Ag Emerge Podcast

Kevin McDonald is Vice President of Customer and Government Relations at Guardian Agriculture where they develop autonomous eVTOL systems for sustainable farming on a commercial scale. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/es_rU1UJah0 If the term eVTOL is new to you, it stands for electric vertical take-off and landing aircrafts. Guardian Agriculture is working to provide growers access to safe, effective, and precise aerial applications. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/es_rU1UJah0 Kevin McDonald is the Vice President of Customer and Government Relations at Guardian Agriculture, and leads the sales and regulatory efforts for the company. As a 26-year veteran of the US Marine Corps and fighter pilot, he specializes in organizational leadership, strategic planning, aviation safety, and regulatory processes. Kevin uses that depth of experience to establish efficient processes across operations, sales, customer relations, and regulatory compliance at Guardian Agriculture. When he is not working, Kevin is an avid outdoorsman, surfer, and shooter. Guardian Agriculture develops autonomous eVTOL systems for sustainable farming on a commercial scale. Our mission is to provide every grower access to safe, effective, and precise aerial applications—empowering farmers to refine their chemical use and grow more with less. https://www.guardian.ag/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Garth Mulkey and his wife, Susan, are fourth-generation seed farmers in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon and have been growing, conditioning, and marketing seeds at the same location since 1966. As dedicated seed producers, they are always focused on seed purity and quality, combined with proven genetics. GS3 Quality Seed Inc. is owned by Garth and Susan Mulkey. They are fourth-generation seed farmers in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon and have been growing, conditioning and marketing seeds at the same location since 1966. As dedicated seed producers, they are always focused on seed purity and quality, combined with proven genetics. Garth and Susan have been no-till farming for 23 years and know firsthand the benefits of planting radishes and other cover crops. Even in seed production fields, radishes provide the same great benefits as they do for row-crop producers. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/CVlNmw8C8m8 https://www.tilthpro.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

This episode is meant to whet your appetite by revisiting some of the great guests we’ve had to understand how they shifted their health and farming paradigms, how they’ve come to the conclusion that adopting these changes were and are necessary in our food and farming production systems. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/ysv8Zx8b2BI We’ve picked out some great highlights, with Dr. Dwayne Beck from the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, Conservationist Jay Fuhrer, Entomologist Dr. John Tooker, Erin Martin founder of Conscious Aging Solutions, and Dr. Allen Williams from Understanding Ag. These folks are a powerhouse of knowledge, you can find their full podcasts here: Dr. Dwayne Beck https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast/episode/c292f019/049-agemerge-2021-podcast-dr-dwayne-beck-dakota-lakes-research-farm Jay Fuhrer https://youtu.be/7UuWtSiyIZk Dr. John Tooker https://youtu.be/l43o5aca-do Erin Martin https://youtu.be/fAIr5GyUSgU Dr. Allen Williams https://youtu.be/23UrqBEJZ1o Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Erin Meyer is the Founder and President of Basil's Harvest (BH), a nonprofit sharing the message that soil health impacts human health by bringing people together in agriculture, health, and food systems to grow regional systems that are good for people and the planet. She is also a Clinical Associate at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL, where she enjoys training residents in the Food is Medicine experiential program she co-developed. Erin is a chef and registered dietitian with a Master of Sustainable Food Systems. Before founding BH, Erin developed on-farm experiential sustainable food system education and outreach to culinary professionals and health care professionals, owned a wholesale and retail food business that supported regional organic growers that created made-from-scratch goods, and was a certified diabetes educator. Watch full episode: https://youtu.be/s9v36OouaIo Check out the links to Basil’s Harvest, the research Erin mentioned, as well as Janie's Mill. https://basilsharvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/092221_BH_Report_RM_MP_OneUp_Digital.pdf https://basilsharvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Soil-Factsheet-2023-Final-Draft.pdf www.basilsharvest.org https://www.linkedin.com/company/basilsharvest/ https://www.janiesmill.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Jimmy Emmons is the SR Vice President of Trust In Food and leads their Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Connected Ag Project, America’s Conservation Ag Movement and Trust In Beef, coalition-driven conservation programs developed to accelerate the adoption of conservation agriculture at scale. Monte and Jimmy discuss what the successful implementation of these practices looks like and how leaving a legacy is so much more than leaving a piece of property. They’ve got a lot to cover so let’s jump right in. Jimmy and his wife, Ginger, own and operate Emmons Farm in Leedey, Okla., where they farm 2,000 acres and have 5,000 acres of rangeland where they run 300 head of cows and calves in an integrated row-crop and livestock operation that optimizes water resources, reduces erosion and improves organic material in the soils. He is a public speaker, educator, mentor and advocate for conservation management practices to improve producers’ resiliency to weather, operational efficiency and profitability. Emmons most recently served as coordinator for mentoring for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Prior to that, he was regional coordinator for USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation, where he supported operational and business functions across the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA). He has also served as president of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts and led fundraising for the National Young Farmers Education Association. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/1w3ausiWfF0 https://www.trustinfood.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Christian Krupke is a professor in the Deptartment of Entomology at Purdue University where he focuses on insect pest management in field crops. His research has concentrated on illuminating the strengths and weaknesses of the primary pest management approaches used in corn and soybeans. And he has a special focus on Bt corn and neonicotinoid seed treatments. Dr. Krupke and Monte discuss the resilience of nature and how fast it bounces back. They discuss what we’ve learned about preserving the biology in the soil and how to reconsider those pest management systems. He completed his doctoral degree in entomology at Washington State University in 2004, and since 2005 has worked at Purdue with responsibilities in insect pest management in field crops (i.e. corn, soybeans, wheat, and other small grains), where he leads active applied research and extension programs. Dr. Krupke also teaches a graduate-level course in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). His research has focused on elucidating the strengths and weaknesses of the primary pest management approaches used in corn and soybeans, with a special focus on Bt corn and neonicotinoid seed treatments of corn and soybeans. Dr. Krupke has published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts and given dozens of talks on these subjects to fellow researchers, members of USDA, EPA, USFWS, and a range of stakeholder groups including growers of these commodities, beekeepers, and a wide range of conservation organizations. Watch full episode: https://youtu.be/I3NwZyI7ouk Important links: https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/fieldcropsipm/index.php https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2108429118 Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Kelsey Griesheim is Assistant Professor of Soil Fertility at North Dakota State University. She completed her PhD at the University of Illinois, where she worked under Dr. Richard Mulvaney conducting field evaluations to measure fertilizer uptake efficiency of various application types. Monte and Dr. Griesheim take a deep dive into her studies of nitrogen. She gives us a lot to think about like when we apply nitrogen, we’re fertilizing our crops, but we are also fertilizing the microorganisms. And that, Dr. Griesheim points out, is why nitrogen management is so difficult, because we have to take into account the fact that that nitrogen is not just being used by the plants, it's also being used by microorganisms in the soil. And they’re often, a lot better at scavenging nitrogen than the crop is. Kelsey Griesheim grew up in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois and completed her BS, MS, and PhD from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Champaign. She was hired as assistant professor of soil fertility at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in February of 2023. While at Illinois, she worked under Dr. Richard Mulvaney conducting field evaluations to measure fertilizer uptake efficiency of various application types using 15N as a tracer. She is currently building a research program at NDSU to tackle the same issues for North Dakota producers. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/lh16qAxZl6A https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-home/directory/kelsey-griesheim https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/saj2.20503 https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/saj2.20531 Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

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. This is a powerful conversation including Anthony’s personal intense health journey and how he walks the walk when it comes to food as medicine. 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 in the process of 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. Watch full episode: https://youtu.be/iJvIjyJbSaU Follow these links for more content from Anthony: https://www.regencoalition.com/ https://regen-brands.com/ https://regen-brands.beehiiv.com/subscribe https://www.outlaw.ventures/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Dianna Bagnall is a Research Soil Scientist for the Soil Health Institute. Her current work includes integrating research and outreach to secure the global soil resource. Some of her specific research includes developing functions that show the effect of management on soil physical properties, on-farm soil health assessments, qualitative analysis of farmer interviews, and outreach to farmers in the United States. She and Monte discuss the importance of being able to quantify and assess the practices that are being used to build soil health across the country. Listen in to this powerful conversation. Dr. Dianna Bagnall serves as a Research Soil Scientist for the Soil Health Institute. She is an applied soil physicist specializing in soil physical health and socioeconomic dynamics of soil management. Her current work includes integrating research and outreach to secure the global soil resource. Dianna is an associate editor for Vadose Zone Journal, the 2023 Soil Health Community Leader for the American Society of Agronomy, and the Early Career Representative to the Soil Science Society of America Board. Soil Health Institute Website: soilhealthinstitute.org Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/B4aXbYOWxzs Soil Health Institute and Cargill Partner to Advance Water Stewardship Through Improved Soil Health Website: https://soilhealthinstitute.org/news-events/soil-health-institute-and-cargill-partner-to-advance-water-stewardship-through-improved-soil-health/?fbclid=IwAR2IwKGj1LIvf63sCmEZvNURdxOVYIg252o6afWor8BrLpO9bakEU07RTJk Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Jack Schultz is a Research Professor in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston. His research has focused on the chemical and molecular interactions between plants and insect herbivores. And those relationships are what Monte and Dr. Schultz explore as they discuss the amazing communications being discovered between plants and insects. Dr. Schultz’s studies integrating insect physiology and behavior with plant chemistry, molecular biology and ecology. He (with undergraduate Ian Baldwin) was the first to demonstrate volatile signaling by and among plants. He also studied the role of plant tannins induced by insect attack in defending plants against pests and found that some interfere with biocontrol. Gene expression underlies defense induction by plants. The Schultz lab demonstrated the relationship between gene expression, resource allocation, defense compound production and plant defense using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. They also found salivary signals allow some insects to block plant defense responses. Watch full episode: https://youtu.be/Z4JDpBvupTU Some insects induce the development of unique organs on plants called ‘galls.’ Galls house the insect and provide concentrated food resources. A team led by Schultz demonstrated that development of the gall formed on grape leaves by grape phylloxera involves plant genetic pathways unrelated to leaf development and requires relatively undifferentiated leaf cells and manipulation of plant hormones. In 2007, Schultz became Director of the Christopher Bond Life Science Center at the University of Missouri, where he led interdisciplinary research by faculty from 8 departments in 6 colleges. Funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and NSF, he developed and taught in a training program in science communication for graduate students. Schultz has also taught tropical ecology and studied plant defenses in Costa Rica, primarily at the La Selva Biological Station. https://uh.edu/nsm/biology-biochemistry/people/profiles/jack-schultz/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15923339/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Jay Brandt is a fourth-generation farmer in Ohio, who, along with his family, is passionate about soil health and producing nutritious grains. The Brandt family is on a mission to share how they’ve diversified their income by growing, milling, and selling heirloom grains directly to consumers. Listen in as we talk with Jay about his family's farm and how they're building a more sustainable and profitable future. Jay farms with his wife Ann, and their two grown children Christopher and Isaac. The Brandt Family Farm is located in central Ohio, just southeast of Columbus. The Brandt Family has been farming in the area for four generations and produces corn, soybeans and wheat. Their farm hosts Walnut Creek Seeds, a dealer of cover crops and forages, and participates as a regenerative grain hub, providing seed cleaning and flour milling for ancient, heirloom and landrace grain. Their current operation has been focused on education of conservation practices, with an emphasis on cover crop adoption, for the last 30 years. Jay’s father, David Brandt, has been coined the godfather of the soil health movement and is world-renowned for his passion for soil conservation and the use of soil health principles to reduce reliance on synthetic inputs and farm in nature’s image. And if you’d like to learn more about how Ag Solutions Network is working with growers to implement a systems approach to diversity and soil health, check out our website at www.asn.farm, and there you can find ways to connect and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. There are a lot of great things happening and there is always something to learn. https://www.regengrain.com/ https://www.walnutcreekseeds.com/ https://localmillers.com/ https://fieldsofsinsinawa.org/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082845193929 Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Episode 124 is a medley of guests who explore the human health and soil health connection. We’ve picked out some great highlights, with Seth Watkins, a farmer and inaugural Iowa Leopold Conservation Award recipient in 2022. Anthony Corsaro, the Founder and Managing Director at Outlaw Ventures working on building a better food system for tomorrow. Dr. Stefan van Vliet a human physiologist studying the effects of food and physical activity on human health. and Erin Martin, gerontologist and founder of Conscious Aging Solutions. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/jthNraGP1SY As the year draws to a close, we often find ourselves evaluating the results of this year's harvest and reflecting on the systems and practices we’ve adopted to improve soil health. Some of our guests have shared with us that they’ve changed their practices not only for soil health and water quality but also because of a health event in their lives that prompted an examination of their current systems. Seth Watkins https://youtu.be/qjXlJmpTjEY?si=oq6Uwt2N9oJP1gIe Anthony Corsaro https://youtu.be/iJvIjyJbSaU?si=_3ded2srFLEjWK1s Dr. Stephan van Vliet https://on.soundcloud.com/mWXaR Erin Martin https://youtu.be/fAIr5GyUSgU?si=Emxr7VeK6yqA5vkC Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dale Strickler is an author and regenerative consultant with over 30 years of experience in agronomy, pasture management, and soil and crop advising. Dale developed highly effective systems for numerous ranches, even in challenging climates and soil types. And what you’ll want to listen for is Monte and Dale’s conversation about the water cycle, what we’ve done to it, and the major impact it's had on our entire soil system. So join us as we tap into Dale's vast expertise and insights. He has developed highly effective grazing systems for numerous ranches with a range of often challenging climates and soil types. Dale also designs crop rotations and advises on cover crop planning to improve soil, maximize crop yields, and reduce the need for expensive crops inputs. He currently serves as lead agronomist for the nation’s premier cover crop–specific seed company and is a featured speaker at many conferences and grazing schools around the country and globally. Strickler is the author of the books, The Drought Resilient Farm, Managing Pasture, and The Complete Guide to Restoring Your Soil, which was named a top ten farming book for 2021 by Modern Farmer. Dale’s articles have appeared in publications like Mother Earth News, Acres USA, Stockman Grass Farmer, and Grit. John Kempf has featured Dale on the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, and you can read about his work at No-Till on the Plains, Mongabay, and the Atlanta Business Journal and in many Kansas news articles. As President of the Kansas Graziers Association, Dale advocates for greater rancher profits, autonomy, and best pasture practices. Dale is also on the regional advisory committee of the Kansas Water Office and is working on reducing soil erosion and water pollution in area water basin rivers and streams. Dale Strickler grew up on a farm and ranch near the small town of Colony, Kansas. He attended a small high school with 29 members in his graduating class and then received BS and MS degrees from Kansas State University in Science Education and Agronomy. Dale taught agronomy in higher education for 15 years, then entered into private industry. He has worked as an agronomist for Land O’ Lakes, Star Seed, and Valent USA before landing his role with Green Cover Seed, the nation’s premier cover crop–specific seed company. From 1997 to 2019 he operated his own ranch and, over the years, tested and refined his techniques for optimal land management. The unique management methods used on his farm earned awards, such as the 2013 Water and Energy Progress Award Model of Innovation from the State of Kansas, the Kansas Farm Bureau Natural Resources Award in 2015, and the 2014 Kansas Bankers Association Conservation Program Water Conservation Award. Awards began early when the Strickler family won the American Royal Farm Family of the Year in 1986, and in 2020, after 30 years away, Dale moved back to the area where he was raised. He now resides in Iola, KS, a short drive from his ancestral family farm, now operated by his brother, and where he still maintains a small herd of cattle. https://www.regenerativewisdom.com/ Also, check out their upcoming ranching school: https://www.regenerativewisdom.com/ranching-school Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

AgEmerge Podcast Episode 136 is dedicated to David Brandt, of Brandt Farms and Walnut Creek Seed. If you know your soil health, no-till history, and follow the leaders in these areas then you know how fortunate we were to get to visit with David before his passing. Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/Hmsi9yDDtbM We lost David in a tragic vehicle accident on May 21st, 2023. Earlier that year he’d made a 2023 visit to Sinsinawa Mound in Wisconsin, where the Sinsinawa River begins its 21-mile journey to the Mighty Mississippi. He recognized the Mound as a place where this message of holistic land stewardship could flourish. He planted the seed. This vision has taken root at Sinsinawa Mound in Southwest Wisconsin. Aptly named Fields of Sinsinawa: A Farmer-Led Learning Center, brings the message of healthy soil for a healthy planet to the Midwest and beyond. David is often referred to as the “godfather” of conservation agriculture and soil health. His message has had worldwide impact. He mentored many farmers who admired his practical approach and the ways he generously shared what he learned from the soil during his 50-year farming career. You’ll find more information on how to connect with the Fields of Sinsinawa: A Farmer-Led Learning Center here: https://mcusercontent.com/d34a1e6b8b607f4dc0d40fa39/files/eb5a6547-135e-e5f2-cea2-5ac0f4d75e45/Fos_Funding_Packet_d9.pdf Donate to the Fields of Sinsinawa: A Farmer-Led Learning Center here: https://mcusercontent.com/d34a1e6b8b607f4dc0d40fa39/files/d4beeef8-68e3-3555-c5db-5a7b19a20fd3/FoS_Donation_Sheet.pdf More about David's Farming Legacy: David had been no-tilling since 1971, back when they called it trash farming and a whole list of other things. But David would not be deterred, he continued to test systems, implemented cover crops and utilized livestock to improve soil health. Listen in to this great conversation as he and Monte talked about the history, the present, and the exciting future on their farm. David Brandt farmed 950-acres all no-till, in Fairfield County, which is located in central Ohio. He began no-till farming in 1971 and had been using cover crops since 1978. David participated in yield plots for corn, soybeans, and wheat into various covers. This information has been used by seed growers as well as county agents and universities to encourage other farmers to adapt no-till practices in their farming operations. He had also been planting various blends of cover crops to find out what benefits they provide to improve soil health. David was co-owner of Walnut Creek Seeds, LLC with his son and daughter-in-law Jay and Ann Brandt. David had articles published in Farm Journal, Ohio Farmer, Country Journal, and numerous no-till journals. He worked in cooperation with The Ohio State University, the University of Illinois, Penn State University, Purdue University, and Milan Research Farm in Tennessee. David was most recently working with OSU Randall Reeder and Dr. Islam on reducing input costs of fertilizers and herbicides using various cover crops which improve soil health. The results of this study have been published in the International Soil and Water Conservation Research journal. (March 2014, Vol. 2, No. 1) He was also working with the regional NRCS soils lab in Greensboro, North Carolina on the benefits of cover crops to improve soil health. www.walnutcreekseeds.com Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you

Brad Rosen is the COO and Co-Founder of NODAR, a leading provider of next generation of stereo vision technology. Technology developments in agriculture continue to create effective ways for automation and sensing providing farmers with useful information and working to improve operation efficiency. Brad and Monte discuss the power of the type of sensing technology NODAR has developed. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/1U8gpDTKYqw Prior to NODAR, Brad started, ran, and sold Drync, a venture-backed B2B platform for retailers of beverage alcohol. Before Drync, Brad served as VP Product at Where, a mobile-first LBS company that was sold to eBay. Earlier in his career, Brad held roles at Cognio, a full-stack spectrum analysis system that was sold to Cisco, Ucentric Systems (sold to Motorola), and PureSpeech (sold to Philips). Brad has an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Colorado and an MBA from MIT's Sloan School of Management. Brad lives in Lincoln, MA with his wife and 3 kids. Company Info: NODAR’s Founder, Leaf Jiang, spent 8 years getting his BS, MS, and PhD at MIT studying and implementing optoelectronic systems. He then spent 12 years at MIT Lincoln Laboratory building laser ranging systems for the military - putting them on Humvees and robots for various 3D sensing applications. In short, he’s been thinking about this 3D perception problem for a very long time! From his extensive work with time-of-flight ranging systems (such as LiDAR), Leaf knew that they would not be a good fit anytime soon for many of the autonomous uses being discussed today, such as autonomy for the billion passenger vehicles out there. Laser-based systems are too expensive, too prone to failure, and have insufficient resolution to accurately detect objects. So Leaf set out to build something better and the answer was NODAR! Website: https://www.nodarsensor.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Jeanne Carver is the Founder and President of Shaniko Wool. Her story is one of successful adaptation to changing market needs. Jeanne and her late husband Dan have been using sustainable and regenerative practices for decades. Jeanne said Dan was an engineer and a systems thinker which is key to how they understood the land, soil and their operation. From her family’s Imperial Stock Ranch, she and Dan transitioned from selling commodity lamb and wool to selling retail products that are ecologically sensitive. With the founding of Shaniko Wool Company, she has overseen the expansion of the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certified American wool into a variety of products and markets by working first with the ranchers, and with designers, brands and exclusively U.S. supply chain partners. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/Lj1gy73MUdY Jeanne is at the forefront of an economic and rural revival, helping rebuild the importance of traditional skills, connections to the origins of food and fiber, and strengthening local, regional and domestic supply chain partners. Her story is one of successful adaptation to changing market needs. From her family’s Imperial Stock Ranch (est. 1871), she and her late husband Dan transitioned from selling commodity lamb and wool to selling retail products that are ecologically sensitive. With the founding of Shaniko Wool Company, she has overseen the expansion of RWS certified American wool into a variety of products and markets by working first with the ranchers, and with designers, brands and exclusively U.S. supply chain partners. In an era of outsourcing and disconnect, she has led tirelessly with traceability and accountability, building relationships across the domestic textile industry. Jeanne Carver, 2023 Hall of Fame Award Jeanne serves on several boards related to agriculture, and in 2014, Jeanne became the source and voice of American wool for Ralph Lauren’s first Made in America Winter Olympic uniform program, and again in 2018 and 2022. Jeanne believes the most important story she has shared is how well-managed herds of grazing animals on their ranch have revitalized grasses and contributed to healing streams and the restoration of traditional salmon runs in Buckhollow Creek, a major tributary to the designated wild and scenic Deschutes River. With the Carbon Initiative, she is investing in the research and measured and verified results of an even greater story: the positive ecosystem impacts of Shaniko Wool Company ranches across a broader piece of the American landscape. Points of Interest: - Jeanne and her husband Dan have been using sustainable / regenerative practices for decades. - Her late husband was and engineer and was a systems thinker which is key to how they understood the land, soil and their operation. - They operated Imperial Stock Ranch which was established in 1871. - Her husband charged Jeanne with finding a market for selling their harvest. - They evolved through the Value added journey, Jeanne understood that they needed to measure and monetize ecosystems deliverables - They’ve done amazing things for the water and the whole basin, restoring salmon as one example - She and her company are mentioned in King Charles book about food and farming https://www.shanikowoolcompany.com Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Chris Jones is a retired research engineer from the University of Iowa and author of The Swine Republic, Struggles with Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality. He and Monte discuss the agricultural efficiencies and practices that we can make happen in more environmentally responsible ways. That includes a system approach to our entire management practices. Chris talks about how we can work to deploy these practices in enough areas that they can make a difference at the landscape scale. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/GF5Powy4gIc Chris Jones retired in May of 2023 as a Research Engineer from IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa, where his work focused on water quality and water monitoring in agricultural landscapes. Previous to that he worked at the Des Moines Water Works and the Iowa Soybean Association. Chris has a BA in Biology and Chemistry from Simpson College and a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Montana State University. He has authored 55 scientific journal articles, several book chapters and is author of the book The Swine Republic, Struggles with Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality. He also writes a weekly column posted on Substack at Riverraccoon.substack.com. He lives in Iowa City, Iowa. Tell us your background and how you reached today’s line of work. I was born in Illinois and spent most of the rest of my life in Iowa and have observed firsthand how the state and its agricultural production systems have changed since the 1960s. While some things about agriculture's impact on the environment have improved, the environmental consequences of cornbelt agriculture are still severe and affect the quality of life of the region's residents. Consolidation in agriculture since that time has also had dire consequences for the prosperity and vitality of small-town Iowa. My work has focused on these consequences and how the condition of our environment can be improved within the backdrop of intense crop and livestock production. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Pamela Tanner Boll is an artist, filmmaker, writer as well as the Director and Executive Producer of several films including To Which We Belong. She is the Founder and CEO of Mystic Artists Film Productions. We’re excited to explore her vision as she worked to, in her words, “shine a light on the amazing possibilities for restoring our lands. And how we could fix our water problems and our climate issues.” She loves farmers and all of that was what brought her to this film. We think you’ll be inspired as you listen to the stories and vision not only from the film but from the possibilities and hopes we have to address the challenges in agriculture we are facing today. Pamela is the Co-Executive Producer of the Academy Award-winning documentary, Born into Brothels. Pamela has executive produced the following film projects: Living in Emergency: True Stories of Doctors Without Borders; In a Dream; Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence; Our Summer in Tehran; Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields; Close to the Fire; She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry; E-Team; Teen Press; Obit; Navajo Nation; and Storm Lake. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/EmN1tBLja50 Pamela directed and produced Who Does She Think She Is?, a feature-length documentary film that follows five women who are mothers and artists. Pamela also directed A Small Good Thing, a film that asks the question, how can we live in a better way? She is currently working on a new film project, To Which We Belong, highlighting farmers and ranchers who are improving the health of their land with regenerative practices and helping to reverse climate change. Pamela grew up in Parkersburg, WV. She received a BA in English from Middlebury College and a Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies from Lesley University. Pamela raised three sons in Winchester, Massachusetts, and now lives in Boulder, Colorado. https://www.towhichwebelong.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Kevin is the CEO of Biotalys an AgTech company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for crop and food protection. Listen in as he and Monte discuss these exciting advancements in science and the technology. From growing up on a farm in Manitoba, Canada, to a 30-year career committed to supporting the agriculture industry and its most innovative advancements, Kevin is passionate about the future of sustainable agriculture. In his new role, his focus will be on accelerating the development and global commercialization of the company’s breakthrough protein-based biocontrol solutions for crop and food protection. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/vpdvMrombZc Kevin Helash said: “I am excited to begin my journey with Biotalys and was delighted to meet the team in Ghent, Belgium, this week. With Biotalys’ groundbreaking technology platform and a diverse group of skilled professionals, I am confident we will be able to materially contribute to a more sustainable agriculture.” “At the same time, I want to warmly thank my predecessor Patrice Sellès for where he has brought the company during his leadership over the last four years, as we are moving closer to entering the market with our first protein-based biofungicide, Evoca. I am grateful that Patrice will support me during the initial phase, before taking the well-deserved opportunity to spend more time with his family, as was his wish.” Kevin Helash’ experience will be instrumental in leading the acceleration of Biotalys’ development. He is a results-driven corporate executive who brings more than 30 years of international experience in agriculture and biological products to Biotalys. His experience spans commercializing numerous breakthrough technologies in the agricultural industry on a global scale, including in positions as CEO of EnviroKure, Marrone Bio Innovations - previously listed on Nasdaq - and Agrinos. He built his career at Agrium (now Nutrien) where he became vice president and corporate officer. Kevin Helash grew up on a farm in Canada and his family was active in farming until a couple of years ago. https://biotalys.com/ https://biotalys.com/media/news/kevin-helash-commences-role-chief-executive-officer-biotalys Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Reicosky is a retired Soil Scientist for the USDA-ARS, North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, Morris, MN, and Adjunct Professor in the Soil Science Department, University of Minnesota, St. Paul. He has an exciting discussion with Monte about the foundational research he conducted back in the late 1990’s finding that tillage releases carbon into the atmosphere in sudden rushes of CO2 as the soil is opened up. And now, more than ever, Dr Reicosky uses his time to help growers know this critical information, whether it's conservation, agriculture, regenerative agriculture or soil health farming, he says we’ve got to adopt these practices so we don't destroy all of our soil resources. It’s a great conversation so let’s jump right in! Watch full episode: https://youtu.be/7e0GNkksAeo Early research involved describing crop response and water use on conventional till and no-till systems with and without irrigation and later focused on tillage and crop biomass management as related to global change issues with emphasis on measuring carbon dioxide and water losses following intensive tillage with a portable chamber. The short-term tillage-induced gaseous losses of carbon were related to the volume of soil disturbed in the tillage operation and help explain the long-term decline in soil carbon associated with intensive tillage agriculture. These results suggest need for improved Conservation Agriculture Systems for enhancement of soil resources and environmental quality that resulted in numerous international invitations. In retirement, he continues to write about Conservation Agriculture Systems, soil carbon management and environmental issues and to travel and talk about carbon cycling and carbon management in agricultural production systems. Research and articles by Dr. Reicosky: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Don-Reicosky?mc_cid=a3d5482833&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.jswconline.org/content/70/5/103A?mc_cid=a3d5482833&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.jswconline.org/content/78/5/105A?mc_cid=a3d5482833&mc_eid=UNIQID Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Jason Rowntree is a professor of Animal Science at Michigan State University where he holds the Charles Stewart Mott Distinguished Professorship for Sustainable Agriculture. Rowntree’s research focuses on identifying the metrics and management that reflect ecological improvement in grazing land and other agricultural systems. Dr. Jason Rowntree discusses research that focuses on identifying the metrics and management reflecting ecological improvement in grazing land and other agricultural systems. He had a moment where his paradigm shifted and it came in the form of a series of hurricanes. That got him thinking about resilience and what does it mean to look at resilience in agriculture. Jason is also the co-director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Michigan State University. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/9oGUlNRsXr8 Rowntree has given presentations throughout the United States, Australian, Canada, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Africa and New Zealand. Rowntree has led or been a co-investigator on $27.75 million in funding to conduct food system research. Jason is also the co-director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Michigan State University. Center for Regenerative Agriculture Link: https://www.canr.msu.edu/regenerative-agriculture/mc_cid=35b4197d89&mc_eid=UNIQID His work in beef sustainability was featured in the movie Sacred Cow and he too has been highlighted in The Washington Post, New York Times, Forbes and many other popular media publications. Sacred Cow Link: https://www.sacredcow.info/?mc_cid=35b4197d89&mc_eid=UNIQID Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Doniga Markegard is a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher, speaker, and author. Doniga discusses the methods her family uses to graze their animals, how they observe and interact with nature, to lead towards a more biodiverse and balanced ecosystem and they are seeing incredible results. Along with her husband and four children, Doniga owns and operates Markegard Family Grass-Fed raising grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured pork and chicken supplying the Bay Area with local, nutrient dense foods. The family ranch leases land through out the Bay Area spanning over 11,000 acres. Doniga Markegard is a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher, speaker, and author of Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the Wild and Wolf Girl: Finding Myself in the Wild. Her teen years in nature school started her on a path that led to a career in animal tracking and then permaculture and ranching in at her farm in California, Markegard Family Grass-Fed, where she works to regenerate both soil and community through farming. Using the innovative, carbon-storing methods of regenerative ranching, she’s restoring the land she tends, bringing native grasses and wildlife back. Doniga is a consultant and guest instructor at Nature Awareness Programs around the country, has led retreats in places such as 1440 Multiversity, Canyon Ranch and is a regular speaker at events such as the Bioneers Conference, Food Inspiration Trendsummit, and The Grassfed Exchange. She is a certified educator with Holistic Management International. She has worked with companies such as Patagonia, Tesla and Google, and has been featured in articles from Civil Eats, FastCompany, GreenBiz, The San Francisco Examiner, and NPR. Most recently she has been featured in the film Kiss the Ground available on Netflix. Along with her husband and four children, Doniga owns and operates Markegard Family Grass-Fed LLC raising grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured pork and chicken supplying the Bay Area with local, nutrient dense foods. The family ranch leases land through out the Bay Area spanning over 11,000 acres. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/lnR7F3HEjWk Doniga’s work expands beyond her family ranch into policy and advocacy. She has organized a stakeholder working group at the State Capital for small dairy herds. She then took the lead on legislation that would enable family farms to be more sustainable and utilize pasture in an economical and productive way. Doniga’s deep observation experience aids in her ability to monitor grassland health, biodiversity and to manage land based on the principles and patterns found in nature. Doniga is passionate about large-scale restoration of Western Rangelands through cattle grazing. The Markegard Family has forged partnerships with some of the largest land trust groups in California, private landowners, as well as regional open space parks. Each ranch has a grazing plan and conservation management plan developed in conjunction with landowners and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. She is dedicated to finding ways to regenerate lands and community through ranching practices that build soil, sequester carbon, capture and purify water and enhance habitat. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

If your passion lies at the crossroads of food, human health, and soil health, you’re in for a great listen. Our guests are Jimmy Emmons, Senior Vice President of Climate-Smart Programs at Trust in Food, and Erin Martin, President of the Tulsa Urban Ag Coalition, Director of FreshRx Oklahoma, and co-lead of Oklahoma's Food is Medicine Policy Coalition. They’re not just talking about change—they’re leading it. From regenerating soils to cultivating nutritious food and promoting human health, these two are at the forefront of a movement that’s turning vision into reality. So, get ready to be inspired as we dive into a conversation that’s reshaping our food and soil systems. Erin Martin's journey serving others commenced at the age of fifteen when she began assisting older adults. Now, holding a master's degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California, renowned as the premier institution in this field globally, Erin boasts extensive experience across all facets of long-term care. In 2021, she initiated FreshRx Oklahoma, a pioneering produce prescription program, in collaboration with primary care clinics, sourcing from local, regenerative farmers. Nationally and internationally, Erin provides consultancy on leveraging food as medicine, aiding communities in the establishment and expansion of their own programs, emphasizing the vital connection between soil and human health. Certified in Regenerative Soil Advocacy, she ardently advocates for soil health's impact on human well-being. Jimmy Emmons leads Trust In Food’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Connected Ag Project, America’s Conservation Ag Movement and Trust In Beef, coalition-driven conservation programs developed to accelerate the adoption of conservation agriculture at scale. Jimmy and his wife, Ginger, own and operate Emmons Farm in Leedey, Okla., where they farm 2,000 acres and have 5,000 acres of rangeland where they run 300 head of cows and calves in an integrated row-crop and livestock operation that optimizes water resources, reduces erosion and improves organic material in the soils. He is a public speaker, educator, mentor and advocate for conservation management practices to improve producers’ resiliency to weather, operational efficiency and profitability. Emmons most recently served as coordinator for mentoring for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Prior to that, he was regional coordinator for USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation, where he supported operational and business functions across the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA). He has also served as president of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts and led fundraising for the National Young Farmers Education Association. Follow Jimmy and Erin’s work here: https://www.trustinfood.com/tif-staff/jimmy-emmons/ www.freshrxok.org https://www.tiktok.com/@foodasmedicine?lang=en https://erinwmartin.com/ https://americasconservationagmovement.com/ Previous AgEmerge Podcast Recordings: Jimmy Emmons https://soundcloud.com/agemerge/122-agemerge-podcast-with-jimmy-emmons-sr-vp-for-trust-in-foods-climate-smart-commodities-connected-ag-project https://youtu.be/1w3ausiWfF0 Erin Martin https://soundcloud.com/agemerge/086-agemerge-podcast-erin-martin-conscious-aging-solutions-founder https://youtu.be/fAIr5GyUSgU AgEmerge Soil Health Human Health Connection https://soundcloud.com/agemerge/124-agemerge-podcast-soil-health-human-health-connection https://youtu.be/jthNraGP1SY Linkedin Erin: https://www.linkedin.com/services/page/768451314855699587/ Jimmy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-emmons-921b7673/ Stay connected: Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Peter Donovan is the founder of the Soil Carbon Coalition. We're diving into his inspiring journey and experience in Holistic Management, decision-making, rangeland monitoring, and community development. Peter is a passionate advocate for collaborative learning where farmers and ranchers are sharing knowledge and experiences. His rich background in forestry, farming, and ranching has facilitated his understanding of natural systems and how to skillfully manage those natural resources. Join us as we explore Peter's remarkable work and his unwavering passion for the land while engaging the people and animals that call it home. Peters has a background in forestry, farm, and ranch work, sheep and cattle herding, Holistic Management and decision-making, rangeland monitoring, and community development. His first effort in sharing what he was learning about ecosystem process and function was reporting on holistic managers in the 1990s (see managingwholes.com). In 2007 he founded the Soil Carbon Coalition. This second effort was traveling around the continent for a decade measuring soil carbon change, with open data. Peter was spread too thin, not a good context for sharing or fostering a shared intelligence on the circle of life. Without a coherent group, the context of this work was vague and unfocused. Much of the conversation and buzz about soil carbon quickly turned to the commodification of soil carbon as "offsets" which to him was the wrong question—for both our intentions and our ability to implement them. (Vandana Shiva observes that the financialization of nature equals the rape of the earth.) soilhealth.app is the third try: can this help locally driven efforts to ask better questions, and engage more people in asking and answering? Other Links for Peter: https://soilcarboncoalition.org/pages/about/ https://soilcarboncoalition.org/author/Peter_Donovan/ https://managingwholes.com/ soilhealth.app/about Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Sivam Krish is CEO of GoMicro. Go Micro’s technology uses phone-based AI assessment enabling on-farm grain quality checks and assessments throughout the supply chain. Dr. Sivam Krish is a pioneering figure in the realm of generative AI, having laid the foundational work for autonomous design creation during his tenure at the National University of Singapore. As the CEO of GoMicro, Dr. Krish is at the forefront of revolutionizing agricultural produce assessment. His innovative approach combines patent-pending imaging technology with advanced generative AI, enabling accurate quality and shelf life analysis via smartphone. This breakthrough aims to minimize quality-related disputes in the agriculture sector. Under Dr. Krish’s leadership, GoMicro's technology is already making a significant impact in countries like India and Indonesia. It is also being trialed by a major US supermarket chain to assess freshness and reduce food waste, showcasing its global potential. Dr. Krish’s vision is to transform agricultural produce into digitally tradable goods, ensuring transparency and efficiency in the market. Dr. Krish's contributions are not only enhancing the precision of quality assessments but are also paving the way for a more sustainable and fair agricultural industry. His work exemplifies the transformative power of AI in solving real-world challenges. GoMicro is a deep tech company developing AI Assessment solutions for the Agri value chain. Our patent-pending technology delivers unparalleled precision in evaluating the quality of agriproducts. Our phone-based AI assessment technology allows you to assess grain quality on farms and throughout the supply chain – leaving no room for quality-related disputes. Go Micro Links: https://www.gomicro.co/ https://www.gomicro.co/in-the-press/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Daniel Pepitone is one of the co-founders of Harpe Bio Herbicide Solutions, where they developed a series of natural-based herbicides utilizing plant extracts. It’s fascinating how this mode of action works. With more than 15 years of experience in the agricultural product development business arena, Daniel served in a range of senior commercial effectiveness, marketing, and industry relations roles for BASF. His expertise includes the development and implementation of internal and external global launch and branding strategies for new active ingredient molecules as well as establishing differentiated customer experience while advocating in behalf of farmers. His executive management experience includes serving as Vice President and Partner in a privately-owned marketing company whereas part of the senior management team he helped shape company philosophy and led new business acquisition. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Daniel spent time supporting operations on his family’s farm as a livestock producer in Modiin, Israel before returning to the United States to complete a Bachelor of the Arts degree (hon) in Marketing and Communications from Rutgers University – The State University of New Jersey. https://harpebio.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Russ Green is the founder and Managing Director of a network of future agricultural leaders called MACKAYBEN. Russ has made it his mission to help identify and mentor these leaders. He and Monte cover a wide range of topics, including agricultural equipment, artificial intelligence, and discovering the next generation of agricultural leaders, from roles within major corporations to innovations being implemented on the farm. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/CwiU2-WL6kg Russ has had a 45+ year career supporting the agri-food value chain. Having worked for and lead organizations like AGCO, Claas of America, and Case New Holland, Russ has deep industry knowledge and connections that can only come from a life-long devotion to the industry. Russ completed his undergrad at University of Northern Iowa and his MBA at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Lubar School of Business. Russ credits his success in the agricultural business to being raised with a Midwest work ethic surrounded by people who genuinely cared for each other’s interests and community well-being. Named by Farm Industry News as one of the 10 Fascinating People in Agriculture in 2015, Russ has formed a successful 45-year career contributing to the growth and business expansion of several international industry players in North America. ​ Russ is a ‘truth-teller and a sense-maker.” He is as comfortable with his problem-solving and communication skills with the producer in the small cattle feed yard as he is with his executive teammates in the corporate boardroom. One of his industry colleagues stated, that Russ’ ability to make strategic progress with the quote, “Russ has great people skills and is comfortable interacting with anyone from the small-scale farmer to the president of a multinational corporation or a State Governor or U.S. Senator.” ​ Russ is the founder and Managing Director of a network of future agricultural leaders in a group named MACKAYBEN. Experienced agriculture mentors need to help our young ag and food leaders, as they have the daunting task of feeding the world and our future generations. ​ Russ was recently featured in a video by Green Mountain Lion Corp. about industry leader success stories. https://youtu.be/UwkFISmui9s ​ Focus Areas: Executive strategic development Rapid improvement Dealer performance group leadership Workforce development Structuring teams Coaching leaders to their greatest potential Russ, named one of the 10 Fascinating People in Agriculture by Farm Industry News in 2015, attributes his success in agriculture to a Midwest work ethic and a community-driven upbringing. With a knack for problem-solving and communication, he’s equally at ease in a small cattle feed yard as in a corporate boardroom. Transitioning from a global corporate role to teaching and consulting, Russ brings his extensive industry experience and coaching background to inspire future leaders and align actions with strategy through MACKAYBEN. SATISFYD Presentation: https://blog.satisfyd.com/blueprint-for-attracting-and-retaining-millennial-talent?hs_preview=VlEwCfpx-160998029434 https://mackayben.com/about/ https://www.machineryadvisors.org/russ-green Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Steven Chen is the Chief Medical Officer of Alameda County Recipe4Health, an award-winning “food as medicine” model that intentionally brings together health care, food systems, and agriculture to improve food/nutrition insecurity, chronic conditions, and health/racial equity, while leading the scale and spread of Recipe4Health (R4H). Dr. Chen and his team successfully implemented one of California’s first Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition services as a covered Medi-Cal (Medicaid) service in California. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/Li3OzQ_CRho His experiences as a son of immigrants and a 2nd generation Taiwanese American have informed his commitments to better serve vulnerable populations. He developed integrative medicine services to offer acupuncture and osteopathic manipulative medicine services in Federally Qualified Health Centers. As a former Medical Director at Alameda Health System trained in LEAN process improvement, he led the design of a state-of-the-art clinic replete with a teaching kitchen, group rooms to support group medical visits, and pod-based care teams. Dr. Chen serves on the Board of Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4US), is active on California’s Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition Steering Committee, helped craft two bills for the California legislature, and given testimony to the U.S. Congressional House Rules Committee Roundtable on Food as Medicine. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University and Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. Chen is a board-certified family medicine physician who completed his residency training at UCSF-San Francisco General Hospital. He completed additional fellowship training at the University of Arizona’s Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, leadership training through the California Health Care Foundation’s Leadership Program, acupuncture training through the UCLA-HMI Physicians’ Medical Acupuncture program, and advanced training in osteopathic manipulative medicine. Recipe4Health Website https://recipe4health.acgov.org/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

At the end of 2023, we took the AgEmerge Podcast on the road to the Big Soil Health Event in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It was a great event where hundreds of farmers and ranchers from all over the country gathered to learn, share, and encourage each other to continue to adopt soil health strategies. We asked attendees to join us in our “on the road" studio to share their soil health journey and I want to tell you, get a tissue. These are heartfelt, raw stories of family, legacy, and amazing soil health. Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/w2evrYcYQMA Check out our awesome guest list: Sue Kuennen from Iowa Tom Rudolph from Indiana Seth Watkins from Iowa Liz Haney from Texas https://www.agsoilregen.com/ Emily Kamala from Colorado https://farmrebel.org/ Lance Irving from Wisconsin https://sandcountyfoundation.org/about/staff Jeremy and Kelly Slack from Ohio Jerry and Jen Volenec from Wisconsin Evan and Rochelle from Wisconsin https://craftgrainswi.com/ Nick Sennert from Iowa Roger Wenning from Indiana Cameron Mills from Indiana http://millsfamilyfarms.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. Jonathan Lundgren is Founder and Director of the Ecdysis Foundation and Director and CEO of Blue Dasher Farm. Watching the work that he and his whole team are doing at Ecdysis and Blue Dasher Farm inspires us to continue to learn and understand the biodiversity necessary to nurture our land. In this episode of the podcast Jonathan says, “you know those entomology problems, those insect pest problems? The reason we don't solve them is because they're not entomology problems, they're soil problems. And until we heal the soil, we’re just going to continue to have problem after problem after problem.” Watch full episode here: https://youtu.be/Bd3xBUJFW9E Dr. Lundgren is an agroecologist, Founder of the ECDYSIS Foundation, and CEO for Blue Dasher Farm. Lundgren’s research program focuses on assessing the ecological risk of pest management strategies and developing long-term solutions for sustainable food systems. His ecological research focuses heavily on conserving healthy biological communities within agroecosystems by reducing disturbance and increasing biodiversity within cropland. He received his PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois in 2004 and was a top scientist with USDA-ARS for 11 years. Lundgren’s research and education programs focus on assessing the ecological risk of pest management strategies and developing long-term solutions for regenerative food systems. Ecdysis Foundation & Blue Dasher Farm as a research foundation as well as training ground for future scientists and farmers. He is an Agroecologist, Farmer, Rancher, and Beekeeper. ECDYSIS https://www.ecdysis.bio/ Blue Dasher Farm https://www.bluedasher.farm/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Ladd and Zoey Wahlen are fourth-generation Idaho potato farmers with a passion for regenerative agriculture and sustainable practices. Ladd, along with his wife Zoey, returned to their roots in 2015 to start their own farm, growing potatoes, wheat, and alfalfa. They took their love for farming a step further by founding Roots Potato Chips, a company dedicated to creating healthier snacks while positively impacting consumers, the community, and the soil. Ladd and Zoey share their unique perspective on regenerative agriculture, recognizing the importance of context in farming. We'll explore how their approach to farming and their focus on diversity and soil health has transformed their operation. Ladd Wahlen is a 4th generation Idaho potato farmer. He studied general business and agronomy in college where he met his wife Zoey. Zoey and Ladd came back to the family farm and started their own family farm operation back in 2015. They mainly grow potatoes, wheat, and alfalfa. They both have a passion for agriculture and to continually add value to the farm. Roots Potato Chips is owned by Ladd and Zoey and processes some of the farm's potatoes. The mission of the potato chip company is to provide a better-for-you snack that has a positive impact on the consumer, the community, and on the soil. https://rootschips.com https://rootschips.com/pages/the-farm Don’t forget to like and share us on your favorite social media platforms! Do you know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Jon Bakehouse operates Maple Edge Farm in Hastings, Iowa where he farms with his family. Jon has done a great deal of work and on-farm research along with Practical Farmers of Iowa to do just that. Some of that research includes reducing nitrogen rates for corn in soil health systems, cover crops and water infiltration, suppressing waterhemp with cover crops, and roller crimping cereal rye in soybean production. Jon Bakehouse farms with his wife Tina, son, Anderson, and parents near Hastings, Iowa. The Bakehouses raise corn and soybeans and have a cow-calf herd. As the fifth generation farming his family’s land, Jon has conducted PFI on-farm research for over seven years and unofficial field trials his entire farming career. Jon has been an incredibly active PFI member and would be a great person to speak about PFI programs, specifically our on-farm research opportunities. Here are some PFI videos featuring Jon: Reducing N Rates to Corn in Soil Health Systems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocip4kwlGnQ Cover Crops and Water Infiltration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y9hcBDcQnQ&t=22s Suppressing Waterhemp with Cover Crops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LarRjStaXGI&t=5s Roller Crimping Cereal Rye in Soybean Production https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp3hVyTmLMg&t=7s Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Dr. James F. White is Professor of Plant Biology at Rutgers University where he and students conduct research on beneficial microbes that inhabit plant tissues. Dr. White obtained the M.S. in Mycology and Plant Pathology from Auburn University, Alabama, and the Ph.D. in Botany/Mycology from the University of Texas, Austin. Watch episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwiSd1sKMUU&t Dr. White specializes in the study of endophytic microbes and how they affect plants. Dr. White is the author of more than 200 articles, and author and editor of reference books on the biology of endophytes, including Biotechnology of Acremonium Endophytes of Grasses (1994), Microbial Endophytes (2000), The Clavicipitalean Fungi (2004), The Fungal Community: Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem (2005, 2017), Defensive Mutualism in Microbial Symbiosis (2009), and Seed Endophytes: Biology and Biotechnology (2019). Dr. White is a fellow of the AAAS, and Associate Editor for journals Fungal Ecology, Symbiosis, Mycoscience, and Scientific Reports. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we are excited to welcome Del Ficke. Del owns and operates Ficke Cattle Company and Graze Master Genetics® in eastern Nebraska. With more than 35 years of experience as both an agriculturist and cattleman, he’s consulted on farms and ranches throughout the nation and internationally. Today Del shares his journey of embracing change, problem-solving, and transitioning the dynamics of his farming operation to a more holistic system. Ficke has developed a one-of-a-kind trademarked breed of composite cattle, the Graze Master. Ficke has sold cattle genetics as well as consulted on farms and ranches throughout the nation and internationally. Driven by results, Ficke has a proven success rate in improving farming and ranching businesses – from increasing profitability to successfully implementing innovative practices. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/KGKIdx-VYtQ Del Ficke 402-499-0329 [email protected] www.grazemastergroup.com Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we are excited to welcome Adrián Ferrero, he is the Co-Founder & CEO of Biome Makers. With recognition from the Spanish Government, Illumina Accelerator, and MIT Technology Review —Adrián is a self-described entrepreneur on a mission to improve the world. And he is doing just that as he and his company work to have an impact on how we look at and utilize the soil. He says, “this work at the end of the day helps to improve the way we are farming, the way we preserve and restore the life of the soil, and also create awareness on the relevance of the biological pathways in the soil." Join Monte and Adrián as they explore the intricate relationships between microbial life and the soil as well as the work Bio Makers is doing to provide an understanding of these relationships. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/LfX1sVMguCo You can find out more about their BeCrop® products and solutions at: https://biomemakers.com/ Their products include BeCrop® Technology providing key insights to improve soil health, increase crop yield and quality, and reduce farm costs. BeCrop® is the missing puzzle piece in agriculture that connects soil needs to inputs and illuminates the path toward regenerating soils. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we are excited to welcome Mike Callicrate a farmer-rancher, business entrepreneur, and family farm advocate. Mike’s knowledge, experience, and sheer will to make things happen will help you connect the dots in the world of farming, ranching, processing, ag tech, and ag markets. He and Monte have a robust conversation that will have your gears turning and probably have you asking, do these guys ever sleep? A native of Evergreen, Colorado, Mike began his career by earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Colorado State University in 1975. After college, he started farming and ranching at St. Francis, Kansas. In 2000, he formed Ranch Foods Direct, a branded beef company and retail and online food store located in Colorado Springs. His fabrication plant processes high-quality meats, and his retail store sells those products along with many other seasonal and handcrafted items from the surrounding area. His company also operates a regional food hub, helping to collect and distribute locally produced food. In recent years, he transitioned his cattle operation in Northwest Kansas into a multi-species regenerative agricultural model with hogs and chickens as well as cattle. The animals are harvested at a USDA-inspected slaughter facility right on-site, which reduces stress and improves meat quality. You can learn more about his business enterprises by visiting MikeCallicrate.com. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/4XC6cIy7CCs https://www.mikecallicrate.com/ https://ranchfoodsdirect.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we are excited to welcome Ridge Shinn, Executive Director of the Northeast Grass-fed Beef Initiative and co-author of the book Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World. He’s been a leader in the shift from feedlot production to raising cattle on a diet of 100% grass and forages. Today Monte and Ridge talk about everything from soil health, to cover crops to beef genetics, to available markets. It’s a great discussion wrapped up with a powerful message about the impacts of running ruminants on the land. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/3PgoWjOmDt0 Ridge Shinn is the Executive Director of the Northeast Grass-fed Beef Initiative (NGBI). He also is the co-founder and CEO of Big Picture Beef, recently launched to produce Northeast grass-fed beef for Northeast customers. He has been a leader in the shift from feedlot production to raising cattle on a diet of 100% grass and forages – no grain. In addition to raising a large herd of grass-fed Rotokawa Devon beef cattle in Massachusetts, he was the Vice President of a Connecticut slaughterhouse and founded a successful meat company, Hardwick Beef. He has developed markets and distribution systems for 100% grass-fed beef throughout the northeastern United States and has consulted all over the US and for the Argentine government on the production and marketing of grass-fed beef. His work has been recognized in Time Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Wine Spectator and Smithsonian. https://www.bigpicturebeef.com/ourteam https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/grass-fed-beef-for-a-post-pandemic-world/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we are excited to welcome Omar de-Kok Mercado, an Agroforestry Technical Service Provider for the Savanna Institute a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization focused on the widespread adoption of agroforestry in the Midwest. Omar holds degrees in soil microbiology and agroecology and is using that knowledge to literally change the landscape by helping growers adopt agroforestry systems by integrating trees, crops, and livestock to foster ecological resilience, climate stability, economic prosperity, and vibrant communities. And don’t let the term agroforestry limit your thinking, as Omar describes it, it's the integration of trees and livestock into agricultural landscapes. Agro represents agriculture and forestry represents traditional forestry practices of timber production. Learning about these opportunities for developing and adopting resilient, scalable agroforestry is super exciting and it’s a great conversation. Omar is an agroforester and grazier living in central Iowa, where he's managing remnant oak savannas as multifunctional silvopastures on a rented organic farm. He has worked to implement federal agricultural policies, and currently serves as a technical service provider for the Savanna Institute, a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization focused on the widespread adoption of agroforestry in the Midwest. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/WhLke1JLlZI https://www.savannainstitute.org/ https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/STRIPS/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Conservationist, Jay Fuhrer, a name I’m sure most of you recognize. Jay has dedicated his life to taking care of the soil. He credits his parents for instilling in him a land ethic that has lead to decades of work and research that we all benefit from today. Jay’s approach to solving the problems of soil health is, as he says, doing most of his work with a spade, in a field with his clients. Oh and don’t miss this important quote, Jay says, “diversity is the holy grail to go after.” We may need to nickname him the Indiana Jones of soil health. This is a great episode full of wisdom and practical solutions that you won’t want to miss. As a long time Conservationist growing up in the Dakota’s on a small grain and livestock farm, Jay Fuhrer built a career taking care of the soil. Working at the Natural Resources Conservation Service/USDA from 1980 – 2020 out of Bismarck, North Dakota, Jay particularly enjoyed working from the pickup end gate on the field edge, with a spade and the client. Conservation planning one field at a time. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/7UuWtSiyIZk Building on his experience, Jay had the opportunity to share his knowledge and passion for the resource by holding and participating in countless Soil Health based farm visits, tours, and workshops. While many workshops were held in the United States, Jay’s enthusiasm to connect with farmers and ranchers took him across the globe to places including: Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Argentina, South Africa, and Canada. Building relationships through soil health education and conservation created many career highlights and friendships. Currently, Jay spends his time supporting soil health efforts through the Menoken Farm. The Menoken Farm is a conservation demonstration farm and is Jay’s favorite place to work. Here, the 5 Soil Health Principles can be applied while monitoring plants, animals, and soils. Jay continues to share the soil health principles and how healthy soil serves as a foundation for cropping systems, grazing systems, cover crops, wildlife, gardening, pollinators, insects, soil food web, and quality of life. His work in this field allows him - and others - to farm forever. https://menokenfarm.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us and welcome to our 100th AgEmerge Podcast. It's hard to believe we've recorded 100 episodes with some of the great change makers in agriculture, from scientists, and researchers, to medical doctors and ag entrepreneurs, we’ve tried to bring you the full gamut of all things regenerative agriculture. Today is a pinnacle for us as we host Gabe Brown, our first on-stage AgEmerge Keynote speaker and one of the influential forces that challenged our thinking about the way we farm. There’s a great conversation ahead as Monte and Gabe take a three-hour deep dive into all things regen ag so let’s get started. Gabe Brown is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement which focuses on the regeneration of our resources. Gabe, along with his wife Shelly, and son Paul, own and operate Brown's Ranch, a diversified 5,000 acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota. The ranch consists of several thousand acres of native perennial rangeland along with perennial pastureland and cropland. Their ranch focuses on farming and ranching in nature's image. The Browns holistically integrate their grazing and no-till cropping systems, which include a wide variety of cash crops, multi-species cover crops along with all natural grass finished beef and lamb. They also raise pastured laying hens, broilers and swine. This diversity and integration has regenerated the natural resources on the ranch without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides. The Browns are part owners of a state inspected abattoir which allows them to direct market their products. They believe that healthy soil leads to clean air, clean water, healthy plants, animals, and people. Over 2,000 people visit the Brown's Ranch annually to see this unique operation. They have had visitors from all fifty states and twenty-four foreign countries. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/nX9up_iG0Zc Gabe and Brown's Ranch have received many forms of recognition for their work, including a Growing Green award from the Natural Resource Defense Council, an Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and a Zero-Till Producer of the Year Award, to name a few. Gabe has also been named one of the twenty-five most influential agricultural leaders in the United States. Gabe recently authored the book, “Dirt to Soil, One Family’s Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture.” He is a partner, along with David Kleinschmidt, Shane New, Kathy Richburg, and Dr. Allen Williams, in Understanding Ag LLC. He is also an instructor for Soil Health Academy, which focuses on teaching others the power and importance of healthy functioning ecosystems. www.understandingag.com Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, we’ve got a great conversation with Steve Statler Senior Vice President of Marketing & ESG at Wiliot. Imagine technology the size of a postage stamp, changing the way we make, distribute and sell food and consumables. It is technology that can make our supply chain more efficient and it cut food waste. AgEmerge has purposefully focused on bringing together regenerative agriculture and emerging technologies to make regenerative farming possible anywhere and everywhere and today’s conversation explores those exciting opportunities. Watch episode here: https://youtu.be/D2p7pT-x8No Steve is Senior Vice President of Marketing & ESG at Wiliot, leader in battery-free Bluetooth semiconductor and cloud services. With over 10 years in the industry, Steve has channeled his passion from IoT & cloud technology as a speaker, author, and host of the Mr. Beacon Podcast. https://www.wiliot.com/ https://www.wiliot.com/blog#01 https://www.wiliot.com/podcasts#01 Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Meghan Filbert and Allysse Sorensen to the podcast. Meghan and Allysse are both part of the US Nofence team and they’re working with growers to bring livestock back to the land. They both have extensive experience in addressing barriers to grazing both perennial and annual forages. And, the more we learn about building soil health the more we know about how livestock can be a critical component in the system including not only soil benefits, but the income and community opportunities as well. Meghan started working for Nofence in the summer of 2022 after working for Practical Farmers of Iowa and cooperative extension. She has spent the last decade helping farmers address barriers to grazing both perennial and annual forages. She had been championing virtual fence technology for years before jumping at the opportunity to spearhead the adoption of this tech by directly working for Nofence. Meghan's goats are helping to reclaim an oak savanna in central Iowa using Nofence collars. Allysse Sorensen joined Nofence in October. Prior to that, she was running her own goat grazing business. Managing goats off the farm on an average of six sites at a time in a 60-mile radius has a set of challenges. This led Sorensen to implement a variety of technology tools, including microchips and virtual fencing. Sorensen is also the owner of HireGoats.com, a directory of producers providing targeted grazing services. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/JyFHd79k_dA Email Contacts: [email protected] [email protected] Links: nofence.no Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, did you know that the Ag Emerge Podcast is just three episodes away from our 100th Episode! We really value our listeners and we are excited to celebrate our 100th Episode with Gabe Brown, or as we like to call him, the guy who shifted Monte’s paradigm! We are looking forward to a great conversation with Gabe that will air on Jan 3rd and if you’d like to submit a question you’ve got for Gabe or Monte, click on this link and send them our way. https://forms.gle/PHAfz9cgJU1mWAA26 And, all this nostalgia, has us focusing on why we do what we do. On today’s show, we are sharing Monte’s vision and mission, and why our team at Ag Solutions Network and AgEmerge are so focused on bringing you information and conversations that push all the buttons, including pushing a few of yours. We don’t shy away from the difficult discussions and we constantly challenge the status quo, to seek new life, and new civilizations, to boldly go, oh wait, that’s the Star Trek mission, not ours. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/4REScxuNX8c But seriously, we believe in the direction regenerative agriculture, or whatever you want to call it today, is going and how it leads to a path of raising healthy crops, healthy livestock, and healthy people living on a healthy planet and we’d like to help you get there too. So take a listen as Monte dives into the hard questions of why and how we can help you along your regenerative journey. www.agsolutionsnetwork.com www.gratefulgraze.com

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Dan Kittredge. Dan has been an organic farmer for more than 30 years and the founder and Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food Association (BFA), a non-profit whose mission is to “increase quality in the food supply.” Dan has become one of the leading proponents of “nutrient density,” and works to demonstrate the connections between soil health, plant health, and human health through workshops and speaking engagements across the country and globe, the annual Soil and Nutrition Conference, and an increased presence online through social media, a YouTube channel, and an upcoming online course. Today he and Monte discuss the opportunities and challenges in all these areas. Dan grew up on Many Hands Organic Farm in central Massachusetts with his parents, Julie Rawson, NOFA-MA Executive Director, and Jack Kittredge, Natural Farmer publisher. After a global career in food and seed activism where he worked with farmers across India, Russia, and Central America, Dan returned to the U.S. and launched the BFA in order to ignite a movement around food quality. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/eHE4Nf_bGW0 Dan has become one of the leading proponents of “nutrient density,” and works to demonstrate the connections between soil health, plant health, and human health through workshops and speaking engagements across the country and globe, the annual Soil and Nutrition Conference, and an increased presence online through social media, a YouTube channel, and an upcoming online course. In 2018, Dan launched the Real Food Campaign, now the Bionutrient Institute, that, with open-source science partners Our-Sci and FarmOS, are leading the effort to identify and increase nutrition in the food supply. The Bionutrient Institute has engineered and unveiled a prototype of a hand-held consumer spectrometer, the Bionutrient Meter, designed to test nutrient density at point of purchase and bring transparency to the marketplace. Via the Bionutrient Meter, the goal is to empower consumers to choose for nutrient quality and thereby leverage economic incentives to drive full system regeneration. https://bionutrient.org/ Do you have a question for our guest or Monte to answer? Click on the link to submit your question and we will get back to you. AgEmerge Podcast Follow Up Questions Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEIDQFBcyyzYniqrrgBHXr6AopZddN25xR-6IswEnli69v_w/viewform Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, we love to cover all topics along the soil health and system spectrum and today is no exception as we welcome Pat Miletich to the podcast. Pat has spent 35 years searching for the top supplements for human health, recovery and performance but you might best know him as a former U.S. Kickboxing and UFC Welterweight Champion. I think it’s safe to say that Pat knows a thing or two about what we put in our bodies and how it affects recovery and performance. What’s really cool is Pat has come to have a deep desire to understand the soil health / human health connection. Pat understands the mechanics of the body and what works when it comes to keeping his body working in a healthy way. I really appreciated this discussion today as we learn more about food and how it affects our health and physical performance. We look forward to bringing you more conversations that help us understand that human health soil health connection. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/3gImhPfAjuQ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Dr. Mahdi M. Al-Kaisi a Professor Emeritus of soil physics (soil management/environment), the Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. His research focuses on the effects of crops and tillage systems, crop residue, cover crops, and nitrogen application on soil carbon dynamics, sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and ecosystem services. Monte and Dr. Al-Kaisi really connected the dots when it comes to a systems approach, microbial function, soil carbon dynamics, and soil health. Dr. Al-Kaisi studied the interaction effects of agricultural management practices and environmental factors such as weather variability and landscape spatial variability on soil organic carbon sequestration and systems sustainability and productivity. As a result of his research, he has developed field calculators to assess the impact of soil management practices, such as tillage, crop residue, and crop rotation on soil health. He developed a soil carbon index for soils in Iowa. Dr. Al-Kaisi is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of America, and Soil and Water Conservation Society. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/9KK98Xxfqwk Important Links: Iowa Residue Calculator http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/soilmgmt/calcResidue.aspx Soil Erosion Calculator https://milford.nserl.purdue.edu/wepp/strips.php Dr. Mahdi Al-Kaisi Published work: https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/authors/1702

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Jerry Hatfield, Jerry is the retired Director of the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa, and his bio illustrates his passion and knowledge for helping growers improve their agronomic systems. Much of Jerry’s focus has been on the evaluation of farming systems and their response to water and nitrogen interactions across soils and remote sensing methods to quantify field variation. A platform for his research utilizes the genetics by environment by management concept as a framework to work with producers to demonstrate how they can increase their production efficiency, increase soil health, and develop resilience to weather and climate variation as the foundation for food security. Today he and Monte dive into those topics and many more. Jerry worked in California at the University of California-Davis from 1975-1983 as a biometeorologist working a range of different crops, joined USDA-ARS in 1983 at the Plant Stress and Water Conservation Unit in Lubbock, TX until his transfer to Ames in 1989 to develop the research program of the National Soil Tilth Laboratory (renamed the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in 2009). His research focused on the interactions among the components of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum and their linkage to air, water, and soil quality. His focus has been on the evaluation of farming systems and their response to water and nitrogen interactions across soils and remote sensing methods to quantify field variation. A platform for his research utilizes the genetics x environment x management concept as a framework to work with producers to demonstrate how they can increase their production efficiency, increase soil health, and develop resilience to weather and climate variation as the foundation for food security. His outreach efforts have included participation in the National Climate Assessment as the Lead Author for agriculture for the US and on the IPCC effort on greenhouse gases and climate change. Dr. Hatfield is an accomplished author with 508 refereed publications and 18 monographs and serves as the Editor for Agroecosystems, Geosciences and Environment and Technical Editor for Agriculture and Environmental Letters and ranks in the top 2% of researchers in the world. He edited several volumes including Crop Adaptation to Climate Change and Food Security and Climate Change. His numerous awards include being inducted into the USDA-ARS Hall of Fame for his research impact the Hugh Hammond Bennett award and the Soil Science Society of America Distinguished Service Award in 2022 along with being a Fellow in the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America and serving as President of the American Society of Agronomy in 2007. He received his PhD from Iowa State University in 1975 in the area of agricultural climatology, MS in agronomy from the University of Kentucky in 1972, and a BS in agronomy from Kansas State University in 1971. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/w1ZIIzK09SY Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Russ Conser. Russ is the CEO of Blue Nest Beef, an e-commerce startup bringing 100% grassfed beef from Audubon-certified bird-friendly land direct to consumer doorsteps nationwide. Theirs is a story of farmers and consumers co-creating a new and better food system that enhances the health of both people and the planet. This conversation really gets us excited not only about what is currently happening but what is on the horizon for improving soil and human health. Isn’t it amazing all the pieces and people that are working together to build such a great legacy? Russ Conser is CEO of Blue Nest Beef - an e-commerce startup bringing 100% grassfed beef from Audubon-certified bird-friendly land direct to consumer doorsteps nationwide. Blue Nest Beef spotlights birds as treasurer and measure in a bigger story of farmers and consumers co-creating a new and better food system that enhances the health of both people and planet. Russ is originally a mechanical engineer who spent 30 years at Shell and is now a regenerative agriculture entrepreneur and scientist. Having spent the 1st half of that career in big oil finding and extracting dead carbon from the deep earth, he spent the 2nd half investing in scientists and innovators developing novel energy technologies ultimately leading Shell’s innovative “GameChanger” program. Russ retired from Shell in 2013 and has since been focused on the science and business of putting living carbon back into the shallow Earth by working to scale up proven regenerative agriculture practices. He is currently President of The Grassfed Exchange - a non-profit regenerative agriculture educational foundation focused on farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/PtYXOTziqSM https://bluenestbeef.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bluenestbeef/ https://www.facebook.com/BlueNestBeef/ https://twitter.com/BlueNestBeef Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Dan Miller, Founder and CEO of Steward. Steward is a private lender providing regenerative farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and producers the capital they need to expand and sustain their businesses. And through Steward’s innovative online platform, qualified lenders have the opportunity to join in their mission and help fund the growth of regenerative agriculture by purchasing loan participations. Steward's story begins with its founder and CEO, Dan Miller. Ask Dan what inspired him to create Steward, and he'll tell you about early mornings spent crabbing with his father on the Chesapeake Bay. This was the experience that rooted him to the land, but it was a meeting with a well-known chef in Dan's hometown, Washington D.C., that would plant the idea of Steward in his mind. This chef spoke of the difficulties facing the independent farmers that supplied his restaurant: the more specialized the farms were, the harder it was to get a loan. Dan felt that instead of forcing farmers to fit within a box, it should be the other way around. So he committed himself to creating a system that empowers each unique farmer to steward their land sustainably, with consumers—the people with the most to gain from sustainable farming—having the opportunity to join in their success. After graduating from the Wharton School with a B.S. and M.B.A., Dan co-founded a pioneering investment crowdfunding business called Fundrise. In 2010, it was the first and largest real estate crowdfunding platform in the United States, and has since raised more than $500 million. It's this experience, combined with a passion for agriculture, ecology, and local food that led Dan to launching Steward in 2017. Watch: https://youtu.be/GqUy4gDJ0s8 https://gosteward.com/ https://www.instagram.com/steward/ https://www.facebook.com/GoSteward https://www.linkedin.com/company/go-steward/ https://twitter.com/GoSteward [email protected] Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Dr. Allen Williams a 6th generation family farmer and founding partner of Understanding Ag, the Soil Health Academy, and Regenified. Allen and his colleagues specialize in whole farm and ranch planning based on the concept of regenerative agriculture. They’ve worked in all 50 U.S. States and with farmers in dozens of countries globally. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/23UrqBEJZ1o Today we discuss not only what changes can be made in operations but also what changes we have to make internally. Allen says the very first thing we have to do is transform our minds before we can start transforming practices because if we don't understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, we’ll be hard pressed to see success. Allen has consulted with more than 4000 farmers and ranchers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and 30+ other countries, on individual operations ranging from a few acres to over 2 million acres. He is a “recovering academic”, having served 15 years on the faculty at Louisiana Tech University and Mississippi State University. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Physiology from LSU. He has authored more than 400 scientific and popular press articles, and is an invited speaker at regional, national, and international conferences and symposia. Allen and his colleagues specialize in whole farm & ranch planning based on the concept of regenerative agriculture. They have worked in all 50 U.S. States and with farmers in dozens of countries globally. In the U.S. they are currently working across 32 million acres in regenerative transition. Allen has been featured in the Carbon Nation film series, Carbon Cowboys, on the Dr. Oz show, ABC Food Forecast News, in A Regenerative Secret, The Farmer’s Footprint film series and the Sacred Cow film series. https://understandingag.com/ https://www.facebook.com/understandingag https://www.linkedin.com/company/understanding-ag-llc/ https://twitter.com/UnderstandingAg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQk96t4pMertgPRHe6D73qA Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you.