Ag Emerge Podcast

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Dr. John Tooker. Dr. Tooker is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University. We have a great conversation with him as he discusses his research studying relationships among plants, invertebrate herbivores, and natural enemies to understand the factors that regulate populations of herbivorous insects and slugs. Watch: https://youtu.be/l43o5aca-do Dr. Tooker talks with Monte about how they are helping farmers observe what is happening in but also around their fields and using the power of observation while pausing to explore all the possible factors affecting their system. In addition, the long-term goal of his research is to exploit ecological interactions for sustainable insect pest management. https://ento.psu.edu/directory/jft11 https://ento.psu.edu/research/labs/john-tooker 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 Eric Jackson and Dr. Stephan van Vliet, Eric currently serves as the Board Chair of the Bionutrient Food Association, on the BoD of Victory Hemp Foods and an advisor to Homeplate Foods, Water Asset Management, Other Half Processing and The Yield Lab. He is a Strategic Advisor to the Applied Ecological Institute and he also serves on the Steering Council for the Forever Green Partnership based out of the University of Minnesota. And since we last spoke with Dr. van Vliet, he has joined the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University, Stephan is Is a nutrition scientist with metabolomics expertise. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/XF0n6-Yc8LE Listen in as Eric and Stephan talk with Monte about how they are working together to explore nutrient density and food production from the soil up. Eric stated it best when he said it became apparent to him that there is a path forward if we want to create a food system that gives an opportunity for growers to participate in the value that they create through their production practices around quality. Eric currently serves as the Board Chair of the Bionutrient Food Association, on the BoD of Victory Hemp Foods and an advisor to Homeplate Foods, Water Asset Management, Other Half Processing and The Yield Lab. He is a Strategic Advisor to the Applied Ecological Institute and he also serves on the Steering Council for the Forever Green Partnership based out of the University of Minnesota. As an entrepreneur, Eric was the founding CEO of Pipeline Foods and a co-founder of Conservis, which was acquired by a joint venture established by Rabobank and TELUS Agriculture. He also co-founded CP Holdings as a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, developing carbon sequestration projects across the Northern Plains of the USA. In the corporate world, Eric started his career with The Pillsbury Company. He then joined International Proteins Corporation and led a MBO of the group. As CEO and Board Chair of IPC, he led the sale of the company to Scoular, where he joined their BoD and was corporate SVP and General Manager until his departure in 2007. Stephan Is a nutrition scientist with metabolomics expertise in the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University. Dr. Stephan van Vliet earned his PhD in Kinesiology as an ESPEN Fellow from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received training at the Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine and Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. van Vliet’s research is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human health. He routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between agricultural production methods, the nutrient density of food, and human health. His work has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Scientific Reports, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Physiology. https://bionutrient.org/ https://www.facebook.com/Bionutrient https://www.instagram.com/bionutrientfoodassociation https://twitter.com/BionutrientFood https://www.youtube.com/bionutrient https://www.linkedin.com/company/bionutrient https://stephanvanvliet.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 welcome Alan Lewis. Alan is the Vice President of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs at Natural Grocers. Alan navigates government affairs and food and agriculture policy for Natural Grocers, a Colorado based health food chain founded in 1955 with over 170 stores in 20 states. At the federal, state and local level, Alan engages on food, agriculture, nutrition, rural economic development, food safety, trade and health issues. He is active in several trade and advocacy organizations and is a fearless writer, speaker and activist. Alan shares how his personal family story plays deeply into why he is so passionate about the work he’s doing. Alan talks with Monte about how Natural Grocers is a part of a broad coalition of thousands of independent food retailers who are trying to change the food system by changing the supply chain. Join us as we explore this important topic. Watch: https://youtu.be/Okl_9xq_YsI 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. Alan's TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y81rCiw1LPY Naturalgrocers.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdBPUfDtnD6qDMramNjM1Rg https://twitter.com/naturalgrocers https://www.pinterest.com/naturalgrocers/ https://www.instagram.com/naturalgrocers/ https://www.facebook.com/NaturalGrocers/

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Erin Martin, founder of Conscious Aging Solutions connecting others with preventative and conscious approaches to longevity. Erin is a Gerontologist, and is passionate about studying the process of aging. And her story gets even more exciting because of her life experiences and a kind of a-ha moment during a trip to a blue-zone area that enforced her desire to uncover how food plays such a significant role in our aging process. Erin is certified in Regenerative Soil Advocacy through Kiss the Ground and is passionate about soil health while and sharing that food is medicine. Erin is also the President of the Tulsa Urban Ag Coalition and the director of Oklahoma’s FreshRx Food is Medicine program. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/fAIr5GyUSgU Erin Martin’s passion for helping others started at fifteen when she started working in a retirement community. Today, Erin holds a Masters degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California, the first and #1 Gerontology school in the world. In 2017, Erin founded Conscious Aging Solutions to connect others with preventative and conscious approaches to longevity. She is certified in Regenerative Soil Advocacy through Kiss the Ground and is passionate about spreading the gospel of food is medicine and the link to soil health. Erin is the President of the Tulsa Urban Ag Coalition and the director of Oklahoma’s FreshRx Food is Medicine program. https://consciousagingsolutions.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiHPwXqkUcr0HR4gakqxGPQ https://www.facebook.com/consciousagingsolutions https://www.instagram.com/consciousagingsolutions/ 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 Clint Brauer, CEO and Founder of Greenfield Robotics. Clint has a great story. He grew up farming in south-central Kansas and went to K State where he got into technology. After graduating from college and spending a decade plus in media and technology, in Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and New York, Clint decided to return to his roots in Kansas, launching MG Honor Farms on the family farmstead. Clint began adopting regenerative ag principles but was frustrated with the limitations of current tools and technology for regenerative farming and the dream of organic no-till, so he decided to launch a company where he could use his technology experience to solve the scaling issues of regenerative broadacre systems. Clint and his team are doing some exciting work and he and Monte explore that today. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/mVh4EYVAuPs Clint grew up in Kansas and learned as a child how to train dairy cattle, grow vegetables and farm broadacre crops. After college, he began his career with W3-Design, an early web design agency in Los Angeles, where he managed their top clients. Clint then worked for Universal Music where he helped with the data asset management project for digital distribution of music. In 2003, Clint joined Sony and his role quickly expanded to VP of Marketing, CRM and Operations of Sony Connect, an early cutting-edge video service which blazed a path for mainstream services like Netflix and Hulu. Clint’s team created one of the first true 360 degree views of customers across ecommerce, email, offline and online campaigns and the call centers. This involved integration of early stage SaaS companies Omniture, RightNow, PostFuture, Pivotlink and an internal ecommerce system. Clint also drove the division toward SEO as a customer acquisition strategy over traditional media deals. His team then successfully launched the Sony eReader and software across North America, both online and at retail, and also worked with book publishers to substantially decrease the cost of ebook conversion. After a decade-plus in media and technology, Clint returned to his roots in Kansas, launching MG Honor Farms on the family farmstead. Clint has grown and marketed over 100+ crops without chemicals outdoors, in traditional greenhouses as well as hydroponic greenhouses. Clint has also advised over 10 farms with their marketing, helping them secure distribution into 35+ grocery stores such as all Kansas City-area Whole Foods and Hy-Vee’s as well as 25+ restaurants and 4 school systems. In 2015 Clint started Canidae Farms, a regenerative farm network for Canidae Pet Foods (canidae.com/farms), which he continues to operate. In this role he is working with farms to adopt regenerative agriculture practices in return for higher margins. Canidae was acquired by L Catterton in 2018 and the program is now expanding again in 2020 with partner farms in Kansas and Nebraska. Frustrated with the limitations of current tools and technology for regenerative farming, Clint decided to launch a company to solve the scaling issues of regenerative broadacre systems. He recruited Carl Sutter and Steven Gentner, two talented engineers he met decades ago at W3-design, to co-found Greenfield Robotics. The company has been working for several years on its small, autonomous robots for weed control, and is currently in customer pilots. https://www.greenfieldrobotics.com/ https://www.facebook.com/greenfieldrobotics/ https://twitter.com/GreenfieldBots https://www.instagram.com/greenfieldrobotics/ linkedin.com/company/greenfield-robotics/ 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. Fatma Kaplan. She is the co-founder, CEO, and CSO of Pheronym. Not only is she an entrepreneur and accomplished scientist with experience in biology and chemistry, but she also has a passion for understanding the intricacies and behaviors of both parasitic and beneficial nematodes. Monte and Fatma explore everything from nematodes in agriculture to nematodes in space, yes space! Dr. Kaplan conducted the first agricultural biocontrol experiment in Space at the International Space Station in 2020. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/tMsJvDQGpiI Dr. Kaplan has a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology and postdoctoral training in Natural Product Chemistry with a focus on isolating biologically active compounds. She discovered the first sex pheromone of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and published in Nature in 2008. Then she discovered pheromones regulate other behaviors in both parasitic and beneficial nematodes. Dr. Kaplan conducted the first agricultural biocontrol experiment in Space at the International Space Station in 2020. She has very high impact publications and her dissertation was cited in textbooks within 5 years of publication. Dr. Kaplan worked as a scientist at NASA, the National Magnetic Field Laboratory and the US Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service. Dr. Kaplan co-founded Pheronym to bring nematode pheromone technology to the market. Dr. Kaplan believes that nematode pheromone technology will provide effective, non-toxic pest control for farmers and gardeners. https://www.pheronym.com/ https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2019/starship-nematode/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022201119300503 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.

Paul Greive, is Pasturebird’s Co-founder and VP of Sales and Marketing, located in Temecula, California. Paul shares with us Pasturebird’s awesome story and what has driven their team to reinvent American poultry production. They’ve worked to scale the production of regenerative poultry, raising over two million chickens without antibiotics or drugs. They’ve kept their focus on the land, the animal, and the consumer all while improving the soil every year. Paul says, “we use nature as our template, and move animals to fresh pasture every day.” Listen in and Monte and Paul discuss this great American story of passion, innovation, and regeneration. Paul grew up in downtown Seattle and was a college athlete with no interest in food or agriculture. His farming journey began after contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite during Marine Corps sniper training and experiencing the joint pain, brain fog, and decreased performance common with the autoimmune condition. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/DYRbL05vKUo After returning from Iraq in 2009, he and his family started eating paleo and grew frustrated with the lack of pasture raised meat available in Southern California. In 2012, they ordered 50 chicks and raised them in the backyard as a fun project. Mimicking their mentor, Joel Salatin, they raised the birds in mobile coops on pasture, moving them every single day. The birds sold out instantly, and the business started to take shape, especially when the LA Lakers and LA Dodgers players became their first wholesale accounts. Pasturebird has continued to grow into the largest pasture raised chicken operation in the world, and they’re hyper focused 2 things: 1) making true pasture raised + nutrient dense chicken more accessible and affordable, and 2) re-integrating animals and crops in a regenerative, closed loop system. The primary means for accomplishing this is Pasturebird’s Automated Range Coop (ARC), a 6,000 bird floorless mobile coop that drives itself to fresh pasture every daily using solar power. https://www.pasturebird.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgreive/ 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 Schmidt, is the Manager of Agronomy at Regeneration Nation. We’ve had the pleasure of knowing Brad for several years and he was one of the speakers at our first AgEmerge event back in 2019. Brad has a passion, not only for soil health but for bringing people together to share their regenerative management experiences. Brad had the opportunity to work and learn under Dr. Dwayne Beck at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm where he saw and experienced firsthand how these practices worked in some of the toughest soils. Listen in as Monte and Brad discuss the power of producer-based research, diversifying your operation, including why other companies are interested in these practices and working with growers that are building soil health. Brad grew up in Southwest Minnesota, attended college at South Dakota State University receiving a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture Science. He worked for Dwayne Beck at Dakota Lakes Research Farm while attending school and after college, worked for Cronin Farms in Gettysburg SD on their very diverse cropping and ranching operation. Brad then became the head Agronomist for Ducks Unlimited in the US for 3 years. Working with DU he helped found their Soil Health Program to work more closely with farmers to reach their goals of profitability and reach DU's goals of conservation work. Nearing the end of his time with DU he founded Regeneration Nation LLC. Regeneration Nation is a biological-based company focused on increasing profitability and bringing more value back to farmers and ranchers with the power of biologicals. He also serves on the board for Holistic Management International and is a part-owner in his family's direct marketing business where they sell Regeneratively Raised meats direct to consumers. He’s married to his wife Ashley and they have one son and live in Brookings SD. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/y46fkLO20To 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.

Research scientist Dr. Ryan Schmid and student scientist, Tia Busenitz both from the Ecdysis Foundation, join us for episode 081. Ryan leads the foundation’s rangeland studies. His current research focuses on how regenerative grazing affects pollinator and dung arthropod communities, and how arthropods facilitate the cycling of nutrients in Grasslands. Tia’s current research is focused on honey bee health and hive management, as well as land management effects on pollinator conservation and survival. Add passion and purpose to the pollinators, pastures and poop discussion. It’s folks like Ryan and Tia and all the researchers at Ecdysis that are helping us uncover and understand all of these different communities through, as they say, their “cutting edge research for transforming agriculture with regenerative principles.” So listen in as Monte discusses with Ryan and Tia all things pollinators, pastures and poop! Ryan Schmid is a research scientist with Ecdysis Foundation since 2018, where he leads the foundation’s rangeland studies. He credits his upbringing on a family-farm for honing his interest to work with ranchers investigating ecosystem services provided by arthropods in rangelands. His current research focuses on how regenerative grazing affects pollinator and dung arthropod communities, and how arthropods facilitate the cycling of nutrients in Grasslands. Katya (Tia) Busenitz is a student scientist at Ecdysis Foundation while pursuing her master’s degree in entomology from UNL. Her admiration for insects and the natural world led her towards entomology, then inevitably into sustainable agriculture and agroecology. Her current research is focused on honeybee health and hive management, as well as land management effects on pollinator conservation and survival. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/e5jg_WJv3aw 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. Check out the Ecdysis Foundation's website for all the research they are doing, it's exciting work! https://www.ecdysis.bio/

Dr. Stephanie Seneff, is a Senior Research Scientist at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. On this podcast Monte and Dr. Seneff discuss her research and work in understanding the role of toxic chemicals and micronutrient deficiencies in health and disease. Sometimes our topics are hard but necessary to hear. Hopefully, this conversation will encourage you to do some critical thinking about our production systems and how we can continue working to improve not only soil health but human health. Dr. Seneff has a BS degree from MIT in biology and MS, EE and PhD degrees from MIT in electrical engineering and computer science. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings. Her recent interests have focused on the role of toxic chemicals and micronutrient deficiencies in health and disease, with a special emphasis on the pervasive herbicide, Roundup, and the mineral, sulfur. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/wUevAQAQGeo Dr. Seneff's Website: stephanieseneff.net Toxic Legacy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0971R287S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Bioconcentration of glyphosate in wetland biofilms: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33310222/ Glyphosate remains in forest plant tissues for a decade or more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112721003479 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.

David Brandt of Brandt Farms and Walnut Creek Seed is a living legend. If you know your soil health, no-till history, and follow the leaders in these areas then you know how fortunate we are to get to visit with David. He’s 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, implement cover crops and utilize livestock to improve soil health. Listen in to this great conversation as he and Monte talk about the history, the present, and the exciting future on their farm. ***BRANDT FARM EVENT*** NOTE: At the time of this airing, the event is sold out but click on the event link to find out more info about the event and possible access to a recording of the event. Brandt Farms is hosting their 2022 Spring Soil Health Field Day Friday, April 8th, 2022 8:30am-3:30pm Click below to register for the Field Day. https://www.walnutcreekseeds.com/default.html#upcomingevents David Brandt farms 950 acres all no-till, in Fairfield County, which is located in central Ohio. He began no-till farming in 1971 and has been using cover crops since 1978. David has 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 has also been planting various blends of cover crops to find out what benefits they provide to improve soil health. David is co-owner of Walnut Creek Seeds, LLC with his son and daughter-in-law Jay and Ann Brandt. David has had articles published in Farm Journal, Ohio Farmer, Country Journal, and numerous no-till journals. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/JgyGbZo7Cjc He has worked in cooperation with The Ohio State University, the University of Illinois, Penn State University, Purdue University, and Milan Research Farm in Tennessee. At present, David is 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 is also working with the regional NRCS soils lab in Greensboro, North Carolina on the benefits of cover crops to improve soil health. David Brandt has received awards for conservation practices: Ohio EPA Non-Point Pollution Winner, Ohio Conservation Farmer, Ohio Conservation Educator Award from Ohio No-Till Council, Ohio State University South Center Supporter of the Year, a Friend to Public Education Award from the Ohio School Board Assoc., Ohio Agriculture Man of the Year, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, Ohio NRCS Soil Conservationist Partnership, 2015 No-Till Innovator in Crop Production award at the 2016 National No-Till Conference, Master Farmer of Ohio selected by the Ohio Farmer magazine and NRCS State Volunteer Awards, appointed to the rank of “Chevalier” of Agriculture merit by the French Minister of Agriculture 2016 Associations: Past Fairfield County Soil and Water Supervisor, Past President of Fairfield Co. Farm Bureau, Member of Land Use Planning Committee, Past President of Local Cooperative Association, Currently President of Ohio No-Till Council, Working with Local FFA chapters to allow young men and women to learn about agriculture and utilization of equipment and resources, member of the National Gideon’s Association, and several county Historical associations, Ohio State Piketon research committee member, host to the Believers Bible men's fellowship. Check out https://www.walnutcreekseeds.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] we’d love to hear from you

Russell Hedrick is a first-generation farmer in the foothills of Hickory, North Carolina. Known as one of the most progressive young farmers in the country for his work utilizing soil health practices on his cash crops. He was just awarded as the winner of the North Carolina soybean yield record in 2021 and in 2017 he won the North Carolina Corn Yield Contest. He was the first person to win in the state using regenerative practices. Russell's operation focuses on maximizing profits and direct consumer marketing for all their products, including corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, pastures beef and pork. He is the co-founder of Regen Mills and Heritage Ground, co-owner of Soil Regen, LLC, and has partnered with Foothills Distillery producing the first bourbon in North Carolina since prohibition. Today he and Monte explore all these areas and you’ll hear the passion Russell has for making this happen. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/g23cseteaVo You can find more information about all of Russell’s endeavors here at these websites: https://www.agsoilregen.com/ https://www.heritageground.com/

Paul Mikesell, is Founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics where they have developed a system and technology for weed control that uses computer vision and very high powered lasers as the action for weed eradication. Listen in as Paul talks about the opportunities this technology creates! Paul Mikesell is the founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics. Paul has deep experience founding and building successful technology startups. Paul co-founded Isilon Systems, a distributed storage company, in 2001. Isilon went public in 2006 and was acquired by EMC for 2.5 billion dollars in 2010. In 2006, Paul co-founded Clustrix, a distributed database startup that was acquired by MariaDB in 2018. Prior to Carbon, Paul served as Director of Infrastructure Engineering at Uber, where he grew the team and opened the company’s engineering office in Seattle, later focusing on deep learning and computer vision. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Washington. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/V9LzuZgG_ro Carbon Robotics Website: https://carbonrobotics.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carbonrobotics YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CarbonRoboticsLaserWeeding Twitter: https://twitter.com/carbon_robotics Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carbon_robotics/ 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.

Nofence CTO Oscar Hovde Berntsen and CEO Knut Bentzen talk with us about how Nofence has worked to develop technology to graze animals and control moves using virtual fencing technology. Monte discusses with them the opportunities virtual fencing could create through managed grazing utilizing daily or regular moves. They also explore other opportunities virtual fencing could provide through proper ground management and animal observation like where the animals move and how they graze. Nofence is doing pilot projects in the United States so they can learn more about the needs of growers here in the US. This is an exciting conversation as they explore this technology and its amazing applications. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/NbtWcQtY3XM 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! You can find more information on Nofence here: https://www.nofence.no/en/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.linkedin.com/company/nofence-as/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.linkedin.com/company/nofence-as/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.facebook.com/Nofence/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.instagram.com/nofence/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EihJuqlOmDc&mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID

Ben Moest is a third-generation grain and livestock farmer located in Stephenson County, IL near the WI border where he and his family own and operate a hog and cash crop operation. Ben is the President of High Plains Grains, which he operates with his brother, Grant Moest, and two other partners. They raise 100% non-GMO corn & non-GMO soybeans along with small grains including wheat, rye, and oats. They also practice multi-species cover cropping on all of their acres annually and hope to begin the integration of livestock on the land in some form starting in 2022. Their primary focus in crop production is on soil conservation and building healthy, well-functioning soils that are improving over time. Family, communication, and legacy are all part of this exciting conversation where we hear how they’re all working in the operation and bringing their specific skills and talents together to create a well-oiled machine. In addition, we learn a lot about the mindset of building communication, fine-tuning management opportunities, and ultimately growing a business that utilizes and encourages new ideas. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/r8c-YvH19EI This conversation with Ben is so encouraging. The way his family approaches change and how they work together to communicate their individual desires and goals is exciting. And communication is really a big part of the equation. Recognizing that there are different ways for different types of operations to implement practices that build resilience in today's agriculture, is exciting to hear. After growing up on the farm, Ben attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business. After college, he earned his Series 3 license and spent time working as a licensed broker in the dairy risk management industry, while also becoming a licensed crop insurance agent, which he still is today. Ben came back to the family operation in 2019 to help raise a feminized CBD hemp crop, and then quickly started assisting in the management of the overall farm. What excites Ben most in life is soil stewardship & regenerative farming. He cares deeply for the land and has a life-long mission of leaving whatever land he's blessed to care for in much better shape than when he started. Ben believes farming production models of the future will be much more diverse and sustainable than what they are today, and he’s most excited about doing his part to help design, develop, test, and implement said models right on his own farm. Healthy people come from healthy ecosystems, and healthy ecosystems start with healthy soils. Take a look at some of Ben and his team's work in this Mechanized CBD Hemp Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=656Ll-GITZU 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. Liz Haney is Founder of Soil Regen and co-founder of Regen Mills and Heritage Ground. Liz is a soil and ecosystem scientist with experience in regenerative agriculture education, soil health testing and analyses, carbon as well as conservation practice modeling. Today Monte and Liz unpack all of those areas including soil testing in the regenerative space, carbon, mobile milling, and everything in between. Listen in as we explore these topics! Liz’s purpose, drive, and passion are helping to improve producer profitability, environmental sustainability, and human health through regenerative practices and soil health. Throughout her career, she has developed an expansive network of scientists, thought leaders, consultants, farmers, and ranchers within the sustainable agriculture space. Liz loves nothing more than creating community and is skilled at coordinating and conducting educational events, workshops, and conferences, bringing together today’s leading innovators in regenerative agriculture. Liz is the founder of Soil Regen and co-founder of Regen Mills and Heritage Ground with Sarah Varble and Russell Hedrick. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/M5nhWJuiWeM 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!

Ag Solutions Network entered the soil health game with biologicals almost two decades ago. We’ve seen farmers and our dealer network successfully impact more and more acreage with a soil health first approach. In 2019, AgEmerge began as an event idea where we gathered awesome speakers along with a dynamic group of growers to really challenge old paradigms and have conversations that resulted in system changes. Since the AgEmerge events, we expanded learning opportunities to our AgEmerge podcast. You can find podcast episodes and all the previous AgEmerge event speakers on our Ag Solutions Network YouTube channel, linked in the show notes. As the end of 2021 approaches, we're excited to bring you this podcast with some new content from a summer meeting where Monte Bottens talks about how ASN’s Power2Gro System enables principle-based farming. And we’ve included some fun clips from the past year! Today’s collection of podcasts brings you thought-provoking discussions from people who changed the way they see things when it comes to soil health. Our discussions come from growers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other thought leaders who are passionate about all the aspects of regenerative agriculture. And we bring you people who’ve made life-changing decisions to improve not only their soil health but their personal health. As you know, at ASN and with our AgEmerge content, we don't just talk about what our speakers are doing, we talk about how they are making it work. And we don’t sugar coat it, we discuss pain points, struggles and failures too. We think it's so important to remember that there will be ups and downs that pave the way to victory. So don’t let those hard knocks stop you on this journey. The great news is, more and more growers are adopting soil health practices and we’re all building networks to help each other adopt these systems by sharing ideas, strategies, and practices that work. It seems no one is holding their cards close to their vest when it comes to regenerative agriculture and we’re all eager to help others get on board. And as always, if you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing to help growers implement soil health practices, check out our website at asn.farm and there you can click on the links to follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin. There’s a lot of great things happening and always something to learn - thanks for listening! Check out all these clips: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast Featuring: Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa Dr. Pam Marrone, Marrone Bio Innovations Jeff Moyer, CEO Rodale Institute Jay McCaman, Author: When Weeds Talk Dr. Joel Gruver, Soil Scientist Western Illinois University Joe Bassett, CEO of Dawn Equipment and Underground Ag Dr. Fred Provenza, Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University Dr. Stephan van Vliet Nutrition Scientist and Metabolomics Expert, Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center at Duke University School of Medicine Michelle Perro, MD, DHOM Blaine Hitzfield, CEO of Seven Sons Farm Dino Giacomazzi, the CEO of Giacomazzi Almond Company, Inc. Dr. Mike Bredeson, Research Agroecologist at the Ecdysis Foundation Mikayla Tabert, Trinity Creek Ranch, Inc. Seth Watkins, Farmer from Clarinda Iowa Will Harris, White Oak Pastures Ron Joyce, President and CEO of Joyce Farms Rick Bayless, Chef Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Xoco, Tortas

Monte and Kim discuss a range of topics including some of the exciting things Monte’s been working on, thinking about, and implementing over the past year. This time of year also gives us an opportunity to evaluate what worked, and what didn’t, as well as explore new ideas and opportunities. And, we talk about some topics happening right now in agriculture. Monte Bottens has deep roots in agriculture. Raised as a fifth-generation, northwestern Illinois farmer, Monte is a business owner, entrepreneur and thought leader. Monte began his farming career with two bred sows given to him by his grandmother. Thanks to great guidance from his dad and equipment-sharing startup assistance, today he’s the owner of Bottens Family Farm. The farm utilizes the latest agricultural innovations in precision farming technology, crop management systems, and participates in advanced regenerative ag principles to produce a diversity of crops and grass-fed livestock. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/mkOfo_u95sM He is the Founder, President and CEO of Ag Solutions Network, Inc. (ASN) headquartered in Moline, Illinois, where he leads the development and distribution of the POWER2GRO crop production system. ASN utilizes the latest technological advancements and highest-quality ingredients to enable farmers to build soil health and soil wealth. Monte is the Founder and Partner of California Ag Solutions, Inc. (CAS) in Madera, CA. The CAS team serves farmers of the Central Valley by helping them adopt reduced tillage techniques combined with improved water and nutrient efficiency using ASN’s POWER2GRO system on a wide variety of crops. Monte has a love for the agricultural diversity in California. He serves on the leadership team of Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) center that develops integrated reduced tillage and irrigation techniques in California and globally. His excitement for ag tech and continuous process improvement also led him to get involved with the UC Davis Entrepreneurship Program and the Sacramento Angles. He has a desire to teach others and make region specific practices applicable for all different crops, soil types, and climates throughout the US. He has presented at many conferences and universities sharing his passion for soil health and agriculture innovation. Monte is a graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He and his wife Robyn live in Sherrard, Illinois, close to family and the family 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!

Dr. Pam Marrone spent her 30 plus year career focused on biological products for pest management and plant health, having started and led three bioag companies. She’s a scientist, a CEO, a serial entrepreneur, a pioneer and that’s just the short list. In her words, she says, she got “hooked on microbes” early on and spent her career looking for environmentally responsible biologically based solutions. By the end of this podcast, we're pretty sure you’ll be hooked on microbes too! Watch episode: https://youtu.be/mP-zz0ZDhLQ In August 2020, Dr. Marrone retired as CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations (NASDAQ: MBII), a company she started in 2006 and listed on NASDAQ (MBII) in 2013. She remains on the Board of Directors and as an advisor. She is the treasurer of the Association for Women in Science, on the board of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, is a Senior Fellow of the Arizona State University Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems and is a past alumni-Trustee of Cornell University. She is an advisor or board member for several ag/food tech and life sciences companies, most founded or led by women. She has a B.S. in entomology with Honors and Distinction from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University. Learn more about Dr. Marrone: https://marronebio.com/resources/bio-bites/ Twitter @pammarrone LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-pam-marrone-110ab6/ 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!

Dino Giacomazzi, is the CEO of Giacomazzi Almond Company, Inc and the 4th generation to manage his family’s farm founded in 1893 by his Swiss-Italian great-grandfather. The operation consists of 700 Acres of Almonds, 300 acres of Corn, wheat & Alfalfa, and 2 miniature donkeys. Dino talks with us about his farming journey, including family farming identities, industry dynamics, new opportunities and the different pressures changing farming practices and improvements face. He and Monte also discuss the excitement and challenges of engaging the next generation in the paradigm shifting business of agriculture. Monte and Dino explore everything from dairy, to almonds and cover crops and especially how they’re working to break down those metaphoric silos that can obstruct change. That includes a deep dive into some of the pressure points like water regulations as well as labor, environmental factors, and governing that affect farming operations today. The Giacomazzis were dairy farmers for 126 years and were the oldest continuously operating dairy farm in California at the time of their sale in 2019. Dino has managed his family farm since 2002. Prior to that, he had a 13-year career in the music and internet industries where he managed rock bands and developed online applications for internet startups and Fortune 1000 companies. Dino is a promoter of sustainable farming practices and was the 2012 Leopold Conservation Award recipient for California and named Sustainable Ag Champion by US EPA in 2010. Dino’s work on strip-tillage of dairy forage crops has been published in numerous journals and techniques developed on his farm have been adopted throughout California. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/cQux5HqWuQs Dino is currently utilizing highly efficient automated irrigation systems and implementing regenerative agricultural practices in his almond operation. Check out their almond company at https://giacomazzibrothers.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. Fred Provenza, is Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University where he directed an award-winning research group that pioneered an understanding of how learning influences foraging behavior and how behavior links soil, plants, herbivores, and humans. Today, he and Monte explore some of that research and the connections between animal and human nutrition. Fred Provenza grew up in Salida, Colorado. He later worked on a ranch while attending school in Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University. He obtained a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree in Range Science from Utah State University where he worked for 35 years. He is professor emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University where he directed an award-winning research group that pioneered an understanding of how learning influences foraging behavior and how behavior links soil, plants, herbivores, and humans. That work culminated in a program called BEHAVE, which was active from 2000-2010. BEHAVE was an international network of scientists, ranchers, farmers, and land managers committed to integrating behavioral principles with local knowledge to enhance environmental, economic, and cultural values of rural and urban communities. Though BEHAVE is no longer active, the principles and practices continue to influence researchers and managers worldwide. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/6eOh-R90P0M He authored three books, including Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us About Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom; Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change; and The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders (co-author with Michel Meuret). He published more than 300 research papers in a wide variety of scientific journals. He has been an invited speaker at more than 500 conferences. The many awards he received for research, teaching, and mentoring are the creativity that flowed from warm professional and personal relationships with over 75 graduate students, post-doctoral students, visiting scientists, and colleagues during the past 45 years. BEHAVE website link: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/behave/ 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!

Thank you so much for joining us! It’s a true honor to get to speak with Dr. Don Huber Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University. You’ll want to read Dr. Huber’s full bio in the show notes. He is a pioneer in his field, his experience, knowledge, and understanding of plant pathology and physiology is simply remarkable. The AgEmerge podcast is committed to asking tough questions and seeking solutions. The work Dr. Huber began stemmed from one question he wanted to answer, “why crop rotation has such a dramatic effect on many of the plant diseases.” That one question lead to over 55 years of research into the study of soil, microbial ecology, microbial interactions, parasite relationships, and nutrient disease relationships. In 1997 and again in 2001 Monte heard Dr. Huber speak on several topics including glyphosate, which spurred Monte on to eliminate glyphosate from his own farm. Dr. Huber’s Bio Dr. Don M. Huber, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University, holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Idaho (1957, 1959), a Ph-D from Michigan State University (1963), and is a graduate of the US Army Command & General Staff College, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and National Security Program. He was Cereal Pathologist at the University of Idaho for 8 years before joining the Department of Botany & Plant Pathology at Purdue University in 1971. His agricultural research for the past 55 years has focused on the epidemiology and control of soilborne plant pathogens with emphasis on microbial ecology, cultural and biological controls, nutrient-disease interactions, pesticide-disease interactions, physiology of host-parasite relationships, and techniques for rapid microbial identification. Dr. Huber has had several concurrent careers including 14 years as a professional labor-relations conciliator with 7 years of service on the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board as a Mediator/Fact-Finder/Conciliator. He retired in 1995 as Associate Director of the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center (Colonel Retired, U.S. Army) (now the National Center for Medical Intelligence, NCMI) after 41+ years of active and reserve military service during which time he also commanded A strategic Medical Intelligence Detachment for 8 years with the US Army Medical Intelligence and Information Agency and Office of the Surgeon General. Dr. Huber is a past Chairman of the USDA-APS National Plant Disease Recovery System; a member of the US Threat Pathogens Committee; former member of the Advisory Board for the Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress (now Congressional Research Service); and Global Epidemiology and Quadripartite Medical Working Groups of the Office of the US Surgeon General (OTSG). He is author or co-author of over 300 journal articles, Experiment Station Bulletins, book chapters and review articles; five books, and 84 special invited publications; and an active scientific reviewer; speaker; consultant to academia, industry, and government; and international research cooperator. 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 on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Seth Watkins is a farmer from Clarinda, Iowa, and joins our podcast as he and Monte discuss what it looks like to think differently about our responsibilities as farmers. This summer Monte heard Seth’s TEDx talk about his passion for stewarding his land and where he said what he really wanted was clean water, healthy soils and happy cows. You’ll quickly hear that Seth wants to share what he’s learned on his journey from both his farm and his family’s perspective. Seth is the fourth generation to care for his family’s heritage farm near Clarinda, Iowa. They raise beef cattle, corn, hay, oats, and various cover crops. He’s passionate about stewardship, especially water quality, the restoration of prairie, woodlands, and riparian areas. Seth believes when you have a healthy and diverse landscape combined with the values of inclusion, equity, and accessibility you can accomplish anything. He also serves on The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation board of Directors and the Leadership Council for The Iowa Learning Farms. His wife Christy is an Early Childhood Specialist for Green Hills AEA. They have a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Tatum. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/qjXlJmpTjEY You can watch Seth on the TedX Des Moines stage here: TedX link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ0wP9FJU1s If you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing to help growers implement soil health practices, check out our website at asn.farm and there you can click on the links to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin. There are a lot of great things happening and always something to learn - thanks for listening! And, if you've 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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Ron Joyce, President and CEO of Joyce Farms joins us to discuss how their company is working with farmers using regenerative agriculture to grow, as Ron says, “flavorful meat.” And just as important, he's listening to chefs and customers who are asking for these quality products. Ron is quick to point out that there’s more to regenerative agriculture than just planting a cover crop or going organic. He and his team are working closely with farmers, choosing the right genetics, protecting animal welfare, and implementing the best soil health practices to produce that flavorful meat. Ron’s passion for this work is very evident and there’s so much to glean from today’s discussion. As the lead visionary and guiding hand at Joyce Farms, Ron represents the company’s second generation of Joyces. Ron came on board in 1971 after graduating from UNC-Charlotte with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. In 1981, Ron took over leadership from his father, founder Alvin Joyce. Ron’s father taught him the importance of providing outstanding customer service in tandem with great products. He considers himself a “foodie” and his passion for delicious culinary experiences is evident in how he leads the organization. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/ojnmHY89r1U Visit Joyce Farms Website: https://joyce-farms.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 on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

The podcast today with Chef Rick Bayless is another great example of connecting dots and helping us understand how the food we grow impacts not only you the grower but the businesses and communities where our food is enjoyed. Most people know Rick Bayless from winning the title of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. His highly rated public television series, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, is broadcast coast to coast and his nine cookbooks have earned multiple high-profile accolades. Located in Chicago, Rick's Frontera Grill and Topolobampo have each received the “Outstanding Restaurant of the Year” designation from the James Beard Foundation — an unprecedented feat for side-by-side restaurants. His wildly popular fast-casual Xoco debuted in 2009 and Tortas Frontera at Chicago’s O’Hare airport has changed the face of airport dining. In 2016, he opened Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs. In 2018, Rick expanded his Clark Street restaurants by opening Bar Sótano, a Oaxacan-inspired mezcal bar with modern Mexican bar food. Tortazo, Rick's new fast-casual concept, debuted in 2020 in Chicago's iconic Willis Tower, with plans to open an outpost in New York City in fall 2021. In 2012 and again in 2014, Rick joined forces with Lookingglass Theatre Company to create Cascabel, the story of food’s capacity to change lives. Cascabel’s audience shared a meal with the cast of actors, musicians, singers and circus performers as the tale of unrequited love resolved into magical beauty. Always a philanthropist, Rick and his staff established the Frontera Farmer Foundation in 2003 to support small Midwestern farms. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly 200 grants totaling nearly $3 million. He also launched the Frontera Scholarship, a culinary school scholarship for Mexican-American students in Chicago, In 2019, Rick founded Impact Culinary Training, a restaurant job readiness program on the city’s west side. And in 2017 he established the Bayless Family Foundation to support the city’s vibrant theater scene with grants to Chicago theater companies totaling $1.5 million to date. The Government of Mexico has bestowed on Rick the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle–the highest decoration bestowed on foreigners whose work has benefitted Mexico and its people. Check out all the ways to follow Chef Rick: Website: www.rickbayless.com Frontera Farmer Foundation website: rickbayless.com/foundation YouTube: youtube.com/rickbayless Instagram: rick_bayless Twitter: @rick_bayless Facebook: facebook.com/chefrickbayless

We’ve got a great conversation with Sarah Carlson, Sarah is the Strategic Initiatives Director for PFI, Practical Farmers of Iowa. And well, there’s just a whole litany of things she does as an agronomist, agronomic researcher, educator, writer and just all-around amazing resource for everything cover crops, small grains, integrated crop and livestock concerns, all kinds of soil health practices and the list goes on and on. Today on the podcast she and Monte will dig into all these topics and so much more! Sarah Carlson joined Practical Farmers of Iowa staff in the fall of 2007. Sarah is the Strategic Initiatives Director. She helps transfer agronomic research about cover crops and small grains through supply chain projects, articles, blogs and presentation materials while working to improve the support for cover crop and small grains research. She also serves as an agronomist on the staff transferring ideas for solutions to integrated crop and livestock concerns from farmers’ stories, results from on-farm research projects and her own knowledge as a trained agronomist. Sarah co-majored in Biology and Geography at Augustana College in the Quad Cities graduating in 2001 with a BA degree. Following graduation, Sarah joined the Peace Corps as an Ag-business and Ag Extension volunteer. She lived in the southern highlands of Ecuador in South America for 2 1/2 years. Sarah returned to the Midwest in 2004 and began her Masters Program co-majoring in Sustainable Agriculture and Crop Production/Physiology in Iowa State’s Agronomy Department. She graduated in the spring of 2008 with an MS degree. Sarah and her husband Oscar have five children between them, Rebeca, Oscar, Sadie, Tenoch and Mateo. They enjoy cooking, traveling and exploring the Iowa countryside. https://practicalfarmers.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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Welcome our guest Dr. Mike Bredeson, Research Agroecologist at the Ecdysis Foundation. Mike has been with Ecdysis since day one and his passion for the work they are doing to change the way research and science interacts with farmers is really evident. Mike talks about how even growing up on the farm he didn’t realize the impact of actually digging around and making observations in the soil. He said it actually blew him away, these relationships beneath that layer of thatch on the soil surface, where wars were being waged and alliances were being formed, it was cooler than any computer game, any study or any class he’d ever taken before, he was hooked! Ecdysis believes “scientists have to become farmers to increase the relevance and credibility of their research.” In today’s conversation we talk about the timely, relevant research Mike and the team at Ecdysis are doing that is making a real impact in regenerative agriculture. Once again, we see silos coming down as scientists and growers work together to find, as they say at Ecdysis, “concepts, practices and systems are scalable and transferable to other operations and regions.” Mike, a farm kid from central Minnesota grew up an avid outdoorsman spending every waking second in the field or on the water. It was the combination of passions, agriculture, and natural resources, which propelled Mike into an education on managing farmland using ecological principles. An internship with Dr. Jonathan Lundgren solidified Mike’s interest in insects, biodiversity conservation and regenerative ag research. From that day forth Mike has been peeling back layers of detritus on farms all over the world playing witness to the immense power of functional working ecosystems. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/eEeazo2NTZk https://www.ecdysis.bio/ 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 on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

Welcome our guest Blaine Hitzfield, a second generation farmer and business entrepreneur with a passion for regenerative agriculture. Blaine carved out an early life career by helping his family of seven brothers establish a farm-to-consumer food business that thousands of consumers know as Seven Sons Farms. We discuss the success of the Seven Sons brand and how he and his family transitioned from conventional farming practices to regenerative pasture-based farming models. Monte and Blaine cover everything from disruption of the food system, impact on local communities, customer trust, and loyalty, and utilizing technology to make it all happen. After graduating high school in 2004, Blaine carved out an early life career by helping his family of seven brothers establish a farm-to-consumer food business that thousands of consumers know as Seven Sons Farms. The success of the Seven Sons brand has been a catalyst for helping Blaine’s family transition from conventional farming practices to regenerative pasture-based farming models. When you visit the farm today you will witness over 550 acres of restored soils supporting a diverse production model of grass-fed cattle and pasture-raised hogs and chickens. As CEO of the family business, Blaine has been the driving force behind developing diverse entrepreneurial opportunities for his entire family. In 2014, Blaine began developing custom e-commerce software in an effort to help more regenerative farms reach consumers with transparent and ethically raised foods. What began as a small in-house project has developed into a farm-raised tech business called GrazeCart. Today over 400 farms and online food brands use GrazeCart to sell and ship over 20 million pounds of pasture-raised foods to consumers in the USA and CA. Blaine and his family have become a shining light and a beacon of hope for small family farms all around the world. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/NruXpMQmdlA Blaine lives in his hometown of Roanoke, Indiana with his wife Charis and their five beautiful children. Blaine is the proud father of three sons and two daughters; Bryton, Tyton, Charleston, Lillyana, and Juliana! Blaine enjoys spending time fishing with his family, house projects, camping, and evening rides around the farm on his ATV. Check out their websites: https://sevensons.net/ https://grazecart.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 on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

We’re so glad you’re listening, we’ve got Jeff Moyer, CEO at Rodale Institute joining us on the podcast. And there’s a little something for everyone today! One of the really cool things about being able to sit down and visit with our guests, is how we get to dig into the story behind the stories and learn where great ideas come from, and some of them just might surprise you! As many of you know, Jeff is a world-renowned authority in organic agriculture. His expertise includes organic crop production systems with a focus on weed management, cover crops, crop rotations, equipment modification use and facilities design. But Jeff is also, probably best known for conceptualizing and popularizing the No Till Roller Crimper and on this podcast, we get to hear the backstory and it’s a fun one. Jeff’s vast experience and knowledge regarding organic farming has provided the media with a reliable source and perspective for information on current agricultural issues. He has been on staff at Rodale Institute for over 44 years, starting at Rodale Institute in 1976 in the position of farm laborer. He became Farm Manager in 1982 and later served as Farm Director, supervising research and operations of the 333-acre experimental farm for 15 years. Jeff was named executive director of the institute in 2015. Jeff was appointed CEO in September of 2019. Watch episode: https://youtu.be/DcvHDdHgdFE Jeff's hands-on experience in organic agriculture brings a farmer’s perspective to the research, farmer training, and consumer education conducted by Rodale Institute. Jeff was project leader on the highly acclaimed Organic No-Till project and is the author of the book on this subject: “Organic No-Till Farming – Advancing No-Till Agriculture Crops, Soil, Equipment.” In conjunction with his position at Rodale Institute, Jeff currently serves as Board Chair of the Regenerative Organic Alliance and holds a director’s position on the board of the Soil Health Institute. He previously served as Chair of the National Organic Standards Board, a founding Board Member of Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Chairman of the Board of The Seed Farm, part of the Green America Non-GMO Working Group, a Project Member of The Soil Renaissance Project, and a Board Member of PA Farm Link. As CEO, Jeff focuses on strategic planning, outreach monitoring and fund-raising activities. He also supervises the research, training, and education mission of Rodale Institute, as well as act as liaison the board of directors and the Rodale Institute campuses across the country. https://rodaleinstitute.org/ https://www.facebook.com/rodaleinstitute 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 on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

We’re so glad you joined us for today’s episode as we talk with Dr. Michelle Perro who was also one of our speakers on this years’ AgEmerge stage. As you know, we think it’s so important to bring you guests that speak about all the spokes in the wheel of soil health including its impact on human health. Michelle Perro, MD, DHOM is a veteran pediatrician with over thirty-nine years of experience in acute and integrative medicine. More than fifteen years ago, Dr. Perro transformed her clinical practice to include pesticide and health advocacy. She has both directed and worked as an attending physician from New York’s Metropolitan Hospital to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Dr. Perro has managed her own business, Down to Earth Pediatrics, creating a new field of integrative urgent care medicine. She is currently lecturing and consulting as well as working with Gordon Medical Associates, an integrative health center in Northern California. Dr. Perro has co-authored the highly acclaimed book, “What’s Making our Children Sick” and is Executive Director of a non-profit scientific-based website, GMO Science. She has authored many publications, serves as Advisor to several environmental organizations and has a column with the medical journal, “The Townsend Letter”. Links: https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/whats-making-our-children-sick/ https://www.gmoscience.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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Have you ever wanted to brainstorm with an ag-tech / equipment manufacturer? Well, that’s just what we did on today’s podcast. Joe Bassett, CEO of Dawn Equipment and Underground Ag joins us to discuss the full gamut of equipment, technology, software, management practices and, farming mindsets that drive research, development, investment and, implementation of these technologies. Grab a cup of coffee and hold on tight as Monte and Joe dig through all these topics. More about Joe: Joe studied Physics at the University of Iowa and has owned Dawn Equipment since 2015. He founded Underground Agriculture in 2019. Joe and his wife, Rachael, have a daughter, Mimi. 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 podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Have you ever heard the saying, “the second mouse gets the cheese?” Well, today we’ll talk about the work and practical research Monte Bottens and his team are doing on the farm to discern practices that do and don’t work as we continue to fine-tune this system we call regenerative agriculture. As Monte says, they work to be the first mouse, taking one for the team so you, the second mouse can get the cheese! We discuss everything from planting green, companion cropping, livestock integration, and all the ag-tech both present and future to support these endeavors. And, we go on to explore the resources necessary to allow us to scale these practices. Topics from A to Z and everything in between, take a listen!

Thanks for joining us today, we always enjoy visiting with all our guests on the podcast and Monte was particularly excited to speak with our guest today, Will Harris of White Oak Pastures. Will has been recognized all over the world as a leader in humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability. As a fourth-generation cattleman, he and his family were raising livestock in the typical conventional methods, but in the mid-1990’s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They’d created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, "nature abhors a monoculture." In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before. Today, we get to journey with Will to understand the mindset, work, and fortitude it takes to risk it all and successfully implement these farming practices. It’s a great conversation, enjoy! Watch episode: https://youtu.be/YYiWV_cesi4 WILL HARRIS BIO: Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. These tools did a fantastic job of taking the cost out of the system, but in the mid-1990s Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, "nature abhors a monoculture." In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before. Since Will has successfully implemented these changes, he has been recognized all over the world as a leader in humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability. Will is the immediate past President of the Board of Directors of Georgia Organics. He is the Beef Director of the American Grassfed Association and was selected 2011 Business Person of the year for Georgia by the Small Business Administration. Will lives in his family home on the property with his wife Yvonne. He is the proud father of three daughters, Jessi, Jenni, and Jodi. His favorite place in the world to be is out in pastures, where he likes to have a big coffee at sunrise and a 750ml glass of wine at sunset. REFERENCED LINKS: One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoQWLK8-CYE Carbon Footprint Evaluation of Regenerative Grazing at White Oak Pastures: https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/hubfs/WOP-LCA-Quantis-2019.pdf Grassfed Exchange 2016 - Peter Byck & Will Harris “A Georgia Story” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Q-GuTn3WU 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 podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Nutrient-dense food, it’s a big topic in regenerative agriculture. It’s just one of the many goals of improved soil health and it’s so very important to our own, human health. But how do we quantify it? What new research techniques are uncovering these connections and how can we identify practices and systems that will improve nutrient-dense food? Our guest today is trying to discover just that, Dr. Stephan van Vliet is a nutrition scientist and metabolomics expert in the Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center at Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. van Vliet earned his PhD in Kinesiology and Community Health as an ESPEN Fellow from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received post-doctoral training in the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine. Dr. van Vliet’s research is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human health. He routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between agricultural production methods, the nutrient density of food, and human health. Dr. van Vliet uses high-throughput metabolomics techniques to study the presence of bioactive compounds in the whole food matrix and their impacts on human metabolic health. 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 podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for joining us today. Have you seen the acronym I.R.L.? It stands for “in real life’ and that’s what Mikayla Tabert and her family are practicing to improve their farming operation, they’re not just talking about soil health, they are pursuing it in real life. They’re building diversity, using on-farm research, observation, innovation, trial and error, all working together to create a successful system. Is it a perfect science? By no means, but through communicating and articulating their goals with one another they’re moving forward to build resiliency and profitability on their farm and it’s exciting to see it in motion. Trinity Creek Ranch, Inc. is a family-run and owned crop and beef cattle farm, dedicated to the health of their animals and land. They practice no-till, cover crops, and rotational grazing to sequester carbon from the atmosphere into their soils. Mikayla and her husband Benjamin farm alongside her parents David and Peggy Miller at Trinity Creek Ranch in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota. We’re excited to talk to Mikayla today as she lets us take a peek into their operation and some of the discoveries they’ve had in their journey. We hope you’ll gain some ideas and insight into practices you can adopt on your farm. And, if you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing to implement these practices, check out our website at asn.farm and there you can click on the links to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin. There’s a lot of great things happening and always something to learn - thanks for listening! Follow Trinity Creek Ranch at https://www.facebook.com/trinitycreekranch

Join us as we explore the work Dr. Joel Gruver is conducting at Western Illinois University. Dr. Gruver teaches soil science and conservation classes and he’s the recipient of the National No-Till Educator of the Year Award in 2015. We’re going to dive into what tools in the toolbox they use to research organic grain production. You know the old adage for selling real estate is location, location location. Well, in soil health it’s observation, observation, observation. Listen to how he utilizes grower’s field observations and understandings as they assess the changes they’re seeing in the soil. We go on to explore landlord/tenant relationships and how landlords are becoming committed to conservation practices and implementing cover crops. In addition to teaching, Dr. Gruver is the Director of the WIU Organic Research Program. His research interests include conservation cropping systems with a focus on cover crops and organic grain production, soil organic matter, and innovative teaching methods. 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 podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

On today’s podcast, Ag Solutions Network brings you the address Monte delivered for our virtual AgEmerge event this past January. Watch it on YouTube at this link: https://bit.ly/2TRqObn Monte examines the why of making changes in your farming operation. Why regenerative ag? Why are we so passionate about soil health? Simply put, sustaining is not enough. He explores what it looks like to adopt these changes, what barriers we have to overcome, what success and yes, just as important, what failures we’ve seen as we improve our farming system. And it all starts with soil health. Finally, Monte talks about scaling up regenerative ag. What steps should you take and how YOU can make it happen. 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 podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Have you ever wished you could have a cup of coffee or a cold beverage with leading soil health and regenerative ag thinkers? Well that’s just what we made possible for you as we recorded our live Q&A session from our AgEmerge event where our speakers, Ray Archuleta, Rick Clark, Loren Poncia, and Tommy Fenster join Monte Bottens and Dawn Bull in an engaging conversation of Scaling up Regenerative Ag. This year's AgEmerge event was a lot different because it was virtual. We missed the buzz of morning conversations at breakfast, the great ocean views and delicious food. But what remained the same was powerful content presented by thought leaders, delivering challenging and motivating ideas, real time practices and progressive research that created that itch to think differently about our farming practices. In this episode, our speakers will share and build on one another’s experiences to help you move the needle on adopting these game changing practices. So grab that favorite beverage and listen in ...

On today’s podcast, we welcome Jay McCaman. Jay is the author of “When Weeds Talk”, a top ten book on Acres, USA’s 2019 list. (Acres is North America's oldest publisher on production-scale organic and sustainable farming). And more than a book, “When Weeds Talk” provides a comprehensive list of weeds and the soil conditions that enable those weeds to grow. On his mission to discover what weeds are telling us about the soil conditions in the field, Jay has amassed almost 20,000 note cards cataloging research that’s been done to uncover the weed soil connection. Jay says, “It all fits together; weeds, insects, and disease are all connected to the soil.” Jay is a proverbial wealth of information sharing his findings about weed conditions in association with soil macro and micronutrients to porosity and drainage, Jay graduated from Michigan State University with a major in Agricultural Mechanization and went on to work in the implement business, farming and managing an organic orchard. Click here to order Jay’s book: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/weeds-and-why-they-grow 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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Welcome to our 50th podcast! We're excited to share this episode with you! Today, we’re going to talk about the journey the Bottens family has been on to adopt key soil health practices in their operation. And we’ll talk about the family connection between farming and adopting change with our special guests, Monte’s dad, Bob Bottens, Monte’s wife Robyn and Monte! You know, there’s a proverb that says: By wisdom, a house is built, and through understanding, it is established; through knowledge, its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. The goal of the AgEmerge Podcast is to share the wisdom of our guests and gain understanding and knowledge so we can help build soil health and so much more. In this episode, we’ll look at real-life examples of how one farm adopted these new practices and systems. We'll also discuss how our circle of people, family, friends, neighbors, can influence those changes. So check it out! https://www.agemerge.com/2021-virtual-registration 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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Today we’re so excited to have Dr. Dwayne Beck join us from the Dakota Lakes Research Farm in Pierre, SD. Dr. Beck’s work on developing and promoting diverse no-till cropping systems played an important role in allowing producers in South Dakota to dramatically improve their profitability while also protecting soil and water resources; enhancing wildlife habitat; reducing net carbon dioxide emissions; improving air quality and having other positive impacts. The question is, how do you cover everything that Dr. Dwayne knows, in one hour? Well, the answer is, you can’t. But what we did do is cover some key parts of the work they do there at the research farm and the journey Dr. Beck has been on for years to restore soil health. I think Monte said it best as he described it as Real solutions, to real problems. And use the link below to check out the Dakota Lakes Research Farm Field Day videos - a power-packed series! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTZDoxH1GkisubbRzKxg2XA_PIzzPE8PM&fbclid=IwAR0Uh9zJRStUYIhgO7m6C5otm6q-qY1ZzX4f5_znMsmLWCX8JdcBQiRMECI

We’ve got a great guest to kick off this new year, it’s a grassroots discussion with John Heermann, a farmer from northeast Colorado. John was a guest at one of our events back in 2016 and really got our gears turning when it came to thinking differently about how we saw our management practices. He challenged us to look at how cover crops were changing the way the soil functioned. John really had a paradigm shift of his own when he saw the rainfall simulator showing five different management systems. And when he saw the no-till pan with no cover having almost as poor of an infiltration rate as conventional till - that really started the gears turning. But when they flipped the tray over with no-till and cover crops with good residue and John saw the way the water percolated through the soil, he changed his philosophy and began building that new plan to build his soil health. John grew up on the family farm and after high school went on to get his degree in Agricultural Economics. John’s education guided him towards understanding how to build soil health, reduce costs, and evaluate the profitability of the operation. John discovered that building soil health by diversifying the farm with multi-species cover crops, different crops, and some livestock could really work. His farm is located in an area that averages around 20 inches or less of annual rainfall. He’s recognized the importance of keeping the soil covered and utilizing every drop of moisture. So join us as Monte and John dive in and debunk a few myths about cover crops in dry areas and so much more.

We appreciate you joining us for this year end AgEmerge podcast. We’ve focused this year on bringing you speakers that are not only ag thought leaders, but implementation leaders. They’re talking the talk but also walking the walk. We’re finishing out our podcast year by looking back on the opportunities our guests have challenged us to explore in our operations and move the needle forward on building soil health and leaving a legacy. Without a doubt, this year has come with its own set challenges. We've learned a lot from the speakers we’ve had both on the AgEmerge stage and on the podcast. Today, we’re bringing you some clips from a past year’s AgEmerge podcast along with some of our favorite event moments. Including speakers, Gabe Brown, Holly Green, Dr. Dwayne Beck, and Dr. Zach Bush. And, we’re excited to share with you the link to our AgEmerge YouTube channel where you can listen to both our Keynote and Headline speakers along with all of the speaker’s addresses from the past two years at AgEmerge. You can experience the excitement and thought-provoking presentations as our speakers walk us through how they made their paradigm shift and started seeing things differently. We hope this year-end podcast will encourage you to think, plan, and implement differently. Check out all the AgEmerge Addresses by clicking on the Youtube link on the AgEmerge website. www.agemerge.com

On today’s podcast, Colin Hurd joins us as we discuss autonomous technology innovations and how a college project turned into a mission to find solutions that solve some of today’s challenges in agriculture. Listen in as we talk about situational awareness and not just the function of autonomy but the data that can be generated to improve our decision making in the field. And we explore how this technology can impact our soil health principles, practices and help with their implementation. Colin has devoted his career to bringing innovative solutions to the agriculture industry. Out of college, he invented a product and founded a company to reduce soil compaction called TrackTill. After commercializing the product and licensing it to Yetter Manufacturing he founded Smart Ag. Smart Ag developed the first aftermarket driverless system to automate tractors. After funding and growing the company, he successfully completed an acquisition to Raven Industies (NYSE:RAVN) in 2019 and stayed on as a Business Development Manager for Raven Autonomy. Raven Autonomy is taking on and solving the big challenges farms face by developing and delivering cutting edge driverless technology to the agriculture industry. Colin also serves as a Co-director for the Ag Startup Engine and a Board Member for Jackrabbit Equipment. https://ravenprecision.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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

Creating and measuring a smorgasbord for your microbes is on the menu for today’s podcast with Dr. Stacy Zuber, NRCS Illinois State Soil Health Specialist. We’ll dig into the soil health tests that are available and explore the work Dr. Zuber has done, evaluating soil health tests and key indicators. We’ll discuss soil health opportunities not only in carbon credits but also some of the other benefits that don’t often get as much attention but can be equally as important. Stacy grew up on her family farm in southeast Illinois, and that ag background was the driving force behind her working towards Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Crop Sciences from the University of Illinois. After completing her graduate work, she conducted post-doctoral research at Purdue University and the University of Missouri-Columbia on projects using on-farm research to evaluate soil health tests and indicators. 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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

In today’s episode, join us as Monte, Kim and, Megan announce the speaker line-up for AgEmerge! As you might expect, there are some modifications to the delivery, due to the pandemic, but the great news is, that hasn’t affected the awesome lineup of speakers that are participating in the AgEmerge event. This year we are focusing on Scaling Up Regenerative Agriculture. It’s time to ramp it up and put these practices into action. But first, we want to start with a little background to help you understand how AgEmerge came to be and why these conversations are so important. Our speaker lineup includes Ray Archuletta, Dr. Michelle Perro, Loren Poncia, Rick Clark, Tommy Fenster, and Gary Thompson. Visit the AgEmerge website to check out the full bios on each of these speakers and listen to the podcast to learn more about the 2021 AgEmerge event. 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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

AgEmerge is brought to you by Ag Solutions Network and one of the things we think makes us unique is that we are the boots on the ground helping growers navigate a systems approach to regenerative agriculture. Today we discuss what that looks like with our guest Silas Rossow. Silas is President of California Ag Solutions, and one of the member dealers that makes up the Ag Solutions Network. Silas and his team focus on seeking out the very best practices for California growers and much of that focus comes from his love of agriculture and technology. We’re going to discuss some of the paradigm-shifting changes they’ve helped implement and some of their mojo for making it work. Silas received his college education at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and was blessed to grow up around agriculture his whole life. Driving tractors, irrigating fields, and figuring out how crops grow was a valuable education. Silas began his career at CAS in the fall of 2008 as a Customer Account Manager. In 2014, Silas began managing the day-to-day operations at CAS and is now a business partner with founder Monte Bottens. His drive to seek out the very best practices for California farmers comes from his love of agriculture and technology. He’s excited about the opportunity to work with new growers and help them find solutions to the problems they face. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Silas is his enthusiasm for the perfect practical joke. He enjoys a good laugh and having fun. His wife, Julie, and three children make for a captive audience and are his biggest fans. 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 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!

What does it look like when an idea becomes reality? Loren and Lisa Poncia of Stemple Creek Ranch in Marin County, CA, tell us how they took a chance on an idea and made it a reality. They started Stemple Creek Ranch with the dream of raising quality, grass-finished beef, pork, and lamb to work with, not against, mother nature and they’ve redefined small-scale family ranching. Listen in as we discuss not only how they began this journey and what it looks like to work together as a family to see it through. We find out how the operation works and as Loren said, “not only is the grass greener, there’s a lot more of it!” What’s one of the big keys to this whole system functioning? It’s carbon! And what do you do when something like a pandemic hits? You shore up and redefine again what works for your business and operation. Not only have they redefined a business, Loren says, “we’re paying attention to the soil. We are soil farmers and photosynthesis farmers.” Attention to detail, working with mother nature, and recognizing the benefits of a functioning system is what makes this family team, work. More about Loren: Loren Poncia of Stemple Creek Ranch is a 4th generation Marin County organic rancher who has redefined small-scale family ranching. Loren started Stemple Creek Ranch with the dream of raising quality, grass-finished beef, pork and lamb to work with, not against, mother nature. His ranch had the first carbon farm plan in the U.S. and Loren is proud to be part of the Marin Carbon Project. A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a major in Dairy Science and Ag Business, Loren always dreamed of coming back to the ranch to pursue his passion in agriculture. He oversees the entire ranching operation and spends countless hours carefully studying genetics with the goal of raising grass-fed and finished beef that is tender, well-marbled, and tastes great. More about Lisa: Lisa Poncia of Stemple Creek Ranch in Marin County, CA, is an entrepreneur, attorney, and organic rancher who, along with her husband Loren Poncia, has redefined small-scale family ranching. The ranch had the first carbon farm plan in the U.S. and Lisa is proud to be part of the Marin Carbon Project. Lisa attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a major in Political Science and Minor in Business Administration, and then U.C. Hastings College of Law. She runs her own law practice and manages the business side of Stemple Creek Ranch, including finance, marketing, and operations. Lisa is a member of the Board of Directors of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. Stemple Creek Ranch sells its products to grocery stores, butcher shops, restaurants, and directly to consumers. www.stemplecreek.com

You know, building and improving our systems approach to soil health isn’t just a movement happening on the farm. There are more and more companies coming alongside growers to encourage the implementation of these practices, understanding the value of restoring our soils while addressing consumer concerns and desires. In today’s podcast, we’ve got a great opportunity to explore some of those ideas with Jay Watson, the Sourcing Engagement Manager for Global Sustainability and Grain Operations at General Mills. Jay leads efforts to advance progress on agricultural sustainability efforts. Jay says he’s been fortunate to travel to where many of GMI’s key ingredients are grown and appreciates the opportunity to connect with farmers and learn more about stewardship as well as family legacy. Mr. Jay Watson leads efforts to advance progress on agricultural sustainability efforts, including General Mills, Inc.’s (GMI) 2025 greenhouse gas reduction and 2030 regenerative agriculture commitments. In his role, Mr. Watson collaborates with buyers and external partners to develop and deploy engagements to both characterize & reduce social, environmental and economic impacts of key ingredients. Prior to joining the sustainability team in January 2017, Mr. Watson spent 10 years in a variety of buying roles within the company’s global sourcing organization. Mr. Watson holds B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University and a MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.

There's great work being done, building a new ag paradigm and we'll be talking about all of that work at our 2021 AgEmerge Event. Save the date, January 6th, 2021. Stay tuned as we will have more information on all the details and speakers joining us for this great event. Go to www.agemerge.com and subscribe to receive event information updates. Today Larry Kandarian of Kandarian Organic Farms joins us as we have a great conversation about the soil and plant management practices that Larry has adopted over the years to build healthy plants and soils. Larry’s journey is evidence that farming is rocket science. Larry may have had farming in his blood, but his path to regenerative agriculture took him through mechanical engineering, an aerospace career, to flower seed sales, and eventually, farming failures and successes. He’s seen it all and dedicates himself to the mantra of food is medicine. Today, his farm includes about 200 crops across 125-acres and a flock of sheep and herd of pigs. Monte draws out a key takeaway from our conversation when Larry talked about monoculture saying - when you're not building anything it's actually agribusiness, not agriculture. Larry’s investigative spirit spurs on his constant learning from the soil and the plants, as he says, "acquire that knowledge then get out of the way and see what happens." Visit Larry's farm website at: Kandarian Organic Farms www.kandarianorganicfarms.com