Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode #81: Fred Provenza Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

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 structures

Fred 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-shepherding

Support 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

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

Episode #80: Kelly Mulville Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

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.

Episode #79: Joe Lewis Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

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

Episode #78: Adam Chappell Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

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."

Episode #77: Rick Clark Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

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 inputs

Episode #76: Tim Parton Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

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.

Episode #75: James Johnson Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

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.

Episode #74: Dale Strickler Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

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.

Episode #73: John Fagan Jul 07, 2021

Show notes

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/

Episode #72: Nicole Masters Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

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.

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