The Beet: A Podcast For Plant Lovers

Latest Episodes:

Animal Welfare Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

In regenerative animal husbandry, like Will Harris’s White Oak Pastures, animals live according to their nature. This model is an expansion of the industrial one, where meeting basic needs is the only concern. He can tell from their expression that his animals are happy, and that is because of his focus on their welfare. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3LrrcFo Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3sZNdVD Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3RlaE5O EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/3Pqb4W0 Connect With Will Harris: Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. In the mid-1990s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, "nature abhors a monoculture." In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.

Shop the Store As an exclusive for listeners, use code THEBEET for 5% off your entire order on our store, featuring our flagship Birdies Raised Beds. These are the original metal raised beds, lasting up to 5-10x longer than wooden beds, are ethically made in Australia, and have a customizable modular design. Shop now and get 5% off your first order. Get Our Books Looking for a beginner's guide to growing food in small spaces? Kevin’s book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, explains the core, essential information that you'll need to grow plants, no matter where you live!
He also wrote Grow Bag Gardening to provide you with specialized knowledge that can bring you success when growing in fabric pots. Preorder Kevin’s newest book Epic Homesteading if you are looking to turn your home into a thriving homestead! Order signed copies of Kevin’s books, plus more of his favorite titles in our store. More Resources Looking for more information? Follow us:...

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soil Health Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Soil health is just as important as animal health. That’s because good soil provides the best possible sustenance for cattle. Additionally, animal impact has a positive effect, as manure attracts microbial organisms that give the soil life. Will managed to convert his previously industrial-farmed soil in just 5 years to a highly productive one. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3sVetV3 Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3ENlRo0 Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3sXGhIx EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/3PItuCA Connect With Will Harris: Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. In the mid-1990s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, "nature abhors a monoculture." In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Revival of Rural America Sep 19, 2023

Show notes

Regeneration of degraded land. Welfare to the animals. Re-enrichment of the local community. These are the three things Will Harris’ cattle company boasts, and those he is most proud of at White Oak Pastures. And people come to work on the farm, not because of the higher pay, but because of the principle behind what Will is doing. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3Pm1SBL Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/48aVtlL Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3rjlfUb EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/3RnuRYM Connect With Will Harris: Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. In the mid-1990s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, "nature abhors a monoculture." In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Regenerative Agriculture Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

Will Harris is a 4th generation rancher who has adapted his land to a regenerative agriculture system. The switch occurred after Will had an epiphany about the inherent problems of the industrial system of cattle ranching. Today, he uses the wisdom of his great-grandfather, and the cycles of nature to raise some of the best cattle around. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3RolUy7 Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3PH5W0M Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3sVDCis EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/3EFkmZ7 Connect With Will Harris: Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. In the mid-1990s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, "nature abhors a monoculture." In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Encouraging the Next Generation to Farm Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Ty knows that young people have plenty of energy and know how when it comes to getting into farming. Here he encourages them to do that, and discusses the programs his family potato farm enacts to support the local community. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage:https://growepic.co/3RgwQOl Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3ExYU8n Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3Ewfi9g EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/3EAa78C Learn More: Potato Growth Stages: How Fast Do Potato Plants Grow? Connect With Tyler Heppell:
Tyler Heppell is a 5th generation Potato farmer from British Columbia Canada. He grew up on the potato farm but when he left for University he said he was never going to come back. After 10 years he returned to the family farm with a goal to reduce food waste and educate others about how farming works. He now has over 600,000 followers online posting daily farming content.

Our Blog
YouTube (Including our Epic Homesteading and Jacques in the Garden channels)
Instagram (Including

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing Potatoes Farmer Edition Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

The difference between farming potatoes and gardening potatoes is vastly different! Ty finds he learns something new every day on the farm. The most important part of farming potatoes is the fertility of the land, and the permeability of the soil. There is so much more involved in farming the perfect potato. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3Lmwsdp Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/44RZBUB Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/44GoaE4 EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/48bF1kW Learn More: Potato Growth Stages: How Fast Do Potato Plants Grow? Connect With Tyler Heppell:
Tyler Heppell is a 5th generation Potato farmer from British Columbia Canada. He grew up on the potato farm but when he left for University he said he was never going to come back. After 10 years he returned to the family farm with a goal to reduce food waste and educate others about how farming works. He now has over 600,000 followers online posting daily farming content.

Our Blog
YouTube (Including our Epic Homesteading and Jacques in the Garden channels)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reducing Food Waste at the Farm Level Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

What happens to potatoes that aren’t perfectly fit for the grocery store? They end up in cow feed. In response, Ty and the team at his farm started Ugly Potato Day, where they raise money for local food banks and give away many thousands of pounds of potatoes that would otherwise be wasted. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3Pxmng5 Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3EA7YtA Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3ZbMht3 EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/486kz5d Learn More: Potato Growth Stages: How Fast Do Potato Plants Grow? Connect With Tyler Heppell:
Tyler Heppell is a 5th generation Potato farmer from British Columbia Canada. He grew up on the potato farm but when he left for University he said he was never going to come back. After 10 years he returned to the family farm with a goal to reduce food waste and educate others about how farming works. He now has over 600,000 followers online posting daily farming content.

Our Blog
YouTube (Including our Epic Homesteading and Jacques in the Garden channels)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Protecting Farmland From Development Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

Ty’s farm is under risk of being developed, and with such valuable land, it’s easy to see why. That’s why he took to social media to spread awareness about the importance of farmland, and how it provides food security for the locality and beyond. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/45J1wfr Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3ExFeS1 Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3LhAbZD EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/486ygkC Learn More: Potato Growth Stages: How Fast Do Potato Plants Grow? Connect With Tyler Heppell:
Tyler Heppell is a 5th generation Potato farmer from British Columbia Canada. He grew up on the potato farm but when he left for University he said he was never going to come back. After 10 years he returned to the family farm with a goal to reduce food waste and educate others about how farming works. He now has over 600,000 followers online posting daily farming content.

Our Blog
YouTube (Including our Epic Homesteading and Jacques in the Garden channels)
Instagram (Including

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Returning to the Family Potato Farm Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

Neither Ty nor his brothers wanted to be potato farmers like their dad, but after 10 years and a successful sales career, he decided to return home and carry on the family legacy. Today, he has acquired even more land dedicated to the second-largest potato farm in British Columbia. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/4674Uk2 Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3ZbKLal Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3Zb0436 EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/3r8FRyo Learn More: Potato Growth Stages: How Fast Do Potato Plants Grow? Connect With Tyler Heppell:
Tyler Heppell is a 5th generation Potato farmer from British Columbia Canada. He grew up on the potato farm but when he left for University he said he was never going to come back. After 10 years he returned to the family farm with a goal to reduce food waste and educate others about how farming works. He now has over 600,000 followers online posting daily farming content.

Our Blog
YouTube (Including our Epic Homesteading and Jacques in the Garden channels)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A garden inspired life Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

The garden nourishes Annette in many ways – not just through the healthy food she produces. She has discovered ways to interweave the garden into her daily life and tries to involve her family in the gardening process. She uses the garden to inspire her to live a more naturalistic life. From decorations to garden spaces to nutritious produce, she enjoys the fruits of her labor. Epic Gardening Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/3Z3z4mi Botanical Interests Shop Homepage: https://growepic.co/45F9aI4 Book Collection Page: https://growepic.co/3Pnox26 EG Homesteading Book: https://growepic.co/47PkFxQ Connect With Annette Thurmon: Annette Thurmon is a modern-day homesteader who lives with her husband, Jared, and their daughter Ava in the small town of Adairsville, Georgia. After years of city life, she sought a simpler way of living and moved to the country. There she cares for her organic garden and orchard, and animals which include alpacas, miniature donkeys, chickens, turkeys, bees, and more! She is self-taught and loves sharing with others what she has learned over the years. Her goal is to inspire others to live this lifestyle and share her daily adventures on social media - @azurefarm, her website - azurefarm.com, and the Azure Farm Podcast which she hosts with her husband.

Our Blog
YouTube (Including our

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Beet: A Podcast For Plant Lovers

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected