transitions
To learn more about Joel and his work, please visit https://integratedsoils.com/
About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture. A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow The recognized leader in regenerative agriculture since 2006, Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) is on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with their products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers in North America to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers around the world.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products, and check out the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.
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VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this inspiring webinar featuring John and three AEA grower partners that share how regenerative agriculture is changing the way they farm and live: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 25 May 2023 - 1h 23min - 370 - Episode #83: John Warmerdam
John Warmerdam is a third-generation stone fruit grower in the San Joaquin Valley of California. His grandfather came to the area from Holland in 1911 and started a small farming operation that John's father, John N. Warmerdam, eventually took over. Today John and his dad farm over 350 acres of peaches, plums, nectarines, kiwi, and almonds. The Warmerdams also have one of the largest cherry-growing operations in the southern San Joaquin Valley and have been innovators in the fruit packing industry for 45 years. In this episode, they discuss:
Cultural management practices for stone fruit Transitions in his farming systems Mite management Driving factors for considering regenerative management Pruning and thinning management Future water usage issues Generational shifts in farmingAdditional Resources: Concepts for Understanding Fruit Trees by Theodore DeJong
Learn more about Warmerdam Packing Learn more about John Warmerdam
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture. A top expert in the field of biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow The recognized leader in regenerative agriculture since 2006, AEA (Advancing Eco Agriculture) is on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable.
AEA works directly with growers on the application of its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with their products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers in North America to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers around the world who thirst for actionable information about regenerative agriculture.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products and check out the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.
VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this amazing conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Tue, 09 May 2023 - 1h 22min - 369 - Episode #82: Dr. Erin Silva
Dr. Erin Silva is an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant Pathology as well as the Director for the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison.
After completing a Ph.D. in Horticulture at Washington State University, Dr. Silva obtained a faculty position at New Mexico State University. During her tenure at NMSU, Dr. Silva taught courses on organic vegetable production, including an experiential learning course integrating the campus working student organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. Dr. Silva initiated several organic research projects at NMSU, including work on a cover crop-based reduced tillage approach for organic vegetable crops and breeding vegetables for organic production systems.
These research themes continued as Dr. Silva moved into the first organically focused research position at the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2006. Through her work at UW-Madison, she has developed an internationally recognized program that improves the management of organic production systems and increases the profitability and sustainability for organic producers and rural communities.
In this episode, Dr. Silva and John discuss the following:
To find out more information about Erin's research, please visit https://uworganic.wisc.edu/ograin/. OGRAIN, The Organic Grain Resource and Information Network, exists to provide farmers access to research and to form a community of organic grain producers.
About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, a plant nutrition and biostimulants consulting company. A top expert in the field of biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who are growing that supply.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition - a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You GrowThe recognized leader in regenerative agriculture since 2006, AEA (Advancing Eco Agriculture) is on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable.
AEA works directly with growers on the application of its unique line of crop nutritional supplements and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting edge plant and soil data gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with their products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers in North America to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers around the world who thirst for actionable information about regenerative agriculture.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products.
VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this amazing conversation between John and three AEA growers about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Thu, 19 Jan 2023 - 1h 02min - 368 - Episode #81: Fred Provenza
Fred Provenza, Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Ecology at Utah State University, is the co-founder of BEHAVE (Behavioral Education for Human, Animal, Vegetation and Ecosystem Management), an international research and outreach program that seeks to understand the principles of animal behavior. For the past 30 years, this group has produced ground-breaking research that laid the foundations for what is now known as behavior-based management of landscapes.
Through his research, books, and speaking engagements, Fred has paved the way for the behavior-based management of landscapes. His work has influenced researchers across disciplines.
In this episode, Fred and John Kempf discuss:
The consciousness of plants and animals, and our relationships to them The relationships between domestic animals, crops, and healthy landscapes Fred's understanding of the gut microbiome of livestock and how it changes with diverse diets The pathway for regenerating millions of arid acres in the US West Appreciating the culture and heritage of animals The functional significance of both human and animal family structuresFred has authored three books:
Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/nourishment Also available on audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/An-Original-Audiobook-Adaptation-of-Nourishment-Audiobook/B0BKH5NBF5 Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change: https://www.amazon.com/Foraging-Behavior-Managing-Survive-Change/dp/0970389922 The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/the-art-and-science-of-shepherdingSupport For This Show & Helping You Grow
This show is brought to you by Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA), leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006.
AEA produces the highest quality biological and mineral nutrition products along with offering Plant Sap Analysis, and regenerative program development for your farm.
If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop quality, resilience, and profit — email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 today to be connected with a dedicated AEA regenerative agriculture crop consultant. To learn more visit https://www.advancingecoag.com
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VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this amazing conversation between John and 3 growers about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk
Tue, 20 Dec 2022 - 1h 16min - 367 - Episode #80: Kelly Mulville
Kelly Mulville, a veteran agricultural consultant, is the Vineyard Director at Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, California. For more than 25 years, Kelly has been obtaining impressive results by merging his experience in viticulture with his understanding of Allan Savory's holistic grazing management techniques. His approach to extended-season vineyard livestock grazing and other ecological practices continue to capture an audience of vineyard managers around the globe.
Kelly and John discuss in this episode:
How Kelly developed practices around incorporating sheep into his vineyard management. Flooring a wildlife biologist with the bird population data on Kelly's vineyard after implementing new practices. The role plant-grazing animals play in reducing insect pressures. Kelly's cover cropping strategy and how it has led to a diversity of 50 species of plants growing in the vineyard. The specific holistic management techniques inspired by Allan Savory's work that have contributed to vineyard success. The adaptability of these practices on other crops like nuts and tree crops.Thu, 17 Mar 2022 - 1h 11min - 366 - Episode #79: Joe Lewis
Joe Lewis is an internationally renowned scientist recognized for his work in entomology and agricultural studies. His discoveries in the behavioral and chemical interactions of parasitoids, insect herbivores, and plants have played a critical role in our understanding of ecological growing. He is also the author of A New Farm Language: How a Sharecropper's Son Discovered a World of Talking Plants, Smart Insects, and Natural Solutions.
Listen as Joe and John discuss:
Joe's introduction to agriculture growing up on a Mississippi cotton farm The discovery of plants utilizing chemical compounds to alert parasitic wasps to the presence of caterpillars. The first demonstration of associative learning in parasitic wasps. Sensitivity of signals between plants and parasitic wasps, including how they differentiate from food and host. Environmental impacts that have led to unbalanced increases in insect pressures. The value of cover cropping to provide a nectar source for insects during production season. Changing the paradigm from "how to kill this pest" to "why is this pest a pest?"A New Farm Language by Joe Lewis: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/a-new-farm-language
Thu, 24 Feb 2022 - 1h 33min - 365 - Episode #78: Adam Chappell
Adam Chappell is a regenerative grower and cover crop advocate from Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Adam started growing with his dad and brother on their 7,500 acre property in 2005, but by 2009 pigweed issues alone had nearly pushed them into bankruptcy. Knowing there had to be a better way, Adam began educating himself about the power of regenerative agriculture, implementing a cover cropping strategy that he claims saved the family farm. Today, Adam's operation grows a variety of broadacre crops and continues to make strides in ecological health and crop performance.
Throughout their conversation, Adam and AEA Founder John Kempf discuss:
Adam's start in agriculture and how cover cropping brought the farm "from the brink of bankruptcy to a profitable enterprise." Adam's current methodologies for crop rotation and cover cropping. How the adoption of regenerative practices has contributed to improved profitability. Adam's background in entomology and ecology and the shifts in insect populations he has seen over time. Questioning the necessity of soil testing and becoming wary of "sales tools." Implementing Dr. Norman Lupo's root intensification method and other row spacing strategies. Livestock integration and the story of Adam's first purchase of cattle. Why Adam's goals for the future include "getting smaller."Thu, 30 Dec 2021 - 53min - 364 - Episode #77: Rick Clark
Rick Clark is a fifth-generation farmer from Warren County, Indiana. Driven by a desire to work alongside mother nature, Rick has been implementing regenerative practices on his farm for almost a decade. Rick's commitment to soil health has allowed him to grow his operation to 7000 organic, no-till acres, in part by employing a variety of cover cropping and weed control techniques.
In their conversation, Rick and John Kempf discuss:
Rick's journey to a fully organic operation Conventional agriculture's "dependency on chemistry" and the best practices for conventional burn down Rick's humbling experiences experimenting with cover crops in the early days How planting multiple cash crops together could be the future of agriculture Handling foxtail and other difficult weeds through regenerative practices The power of diversity and rotation in a no-tillage system Rick's take on farm economics and how he is saving almost $1.7 million a year in inputsWed, 24 Nov 2021 - 1h 29min - 363 - Episode #76: Tim Parton
Tim Parton is a regenerative agriculture advocate and Farm Manager at Brewood Park Farm in the United Kingdom. Tim has been implementing regenerative practices on his 300-hectare estate for over 15 years. He has received several accolades for his work, such as being named the Arable Innovator of the Year by British Farming Awards and receiving the Farm Innovator of the Year award from Farmers Weekly.
Throughout their conversation, Tim and John discuss:
Tim's background and retreat from intensive pesticide use. How balancing plant nutrition helped Tim cultivate canola seedlings that are resistant to flea beetles. Tim's experience with Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (or BYDV) and how he manages aphids in an ecological system. Foliar application systems and their economic impacts. Increases in commodity fertilizer prices and what this means for the financial viability of regenerative agriculture. How Tim has managed to not apply any NPK fertilizers for more than a decade. The cultural management practices that have replaced fungicide applications on Tim's farm. The importance of carbon sequestration, educating consumers, and sharing information among growers.Thu, 30 Sep 2021 - 52min - 362 - Episode #75: James Johnson
James Johnson is a fourth-generation farmer in New Mexico and the Vice President of Carzalia Valley Produce. When James finally took over the family farm in the early 2000s the outlook of his operation seemed grim. After many years of trial and error with various practices, James found the Advancing Eco Agriculture team where he discovered the benefits of regenerative agriculture.
Thanks to his partnership with AEA, James achieved an outstanding yield of 1,490 lbs/acre for Pima Cotton at the end of harvest season 2020 while his county average was 880 lbs/acre!
In this episode, James and AEA founder John Kempf discuss:
The shift in agronomy management on James' farm over the last 20 years. James' first encounter with John Kempf and the similarities in their personal stories. The long-term effects of herbicide, insecticide, and pesticide use on crops from the perspective of a self-declared "recovering glyphoholic" Solving onion thrips and western flower thrips pressure with regenerative foliar applications, rather than insecticides. James' observations on chlorpyrifos and diazinon—how their use affects non-target species and overall soil biology. The technology James uses as a self-proclaimed early adopter, including evapotranspiration platforms and an AI robot that pulls weeds.Fri, 06 Aug 2021 - 1h 36min - 361 - Episode #74: Dale Strickler
Dale Strickler is an agronomist at Green Cover Seed and prominent author primarily focused on soil health. Dale grew up on a family farm outside Colony, KS, and received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in agronomy from Kansas State University. Dale has been an advocate for the use of cover crops for over three decades and continues to experiment, achieving increasingly exciting results.
Dale has published two books, The Drought-Resilient Farm and Managing Pasture. His third book, The Complete Guide to Restoring Your Soil, will be released later this year.
In this episode, Dale and AEA Founder John Kempf discuss:
Dale's agricultural background and what inspired his fascination with cover crops. His experiences with heavy clay soil and implementing a subsurface, drip-irrigated pasture. How regenerative practices can affect water-holding capacity of soils and restore small water cycles. Dale's most memorable moments in his consulting work with growers across the country. Hand cropping, intercropping, and other practices forgotten by mainstream, mechanized agriculture. The reason farmers need to be "thinking like a scientist" and the power of self-education.Fri, 23 Jul 2021 - 1h 18min - 360 - Episode #73: John Fagan
John Fagan is the Chairman & Chief Scientist at the Health Research Institute, also known as HRI Labs, in Fairfield, Iowa. HRI provides testing services that focus on the nutritional value and biofunctionality of food sources. HRI's research and collaboration efforts continue to help grow the global regenerative agriculture movement in myriad ways.
Throughout their discussion, Fagan and John discuss:
The scope of Fagan's work at the Health Research Institute. How chromatography, mass spectrometry, and other analytical tools allow Fagan to identify plant and animal compounds. Fagan's research in comparing conventional vs organic production methods and his key takeaways. The diversity and variability of plant compounds and their potential for innovation in the world of agriculture. Fagan's tentatively named "Farmer Led Innovation Network" and how it is combining cutting-edge science and data collection. How evidence of glyphosate presents across different crop types, agricultural products, and soil profiles. The evolution of glyphosate detection and what science can tell us about glyphosate levels in our food.Check out the glyphosate research mentioned by Fagan here: https://johnkempf.com/perspective-on-glyphosate-challenges/
Wed, 07 Jul 2021 - 57min - 359 - Episode #72: Nicole Masters
Nicole Masters is an internationally recognized agroecologist from New Zealand. Fortified by her studies in ecology and plant physiology, Nicole currently serves as the Director of Integrity Soils, a collection of regenerative agriculture coaches that assist growers around the globe. Nicole is also the author of "For the Love of Soil: Strategies to Regenerate Our Food Production Systems."
In this episode, Nicole and John discuss:
Nicole's background in vermicompost and her strategy of customizing microbial applications to produce specific outcomes. The current rise in research on microbial quorum sensing and quorum signaling. Many case studies and examples that explain relationships between soil life and nutrition profiles and weed populations. The function of biology in response to plant signals and in enhancement of plant immune systems. The practice of bio-priming seeds or land, and how it helps to produce disease-suppressive soils, and to regenerate native plant populations.Fri, 25 Jun 2021 - 1h 13min - 358 - Episode #71: Harriet Mella
Harriet Mella is an independent Austrian researcher known for her work uncovering the unexplained phenomena of plant growth and development. Informed by her background in microbiology, mycology, and biochemistry, Harriet has a unique capacity to describe little-known connections between emerging biological research and agriculture.
During the interview, Harriet and John discuss:
Observations on epigenetic expressions and the role of optimal nutrition. The flexibility of plant architecture and its direct correlation with microbiome health. Harriet's insights on zodiac rhythms, humic substances, Biodynamic methods, and numerous first-hand agricultural experiences. When a plant is no longer absorbing nitrate and how this affects water use efficiency and carbon cycling. Harriet's findings on biophotonics and dark septate endophytes, and her explanation of their impact on plant health. Building stable humic substances during the winter months with the assistance of specific fungal groups.Harriet Mella's new online course, "Carbon Micro Cycling," explores the connections between soil carbon and soil fertility. Sign up for the course on Kind Harvest today! https://kindharvest.ag/courses/ra-cc-carbon-course/
Wed, 09 Jun 2021 - 1h 00min - 357 - Episode #70: Steven Bierlink
Steven Bierlink is an apple grower located in Quincy, WA. When Steven returned to work on his family operation after graduating with a business degree, he was driven to meet the many challenges their orchard faced. Looking for solutions to bitter pit, cork spot, and lenticel rot, Steven sought out the management practices that could renew the health of their orchard.
Today, Steven abides by meticulous observation in his management practices that have brought many exciting successes, notably on his Honeycrisp blocks which have packed out at a stunning 160 bins per acre.
On this episode, Steven and John discuss:
Overcoming bitter pit in Honeycrisp apples by altering the interplay among excessive potassium applications, calcium timing, and manganese availability. Steven's focus on observation resulted in a shift away from his previous conventional operational methods. How Steven balances data collected from fruit analysis and sap analysis to maximize marketable fruit production. Managerial philosophies for happy, engaged employees, healthy work-life balance, and why he chooses to maintain a smaller-scale farm. Virtually elimination of alternate-year bearing, through a combination of pruning, bud and spur management, PGR's, nutrition, and lime-sulfur sprays. The importance of growers owning the decision-making process, working alongside consultants.Thu, 27 May 2021 - 1h 36min - 356 - Episode #69: Jason Hobson
Jason Hobson is one of the initial Regenerative Agriculture Consultants at AEA, working alongside John Kempf in the early years and becoming the Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Jason joined AEA in 2011 and quickly became the lead consultant for larger scale operations, building relationships with distributors and other partners along the way. He gained his knowledge of soil fertility and plant nutrition through hands-on experience, developing a passion for agronomy and regenerative practices that fuels him today.
Throughout their conversation, Jason and John discuss:
How one Wendell Berry book would change Jason's career path forever. AEA's approach to nutrient and crop management, how it differed from conventional wisdom. Highlights from the last decade of working together: organizational victories and new agronomic discoveries. Jason's thoughts on the "layering of silver bullet solutions" and how farms can degrade in search of a cure. Common themes among growers and organizations that have seen success while working with AEA. The fallacy of nitrogen and other limiting factors for healthy crops.Tue, 04 May 2021 - 47min - 355 - Episode #68: Alvin Peachey
Alvin Peachey is an Amish organic dairy farmer from central Pennsylvania. Over the course of more than a decade, Alvin has grown his operation to 90 100% grass-fed cows on 92 acres, implementing regenerative practices that flips the script of the status quo for dairy farmers.
In this thought provoking and practical conversation, Alvin and John discuss:
Alvin's background as a dairy farmer starting with only 25 cows and 10 replacements. The difference between rotational grazing and management-intensive grazing. How Alvin tracks and manages his cost of production and how his economic models diverge from the mainstream. Unique approaches to creating balanced and diverse nutritional profiles, not just in grazable forages, but also in stored winter feeds. Important considerations for maximizing sugars and proteins in baleage. The genetic and structural qualities Alvin looks for in dairy cows. Alvin's thoughts and observations on the financial future of dairy farming."For the crop production acres, we have no budget on fertilizer… because we have unlimited potential, so why would we have a budget? Right?" -Alvin Peachey
Fri, 23 Apr 2021 - 1h 06min - 354 - Episode #67: Jesse Frost
Jesse Frost is the Co-Owner of Rough Draft Farmstead in central Kentucky and host of the No-Till Market Garden Podcast. Jesse's rich background in researching and experimenting with no-till practices lead to his first book, "The Living Soil Handbook: The No-Till Grower's Guide to Ecological Market Gardening," which will be published this summer.
Throughout their conversation John and Jesse discuss:
How Jesse got his start as a farmer and how a mission to uncover regenerative techniques lead to a promising career in market gardening. The economic opportunities surrounding market gardening, including the positive impact of collaboration and Jesse's thoughts on land ownership. The best way to strategize and implement a direct-to-consumers business model. Two management styles that work for no-till growers on a smaller scale: Jesse's thought on the basic cover crop model and the deep compost mulch system An overview of the four different types of compost: inoculating compost, fertilizing compost, nutritional compost, and mulching compost. The current state of the average farmer's psyche and the power of relationships and community building. Jesse's current intercropping practices and how they are implemented for pest and disease control.Pre-order Jesse's book here: https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook/d9z5gkf1bbnhu0w5xxb3trngiqhwgo
Check out "The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm: Human-Scale Methods for Intensive Commercial Production and Ecological Health" by Daniel Mays here: https://www.frithfarm.net/book.html
Wed, 31 Mar 2021 - 1h 38min - 353 - Episode #66: Jon Stika
Jon Stika is an agronomist and former soil health instructor with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Officially retiring in 2015, Jon now spends his time as environmental consultant for those looking to gain insight on the biological systems of agriculture. Jon is also the author of "A Soil Owner's Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health," which was published in 2016, yet continues to have an impact on agricultural thought leaders around the globe.
Throughout their conversation, Jon and John discuss:
Jon's realization that soil is not a chemical system, but a biological one. The impact of using synthetic fertilizers for several decades and how this has "sidelined" the true biology of our fields. What it means to be energy inefficient and the impact on mainstream agricultural systems and practices. Jon's 15-year journey to a regenerative approach; how rapid implementation and economics can inspire other growers to transition to integrating biological methodologies. The differences between building soil from the foundational bedrock versus the act of regenerating soil. Jon's belief in the power of educating beyond the growers, working with lenders, banks, agronomists, and landowners to help them understand and support the transition to regenerative agriculture. How models used in mainstream agriculture—and even sustainable agriculture—operate on a foundation of "dysfunctional soil."Pick up a copy of Jon's book, "A Soil Owner's Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health," today! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30084638-a-soil-owner-s-manual
Thu, 18 Mar 2021 - 58min - 352 - Episode #65: Jay Fuhrer
Jay Fuhrer is a Conservationist & veteran Soil Health Specialist from the Natural Resources Conservation Services, located out of Bismarck, North Dakota. With over 4 decades of experience, Jay's work has been critical to the widespread implementation of regenerative agriculture across the globe. Of his many contributions, Jay is most known for developing the 5 Soil Health Principles: establishing soil armor, minimizing soil disturbance, continuing live plant and root presence, and integrating livestock grazing systems.
Throughout their conversation, Jay and John discuss:
Jay's early years at the NRCS, and his desire to move forward with agriculture's best interest at heart. The story of how Jay and his colleagues started a 150-acre demonstration farm with a focus on natural resource education. Examples of new research and discoveries being made at Menoken Farm, including the implications of water hydrology systems and the power of encouraging soil biology. Jay's observations from conducting Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and measuring infiltration rates over the years. Assisting growers by "starting with the geology" and how Jay's soil recommendations are rooted in the history of the land. Proper livestock integration and the benefits of diversity when it comes to grazing. The shortcomings of agricultural system labels and Jay's reasoning for working with growers of all backgrounds. Jay's concerns with shrinking native range land in the Dakotas and why he believes it is an ecosystem that we should maintain into the future.Fri, 12 Mar 2021 - 1h 16min - 351 - Episode #64: Ben Taylor-Davies
Ben Taylor-Davies is a farmer and regenerative agriculture consultant from the United Kingdom. Ben was a conventional agronomist until his wife persuaded him to apply for an award through the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust which enables farmers to travel and learn agricultural methods from around the globe. This ignited Ben's passion for regenerative agriculture and discovering better ways to treat soils, crops, and livestock. Ben currently shares his stories, both personal and professional, on his website RegenBen.com. He is also currently finalizing his first book, "MORE-ON: How to get off the UK agriculture's treadmill of input farming."
Throughout their conversation, Ben and John discuss:
How the Nuffield scholarship program allowed Ben to broaden his views on successful ways to farm from around the globe. The current management practices being implemented on Ben's 500-acre farm in the UK and how these practices have evolved over the years. Ben's "three free things" (sunlight/energy, precipitation, and carbon dioxide) and why they should be priority number one for all growers. Perspectives on carbon dioxide delivery and how farmers can improve their CO2 supply. The vast diversity of soil types and climates found within the UK. The UK's current mainstream agricultural methods and financial shortcomings of managing an ecosystem through high input costs. John and Ben discuss their recommended reading lists for growers.Check out Ben's website at www.regenben.com!
For more information on his latest book, go to https://www.regenben.com/about/the-book/
Thu, 25 Feb 2021 - 50min - 350 - Episode #63: Cannon Michael
Cannon Michael is a 6th generation family farmer in California's Central Valley. When Cannon first started working at the Bowles Farming Company, it was a broad-acre row crop operation, focused on cotton, barley, and alfalfa. After 15 years of overhauling the farm's management practices, Bowles now incorporates both organic and conventional methods as he raises a vast array of vegetable crops: tomatoes; watermelons; garlic; onions; herbs; and many more.
Throughout their conversation John and Cannon discuss:
The major changes over the 160-year history of Cannon's family farm, as well as the current scope and scale of his growing operation. What it means to be a grower in California: The culture of innovation, interacting with a rigorous business climate, strict regulations, and interest in promoting fair practices for people and the environment. A prediction around agriculture's decentralized, technology-driven future and how it will impact growers. The power of branding partners, communication, and the advantages of telling your story to end consumers. How bandwidth and a fluctuating environment can lead to significant limitations on operational efficiencies.Fri, 29 Jan 2021 - 44min - 349 - Taking Charge Of Your Farm's Future With Jay Hill
Jay Hill is a conventional farmer and agricultural visionary from the American Southwest. Jay is a new breed of American farmer, focused on reinvigorating the industry through a new perspective on what is possible for large-scale growers. Through his social media presence and weekly podcast, Jay is calling on farmers across the globe to abandon their old ways of operating and take back the role of "business owner" from outdated intermediaries.
Throughout their conversation, John and Jay discuss:
How Jay's growing operation has evolved over the years to be less resource exhaustive. Why farmers need to position themselves as both marketers and business owners Jay's transition from "Price Taker" to "Price Maker," and how partnerships in processing give growers more control over their operation. The public perception of American farmers and what needs to be done change the narrative. Strategies to incentivize growing a more nutritious and agronomically beneficial product, and the role of the federal government in this process.Tue, 08 Dec 2020 - 50min - 348 - Reversing Soil Degradation with Dwayne Beck
Dr. Dwayne Beck is well known for being one of the pioneers of no-till agriculture in central South Dakota and across the High Plains. For more than three decades, Dr. Beck has been creating comprehensive systems for both irrigated and dryland crop production throughout the region, educating growers on the power of crop rotation, diversity, and other regenerative practices. He currently serves as the Research Manager at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, a non-profit made up of farmers committed to sustainable land practices.
On today's episode, John and Dwayne discuss:
Dwayne's background and his earlier work assisting local growers with their irrigation systems The continuing decline of the Ogallala Aquifer and how water infiltration can be improved by implementing no-till agricultural practices. Addressing the often-overlooked aspects of irrigation, such as percolation and water delivery, and how it affects soil health. Dwayne's observations on lake bottom soils, the power of macropores, and the prevalence of summer fallowing in the High Plains. Utilizing de-percolation strategies to maintain proper nutrient levels in your soil. Using competition, sanitation, and rotation to control weeds, diseases and insects. Dwayne's historical research on nutrient cycling and fertilizer placement. Dwayne offers up a broader historical perspective on how agriculture, human nature, and mother nature work together. A discussion on why moving to no-till options for all crops including potatoes, carrots and sugar beets are engineering and genetics problems. The shared vision, but much different methods, between regenerative agriculture vs. organic agriculture.Tue, 03 Nov 2020 - 1h 15min - 347 - Updating Soil Analysis to Consider Microbial Influence with Rick Haney
Rick Haney is a renowned researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the creator of the Haney Soil Analysis, an innovative extraction procedure to assess overall soil health and plant mineral availability. Today, John sits down with Rick to hear his story and discuss a future of agriculture centered around agronomic realities and biological processes.
Throughout the episode, John and Rick cover a wide array of topics:
The journey Rick took to discover an improved system for analyzing soil health, eventually leading to the development of his namesake soil assay. How Rick's work and an emphasis on data can help growers save an average of $20 per acre in nitrogen applications. Over-fertilization and what soil respiration says about the fertility of a field. Rick's battle with calibrations and the industry's collective leaps in agronomic understanding since the 60's. The work of Dr. Richard Mulvaney, namely the Illinois Soil Test, and how it compares to Haney's soil nitrogen report. The shortcomings of mainstream agronomic research and the power of "listening to nature." The importance of using water and biological activity as the gauge of soil mineral release rather than acids and extractants to judge soil mineral content. Why many growers are routinely able to reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus inputs. The importance of looking at real yields rather than soil test data as the sign of a well-functioning fertility program. The power of embracing new developments in ag research and the future of in-field sensors.Tue, 06 Oct 2020 - 1h 03min - 346 - Rebuilding Rural Economies with Ancient Grain and Regenerative Practices with Bob Quinn
Bob Quinn is a 30-plus year veteran of Regenerative Organic practices and founder of Kamut International, an organization devoted to high quality Khorasan wheat and sustainable agricultural practices.
After receiving his PhD in plant biochemistry from UC-Davis, Bob returned home to work on his family's wheat and cattle ranch just outside of Big Sandy, Montana. In the mid 80's, the farm became his "laboratory" as Bob began implementing regenerative organic systems long before they rose to prominence. The Quinn's began planting a Khorasan wheat they would call "Kamut"—an ancient Egyptian word for "wheat"—which would end up seeing a lot of success with whole grain bakeries in Southern California.
"My business philosophy is start small and build on your success. I don't have a big pile of money, so I can't go out and just try big experiments, so I try small experiments. If they're successful, then I build on those. And that's what we did, we started with a half an acre [of Kamut®] which was all that seed that we had in 1988—30 years later, we are contracting with 250 organic regenerative farmers in Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan for over 100,000 acres of this stuff."
Kamut® is a distant relative to the modern wheat crop that is known for its unique flavor and health benefits. Ancient Grains like Kamut® see much lower yield potential than modern wheat, which over time lead some manufacturers to mix Kamut® with lower quality grains. In an attempt to protect the quality of the grain and the end consumer, Bob decided to trademark the grain, guaranteeing an unhybridized, unmodified, and organic product for their growing list of customers—in fact today, a staggering 75% of their grain goes to Italy.
During the episode, Bob goes into detail about how improved testing equipment led to a surprising discovery about minute glyphosate levels in their crops. Kamut International has been organic since its inception, but at one point almost a third of their farmers were sending grain that tested slightly higher than ten parts per billion in glyphosate. Bob was astounded when he discovered that glyphosate is so prevalent in American agriculture that trace amounts can be found in the rain during the growing season. Since this discovery, Kamut International has overhauled their testing protocols and mitigated trace glyphosate levels whenever possible.
Whether you are the buyer, the manufacturer, or the consumer, Bob believes in a "everybody wins" approach to business. He believes his impact and scale was achieved by paying farmers more, so he prides himself in the ability to implement economic incentives anywhere he can. Bob recalls in his conversation with John that almost 30 years ago, he began offering three times the amount of the commodity wheat price for Kamut® wheat, which proved to be a very effective business move. Today, that incentive has grown to five times the commodity price.
Bob's expertise goes way beyond wheat, for a farmer located in the Upper Great Plains he has an unlikely variety of successfully growing dryland produce. Throughout the episode, Bob goes into detail about how this production came to be and how regenerative organic practices allow him to grow things like watermelon and summer squash in Montana. Bob and John also discuss nutritional value of ancient grains, how the western diet has led to a jump in autoimmune disorders, and the concerning rise of glyphosate levels in our food. Bob also tells the story of how his company accidentally came upon creating cooking oil in the search to create a better diesel fuel.
Tue, 15 Sep 2020 - 1h 06min - 345 - Facilitating Large Scale Transitions to Regenerative Agriculture with Terry McCosker
In our latest episode, John sits down with one of Australia's most recognized thought leaders in Regenerative Agriculture, Dr. Terry McCosker. Over the course of three decades, Terry has worked with about 10,000 Australian farmers—a staggering 10% of all farmland on the continent—coaching them through an agricultural approach that emphasizes both soil nutrition & pasture ecology.
Terry currently serves as the director of RCS, an Australian agriculture consulting firm, but his career started at an early age when he had the opportunity to work on an Australian cattle station. Driven by a fearless pursuit of excellence, Terry found that most of the problems that faced the cattle station, as well as other operations across the country, stemmed from an outdated reductionist view of farming. As he continued his research, which included traveling to farms across the globe, he saw firsthand the power of holistic practices and their effects on livestock. Terry began challenging the paradigms of conventional farming and what he observed were results like an increase in livestock reproduction and mortality rates.
Throughout the episode, John and Terry discuss the work of Stan Parsons and Allan Savory, the importance of cell grazing alongside other regenerative practices, the proper strategies farmers use to approach succession planning, and the fascinating future potential of carbon sequestration.
"A client of mine once said that he thought he was a livestock producer. And then he came to one of our programs and went away thinking that he was a grass producer. And then over time, as he's learned more and more, he now believes he's a soil manager. If you understand that you're a soil manager, the production and the economics of your farm will actually look after itself…to be truly regenerative, a farmer needs to understand that they are a part of the ecosystem, not apart from it." -Dr. Terry McCosker
Wed, 02 Sep 2020 - 1h 19min - 344 - In Defense of Biological Systems with Robert Linderman
In our latest episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews plant pathology veteran & agricultural visionary, Dr. Robert Linderman, discussing the benefits of mycorrhizal fungi and other bio-control agents that protect crops from soil-borne pathogens.
After receiving his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from U.C. Berkley in 1967, Robert would spend the next 40-plus years contributing pivotal research findings to the USDA and other agricultural organizations. During his time with the USDA, Robert was introduced to a colleague who was fascinated by the power of mycorrhizal fungi and their ability to keep pathogens at bay. Their conversation ignited Robert's pursuit to understand mycorrhizae symbiosis.
Throughout the episode, John and Robert discuss the benefits of building up antagonistic organisms in the soil to create a disease suppressive environment, allowing crops to thrive. In addition to other educated approaches to battling pathogens in your soil, Robert also takes listeners into a deep dive of the Ashburner System, telling the story of how one Australian avocado grower utilized a mycorrhizal fungi strategy—without even knowing it—to suppress phytophthora outbreak across his orchard.
"Farms, whether they're seeding or transplanting or planting bulbs or whatever, need to treat that material where the infection is going to happen…to have something there waiting for the pathogen when it tries to get into the plant is the best chance. It's like immunizing a child for infections that might come. You build up some kind of resistance and the resistance is in a biological form." -Linderman
Robert and John also discuss the thoughtful inoculation of propagules, mycorrhizal fungi's effect on photosynthesis, concerns about single factor analysis found in agricultural research, and the true price of the "instant gratification" chemical fix.
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 - 1h 19min - 343 - Building Soil While Cash Cropping with Loran Steinlage
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Loran Steinlage of Flolo Farms in Iowa. They discuss his experience in relay cropping, interseeding, cover crops, and controlled traffic farming. Loran grows grain crops for seed, has implemented youth programs on the farm, and has experimented with 60-inch corn. Listen for practical advice from a current grain farmer.
Loran grew up planning to be a livestock farmer like his father, but was hit by a semi at the age of 14, causing him to change his plans. Today Loran grows corn, beans, wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, sunflowers, and oats. Typically, they do relay cropping and interseeding, though this year they have not been able to do relay cropping due to a freeze in May of their cereal crops.
In 2006 Loran began interseeding while his whole farm was corn on corn. Through interseeding, he found his way into cover crops and relay cropping. In the fall there are cereal crops such as winter wheat, rye, spring malt barley, or oats. Loran watches for stand quality, sometimes rolling over into corn if the stands aren't good enough. Otherwise, he sows soybeans at the normal time. Loran uses a 30-inch planter to give more room for the combine. In July winter wheat is harvested, then cereal rye, then malt barley. If there is a window with good weather, they add buckwheat and harvest it and the soybean crop together.
Loran's method has long been to focus on seed quality for economic viability. Uniform emergence is the key that ensures all the heads mature at the same time for a high-quality harvest. Once cereal crops dry and re-wet, germination quality goes down, so they try to harvest the cereal as it dries. For a few years, they were making $7-$8 per bushel on malt barley. Food grade wheat can earn a $2-$3 premium, but with grain cleaners the value can be almost doubled. Loran receives a minimum of $10 for cereal rye seed. He utilizes controlled traffic and stays on the tramlines to avoid creating compaction or driving on the crop.
Controlled traffic has great results in a field, but it requires more forethought and careful management to be successful so it has not been widely adopted. Even if there's a small yield loss, Loran avoids straying from the tramlines as much as possible. About 5 or 10 farmers participated in a tramline study with Bob Recker, with only Loran interseeding cover crops. The extra biomass in the tramlines was very valuable, and a 60-inch gap provided extremely high quality cover crops. Bob Recker did further testing of his "barcode plot" and saw that the 60-inch gap was significantly better than the 30-inch gap for cover crop production. This year, he plans to relay cereal crops into standing 60-inch corn, which in his experience has yielded equivalent or better to 30-inch corn. He attributes some of that to having a precise planter. He also questions if yield should be the ultimate goal. Loran believes growers around him who sacrifice some yield for grazing days can attain 2-3 months of grazing instead of one, which can substantially lower feed costs.
Loran believes kids belong in agriculture today, and that it isn't happening enough. He believes in self-education and the importance of allowing kids to learn on-farm, rather than going off to college. In pursuit of this goal, Loran's started a 4-H program on his farm and increased field days. Having the children working with soil scientists can inspire them so they want to enter the field, and he's seen some success stories already. He thinks that more people need to step out of the way and let young people take their place.
Loran sees the future of agriculture being focused on niche markets. He wants people to build an operation to fill voids in the market, rather than taking other people's ideas and trying to make them fit their operation. He would change government intervention in agriculture if he could. If inherent risk was returned to farming, he believes competition and innovation would return. He also wants people to learn more about practices used after the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression and to combine those with current knowledge to improve fertility and soil health.
Resources:The Steinlage Way Loran Steinlage on Twitter Growing Crops 365 Days a Year - Loran Steinlage Corn Maverick: Cracking the Mystery of 60-Inch Rows Jill Clapperton, Rhizoterra
Tue, 04 Aug 2020 - 49min - 342 - The Fallacy of Mainstream Potassium and Nitrogen Fertilization with Richard Mulvaney
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Professor Richard Mulvaney from the University of Illinois. Dr. Mulvaney is a prolific soil fertility scientist and researcher with many published papers relating to nitrogen and potassium uptake in crops. His work with Dr. Saeed Khan led to the development of the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT). John and Dr. Mulvaney discuss nitrogen uptake in crops, how soil should provide most of the needed nitrogen, and the fallacy that applying nitrogen builds soil organic matter. He also describes the "potassium paradox", how significant amounts of potassium are available from the soil, and the damaging cycle that is created when applying potash.
Nitrogen Fertilization (00:00:53)Dr. Mulvaney began working in soil fertility in the 1980s with a focus on minimizing nitrogen fertilizer loss to increase crop uptake, specifically in regard to the isotope N-15. In collaboration with Dr. Saeed Khan in the 1990s, he found evidence that in some cases, fertilizer nitrogen on corn has no statistically significant response. At the time, most soil scientists were operating with the assumption that the optimal amount of fertilizer nitrogen is found by multiplying 1.2 times an expected yield goal, then deducting nitrogen credits such as a previous legume. In a project in Illinois studying on-farm plots, around 33 of 75 studied sites showed no significant response to fertilizer nitrogen, a finding inconsistent with the 1.2 method. The unfertilized yields, or check yields, were very high and not significantly increased with an application of nitrogen. Thus, Dr. Mulvaney hypothesized that the 1.2 calculation might not be as reliable as previously thought. Dr. Khan and Dr. Mulvaney conducted research to determine the difference between plots used in that study that were responsive and those that were unresponsive to fertilizer nitrogen applications. His wife noted that while soil scientists understand how carbon in plants is heterogeneous and decomposes at different rates, they assume that nitrogen is all the same. Examining the differences within nitrogen forms made clear that the plants at the non-responsive sites had sufficient levels of nitrogen available from the soil and so did not need nitrogen fertilizer applications. Using diffusion on the soil samples from the same study, they found that non-responsive soils were consistently testing higher in amino sugar nitrogen.
The prevailing thought at the time was that fertilizer is the primary source of nitrogen for crop uptake, especially for corn. However, Mulvaney's and Khan's data shows that at least two thirds of the nitrogen in the crop at harvest is supplied from the soils, rather than from applied fertilizer nitrogen. In soils with higher amounts of amino sugar nitrogen, applications of fertilizer nitrogen are a waste of money because most or all of the nitrogen is supplied by the soil. It follows that measured soil nitrogen is only correlated with crop response to applied nitrogen when soil tests measure amino sugar nitrogen.
The 1.2 method was developed from research trials on static plots. These corn plots received the same fertilizer treatments each year. On the unfertilized plots, corn used the nutrients from the soil with no nitrogen fertilizer added. Microbes will also use nitrogen from the soil to break down crop residues, depleting the following crop of nitrogen and depressing yields. The depletion of nitrogen resulting in depressed yields on the unfertilized plots makes the fertilizer effect appear more dramatic in comparison. Because the 1.2 method is based on static plots, it and its related assumptions are invalid when applied to farmer fields. Similarly, the assumption that one-third of the nitrogen will come from the soil is incorrect. In reality, two-thirds of the nitrogen is supplied from soils and only one third or less comes from fertilizer. These misconceptions have misled growers on the importance of nitrogen applications.
Because soil is the primary source of nitrogen for crop uptake, soils should be tested to determine how much nitrogen fertilizer should be applied. Dr. Mulvaney and Dr. Khan developed the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT) to estimate the amino sugar fraction for variable-rate nitrogen application recommendations. A former student of Dr. Mulvaney runs the lab at Cropsmith, where the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test is available.
Expansion on Amino Sugar Nitrogen (00:24:15)Amino sugars are an organic form of nitrogen produced by microbial activity. They occur in microbial cell walls, spores, and in chitin. The bacterial cell walls are more decomposable. Nitrogen shows up in asparagine and glutamine, essential amino acids, which contain one nitrogen atom each in the amino group and the amide group, which is prone to break down. It is estimated that 5-10% of soil organic nitrogen is in the form of amino sugars, but Dr. Mulvaney believes it is likely higher. Amino sugar nitrogen, more specifically referred to as alkali hydrolyzable nitrogen, will also increase with more soil biological activity. Manured soils have higher levels of it, and thus have a diminished need for synthetic fertilizer nitrogen. Although his lab has not studied cover crops directly, he believes having active plants in the soil will increase microbial activity and thus the amino sugar nitrogen.
The Morrow Plots, located at the University of Illinois and established in 1876, are the oldest continuous research plots in North America. They are static plots with three rotations, continuous corn, corn-soybean, and corn-oats-hay. In his research, Dr. Khan noticed that the continuous corn plots were not as healthy and had lower yields than the corn-oats-hay plots, even though the continuous corn plots received significantly more nitrogen fertilizer. The results of the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test were lower on the continuous corn plots, which shows that synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is not necessarily building soil organic matter. Research comparing samples from 1955, 1967, and 2005 showed decreases in organic matter on the fertilized subplots. Dr. Mulvaney explains that the fertilizer actually "burned" organic matter. Carbon metabolism requires nitrogen, in a ratio of about 7 carbon to 1 nitrogen, so microbes can only access carbon from crop residue with nitrogen availability. When the microbes have too much nitrogen, they burn off the excess carbon as carbon dioxide rather than building soil organic matter. Additionally, conventional fertilizers have an oxidizing effect on soil microbial communities and stimulate respiration, which releases carbon from the soil as carbon dioxide.
Dr. Mulvaney notes that William Albrecht published a paper in 1938 in a handbook from the USDA where he stated that adequate nitrogen is needed to build organic matter. Later that year, Albrecht published an article in the Soil Science Society of America Proceedings based on results which showed that unfertilized plots had gained organic matter while fertilized plots had lost it. Albrecht never again said adequate nitrogen is needed.
Potassium Paradox (0:43:40)Dr. Mulvaney worked with Dr. Khan, an expert on potassium, to write papers on the potassium paradox. He was doing soil testing for potassium on the South Farm at Illinois, testing from the surface plow layer to about seven inches into the soil. The unfertilized plots increased in their average potassium levels, leading to the realization that the soil was releasing potassium. There are about 40,000 pounds of potassium per acre in just the top six inches of many Midwestern soils. A review of numerous potassium studies showed that there is no significant yield increase from potash fertilization. Clay layers, mostly found in the subsoil rather than the plow layer, hold significant quantities of potassium. When the plant roots reach those lower levels, they find large quantities of potassium that they extract with the biological functions of the root system.
Because potassium is a major plant cation, there are high levels of soluble potassium carbonate in crop residue. Salts are leached from crop residue during rainfall, resulting in most of the potassium in a corn crop returning to the soil and making potassium fertilization unnecessary. Potassium is also fixed in the clay due to its size, leading to high potassium retention in clay layers with sufficient moisture. These factors lead to sufficient potassium levels in the soil. A German researcher, Mengel, performed a greenhouse study where he removed the clay fraction from soil, and potassium uptake was still high. This led to the idea that potassium in the clay layers is unavailable to plants, but Dr. Mulvaney disagrees. He finds that the plants are able to make the potassium available by producing acids. Soil testers measure the exchangeable potassium in soils, and do not measure the non-exchangeable and mineral potassium. This means that they will underestimate the available potassium and will recommend potassium fertilization, though it may not be necessary. As further evidence that potassium fertilization is typically unnecessary, Dr. Mulvaney refers to Cyril Hopkins, a 20th-century soil scientist, who claimed that potassium is not a necessary input because the soil already contains enough.
The potassium paradox is based on the fact that applying potash to soil makes potassium less available by collapsing the clay layers. To demonstrate, Dr. Mulvaney tells a story about a fertilizer dealer who applied potassium to soils that had tested low for potassium. When they re-tested the field, the potassium levels were even lower. They assumed they had the wrong field, re-applied potassium on the same field, and again found lower potassium levels afterward. Thus, applying potassium can worsen potassium deficiency.
Dr. Mulvaney advises growers to use the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test or another similar test. It doesn't test for nitrate, which is dynamic, but tests a more stable nitrogen, specifically amino sugar nitrogen. This allows many growers to save money on purchased inputs such as nitrogen fertilizer if they do not need it. Rather than soil testing for potassium, he recommends strip trials comparing strips with no potassium fertilizer and strips with a small amount, as large amounts are never necessary. He also recommends using sulfate for potassium fertilizer, rather than Muriate of Potash, because the chloride content in Muriate of Potash diminishes nitrate uptake.
Resources:
Richard Mulvaney, Professor Cropsmith Solvita, invented by Will Brinton Solvita SLAN Test Rhizophagy Cycle: An Oxidative Process in Plants for Nutrient Extraction from Symbiotic Microbes by James White Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Dr. Mulvaney's Research The Potassium Paradox, Mulvaney and Khan Morrow Plots William Albrecht, "Loss of Soil Organic Matter and Its Restoration" 1938 William Albrecht, Variable Levels of Biological Activity in Sanborn Field after Fifty Years of Treatment Mengel paper, 1994 Bulletin No. 182 "Potassium From the Soil" Cyril HopkinsTue, 14 Jul 2020 - 1h 06min - 341 - Microbial Communities for Carbon Sequestration with David Johnson
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Dr. David Johnson, a New Mexico State University research scientist, Adjunct Professor for the College of Agriculture at Chico State, and Faculty Affiliate for the Center for Regenerative Agriculture. His research clearly outlines the importance of managing the ratio between fungal and bacterial populations in the soil for plant productivity and carbon sequestration. During his research on the salinity of manure compost, Dr. Johnson and his wife, Hui-Chun Su, developed the BEAM Soil Compost Bioreactor which develops compost with high fungal populations. John and Dr. Johnson discuss carbon cycling and the capacity of biology to sequester carbon and build soil organic matter. The conversation provides a fascinating look at the role of carbon dioxide in agriculture and the environment, how the ratio of fungal to bacterial populations in the soil are key to carbon cycling, and the methodology growers can employ to actively increase soil organic matter while decreasing costs.
Carbon Sequestration (00:02:00)Dr. Johnson explains that high concentrations of carbon dioxide are problematic due to the impact on the climate, increasing the global temperature, rather than the impact of CO2 on plants, which like high concentrations of carbon. Due to those effects, carbon sequestration must be part of sustainable agriculture. John mentions that he has seen organic matter gains in the fields of half a percentage point per year, a very rapid improvement. Dr. Johnson believes that rate is possible, but only with cattle or other grazers in the system. In his experiments based solely on biology, he sees a little over a quarter of a percentage point per year increase in soil organic matter, or 10 tons of carbon per hectare.
The Microbial Community (00:08:00) In order to realize these significant results in building soil organic matter, Dr. Johnson says the microbial community must be balanced. The microbes cycle carbon, improve carbon use efficiency, and create a healthy soil system. Plowing and the use of biocides destroy fungal populations, so those need to be restored in order for soils to function appropriately. John references a slide in one of Dr. Johnson's presentations comparing fungal to bacterial biomass ratios and the partitioning of the photosynthates. The explanation is based on an experiment with compost made in the BEAM bioreactor, where fungal dominant soils were shown to utilize five times the amount of carbon in the plants than bacterial dominant soils. An average of 11% of carbon captured by a plant goes into the root, shoot, or fruit of the plant in most agricultural systems today, but in a fungal dominant soil, 55% of the captured carbon can be partitioned into the plant rather than into the soil. This can dramatically affect plant productivity and growth. Maximum productivity and carbon capture happen when the fungal to bacterial ratio is one to one, which also causes soil respiration to decrease. There can be increased crop biomass as well as more organic matter in the soil. Dr. Johnson notices that as fungal populations in the soil are restored, farmers are often happier. About 60% of a crop must be left to effectively rebuild the soil even after the soil microbes are in balance, rather than 100% removal.
Balanced Systems (00:27:00) Dr. Johnson explains that having the right microbes is a necessary first step towards building soil health, but is not the complete solution. The compost his team uses as an inoculant has over 2,500 species of bacteria and over 400 species of fungi, archaea, viruses, and more. That is a balanced community of varied microbes. The energy flow and carbon flow is also critical, and the photosynthetic rate must be increased. All of those work together to make a much more efficient, restored system. When the soil biology is in balance, the microbes can make the elemental nutrients available for the plant. That takes out the human guesswork of trying to figure out how much of each nutrient is needed. In a corn trial, the amount of applied nitrogen was decreased to 15%, or about 37 lb. per acre, and two lb. of compost per acre were added. The result was a small decrease in productivity in the first year and $80 more an acre in profits. Although only 37 lb. of nitrogen per acre were applied, 261 units of nitrogen were measured in the soil, compared to the control of 256 lb. of nitrogen. The nitrogen was made available from the soil system rather than as a purchased input. Dr. Johnson believes that healthy soil biology leads to a resilient system. He has seen dramatic changes in water absorption and retention when cover crops are used and soil biology is improved. In compacted soil, it took 10 minutes for an inch of water to infiltrate, and it now takes only seconds for that same inch of water. The first 1% increase in soil carbon is associated with a five times increase in the amount of water the soil can hold. Agriculture currently uses 70 to 80% of the freshwater on the planet, but utilizing these methods can double crop productivity and save water.
Importance of Observation (00:43:00)Dr. Johnson explains that the information he has discussed so far was not the primary goal of his research. He was seeking a way to compost dairy manure, and his research serendipitously led him to this information. He believes that holding on to traditional methodologies is an obstacle, and that the farming of the future must be based on regular observation and be open to change. Farming for 40 years provides 40 different experiences, so paying close attention is the best way to improve. Resources he recommends include Chico's Center for Regenerative Agriculture, John Kempf's blog, Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, Allen Williams, and Will Harris. His final thought for listeners is to look at soils as a living organism, pay close attention to biology, utilize observation, and to transition to a system of regenerative agriculture to rebuild the soils. Dr. Johnson has seen that it's possible to rebuild soils and that it has the ability to make farming fun again.
Resources:
Dr. Johnson's Bio Chico Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems John Kempf's Blog Gabe Brown's Ranch Understanding Ag, Ray Archuleta, Gabe Brown, Allen Williams Will Harris Dr. Johnson's Research Paper "Development of soil microbial communities for promoting sustainability in agriculture and a global carbon fix" Dr. Johnson's Seminar at Chico State with referenced slide at 23:00Mon, 29 Jun 2020 - 43min - 340 - Embracing the Connection Between Agriculture and Health with Zach Bush
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Zach Bush MD, an educator and a triple board-certified physician who specializes in internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice care. Zach brings his understanding of the systemic challenges in pharmaceuticals and farming to non-profits such as Farmer's Footprint and Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, where he works to create collaborative communities to solve these human and environmental problems. In this episode, John and Zach discuss the challenging problem of glyphosate. Zach describes the research showing the ramifications of this phosphonate compound and provides clear insights into the science of the problem before returning to an optimistic vision of regenerative agriculture as a solution.
Glyphosate/Roundup (around 00:02)With Zach's background in chemotherapy and cancer research, he was on the front lines in 2005 when it was discovered that the gut microbiome, made up of fungi and bacteria, has a significant impact on whether and how cancer affects people. Joining other researchers, he began to learn the importance of supporting beneficial fungi and bacteria and realized that glyphosate damages the microbiome. Zach explains that glyphosate was originally deemed safe due to the fact that it blocked the shikimate pathway, which does not exist in humans or animals. However, in time it was discovered that glyphosate limits access to some essential amino acids needed by humans for microbiome resilience. Zach says that glyphosate targets protein structures in human cells which can lead to a leak in the gut lining, furthering chronic inflammation. He says that some widespread chronic diseases, such as asthma, Alzheimer's, and cancer, can be traced to gut disruption and inflammation linked to glyphosate use.
Zach references the statistic that the Mississippi River collects 80-85% of the water-soluble residues of Roundup. The last stretch of the river is referred to as "Cancer Alley" because the surrounding regions have the highest rates of cancer in the world. When glyphosate was first widely used, it was thought of as safer than the chemistries it replaced because those were known carcinogens. What we're seeing now, a generation of 25 years later, is that vegetables can have high enough levels of glyphosate concentrations to lead to leaky gut, which is not fully explained by historical definitions of toxicity. In addition, Zach explains that there is an epidemic of autoimmune and neurological disorders that can be attributed to glyphosate. From a study done on mice, Zach knows there are cumulative epigenetic effects of Roundup. If a first-generation is exposed to Roundup, the second generation does not need to be exposed directly to have disorders, immune dysfunction, and a shortened lifespan. The third generation of mice in the study experienced cancers and stillbirths, still without direct exposure. Chronic diseases in children have been increasing exponentially, and Zach expects that trend to continue according to the models developed from this research.
Sixth Extinction (Around 00:20)John asks Zach to elaborate on the prediction that the human population will go extinct in 70 years. Zach bases this prediction on the rise of chronic disease combined with decreasing fertility. He cites the statistic that about 1 in 3 men and women are infertile. Zach explains how we are creating the sixth extinction event by destroying soils, increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, acidifying the oceans, and other modern phenomena.
The Research(Around 25:00) Zach mentions that he is currently working on a book that covers this perspective. For current material, Zach recommends Stephanie Seneff's research correlating glyphosate to chronic disease epidemics. In the last seven years, Zach's lab has been working on the causation aspect, with that research available on ionbiome.com.
Zach's lab has shown that glyphosate disrupts the tight junctions that act as intelligent gatekeepers in a cell while inducing cells to show precancerous attributes. White papers are available on his website for multiple studies he's been involved in, including one showing that gluten intolerance is actually glyphosate toxicity. Zach has noticed a great increase in immune dysfunction, especially in children, which he attributes to the leaky gut injury caused by glyphosate. He sees this as evidence that we are destroying our ecosystem. John recalls the prediction that within 60 years we will run out of topsoil, and Zach notices that is very close to the 70-year prediction for extinction. Zach finds it very important that we regenerate soils. He says 11% of GDP is lost each year with the loss of topsoil and hopes this might motivate larger groups of people to switch to a regenerative system because it is a notable financial statistic.
Other Pesticides, Endocrine Disruption(around 41:00)The impact of pesticides on the endocrine system works in conjunction with the damage already done with glyphosate and can affect kidney and liver function. Zach explains that the decrease in fertility and increases in chronic diseases are also results of endocrine disruption by pesticides and other chemicals. In the process of filming the Farmer's Footprint documentary, Zach and his team noticed that rare disorders and dysfunction were unusually common in the farming community. Rather than seeing the increase in suicide and depression in farmers as a result of financial hardship, Zach sees it as a result of glyphosate impacting gut health and contributing to mood disorders. In addition, farmers are not eating healthy, nourishing homegrown food. 90% of the land in Kansas is used for agriculture, yet 90% of the Kansas food supply is imported. A large portion of the crops grown in large-scale agriculture do not become a part of the food supply but are grown for animal feed or other products. Both Zach and John agree that the midwest is largely a food desert, as societal and economic shifts have forced the agricultural sector to specialize and centralize production.
The Solution (00:58)Zach is excited that regenerative agriculture has a comparatively rapid effect on soil health, farm profitability, and on rebuilding communities. Farmers can begin to work on becoming healthier as individuals by growing their own food and eating a varied diet. Zach describes a product he has available called Ion Biome which utilizes soil redox chemistry to fix the damage done to the microbiome by glyphosate.
John asks Zach what he believes is necessary for food to be medicine. Zach's reply is that fiber is critical and that a balanced diet with nutrient-dense root vegetables, fruit, and cruciferous vegetables allows one to treat food as medicine. He also finds it important to eat food that is freshly picked, such as a tomato right off the vine, with its microbiome still intact. Zach thinks it can be really beautiful when farmers connect with their land again as regenerative farmers and recognize the importance to co-create along with Mother Nature.
Resources:
Ion Biome Zach's Research Zach's Website Farmer's Footprint Stephanie Seneff Non-Toxic NeighborhoodsSupport For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 16 Jun 2020 - 1h 16min - 339 - Resilient Agriculture Models for The Future with Joel Salatin
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Joel Salatin, a well-known lecturer and author and the co-owner of Polyface Farms in Swoope, Virginia. Polyface Farms is a "diversified, grass-based, beyond organic, direct marketing farm". Joel is well-known for his highly engaging public speaking style and is the author of twelve books relating his experience as a self-described 'lunatic farmer'. In this episode of the podcast, we visit the challenges of mainstream, conventional agriculture through Joel's paradigm-shifting lens, and learn why farmers are beginning to shift to a regenerative model. Joel also describes how farmers can learn the skills of marketing, communications, and public speaking, and broaches the uncomfortable topic of planning for farm inheritance and succession.
Joel's worldview, informed by both real-world experience and immersion in a broad range of literature from philosophy, history, and religion, to current events and business, forms the foundation of his farming practices. Joel states that deep soils were not built with 10-10-10 chemical fertilizer, but rather built with real-time solar energy converted to carbon and vegetation that rots or is eaten and manured in place. Joel describes why he does not believe such organizations as McDonald's or Monsanto are evil, but rather thinks they have misguided beliefs concerning ecological systems and food production. Most often, employees at these organizations truly believe they are helping the world. While their understanding of agricultural processes is wrong, they are not ill-intentioned. The ability to understand the opposition is an important skill Joel developed in high school debate tournaments that helps him to build bridges with those who see agriculture differently than he does.
Joel and John discuss how most farmers desire to better their land and none have the intention to degrade the soil. Yet, many farmers continue to practice mainstream agriculture with its soil-degrading effects. Joel explains that for farmers to change their practices, often they need to face a crisis. He describes how the symbol for "crisis" in Japanese is the same as the symbol for "opportunity". He sees crises as an opportunity for farmers to move towards more productive, regenerative practices. Joel also describes how we can elicit broader societal change to where regenerative farmers are viewed as the heroes within their communities.
The benchmark of success most used in farming is yield. Farmers also consider equipment and infrastructure as benchmarks of success. Joel's take is that neither of these are a determinant of financial success or farm profitability. He relates an anecdote from his early years when his father, a tax preparer for the neighboring farming operations, mentioned that their own threadbare family farm was more financially stable than those farmers with large and fancy equipment and expensive facilities.
Joel believes the mantra that farmers must feed the world is a fallacy that encourages detrimental practices and unsustainable agriculture. The coronavirus pandemic has sharply defined the need for communities to be able to feed themselves and has placed a spotlight on the drawbacks of the current centralized system. Joel describes his belief in an intelligent creator who has loaned the world to us as an investment. In his words, no investor would accept dead zones, pollution, and species extinction. Thus, it is our responsibility to improve the land and help it become more fertile year after year. Seeing the world as an investment helps people to treat it well rather than deplete its resources for unsustainable growth.
The dysfunction of the current system is evidenced by the statistic that small-scale agriculture produces 70% of the global food supply with 30% of the inputs while the other 30% of the food supply is produced using 70% of the inputs. Joel makes the distinction that the size of a farming operation is not a determining factor in how regenerative or sustainable that farm can be. Rather, the sustainability of a farm can be rated on how centralized the operation is. He describes the growth of Polyface Farm as growth by duplication, rather than centralization. Although his farm is considered a large farm by the USDA, it has a small-farm feel partly due to his method of decentralizing 100,000 chickens in 300 field shelters on pasture rather than concentrating them in two giant poultry houses. He considers the ecological carrying capacity of the land when expanding, ensuring the land can absorb the livestock manure. Decentralized systems are much more resilient and much less smelly than concentrated, centralized systems. Although he cannot predict the future, Joel is certain that building healthy soil will stand the test of time. He emphasizes that an agricultural system of the future must be integrated, regionally focused, and full of complex relationships, and that it will be human and soil oriented.
Joel describes the profitability of growing corn versus a grass-fed beef production. Land that grows 100 bushels an acre of corn would produce grass that could support 400 cow days per year. He calculates that, no matter the price of cattle, there is approximately $300 per acre net profit for grass-fed beef, a profit never realized by corn farmers. However, very few of the farmers have actually shifted their production. That is because it is difficult for humans to make such a large change and admit to themselves that a new method could be better than their current practices. Farmer's identities are based around what they grow and how they grow it, so it is very challenging for change to occur. The truth, though, is that farmers must adapt or die. It may require a new generation of farmers for the needed change to happen.
Joel raises the uncomfortable topic of farm succession. Estate planning is especially difficult for farmers due to their love for the land. The average age of a farmer today is 65, so about 50% of America's farmland will shift in ownership in the next 15 years. At the same time, there are many young people hoping to enter the sector. While Joel has explored ways to connect young people with aging farmers who are looking for a successor, he also enforces the value of low-capital and mobile systems to help young people get started. The average American farm has $4.00 of depreciable equity for $1.00 in annual gross sales. At Polyface Farms, this ratio is $0.50 to $1.00. This more nimble style of agriculture requires no land equity, as mobile systems can be placed on land not owned by the farmer. Low-capital systems are becoming very important as young people gain the necessary experience, skills, and knowledge to start up a successful farming venture.
The practice of equal inheritance of farmland is a concept Joel discourages. His view is that farmland should be inherited by the person who has been stewarding the land. When the child who stayed home and held the farm together is given an equal inheritance with their siblings who pursued other careers, they must buy out their siblings to keep the farm which is an unfair burden. These conversations often don't happen, but they are necessary for families to have. As Joel jokes, "Why should I die on my tractor so my kids can run off to Las Vegas with my money?"
This episode is a long conversation examining the importance of being well-informed and focusing on soil health and profitability above yields. Listen to gain a better understanding of the future of agriculture and what it will take to get there.
Resources:Joel's Bio
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 26 May 2020 - 1h 25min - 338 - The Role of Carbon in the Soil with Rattan Lal
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Dr. Rattan Lal, an acclaimed soil scientist, researcher, and author. Dr. Lal has published hundreds of journal articles on soil ecosystems, effects of tillage, global food security, sequestering carbon in the soil, and more. In the early 1990s, Dr. Lal was a pioneer of the now mainstream idea that healthy soils are a defense against rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading groundbreaking research in Africa and later in South America. After a long and storied career, he is currently the Director of the CFAES Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, where he works with graduate students to research soil carbon sequestration and climate change. In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Lal provides an in-depth description of the function of carbon.
Carbon is the determinant of healthy soil. As Dr. Lal describes, the reason that soil life is much more diverse in healthy soil is because organic carbon is the food for soil organisms. Thus, the healthier the soil, the higher the percentage of organic carbon, providing more diverse populations with the ability to thrive. This is also why, if crop residue isn't returned to the soil frequently, the soil organisms will starve and the soil will eventually die. By dying, Dr. Lal means the soil will no longer contain enough living organisms to carry on the biogeochemical and biogeophysical processes needed for healthy plant growth.
Dr. Lal outlines the concentrations of organic carbon in the soil, which should be approximately 2% in the top 8 to 12 inches. Maintaining this level of soil carbon is essential for water retention and for controlling soil erosion and leaching. It's also critical for nutrient cycling and improved soil structure. Dr. Lal states that CNPK should be the slogan for the application of elements, rather than NPK because carbon is such a critical component of a healthy soil system.
Dr. Lal details how carbon is essential for the utilization of the nutrients in the soil, whether they are native or applied, and illustrates the management of soil carbon levels by describing it in similar terms to managing a bank account. In a bank account, the goal is to increase the savings, and therefore what is deposited into the bank must always be more than what is withdrawn from the bank. Soil is exactly the same way. If we want the organic matter to increase in the soil, what we put in as a biomass carbon must be more than what is taken out.
We lose carbon from the soil for four different reasons. These reasons are erosion, leaching, decomposition, and volatilization. It's important to know the amount of carbon loss happening from the soil so we can add a sufficient amount of biomass carbon back to the soil. The efficiency of humidification is about 15-20%, meaning the carbon added into the soil after harvest is 15 -20% of the original biomass after one year.
Dr. Lal says that the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in corn or wheat residue is approximately 80:100, while the carbon to nitrogen ratio of humus is 12:15. That means the humus is more enriched in nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Therefore, to make the most efficient use of the added biomass, microbes need nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and other elements to transform the residue carbon into humus carbon. In an experiment on Dr. Lal's current Columbus, OH research farm, he developed four plots with 4, 8, 12, or 16 tons of biomass per hectare respectively. He then cut each plot into two and added extra nitrogen and phosphorus on the one side of the plot and no additional nutrients on the other side. The results showed the percentage of residue converted into stable humus is substantially increased when extra nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients are added then when there are none.
Dr. Lal also describes his thoughts on providing farmers with compensation for ecosystem services. As a society, we could ask farmers to provide services to the global community such as carbon sequestration and the improvement of water quality. Dr. Lal believes society should be willing to compensate farmers for these services. He describes how he's calculated the cost farmers should be paid and has determined a baseline of $16 per acre per year by calculating in terms of tons of carbon and the worth of that carbon ($125 per ton) sequestered in soil as organic matter. Dr. Lal's outlined system of ecosystem services is not similar to a subsidy but is rather a payment earned for services performed. Dr. Lal also describes the necessity of passing a Healthy Soil Act. Similar to the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, the Healthy Soil Act would be critically important to human health and to the slowing of climate change. Dr. Lal believes the passage of this act is especially critical because of the impact soil has on both air and water. Soil is the link between the atmosphere, the environment, plants, animals, and people.
This episode is densely packed with information about soil health and how to achieve it, not only for farmers but also for policymakers and educators. As Dr. Lal says in his closing remarks, "Agriculture, if done properly, has to be a solution to environmental issues."
Resources:
Dr. Rattan Lal, Soil Rock Star Societal Value of Soil Carbon journal article Rights of Soil journal articleSupport For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Mon, 11 May 2020 - 34min - 337 - Collaboration, Spirit and Change, Perspectives from Ray Archuleta
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John Kempf interviews Ray Archuleta, an outspoken proponent of healthy soil systems and the founder of Understanding Ag and the Soil Health Academy. Ray has spent decades working in conservation agriculture and, in this episode, he describes his journey from seeing nature as a competitive entity, in which all else should be killed in order for the desired crop to survive, to his understanding today that nature thrives on diversity and collaboration.
Ray describes how new science and technology have identified many examples of collaboration in agroecology, like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which share water resources and transport energy and nutrients from organism to organism. Even under stress conditions, these microbes provide water to the plant, an example of nature sharing resources rather than competing. He provides examples of research that illustrate fields with a diversity of species showing greater resilience and yields than monoculture plantings.
Ray attended graduate school at New Mexico State University, after which he served as a livestock specialist in the Peace Corps and then as a conservation agronomist with the NRCS. During Ray's early years working in conservation agriculture, he started asking difficult questions: "Why is sediment the number one water quality problem in the nation? Why does it take so many acres to make a living?" Through these questions and more, reading books such as Allan Savory's Holistic Management, and coming to Gabe Brown's ranch in 2007, Ray had revelatory moments, realizing that robust soil ecology is the key to solving many of the challenges plaguing farms today.
On Gabe's farm, Ray observed an ideal example of a thriving ecology. When he realized the crops had received no support from nitrogen or chemical fertility applications, he began to dig deep, looking for research that would explain how this ecosystem was working. What he found was that nature thrives when collaborations between compatible organisms are fostered, illustrated not only in agronomic studies such as Brown University's paper on Stress Gradient Hypothesis but also in the real-world operations of early-adopting farmers.
John and Ray describe the collaboration taking place between plants, microbes, and bacteria in a healthy ecosystem as descriptive of a larger collaboration between farmers who are practicing these methods and sharing their information with other growers. Ray describes his own journey from viewing farming as drudgery to learning how the relationship between the living organisms works and feeling like he was a part of that relationship.
The conversation takes a deep dive into this farmer-soil-plant relationship, providing growers with the history of the soil health movement, the roles that policy, society, and agriculture play in the broader global health context, and the encouraging view on the vast gains that have been made in the field of soil health since the beginning of Ray's career as a soil conservationist thirty years ago.
Resources:
Understanding Ag The Soil Health Academy The Stress Gradient Hypothesis Holistic Management by Allan Savory Gabe Brown's RanchSupport For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 28 Apr 2020 - 52min - 336 - Biophysics of Soil Plant Systems with Arden Andersen
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Dr. Arden Andersen, who holds a Ph.D. in Agriculture and Biophysics. In this conversation on biophysics, John and Dr. Andersen explore topics such as the role of calcium, soil compaction, pest pressure, and more from the perspective of biophysics and energy.
Dr. Andersen's career in agriculture started in childhood on his family's holistically managed dairy farm. This experience provided him with the daring to question accepted science and to forge new paths. While earning a bachelor's degree in agriculture, Dr. Andersen noted that his father's herd suffered from none of the dairy diseases he was studying, allowing him to draw a correlation between disease immunity and herd health. Through further study, he determined that immunity is influenced by nutrition and that this principle is the same for plants and mammals, including humans. Dr. Andersen dove into the world of biophysics, learning from pioneers such as Dr. Philip Callahan, Dr. Dan Skow, Dr. Fritz-Albert Popp, and Dr. Carey Reams, all of whom have had a vast influence on the fields of biophysics and energetics.
Dr. Andersen reiterates the importance of soil calcium and functional biology to plant health, but from the perspective of the energetic signals the minerals and plants are carrying. He says that calcium is the foundational messenger that allows communication within the plant/soil system at the cellular level and that if calcium is ample, foliar sprays become much more successful and effective. Similar to putting a cheater bar on the end of a wrench to gain additional torque, foliar sprays add the last touches of power to a plant that has a sufficient soil base of nutrition.
John and Dr. Andersen discuss clay chemistry and clay aging and how this impacts soil compaction. Clay aging is a term derived from the petroleum industry and it describes the process that develops when enough potassium chloride has been applied into the clay matrix to drive out the calcium and magnesium. At this point, the clay collapses and hardens at the molecular level, and soil compacts easily.
Dr. Andersen warns that high-powered artificially produced electromagnetic frequencies can exhaust antioxidants and essential nutrients. To overcome the negative impact of these frequencies, plants must have a solid foundation of biology to derive nutrition from the soil. He states that plant growth is restricted by energetic limitations, and not by time. The subtle energies that drive information exchange between and within living cells determine how fast that cell can grow. An insufficiency of harmonic energy can lead to an insufficiency of molecular movement. By harnessing these energetic life forces, plants can be grown to maturity much faster. Dr. Andersen notes that plant genetic information is carried by an energetic signature that determines the physical chemistry and describes how stray energetic current causes both plant and animal disease by interfering with the central energy signature of that living organism.
Dr. Andersen stresses the importance of being in tune with the soil, plants, and life in the field. He reviews the scientific component of communication between plants and the human heart and mind, stating that it's the life force in plants that we are gaining from the food we eat which keeps us alive. Listen to this episode to explore how understanding energetic life forces can provide the key to gaining enhanced performance from our crop genetics and environment.
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Mon, 13 Apr 2020 - 1h 07min - 335 - Developing Disease Suppressive Soil with Jill Clapperton
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John Kempf interviews Dr. Jill Clapperton, a plant physiologist with an intuitive understanding of the workings of the rhizosphere and an abundance of metaphors that clearly explain these mechanisms. Dr. Clapperton worked as the Rhizosphere Ecologist at AgriFood Canada and more recently started her own company, Rhizoterra, where she researches agronomic practices and develops technologies for scientific on-farm decision making.
John and Dr. Clapperton delve into the science of the rhizosphere, discussing how the plant drives and controls the actions that transpire there. Each plant species exudes its own signature of carbon compounds, including sugars, amino acids, lipids, nucleic acids, and other compounds, which Dr. Clapperton refers to as 'carbon skeletons'. The plant then works with the rhizosphere to add the 'meat' of mineral nutrients, oxygen, hydroxyl groups, and more to make the long or short carbon chain 'skeletons' functional. Dr. Clapperton describes the function of these carbon chains as having multiple "command lines" or calls to action, available in their service of the plant. These actions include things such as calling in nematodes to parasitize insect larvae that are feeding on the roots of the plant, or calling in nitrogen-fixing bacteria if the plant is a legume.
Dr. Clapperton also details how the nutrient density of a crop varies based on the cover crop species grown prior to the crop. The root exudates of different plant species develop entirely different colonies of soil fauna to bind the nutrition they need and deliver it to the plant. Because of this, a multi-species cover crop will provide a greater number of different nutrients available in the soil to the following crop. Dr. Clapperton outlines a detailed list of the crops with a compatible rhizobium; for example corn and canola rhizobia are incompatible.
Dr. Clapperton also describes the various forms that photosynthates can take within the plant structure, underscoring the need for a robust photosynthesis cycle. As a metaphor, Dr. Clapperton suggests it's like starting with the train engine, which is the photosynthate, and then continuing to add cars onto the train by building these very different molecules from photosynthesis. In the complicated plant/mycorrhizae relationship, the mycorrhizae may need slightly more acidic root exudates in order to grow its hyphae, so it gathers minerals and transports them into the plant, trading them for more amino acids and carboxylic acids and organic acids. Scenarios occur where secondary plant compounds used for fighting disease are made, and if the plant doesn't need them, they will be broken down and redeveloped into other compounds.
In addition, Dr. Clapperton describes how microbes seem to "hoard" amino acids and mineral elements and that if the soil fauna contained only microbes they would out-compete the plant for nutrients. Thus, predator/prey relationships come into play in which the plant calls for other organisms such as bacteria and fungi to eat and digest the microbes, making the nutrients being held by the microbes available for the plant. She describes the methods plants use to continually assess their needs and send chemical signals to the rhizosphere. For example, if there's an aphid on the leaves, the plant sends a signal to ramp up secondary metabolite production to lignify the leaves.
Dr. Clapperton's latest research focuses on maintaining a preventative environment in plants, finding and replicating the factors that lead to plant resistance to disease and pest attack. For example, nematodes trying to puncture the roots of an onion crop can be parasitized by fungi, and insects trying to eat the roots can be preyed upon by nematodes. Dr. Clapperton is researching these interactions and learning how we can develop the conditions for them to occur. Learn more about her research on the Rhizoterra website.
Listen to learn:
How to switch plants from dependence on spoon-fed sugars to a healthy relationship with the soil rhizosphere. How feeding sugars causes unhealthy behavior in the rhizosphere that detracts from plant disease resistance. Why creating an environment where roots can grow rapidly inhibits plant disease incidence. Which plants develop rhizobia that work well with each other, and which plants to avoid planting together. How to grow crops with a proactive immunity so they acquire defense systems in place against pests. How to work with research organizations to measure the efficacy of new practices, and why it is critical to measure yield and quality results comparisons.Resources:
Physiological Plant Ecology by Walter Larcher Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease by Dr. Don Huber Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants by Horst Marschner Gabe Brown on YouTube Dr. Jill Clapperton on YouTube Dr. Kris Nichols on YouTube Dr. Christine Jones on YouTube For the Love of Soil: Strategies to Regenerate our Food Production Systems by Nicole Masters Environmental Science and Sustainability by Daniel Sherman and David MontgomerySupport For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 - 1h 03min - 334 - Achieving Genetic Potential of 2-3 X Higher Grain Yield with Norman Uphoff
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Dr. Norman Uphoff, who was the director of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development from 1990 to 2005, and is currently Professor Emeritus of Government and International Agriculture at Cornell University.
In this episode, Dr. Uphoff relates how he learned about the System of Rice Intensification in 1993 when he was sent to Madagascar as part of an initiative led by Cornell University to develop a program to increase rice yields and help rural development. There Dr. Uphoff learned about the System of Rice Intensification, a method of growing rice that was claimed to increase yields dramatically that had been developed by a French Jesuit priest named Father Henri de Laulanié. Dr. Uphoff was skeptical that the full extent of the reported yields was true but thought the method merited further investigation and developed a plan for the Cornell program to run trials.
The System of Rice Intensification focuses on providing plants with oxygen, photosynthesis, and soil biology, involving methods that were not the norm in the growing practices used in rice production, but that consistently increased yields from 50 to 200%. Farmers using this system saw many more tillers, greater root growth, and plants that stayed green longer. The plants intercepted more sun, gave higher yields, and were more resistant to pests and diseases. They didn't bend over in storms as easily and could withstand water stress and drought conditions. Dr. Uphoff describes how he trialed the method, demonstrating it on the ground in Madagascar and then expanding it to other countries.
Dr. Uphoff describes the practices used in the SRI method for growing rice and then shows how those same methods, renamed to System of Crop Intensification (SCI), can work for other crops. One key characteristic of SRI and SCI is the use of compost instead of commercial fertilizers. Dr. Uphoff describes the situations in which compost shows the same efficacy as commercial fertilizer. This episode is a gem from one of the pioneers who achieved wide promotion of regenerative growing practices in an era when those practices were much less popular than they are today.
Resources:
Photo mentioned in the episode: (Note from Dr. Uphoff: "The two rice plants in Cuba are the same variety (VN 2081) and the same age (52 days after seeding in nursery). SRI plant on right was transplanted from the nursery at 13 days into SRI growing conditions, while the plant on left was removed from nursery at 52 days for transplanting at usual time in Cuba. 43 tillers vs. 5 tillers; as important are the differences in size and color(!) between the two plants. The size of the SRI roots says to me that the soil into which Luis Romero planted this seedling was really well-endowed with beneficial microorganisms that stimulated this root growth.")
Links:
Dr. Norman Uphoff's website Book: System of Rice Intensification; Responses to Frequently Asked Questions New York Times Article Cornell Article Modern Farmer ArticleDr. Norman Uphoff's published research articles:
All Dr. Uphoff's research papers The system of rice intensification as a sustainable agricultural innovation: Introducing, adapting and scaling up a system of rice intensification practices in the Timbuktu region of Mali Symbiotic Root-Endophytic Soil Microbes Improve Crop Productivity and Provide Environmental Benefits Grain yield and nitrogen utilization in response to reducing nitrogen rate in hybrid rice transplanted as single seedlingsSupport For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 17 Mar 2020 - 1h 21min - 333 - Relay Cropping Grain with Jason Mauck
In this episode of The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Jason Mauck, an Indiana corn, soybean, wheat, and hog producer who thinks outside the borders of convention and who has pioneered a number of innovative practices.
Jason describes the guiding force behind his experiments and innovation as the desire to gain as much control over the variables in farming as possible. Rather than embracing traditional planting and application methods, Jason experiments with new approaches to farming, measuring whether they give him more resilience and control over his inputs and yields.
Jason is passionate about relay cropping, the practice of having a second crop growing before the first crop is harvested. An example of this is a cool grass cereal such as wheat or rye planted with a summer annual of corn or soybeans. He describes his experimentation with this approach, from the original plan of planting two crops together and doing all of the same things he would do for each crop planted separately, to his current understanding of the equilibrium needed to successfully bring both crops to maturity with a productive harvest. He has experimented with modifying the width of the rows to accommodate the needs of both growing crops. He also discusses the role manure management plays in his farming operation, and how his goal is to use this source of nitrogen to decrease his dependence on off-farm inputs.
In this interview, Jason talks about seldom discussed ideas, such as the phi angle of plant expression, which he describes as coordinating plantings so the solar angles reach the intercropped species. Also, he describes how a farmer can influence 6-ear corn or 200-seed wheat by following the principles of the Golden Mean. Jason talks about the conventional rationale of farmers, by which seed is planted with high hopes, given plenty of nitrogen and all the "by-the-book" fungicide and herbicide applications, and how his approach differs. Alternatively, he thinks of maximizing his yield with on-farm inputs and minimal costs, as well as considering the benefits of water absorption and soil biology the planting adds to the ecosystem.
Jason also talks at length about farm economics, and how to increase the contribution margin by decreasing the input costs while employing methods to increase yields. Listen to this episode to hear from one of the most innovative young farming voices in the United States, and follow his social media channels below to keep up with his stream of ideas and measured experiments.
Resources:
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Mon, 24 Feb 2020 - 50min - 332 - Redox: The Driver of Soil Microbial Interactions and Nutrient Availability with Olivier Husson
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews French agronomist, Olivier Husson, whose pioneering work on soil pH and redox potential provides a groundbreaking look at what goes on within the soil.
Olivier has focused a large part of his research on the study of reduction-oxidation (redox) in rice production, where the crop is grown in paddies in anaerobic conditions. These conditions are ideal for the study of Eh.
Eh, the short notation for redox potential, is a measurement of the availability of electrons, whereas pH is a measurement of the availability of protons. In order to gain a full picture of the soil's nutrient profile, we need to assess both the pH and the redox potential at the same time.
In this interview, Olivier details:
the difference between Eh and pH how the Eh profile changes based on photosynthetic activity how electrons in the soil are key to reversing oxidation and absorbing nutrition from soil mineral reserves how Eh determines water absorption capacity how the whole plant is regulated by the redox signal the Eh and pH parameters that are present when pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and viruses manifest in a plant and cause disease.John and Olivier have also presented on the topic of redox in a 6-hour course format, including graphs and visuals, which is available as a part of the Regen Ag Academy. You can access this course segment below for free.
Resources:
Redox Potential: Eh and pH as Indicators of Soil, Plant, and Animal Health and Quality
Encyclopédie des plantes bio-indicatrices vol 1
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 - 1h 10min - 331 - High Quality Wheat Production with Claudia Carter
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John Kempf interviews Claudia Carter, Executive Director of the California Wheat Commission. Originally from Ecuador, Claudia leads research around the marketability of California wheat and helps to develop and maintain domestic and international markets for this commodity. Through a partnership with the University of California Davis, the California Wheat Commission tests in-field performance of wheat yields and quality. With their in-house research lab, the Commission also develops pasta, bread, and other products to test wheat varieties for performance.
In this episode, Claudia describes her educational journey in cereal sciences, and her focus on the durum quality parameters that processors need to develop a good pasta. John and Claudia discuss biofortification, the process of breeding wheat varieties for a specific nutritional profile. For years, bakers have demanded wheat varieties with lower mineral content, since the presence of minerals interferes with flour performance. Claudia describes the work being done by wheat geneticist, Dr. Jorge Dubcovsky, to reverse this trend and breed wheat varieties with increased quality and nutritional value. Claudia also talks about the function of protein content in baking, and why higher quality wheat is essential for bakers to develop a premium product. If you're a grain producer, you will find the information in this episode especially useful.
Resources:
Washington State University Wheat & Small Grains
Kansas State University Wheat Production
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 28 Jan 2020 - 45min - 330 - How Plants Absorb Living Microbes and Convert Soil Pathogens into Beneficials with James White
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John Kempf interviews plant pathologist Dr. James White of Rutgers University, whose work provides a new perspective on plant pathology, susceptibility to soil-borne pathogens, and plant absorption of nutrients. Dr. White explains how endophytes, non-pathogenic fungal and bacterial organisms present in all plants, are a mechanism by which plants can absorb complete molecules, internalize and propagate soil-borne microbes, and nullify pathogenic organisms.
In the interview, Dr. White describes how plants cultivate microbes at the meristem, or root tip, where exudates are created. In this zone, these endophytes further attract and cultivate microbes from the soil in the rhizophagy cycle, from rhizo- meaning 'root' and -phagy meaning 'eating'. Through this process, plants attract and internalize soil-borne microbes. The microbes are then internalized by the plant and deliver nutrients from the soil directly to the roots.
Dr. White relates how this endophytic process encourages oxidative interaction, fostering hardier, more stress-tolerant plants, and how nitrogen applications and fertilizer decrease the incidence of these endophytes, leading to disease-susceptible crops. In cotton culture, for example, the practice of seed de-linting prior to planting effectively destroys the endophytes present on the seed.
Besides stimulating growth and stress tolerance within the seedling by bringing nutrients from the soil, endophytes also colonize pathogenic fungi, resulting in their reduced virulence. The endophytes don't kill the fungi, but rather they colonize and weaken it so disease incidence is greatly reduced. In some cases, those pathogenic fungi will actually become endophytic fungi in the plant, as in the example of Fusarium oxysporum. Once Fusarium oxysporum is colonized by the endophytic bacteria, it grows more slowly and onto the plant leaf surface. However, as long as the endophytic bacteria are also present, the Fusarium organism doesn't cause disease.
Dr. White describes how researchers are just beginning to understand the significance of endophytic functions and the rhizophagy cycle. In the future, we are enabled to be more cognizant of what we're doing to the soil and plant microbiome in the process of cultivating plants.
In this absorbing conversation, John and James cover the science behind:
How plants absorb living microbes How endophytic microbes change potential pathogens' behavior to provide plant nutrients rather than cause disease How plants propagate soil derived-microbes Why cultivated varieties are more disease-susceptible than wild varieties and how this can be reversed How plant breeding processes can contribute to the loss of beneficial microbes on the seed coat More details that will change the way you think about seeds, planting, disease, and nutritionResources:Research Paper: Rhizophagy Cycle: An Oxidative Process in Plants for Nutrient Extraction from Symbiotic Microbes Research Article: Pest Management Science: Review: Endophytic microbes and their potential applications in crop management
Learn more about the rhizophagy cycle in a new 6-hour course from James White at https://www.academy.regen.ag/understanding-rhizophagy/
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Wed, 15 Jan 2020 - 1h 06min - 329 - Intercropping and Regenerative Soil Management with Derek Axten
In this podcast interview, host John Kempf and Canadian farmer Derek Axten discuss Derek's path to profitable farming practices. This journey started in 2007 when Derek made a trip to Dakota Lakes Research Farm where he witnessed soil health and water infiltration levels beyond which he knew were possible. In subsequent trips to Dakota Lakes and visits to Gabe Brown's ranch, Derek learned soil and crop management principles which he's adapted to his own farm. In this episode, learn about the methods and systems Derek has applied and how they've changed the trajectory of his farm from soil health and economic perspectives.
Derek describes his system of inter-cropping and the management practices he employs to increase soil infiltration. He and John also discuss controlled traffic farming, Derek's liquid fertilizer regimen, and decreasing the use of applied nitrogen and other synthetic inputs.
Listen to learn how Derek approaches:
Soil management tactics and results Water infiltration Intercropping with two or more crops Fertility applications and compost teas Tillage Controlled traffic farmingSupport For This ShowThis show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Sign Up For Email UpdatesTo be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
Feedback & BookingPlease send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or a booking request: production@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Email John directly: John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
CreditsThis episode was recorded by John Kempf and Derek Axten and produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
We've put together a survey; here's the link: advancingecoag.com/podcast. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Mon, 16 Dec 2019 - 34min - 328 - Measuring Nutrient Density with Dan Kittredge
Before we present our newest episode, we have a request for you. As we complete our second season of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, we have a supporting base of over 5,000 listeners who engage with our episodes shortly after we post them. We now ask for your feedback on the podcast, whether there are topics you'd like to hear more about, and what suggestions you have for improvement. We've put together a survey that allows you to tell us what you think. Here's the link: advancingecoag.com/podcast. We are appreciative of your feedback and we look forward to implementing it to make the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast ever better!
Thank you for permitting the interruption…now, on to the show notes!
In this episode of the podcast, John interviews Dan Kittredge, the Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food Association, whose development of sustainable agriculture techniques has connected him to farmers worldwide.
In this interview, John and Dan delve into the science of growing crops as it relates to human nutrition, describing how agricultural production practices can produce a better nutrient profile in our foods and the potential this holds for human health. He explains why a balanced, as well as a higher nutrient density in crops, is desirable. He discusses the complex relationships between the sun, soil, and plants that lead to these higher and balanced levels of nutrition. Dan explains that across the same food types, i.e., all carrots, wheat, milk, etc., there can be discrepancies in the reported nutritional values and how nutritional data on food packages can be wildly incorrect.
Over the past few years, Dan has been working on the development of a BioNutrient Meter, a handheld spectrometer which tests mineral levels in fruits and vegetables. Dan describes the science of spectroscopy, which is based on the frequencies emitted by each chemical element --this same technology helps scientists and astrophysicists determine the composition of stars six light-years away in our solar system. By measuring the frequencies and light particular elements emit, they can measure the percentage of hydrogen, helium and other gases. With the science of spectroscopy, and other new technology, Dan and his team at the BioNutrient Food Association have built a first-generation model of a miniaturized consumer-priced spectrometer for testing the nutrient levels in crops.
Listen to this provocative conversation between two pioneers who are truly passionate about growing food as medicine to learn:
How Dan founded BFA, and how this non-profit provides support and education for farmers about the use of biological systems The science behind plant resistance to insects, and why these resistant crops make good, in fact better, food for humans. The differences in nutrient density between instances of the same crop when grown on different soil under different conditions How soil and plant health correlates to nutrient density How the compounds that correlate with flavor and aroma are those that make the plant indigestible for an insect or disease The science of spectroscopy, and how the new BioNutrient Meter worksResources
The BioNutrient Food Association is having their annual Soil & Nutrition Conference in Massachusetts on November 13 to 17, 2019. For more information, visit soilandnutrition.org.
For more information on the BioNutrient Meter, visit the BioNutrient Food Association website.
Our community impact spot for this episode is provided by Hourglass Films. Hourglass Films has developed a documentary about regenerative agriculture called Sustainable, a film about the land, the people who work it and what must be done to sustain it for future generations. The film features some regenerative growers who work with AEA, and is currently available on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and more. We hope you watch this documentary and find it engaging and useful.
We've put together a survey; here's the link: advancingecoag.com/podcast. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 - 43min - 327 - Rebuilding The Soil Carbon Sponge, and Cooling the Climate Fast with Walter Jehne
In this episode of The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John Kempf interviews Walter Jehne, an Australian soil microbiologist and the Director of Healthy Soils Australia. Walter has written and taught extensively about the earth's soil carbon sponge and hydrology as they relate to climate change.
Walter provides context for the extreme weather events we are experiencing, and clearly identifies the role that water plays as a climate regulator. He describes how we can manage water to safely and naturally cool the planet and regulate climate change.
Walter has developed a perspective on the impact that farmers can have on the climate that is different than the dominant narrative on carbon sequestration. While carbon sequestration is an important piece of the puzzle, Walter explains how managing the way our soils retain and hold water has a much bigger impact due to the way the hydrological system functions as a regulator for the planet. Walter describes how specific tactics in the management of water in our soils can reduce extreme weather events.
Here are a few things Walter and John discuss in this engaging episode:
Why rising co2 levels are a symptom, rather than the cause, of the abnormal warming of the past 250 years How improving the soil's water-holding capacity contributes to a more stable climate The foundational principles of atmospheric physics and the climate The effect of land degradation on the hydrological dynamics of the planet How regenerating the soil carbon sponge is the critical bridge between carbon management and hydrology management How increasing photosynthesis and "green longevity" is the key to restoring the hydrological balance, thus restoring climate balance and reducing extreme weather eventsSupport For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
Feedback & Booking
Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or a booking request: production@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Email John directly: John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was recorded by John Kempf and Walter Jehne and produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
Tue, 15 Oct 2019 - 47min - 326 - Providing Affordable Food as Medicine At Scale with Pierre Weill
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews French agronomist, Pierre Weill, who created a feed company in 1992 in French Brittany with the intention of producing health-oriented animal nutrition. He then went on to co-found a nonprofit association called Bleu-Blanc-Cœur, which connects all the actors involved in the food chain to help producers and consumers connect the dots between reduction in disease and the quality of food production.
Pierre's fascinating research trials examine the differences in human health when animal products from animals fed high-quality forage-based diets are consumed versus products from conventionally fed animals. In one group of six trials, conventionally fed animals were fed a diet of corn and soybeans, and the animals with a healthy diet were fed high-quality forages and seeds. Consumers in the trials were divided into control groups who ate milk, eggs, and other animal products from the conventionally fed animals, and experimental groups that ate the same from animals which were fed the higher-quality products.
The two groups ate the same quantity and type of foods. The only difference was the diet of the animals. In this way, the producer's behavior, and not the consumer's behavior, was measured.
As a proof of concept, the omega 6 and omega 3 levels, which correlate with the inflammatory processes, were measured in both groups of people, and a significant difference was found. The ratio of omega 6 and omega 3, which is healthy at a level of 5 and pro-inflammatory at a level of 10, was 15 in the control groups, and five in the experimental groups.
Pierre also talks about the structure of a new trial, currently underway, testing the immunity of breastfed children with the mothers' diets being the differential, once again measuring the quality of the diets eaten by the animals whose products the mothers consumed.
John and Pierre delve into the link between soil health and human health, and how the human gut microbiome is linked to a larger microbiome in the soil. The health of one is reflected in the health of the other.
John and Pierre also discuss Bleu-Blanc-Cœur, and how Pierre developed this organization to address the problems of access to high food quality among populations with lower economic status and producer incentives to serve these groups. Within Bleu-Blanc-Cœur, producers pay close attention to the quality of animal health and diet and are connected with consumers who enjoy better health because of the producer's choices.
As an experienced animal nutritionist, Pierre provides information on the most optimal diets for hens, cows, and pigs. He discusses the impact of a healthy animal diet, on-farm economics, and describes how the longevity, higher fertility, and higher yield of milk and butterfat lead to an increase on the bottom line for farmers employing healthy animal diets.
Pierre's recommended resources (that are not written in French):
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollack
To learn more about Pierre's work to improve the nutritional and environmental quality of our food, visit the Bleu-Blanc-Cœur website here.
Follow Pierre's research, and read the results of past peer-reviewed studies.
Our community impact spot for this episode is No-Till on the Plains, a non-profit organization that provides education, networking, and inspiration for growers who focus on soil health. No-till on the Plains will be hosting their annual winter conference in Wichita, Kansas, in January of 2020 where John Kempf will speak and present workshops about regenerative agriculture systems. To learn more about this conference and to register, visit the event information page on the web.
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
Feedback & Booking
Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or a booking request: production@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Email John directly: John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was recorded by John Kempf and Pierre Weill and produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
Tue, 17 Sep 2019 - 1h 10min - 325 - Encouraging Achievement on the Farm with Vernon Peterson
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 story through knowing the nutrient value of their food. Vernon also discusses how he's formed a unique alliance of growers that work together in marketing, sales, operations, and compliance areas, resulting in successes for multiple small-scale organic operations.
Vernon describes the "aha!" moment when farmers realize that organic production is more than just the conventional input substitution.
He provides examples of measuring fruit tree production and worker productivity on his own operation, describing why it's important for employees to have access to the data and tools needed for their own improvement. He shares how a simple pay scale increased the output quality without costing him more while paying the workers double. He makes the case for how extraordinarily close relationships with employees lead to greater business success.
Vernon also turns the ag production paradigm on its head when he suggests that growers should start by selling the crop, then focusing on marketing and packaging, before growing the fruit. He also shares his overarching goal of reinvigorating agriculture through organic production. He believes that documenting and publishing the nutritional quality of food holds the potential to turn the tide of agriculture in America.
Vernon's recommended resources:
The nutrient meter mentioned by John:
BioNutrient Food Association's BioNutrient Meter
Our community impact spot for this episode is the cover crop provider, Green Cover Seed. Green Cover Seed shares the benefits of cover crops with the farming community. They do an excellent job of conducting and disseminating research into cover crops species, blends, and uses. While there are many excellent cover crop providers out there, Green Cover Seed stands out for their education, outreach, and variety.
Website: https://www.greencoverseed.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfrK9tSdYXpHFxbhKxgcMbw
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
Feedback & Booking
Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or a booking request: production@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Email John directly: John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was recorded live by John Kempf and Vernon Peterson at the Healthy Soil Summit and produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
Tue, 27 Aug 2019 - 57min - 324 - Weather Resilience Through Cover Cropping - A Panel Discussion
Record rainfall has resulted in an unprecedented number of unplanted acres in 2019. Farmers must now consider how best to manage these fields for the remainder of the season. In an otherwise fallow year, cover cropping options abound during a unique summer planting window.
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John Kempf hosts a panel of American Midwestern agronomists and farmers, Steve Groff, David Kleinschmidt, Brad Hobrock, and David Chance, to discuss wet weather, the inability to plant in sodden areas and the options to sow cover crops in empty fields.
David Kleinschmidt, a midwestern agronomist, and owner of Progressive Agronomy Consulting Services, consults with growers across the Midwest where his in-depth knowledge of soils and soil health helps farmers realize better yields.
Brad Hobrock is the owner of AgriBio Systems in Illinois where he farms several thousand acres of corn and soybeans. His voice and experience show the issues of cover cropping and weather challenges from a farmer's perspective.
David Chance, the owner of Chance Farms and several thousand acres in Indiana, shares his expertise on cover crop mixes, dry weather planting, and farm subsidies.
Steve Groff, the Cover Crop Coach and founder at Cover Crop Coaching, is based in Pennsylvania. He travels across the country teaching farmers the techniques and value of cover cropping systems.
John and his guests outline the challenges farmers are facing this season, with a record number of unplanted corn and soybean acres throughout the Midwest due to excessive rain and flooding. They explain how cover crops can pay for themselves by decreasing the need for fertilizer applications while improving soils and yields in subsequent years.
Listen to hear a broad array of perspectives on:
The benefits and drawbacks of various species and their best uses How to determine your cover crop mix with your goals and budget in mind A comparison of simple one or two-species blends versus a diverse mix of cover crops The differences between cool- and warm-season legumes The value of cover crops in diffusing herbicide residue The value of cover crops in managing carbon and nitrogen The importance of bacterial and fungal inoculation The role of crop insurance programs Which cover crops can shift the soil's microbial population from bacterial to fungal dominance Which cover crops speed up the bioremediation process of pesticide residues in the soil profileThis podcast serves as an invaluable resource for any grower whose planting window has passed without the ability to get in the field and for anyone considering the use of cover crops.
The Community Impact Partner for this episode is the NOFA Summer Conference, a three-day conference that offers a wide-range of seminars, workshops, and other educational opportunities. Immerse yourself in a community of like-minded practitioners and curious learners eager to share inspiration and ideas for organic food, farming, health, activism, and beyond. The NOFA Summer Conference is a family-friendly event in Massachusetts where you can bring the whole family to enjoy workshops for adults, kids and teens, over 60 vendors, live music, games, and amazing food! Learn more about the conference and register here.
The Community Impact Partner for this episode is also the Healthy Soil Summit. This August, Acres USA will host the Healthy Soil Summit in Davis, California. Join farmers, consultants, researchers, and others for two days of engaging learning from world-renowned experts in the field of regenerative agriculture including John Kempf, Gary Zimmer, and Brendan Rocky. Wherever you are in your farming journey, this event will provide you the tools to enhance the productivity and profitability of your operation through biological practices. Go to acresusa.com to learn more about the Healthy Soil Summit. Email us at events@acresusa.com or call us at 1-800-355-5313.
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
Feedback & Booking
Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or a booking request: production@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Email John directly: John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was recorded by John Kempf, Steve Groff, David Chance, Brad Hobrock, and David Kleinschmidt, and produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
Wed, 17 Jul 2019 - 53min - 323 - The Carbon Capture Business with Jerry Hatfield
In this episode of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, John interviews Dr. Jerry Hatfield, Ph.D., a plant physiologist who runs the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa. Jerry has done extensive research on the interactions between soils, plants, and the environment. Jerry describes his findings from some of these tests which track interactions among different types of cover crops with different soil and plant variables. Jerry also studies agriculture as a molecular geneticist, testing which genes are activated in plants during drought versus flood conditions and other environmental factors.
John and Jerry also discuss the differences between the terms sustainable agriculture and regenerative agriculture, and answer the questions: What are the steps to regenerative agriculture? What is the return on this type of system?
To quote Jerry, "If you go down this road of improving your soil, you increase your profitability, you increase your yield stability, and you'll sleep better at night."
In this episode John and Jerry cover:
The carbon balance in terms of improving the soil-plant-health continuum The roadmap provided by regenerative agriculture for increased profitability The needs of biology and how to fuel those needs to provide climate resilienceListen to learn how the carbon cycle can shift and change when growers begin to manage soils and crops differently with regenerative management, rather than with present mainstream management. Jerry says, "Agriculture is in the carbon capture business," and this episode explains why, drilling into the role of carbon in regenerative agriculture.
The Community Impact Partner for this episode is the Regenerative Organic Alliance, the developer of the Regenerative Organic Certification, a holistic agriculture certification encompassing pasture-based animal welfare, fairness for farmers and workers, and robust requirements for soil health and land management. Brands are already seeking to bring ROC-certified products into their supply chain. You are invited to research and join the ROC program. The first step is to download the ROC Participant Handbook on their website.
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
Feedback & Booking
Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or a booking request: production@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Email John directly: John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was recorded by John Kempf and Jerry Hatfield, and produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
Tue, 11 Jun 2019 - 52min - 322 - A Geological Perspective On Regenerative Agriculture with David Montgomery
In this episode, John interviews David Montgomery, Professor of Geomorphology at the University of Washington. John and David discuss soil regeneration at length, pulling from David's experience developing new topsoil in dead, stony ground and his deep dive into the science behind it.
David came to the field of regenerative agriculture from a unique position. As a geologist studying erosion, he became curious about agricultural impacts on soils.
When David set out to write his first book, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, he imagined it would tie the subject of landscape formation over millennia to how soil erosion affected ancient civilizations. He ended up writing about the history of farming, because that's where soil erosion and degradation connects back to human societies. Spending more than a decade looking at how agriculture has influenced soil loss resulted in an epiphany that led him to see regenerative agriculture as the solution to historically degenerative agricultural problems.
In this thought-provoking interview, John and David discuss:
How conventional farming practices have contributed to mining the soil, and how this impacts the future of global societies. David's observations of rebuilding soil at scale and the science behind it The 3 principles of successful soil regeneration:- Minimal ground disturbance Keep the surface covered Grow diverse crop rotations
John and David explore the soil-life effects of glyphosate as an antibiotic and mineral chelator, and conjecture as to it's human health impacts. There is a fascinating glimpse of a South African farm that doubles as a cheetah rehabilitation area, that may spur new ideas on meshing agriculture with wildlife conservation. David shares about his two musical projects as well. https://www.bandmix.com/bigdirt/
David is the author of two books:
Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations 2007
Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life 2017.
David's recommended reading list from the episode:
Organic No-Till Farming by Jeff Moyer
The Community Impact Partner for this episode is Jerry Hatfield, director of the National Lab for Agriculture and the Environment at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service. The ARS seeks partners to participate in on-farm research to further our collective knowledge about best farming practices. Please consider getting involved with this important work as a citizen-scientist, and look forward to a future podcast interview with Jerry soon!
Website: www.ars.usda.gov/nlae
Email: jerry.hatfield@ars.usda.gov
Phone: (5l5) 294-5723
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are 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.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
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
Email John directly at John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was recorded by John Kempf and David Montgomery, and produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
Wed, 15 May 2019 - 51min - 321 - The Regenerative Orchard: Cherry Success with Mike Omeg
Mike Omeg is a 3rd generation cherry grower who has spent the last few decades farming 350 acres of cherries in The Dalles, Oregon. Mike is an innovator with the vision for new approaches and the analytical mind to measure results. He's tested myriad techniques in his quest for the best and most profitable methods of growing cherries, and was awarded the Good Fruit Grower award by the Fruit Grower News in 2017.
In this conversation, John and Mike delve into the type of bio-intensive system Mike has developed and the data he has collected in his trials. Mike has shown that profitable large-scale agriculture and regenerative practices are entirely compatible and speaks to how his operation has scaled regenerative practices. He also thinks deeply about return on investment, the economic growth of his operation, and discusses the positive impact that regenerative methods have had.
Believing that one of the fastest ways to improve soils is to grow a healthy crop, Mike explains his view of the tree as the conduit for putting carbon into our soils more efficiently than mulch or compost. Supported with the correct nutrition, the tree is simultaneously building this year's crop and boosting nutrient levels in the soil for building future crops.
In the episode, Mike gives in-depth information on his experiments with different types of cover crops saying, "When we talk about having a return on our investment, we need to have every seed that goes into that mix be there because we know it's going to earn us a return - not because we want to feel good that we're maybe doing something that we read in a book was important."
Close to the end of this conversation, Omeg says, "I'm excited for every day to bring new challenges in farming. And focusing upon biological and restorative agriculture has just brought a real sense of joy to me when I walk through the orchard. It's exciting, and I love it." Mike is truly an important figure in the landscape of stone fruit production. Check out his YouTube channel where he covers not only some of the most innovative stone-fruit production methods, but also a host of other fascinating topics.
Whether you grow cherries or cherry tomatoes, you will find this conversation between John and Mike to be fascinating and informative, with lessons that span all of agriculture.
Listen to this conversation to hear Mike explain:
His very practical experience and cost/benefit analysis with mulch, compost, cover crops and interplanting How mow-and-blow replaced Mike's use of compost How plant sap analysis influenced his inputs management process Mike's extensive trials, and thinking process, for finding cover crops suitable for orchard alleyways Specific information on Ajuga (Ajuga reptans), Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia), and Comfrey (Symphytum officinale var. patens) Nutritional defenses against the two major cherry diseases, bacterial canker and powdery mildew that he never imagined possible An interesting anecdote on freeze resistance The value of fish and other inputs on orchard plantings The ROI on a bio-intensive system based on increased cherry size and firmness How biologically intensive practices and large scale production fit togetherResources:
SeaShield (fish product mentioned by Mike)
Mike's recommended sources for information:
The Farming Ladder by G. Henderson
Please remember to support our Community Impact featured partners! Acres USA is North America's premier publisher on production-scale organic and sustainable farming. For more than four decades they have been helping farmers, ranchers and market gardeners grow food organically and sustainably. Acres USA is dedicated to the mission of educating growers about the benefits of ecological farming, with content that is designed to help you grow your operation in an ecologically and economically sound way. Check out their books, podcast, and monthly magazine!
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large scale and are 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.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
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
Email John directly at John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was Recorded by John Kempf and Mike Omeg, Edited by Nathan Harman, Produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Anna Kempf.
Tue, 16 Apr 2019 - 1h 25min - 320 - A Conversation With Plants & Pascal Fafard
Pascal Fafard is a consultant and crop advisor in Quebec, Canada, working primarily with fruit and vegetable growers.
He holds a bachelor's degree in agronomy and has been supporting and mentoring fruit and vegetable growers for more than 25 years. While working in IPM, nutrition and vitality advising, and the typical agronomic considerations, he realized that taking care of growers is as important as the grower taking care of plants.
This shift in focus led to his unique take on agriculture that has inspired advisors and growers to adopt more intuitive farming practices in the hopes of fostering greater peace of mind, increased clarity and enjoyment, better plant vitality and improved business productivity.
As you will hear, Pascal is committed to life in all its many forms and brings a perspective that stresses the importance of a close partnership between man and nature. His innovative approach encourages advisors and growers to unlock their full potential and to strive to realize what is most important to them.
This episode is largely the story of Pascal's thought journey on the nature of farming, the relationships we hold with nature, and the opportunity to make both more meaningful. He and John talk about the development of techniques to increase communication between growers and their plants, and a much more subtle way of interacting with our crops, which is intended to provide greater fulfillment to the grower, and better results.
We may be challenged to step outside our comfort zones, hearing what Pascal offers, but one may find it to be of great value.
"If there is something I want to say today...my only desire is... open new possibility to the grower, and if there is something that resonates in themselves from what I say, just take it. If there is something that doesn't talk to you just...throw it in the garbage."
In this episode, John asks the question "What is it that plants desire from the grower?"
This episode introduces a Regenerative Agriculture Podcast first: quotes from actual plants, as translated by Pascal.
He notes that "When you communicate with nature you can receive information as a thought, as an image, as an emotion, you can be pulled to go somewhere in the field. It depends on the person...be open minded...it's got to be your way."
There are many stories from the field and a few action items, but this interview is not about science and agronomy. It's about a farmers relationship to life, and passion for the work of farming. These are esoteric concepts that Fafard presents eloquently and practically.
Pascal's course suggestions:
Maya Kincaid: The Sedona International School for Animal and Nature Communication
Pranic Healing - International course offerings: (USA EAST site: https://pranichealingusa.com/) (USA west site: https://pranichealing.com/)
And John's suggested reading on the topic: The Lost Language of Plants and The Secret Teachings of Plants, both by Stephen Harrod Buhner.
If you have questions or would like to set up a consultation with Pascal, please reach out to him at info@pascalfafard.com
Please remember to support all of our Community Impact featured partners! Chelsea Green is an employee-owned and mission-driven company and a leading publisher of hundreds of great titles, including Gabe Brown's recent book, From Dirt To Soil -- which we featured Gabe & his book on this show, in Season 1. If you like this podcast, you will love their books. And there is just enough winter left to read a few. Visit them at www.chelseagreen.com and enter the code "REAG30" at checkout, for a generous discount just for listeners of this show.
And finally, we are very pleased to announce the recent release of AEA's new online learning platform, the Regen.Ag Academy, https://academy.regen.ag/
The first course is ready and more are on the way. This self-paced series of courses, each comprised of multiple video lessons, and graded quizzes, is geared toward the agricultural professional, Certified Crop Advisor (CCA), student, or highly motivated grower who wants to further their studies in regenerative agronomy. It is an accredited course and can be taken for CEU points from the ASA. We've been working hard to set up a platform where the best of John Kempf's teachings can be received, and where you can assess your own knowledge. We look forward to your participation and feedback. Check out Regen.Ag Academy here, and sign up to be notified of future course releases.
Thanks for Listening!
Support For This Show
This show is brought to you by AEA, helping professional growers make more money using regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you grow on a large-scale and are 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.
Sign Up For Email Updates
To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast email list.
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
Email John directly at John@regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com
Credits
This episode was Directed by Geoffrey Shively and Nathan Harman, Edited by Nathan Harman, Produced by Nathan Harman, Robin Kitowski, and Jenna Sodano.
Tue, 12 Mar 2019 - 1h 19min
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