Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

On the mini-episode this week, I focus on why we should develop regenerative agriculture, how it is different, and why it is important. In the past 10 or 12 years, a lot of conversation has been had on sustainable agriculture. In this episode, I explore what it is that we want to sustain, why regeneration is important, and how regenerative farming systems impact the bottom line in a way that sustainability cannot. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Feedback & Booking Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or booking request have a Podcast episode recorded LIVE at your event -- to [email protected]. You can email John directly at [email protected]. Sign Up For Special Updates To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for our email list.

Steve Diver has earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Horticulture and has conducted research on fruit and nut production, and seasonal changes in elemental concentration in pecan fruit and leaves. He has served as the Extension Horticulture Agent in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, and has also worked as an Agriculture Specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. In 2010, he established an independent firm, Agri-Horticultural Consulting, which provided soil analysis and consultancy services in eco-agriculture, organic and sustainable farming, and environmental sciences. In this episode, Steve and I discuss rock powders, biology, and bioenergetics, the oxidation/reduction potential in soils, the use of liquid biological agents in soil health and crop success, and the value of bioenergetics in agriculture. Steve has some really great knowledge from his many years of experience in the lab and in the field. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Resources Acres U.S.A William Albrecht, Gary Zimmer, Neal Kinsey Korean Natural Farming (KNF) Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) Episode 13 - Steve Diver - Highlights 3:06 - What are Steve's memorable moments leading him to where he is today? Steve got a good introduction to organic and biodynamic farming 4:35 - What did Steve encounter that was different compared to the work he had been doing? Steve has been interested in organic agriculture for a long time 3 pillars of eco agriculture: minerals, biology, bioenergetics 6:50 - What lead Steve add bioenergetics to minerals and biology in these pillars? 9:10 - Discussion around Oxidation/Reduction Potential -Eh (Redox) 12:40 - What is something that has surprised Steve over the years? Prairies have a very fungal nature Steve was finding high ratios of fungal to bacteria on prairies (7.5:1) Liquid biological amendments (LBA) 14:40 - What kind of crop response was Steve seeing? Using both a LBA and some kind of management practice (with some sort of rotational grazing) can lead to impressive changes in species composition Roadmap: Above ground plant succession is mirrored by below ground soil food succession 16:50 - Can the use of LBAs change the health of crops, and also types of plants that would become dominant in certain ecosystems Yes! The story of the postage stamp farm and the very effective use of LBAs 18:20 - When we consider applying biological inoculants to the soil profile, how do we ensure this inoculant actually survives? Qualitative assessment, lab testing, and microscopic analysis 19:50 - What is something that has puzzled Steve for a long time? The slow nature of the agriculture as a whole - industry, government, education 21:30 - What is the opportunity in agriculture today? The ability to grow crops that perform well, yield well, are pest resistant, have high nutrient density without relying on so many chemical inputs Soil health has taken a back seat (soil testing, mineral balancing, etc.) 24:30 - Substantial yield/quality responses from integrated systems In most cases when regenerative principles are applied, there is a strong yield response - Often in the first year, always by the second year. 26:30 - Based on Steve's experience, how much are growers leaving on the table? There is a perceived dichotomy of organic vs. conventional farming, but there is a difference between the terms organic, sustainable, biodynamic, zero budget natural, integrated crop livestock, etc. Regenerative agriculture is a good term to cover what you can do to regenerate and improve farm ecology For the conventional farmer still chemically based - there are many resources: information, field days, workshops, seeing what others are doing. Actionable advice: Conventional farmers can greatly benefit by simply adding cover crops Bioenergetics are the icing on the cake - you need the fundamentals down first (organic matter management, nutrition, fertility) 32:00 - What is a non-mainstream view that Steve believes to be true? Korean Natural Farming (KNF) Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) Read some more books, tap into more of these topics! Slowly add new principles to the farm, do testing Increasing species of cover crops can make a huge difference 35:20 - What are some resources Steve would recommend? Acres U.S.A Plug into the 3 pillars of eco-agriculture (minerals, biology, bioenergetics) William Albrecht, Gary Zimmer, Neal Kinsey Remember: It's a lifelong learning process 36:15 - What Steve has learned about farmers Incredibly innovative Regardless of where in the world - farmers have a lot of brainpower! 39:40 - What is the question Steve wishes he was asked? More depth into bioenergetics - what do the terms mean? Steves advice: loo

Professor Lynn Long has worked in sweet cherry research and Extension at Oregon State University since 1988. At that time, the main cherry variety being grown was Bing on a Mazzard rootstock, leading to disease and susceptibility to weather pressure. Lynn has been an advocate for diversity in varieties and rootstocks, maintaining a cherry variety trial since 1996, and evaluating nearly 100 varieties and selections for potential adoption by the sweet cherry industry in the Pacific Northwest. He has been instrumental in progressing the use of dwarfing rootstocks and new training systems in commercial orchards. Long has authored many publications and has spoken in grower oriented meetings in 16 countries around the world. In this episode, Lynn and I discuss the future of sweet cherry production. Lynn believes the future development of tree fruit will emerge when we begin better managing 'the other half of the tree' - the root system. How soil health and compost applications contribute to varietal performance How modern dwarf rootstocks compare to older varieties What is the future of biological and mechanical solutions to automate harvesting Successfully reducing bacterial canker with plant nutrition ...And more! Very thought provoking for any tree fruit grower! Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Resources Cherries: Botany, Production and Uses https://extension.oregonstate.edu/people/lynn-long Episode 12 - Lynn Long - Highlights 2:45 - What are some memorable moments that have lead Lynn to where he is today? In the 90's, cherry production was focused on one single variety. There wasn't a lot of diversity at the time. In 1994, Lynn went to Europe and gained knowledge that changed the way cherries are farmed in the US 4:10 - What shift happened, and how did Lynn start managing trees differently? Lynn had been researching cherry rootstock Lynn saw what farms in Germany, France, Spain, and elsewhere in Europe were doing, and brought this knowledge back to help growers understand 7:40 - How does the vigor of modern dwarf rootstock compared to older varieties? A lot of farmers prefer older varieties Dwarfing rootstock seen to be more shallow 9:10 - What has been missing in looking at the "other half of the tree" Everything from research to management has been focused on only half the tree - the top half. We are seeing more and more research being done on what is happening below ground with the tree 11:20 - What are some of the things Lynn has observed to cause him to start to wonder what is happening in the soil profile? Dwarfing rootstock in hard soil affecting the growth and behavior of trees Leaves look stressed and wilted, impacting food quality Keeping microorganisms alive throughout the entire year to affect the health of the ecosystem and the tree 14:20 - What has Lynn learned from compost trials? Struggling orchards turned around Taking stress off the tree by keeping soil cooler How can adding organic soil help the health of the tree? Success Lynn has seen in Chile 18:00 - What has been something that has surprised Lynn? The grower community being open with ideas and their operations Growers who share the most often receive the most 21:30 - What is something that Lynn believes the be true that is different from the mainstream? Mainstream agriculture is only focusing on the top half of the tree 23:30 - How does managing what is happening below the soil change how we manage above the soil? Issues we are struggling with now may become minor issues later 26:00 - How will the canopy be affected by a changing root system? Getting high-quality fruit all around the tree, not just the top 29:20 - Success in reducing bacterial canker through ecosystem management 33:30 - What is a resource Lynn would recommend? Cherries: Botany, Production and Uses https://extension.oregonstate.edu/people/lynn-long 35:40 - What does Lynn wish he was asked? Where is cherry production going in the future? 37:00 - What does Lynn think the future holds in fruit and vegetable production Labor shortage problem Mechanical and biological solutions to getting cherries off trees without laborers 40:00 - How does Lynn see an orchard of the future? Being able to automate the process of collecting cherries without dropping quality Feedback & Booking Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or booking request have a Podcast episode recorded LIVE at your event -- to [email protected]. You can email John directly at [email protected]. Sign Up For Special Updates To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be

Dr. Kris Nichols has conducted innovative research on soil biology, understanding how to regenerate soil health quickly. She is the founder and principal scientist of KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration In Soils) Systems Education & Consulting Services. Dr. Nichols has also been the Chief Scientist at Rodale Institute and a Research Soil Microbiologist with the USDA. In this episode, Kris and I discuss how to harness the power of fungi to decrease the use of synthetic fertilizers, the symbiosis between bacteria and water retention, and climate-resilient crops. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Resources David Montgomery Judith Schwartz (Cows Save the Planet, Water in Plain Sight) Kristin Ohlson (The Soil Will Save Us) William Schlesinger (Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change) Episode 11 - Kris Nichols - Highlights 3:00 - What are some of the highlights that have lead Kris to where she is today? Kris researched mycorrhizal fungi at the University of Minnesota Kris worked with USDA and fell back in love with agriculture, especially when seeing concepts from the lab being practically implemented 7:00 - Not being able to regenerate soil to full potential when using synthetic fertilizer Organisms in the soil have huge potential to resolve nutrient issues in plants In a lab, Kris could see this to be true - but many growers were still relying on synthetic fertilizers Need to put the tools in place to optimize organisms in soil (mycorrhizal fungi especially) to maximize effects on plants 10:10 - Applying soluble phosphorus fertilizers removing the need for a symbiotic relationship between plants and mycorrhizae Timing is very important when adding amendments - making sure the plant needs are being met when it has those needs Many times, plants are unable to make use of all the fertilizer applied Can't "outsource" the job of mycorrhizal fungi 17:10 - What other fertilizers could have a damaging effect? Soluble fertilizer does the most damage in "outsourcing" the jobs of the microbial community Organic fertilizers are broken down by the microbial communities, and so they do not cause this same damage 19:20 - Plant and root absorption of amino acids and proteins The untruth of using synthetic fertilizers to avoid "mining" the soil 27:10 - Water use efficiency We have no idea how much water a plant actually needs! There are cellular water needs, but also in the rhizosphere around the plant Getting efficient mycorrhizal fungi (especially early on) allows the creation of a network for water and nutrient delivery in plants 34:10 - Layers of efficiency from mycorrhizal fungi Able to extend beyond the root system Phosphate soluble bacteria interactions with mycorrhizal fungi An analogy for how this bacteria helps: Plants are figuring out how to get water "from the driveway to the house", instead of "from the neighboring town to the house" Nutrients moving between plants in a system through mycorrhizal fungi 43:00 - What has been something that has really surprised Kris? Kris' experience with cancer lead her to think about how essential carbon exchange was in plants Stopping the flow of carbon - "What is stopping the payment from flowing?" 46:30 - What does Kris believe to be true about modern agriculture that is not a mainstream view? Regenerative systems allow us to "have our cake, and eat it too" - meaning are able to feed 14 billion people nutrient dense food while having a high quality of life and while maintaining and enhancing ecosystem services Incredible potential to do so much more than we are 50:00 - What is the impact of biology on producing higher levels of plant secondary metabolites? Many compounds are coming directly from soil compounds which find their way to plants - which end up in the food chain There has been so much focus in plant nutrition on nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus Building up a more resilient network - making more soil aggregates Creating a mycorrhizosphere Making a good network allows for making secondary compounds 59:20 - What are some resources that Kris would recommend? Go out there and explore different types of resources! David Montgomery Judith Schwartz (Cows Save the Planet, Water in Plain Sight) Kristin Ohlson (The Soil Will Save Us) William Schlesinger (Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change) Feedback & Booking Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or booking request have a Podcast episode recorded LIVE at your event -- to [email protected]. You can email John directly at [email protected]. Sign Up For Special Updates To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speak

Dr. Hatfield is the laboratory director for the USDA's National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment. He has also served on the faculty of the University of California-Davis and is a Past President of the American Society of Agronomy. In this short but very powerful episode, Jerry and I discuss the mechanics of improving plant efficiency in capturing water, nutrients, and light and put that into productivity. We talk about the role that the soil-plant continuum plays in not only developing the productivity but also the quality of the products that plant is harvested for. Jerry and I discuss the fundamental functions of the soil aggregate structure and the value of gas exchange and water infiltration. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Episode 10 - Jerry Hatfield - Highlights 3:10 - What have been some of the highlights that have lead Jerry to where he is today? What drives Jerry: Finding out how can we improve the efficiency of plants to capture water and light, and put that into productivity What is the role of all this in increasing productivity and quality of what is harvested 5:30 - Why should we care about soil health? What does the surface of the soil look like? (Aggregation structure) Getting air and water into the soil helps drive the biological processes under the soil This determines what the plants are doing (how well they can take up nutrients) We need to care because this makes the whole plant system much more efficient - the soil health is the unifying factor 11:10 - How does soil quality improve so many various characteristics of plants Creating a more balanced soil - creating a condition for the plant to store more carbohydrates more efficiently, for example Allowing the plant to optimize itself 13:00 - How do we regenerate and improve soil health? Restoring biological activity - Biology has four needs: food, water, air, and shelter Putting a cover over soil Allowing the biology to express itself when it's not being cooked at high temperatures Supplying food to the biological system the entire year Diversity of plants increase diversity of biological system 18:30 - How fast can we regenerate and improve soil health? We can begin seeing changes within one growing season 20:30 - What has Jerry observed regarding a diverse number of plants producing soil changes? Comparing cover crops - Cover crop cocktails changes are much more rapid Crops begin behaving differently with crop rotation 27:45 - Are we just regenerating soil, or also the thought processes and models around agriculture? 29:00 - Increasing water use efficiency and nutrient efficiency Water and nutrients are tied together - optimizing together leads to stability The plant may be nutrient limited - leading us to expending water to little effect How efficient is the plant at capturing solar radiation? 33:10 - What does Jerry believe to be true about modern agriculture that many others don't believe to be true? How important improving soils are to increasing productivity - allowing genetics to be optimized 35:20 - What is the opportunity for improved yield and quality? What does this mean for growers in terms of profitability? If you improve soils in "bad" parts of field, immediately improve overall profitability No tillage growers have been able to drop nitrogen by 50% without affecting yields because soil is providing nutrients Producers need to think about what they are getting out of their inputs 38:10 - What action should farmers take right now? Getting a cover crop on system Increasing biology in soil Crop rotation and diversity Cover crop cocktails Reduce tillage Feedback & Booking Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or booking request have a Podcast episode recorded LIVE at your event -- to [email protected]. You can email John directly at [email protected]. Sign Up For Special Updates To be alerted via email when new episodes are released, and get special updates about John speaking, teaching, and podcast LIVE recordings, be sure to sign up for our email list.

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Larry Phelan, a professor at Ohio State University where he heads research programs studying the role of soil communities in plant health and susceptibility to disease and insect pests in biological farming systems. Larry also heads programs researching the identification and behaviors of plant secondary compounds and insect pheromones that affect host finding and other behaviors. In this episode, Larry and I discuss plant and insect communications, soil communities, and the concept of biological buffering - the capacity of biology in the soil to absorb large amounts of nutrients that are applied and contain those in their cells and release them over a period of time. We also talk about Larry's new initiatives in the city of Cleveland to incorporate urban agricultural systems. I had a lot of fun with this episode - some of the topics Larry touches on are absolutely fascinating. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Episode 8 - Larry Phelan - Highlights 3:10 - What are the memorable moments leading up to where Larry is today? Larry was trained as a chemical ecologist - where he would identify pheromones and plant attractants As he started talking to organic farmers, he noticed they had fewer issues with insect pests than conventional farmer neighbors 5:30 - What were the differences that Larry noticed in organic farming? During this time, many organic farmers were doing their own research Many organic farmers had animals integrated into their farms "If we have healthy soil, then we are going to have a healthy plant, and insects don't like healthy plants" - Larry was seeing the truth to this and wanted to test Larry wanted to figure out if insects could tell a difference between plants from organic farms, and if this was more related to the short-term effects of fertilizer or the long-term effects of mismanaged soil The results: Regardless of fertilizer used, the plants growing in soil from the organic farm received few insects eggs 9:20 - Biological Buffering With an influx of organic matter, you create a soil community that is beneficial to the plant Nutrients absorbed into the soil community are released over time - putting the plants in better nutrient balance Plants are almost always limited by nitrogen levels - they're going to take all they can get and will take more than they can deal with Insects are also limited by nitrogen, so plants with excess nitrogen are very nutritious for insects No difference in production between organic and conventional farms 15:20 - Why can insects not utilize plants as a food source that doesn't contain as many amino acids Free amino acids can short circuit the plant defense system - Insects get these free amino acids they don't have to break down Proteins vary in digestibility in insects 18:20 - What had surprised during Larry's research into all of this? 30% ammonia and 70% nitrate resulted in best plant growth Where the plant was out of balance, that's where the insects grew the largest and had the best survivorship Survivorship of insects dropped as they approached the 30/70 ammonia/nitrate ratio 22:40 - What is some practical advice growers can implement? The importance of organic matter added to the soil to sustain a beneficial microbial community Important to distinguish between old organic matter and biologically active organic matter - need to focus on active organic matter 26:10 - What is the impact of a nitrogen application on soil biological profile? Plants can shut out mycorrhizae and can grow a shallow root system When the plant invests in growth above ground, it doesn't have as effective of a root system to gather water and nutrients We don't want plants to encounter any extremes Starter fertilizer isn't allowing plants to grow resilience they need and can cause plant growth to stall out 35:00 - Applying only insoluble start applications Resulting in large root systems High phosphorus levels without phosphorus application Mineral profiles not very different in organic plants regardless of fertilizer application 38:10 - What is something that Larry believes to be true about modern agriculture that is different from mainstream views? The use of soluble fertilizers has been one of the most disruptive practices in mainstream farming How different organic farms view what they do - Conventional farmers have a prescriptive approach. Organic farmers had more of a system perspective "Tied up" nitrogen isn't a bad thing - It gives you "money in the bank" in your soil 41:30 - What is a resource Larry would recommend? Lots of great advances in organic research ATTRA Natural Resources Conservation Service 43:10 - What is a question Larry wi

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing a great farmer and friend of mine, Klaas Martens. Klaas has been farming for more than 30 years and has driven the adoption of sustainable farming practices through his work with numerous national organizations and advisory committees. This episode contains some really great information from Klaas's many years of experience developing sustainable farming systems. In this episode, we talk about the cultural practices that form the basis of weed control, how Klaas thought he had discovered a pathogen that could become a new herbicide, and what it turned out to be, how to see and monitor field variables, crop rotations, and how Klaas has managed the weed control on his farm in upstate New York for the past 30 years. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Episode 8 - Klaas Martens - Highlights 2:50 - Going from conventional farming to completely organic 3:40 - Having to unlearn some things from a university education 4:20 - Klaas was noticing that his observations in farming were contradicting his learned models and assumptions 5:15 - What have been the memorable moments that have lead Klaas to where he is today? Learning that cultural practices form the basis of all weed control - chemicals are auxiliary only Cultural practices are everything you do in the tending of your fields - what you do to set up the situation the crop is growing in What happens if you abandon a field? See the crop rotation in nature 10:20 - Why was Klaas looking for info in books written before 1945? These chemicals were all recent - agriculture had existed long before Knowledge was lost when chemicals came long 12:00 - How does this relate to how Klaas manages crops and weeds on his operation? Klaas realized work today will have results later Reframing from "How do I kill it?" to "Why is this here? What is its function?" Klaas started to study what various weeds and pests actually did in the soil - How do you read what the soil is trying to tell you? 15:00 - The weed that frustrated Klaas and made it seem organic farming was going to be impossible Pests were moving in because they were attracted to unhealthy weeds 18:00 - John's experience with Canadian thistles There is an organism that lives on the deeper roots of Canadian thistles that it needs to survive - it can only live in anaerobic soil 21:30 - What advice would Klaas give to growers to emulate some of his success? Shifting soil biology leads to shifting weed populations Changing the microbiology of the soil 24:50 - What practices lead Klaas to this result? Diverse rotation Cover crops - tried not to have soil uncovered over winter The importance of the smell of the soil We are looking above ground at the plants when we should be looking below ground at the soil 27:00 - Healthy Soils, Sick Soils by Dr. Franz Sekera and Margareth Sekera Sekera took soil and put it under a microscope to see what he could see - discovering the organisms were water living Soil breaking down at 70 degrees F 31:00 - Klaas's experience with producing dry beans and mustard Klaas had a great experience with dry beans, but it dropped very significantly over the years Klaas's rotation wasn't reducing pathogens, it was promoting them Some plots had great looking beans, some had beans that died - Some crops made the problem worse, some didn't have an effect, and some resulted in very healthy beans. One that was very beneficial was yellow mustard 36:00 - How did Klaas's weed profile change after incorporating these changes? The soil was trying to say something - that's why the mustard kept coming up 37:40 - What is Klaas's crop rotation? 20-30 different crops Flexible - Klaas wants to respond to what the soil is telling him They used a basic rotation, but they worn it out 41:30 - What are the variables Klaas is monitoring? Fields having a certain color point to different problems. Yellow points to sulfur. Blue is often a phosphorus indicator. White can be potassium or calcium. These are little data points, still need to do soil testing' 45:40 - How has Klaas seen the ecosystem evolve in regards to disease and insect resistance? Bugs don't hit healthy plants Using epsom salts instead of insecticides when plants are low on magnesium Insects will avoid plants when all three magnesium, sulfur, molybdenum are adequate supply 51:00 - Putting on a nutritional application resulting in all insects disappearing. Plants can launch a defence when they have supplied proper nutrition 52:30 - Most nutritional imbalances are not a result of deficiencies, they are the results of excess of products that growers apply. Overapplication causes imbalances 53:40 - What does Klaas believe to be true about mo

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Groff, a farmer and cover crop pioneer who has also worked with the University of Maryland on extensive cover crop research. Steve founded Cover Crop Coaching in 2016 and has spoken to audiences across North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and many other parts of the world on the use of cover crops across the full range of agricultural applications. In this episode, we talk about important management tools to incorporate with cover crops, the causes of erosion in a soil system, and how farmers can supply consumer demand for nutritional value. We also discuss farm economics, the books Steve read that started him in cover cropping and a step by step guide for growers who want to start developing healthy soil. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Resources recommended by Steve Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life by David R. Montgomery The Biological Farmer: A Complete Guide to the Sustainable & Profitable Biological System of Farming by Gary F. Zimmer Stubble Over the Soil: The Vital Role of Plant Residue in Soil Management to Improve Soil Quality by Carlos Corvetto Lamarca The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka Episode 7 - Steve Groff - Highlights 3:00 - What are some of the memorable moments that have lead Steve to where he is today? Steve started no till in the early 80's - Solely to stop soil erosion A key moment for Steve was 3 years into doing no till - He noticed his soil was beginning to "mellow out" Today we can transfer to no till much faster than ever before In 1995 Steve started researching cover crops - he noticed after a drought year that he had 28 bushels more of corn preceding the previous 3 years Steve is all-in on cover crops! 8:20 - Erosion is a symptom of a bigger problem Healthier soil isn't going to blow or wash away We don't have a runoff problem, we have a water infiltration problem Steve is encouraged by seeing mainstream agriculture start to clue in 10:00 - Can we completely resolve erosion with the use of cover crops? We can greatly reduce it Not just cover crops - there are many other practices however they are a key component. Cover crops are a tool - you need to manage them properly Having a living root in the soil as long as possible is important Having diversity of species is important - we can enhance this with cover crops! Less/zero soil disturbance is important 12:30 - What are some of the other important tools farmers should incorporate? Fertility management - (Ex: Avoid anhydrous ammonia, high salt fertilizers) Once you get your soil functioning, you can start unlocking things that were locked before, such as allowing more access to certain minerals Steve isn't saying everyone needs to be no till - but does advocate it. Tillage is a destructive event 15:10 - How important is it to have a diversity of cover crops? There is a time and a place for single species cover crops Steve always plants mixed species You have to play around and see what works on your farm! How many species do you need? Going beyond 6-8; advantages start to level off. Mixed species doesn't necessarily have to be expensive Cover crop mixes can be thought of as a "one plus one equals three" solution 20:30 - What is something that Steve has puzzled over? The link to human health from how we grow plants and nutrient density Steve noticed that the USDA doesn't say how they establish the averages for nutritional value Steve is looking into creating branding for nutritional basis 26:00 - Does Steve believe it is possible that farmers will be compensated for growing quality Generally, Steve thinks yes. Majority of plant genetics are made for yield - so it may take awhile to get right There are some plant breeders that are now breeding for quality over yield 30:50 - Buyers care about flavor and aroma - These are the same markers of nutrient density Flavor and aroma is what makes repeat customers These can also be traced back to plant genetics and breeding - it's important to build from the ground up Big similarities between microbiome of our gut and the microbiome of soil 35:50 - What is something that has surprised Steve in his work? The importance of soil health - What tools like cover crops and no tillage are capable of Once you get the system working, you don't need as much input! Steve expects to continue being surprised as he tries to discover more 38:00 - What does Steve believe to be true about agriculture that many others do not? Reducing input is not going to lead to "mining out" the soil That the use of insecticides and fungicides can be reduced "Would you take chemo to prevent cancer?" 41:40 - What does Steve

In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Don Huber, a leading plant pathologist and Professor Emeritus at Purdue University. We discuss how to manage soil-borne diseases by managing crop rotations, and the management needed to grow 500 hundred bushels corn. Don shared intriguing observations on how soil-borne disease pathogen populations remain present in the soil constantly and are actually 'beneficial' saprophytic fungi until the right environment is present. Root diseases are a result of the soil environment, not a result of the presence or absence of the organism. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Related Resources Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease by Lawrence E. Datnoff (Author, Editor), Wade H. Elmer (Editor), Don M. Huber (Editor) Marschner's Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants by Horst Marschner (Author) Episode 4 - Dun Huber - Highlights 2:40 - What are Don's most memorable moments leading him to where he is? Don has fun wherever he is! 3:10 - What has puzzled Don in his research work? Studying soil ecology is looking at a black box. Need to slowly build a picture of everything involved. 4:10 - What is something that has surprised Don? How seemingly contradictory things all work together, such as a lot of nutrient relationships Secondary functions of things like manganese and iron start to come into play What are the ecological niches that make the system work? 6:30 - Challenge of manganese availability. What is contributing to that? It's a dynamic relationship with soil and fungi. Need organisms and nutrients to increase uptake Need the bacteria that are responsible for the valiant state - oxidizing groups and reducing groups Manganese can be there, but not available for uptake 11:10 - Pathogens dependant on manganese oxidation. Are they directly dependent, or are they producing a manganese-deficient plant? Both can be correct. They don't necessarily need the oxidation. Enzyme isn't going to work for you without a cofactor 13:50 - How do populations change when you have a crop infection? The plant is providing nutrients and resources for the pathogen Soil inhabitant vs soil colonizer A soil colonizer is an organism that can be provided its nutrient base from a host Infection isn't the result of the presence of the pathogen, but the level of plant health and microbial ecology in the rhizosphere 20:20 - What are the tools the growers have available to manage soil ecology most effectively and to develop a disease suppressant soil profile. Crop rotation - each crop influences a certain group of organisms in the soil Cover cropping Time of tillage Farming is really managing ecology 28:30 - Is it also possible to use these tools to manage and suppress soil-borne pathogens? Definitely! 31:20 - What are some useful crops or cover crops that have a strong disease suppressive effect? Depends on disease and overall soil biology Perhaps the best crop: Oats! 36:50 - What are the key characteristics shared by disease suppressing crops? Boils down to nutrition - may be indirect or direct 39:10 - Can fall tillage application create a rebalancing effect of both reducing organisms as well as oxidizing organisms?. Yes! Doesn't have to be every year Long term no-tillage can reduce the efficiency of ecology 41:20 - What are the impacts of nitrogen on developing disease suppressive soils? Most soil organisms are hungry for 2 things: nitrogen and carbon Changes can cause massive stimulation 44:30 - What is the impact of ammonium on an ecosystem with reduced nitrogen Tremendous reduction of disease Reducing environment creates an increase of manganese availability 46:30: What is the impact of carbon-nitrogen ratio on disease suppressive soils as well as yield? Depends on the carbon source It's not the carbon to nitrogen ratio, it's the form of nitrogen involved Ratio works if working with the same nutrient source 48:30 - Quality/Quantity of photosynthesis - How can we increase quantity of photosynthesis and quantity of root exudates in soil profile. Manganese, manganese, iron, sulfur, etc. are essential for photosynthesis Mineral nutrient deficiency will reduce overall efficiency. 54:30 - We are not tapping into efficiency of plants by limiting carbon dioxide 55:10 - Increase in photosynthesis producing increased biomass 55:30 - What is the potential for plants to increase their volume of photosynthesis? The potential is 100% 5-10x depending on what the plant it, starting point, etc. 1:00:30 - What kind of yields did Don achieve during his yield trials? What plant populations were growers using? 350+ bushel 1:07:10 - What happened from then, to today when growers are struggling to grow 250 bushel? Why were these not adopt

In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Matt Kleinhenz, a professor at the Ohio State University in vegetable crop physiology who has done research in many areas of horticulture and crop sciences. We talk about high quality food production, how growers and consumers view nutrient density, how farmers can influence the market, Matt's views on nutritional yield, and how growers can stay up-to-date on the latest crop breakthroughs. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Episode 5 - Dr. Matt Kleinhenz - Highlights [0:03:20] - Matt's memorable moments that have brought him to where he is today Matt's interactions with growers bringing him questions, especially focusing on "how to produce more of a better quality product?" [0:04:10] - Where is the demand coming from for growers who want to produce a higher quality product? Some demand comes from grower's ethics who see themselves as part of a larger picture. Business wise - maybe coming from complaints or questions of the quality of their product. [0:05:00] - What defines quality for growers? What are they seeking to produce? What does quality mean in the eyes of a particular group? Shape, size, texture, aroma, flavor, etc. [0:07:00] - What has Matt observed in terms of nutrient density? Will there be a demand for "nutrient dense" foods? Nutrient value/density is a complex topic, and we need to be specific when discussing it. Will there be a time when more people are paying more attention? Matt thinks so, but we aren't there yet. [0:11:00] - Is there evidence we have lost nutrient density in our food supply? Matt thinks it's possible. The market is not demanding nutritional value, so it makes sense farmers are not focusing on it. How does a farmer display nutritional value? [0:19:00] - Organic industry confusion [0:20:40] - What has been the one thing that has really puzzled Matt for a long time? Matt has seen some farmers have a lack of understanding around the basic biology of the crops they grow. You can't be as effective as possible without a firm grasp of the basics. People are following a process, not understanding the crop they are growing. [0:23:40] - What are the important pieces growers should study? Understanding can come from many different places. Study the process of farming: Take notes, take pictures, and review these. Install ways to record information such as temperature and rainfall. This information is good for farmers themselves, and when getting outside help. Read, listen, watch videos. Keep a healthy skepticism, but not to the point of being close minded. Implement as many ways of knowing as possible, and start with the simple ones. How do other professions describe nutritional value? [0:30:00] - One characteristic of the most successful growers They seek to understand "How do we make money?" They seek to understand the specific characteristic to their crop that is most desired by the market, and how to manage it. Repeat sales come from quality. Improve the value of the transaction by improving the product. BRIX has little bearing on nutrition [0:34:54] - What does Matt believe to be true about agriculture today that most don't believe to be true? One area Matt hears about less is asking what role growers play in society and our daily lives? [0:36:35] - How to remedy underappreciation for growers? Matt thinks growers need to ask more of themselves, and they could be more assertive about what they do, how, and why. [0:38:50] - What makes growers who make an impact stand out from the rest? Growers need to be able to see their product as the buyer sees it, not as a farmer. [0:42:50] - John's story of farm with hail damage with an interesting crop response [0:48:05] - What is the job the buyer wants from food? Growers should be as informed as possible about what their buyers expect from the product, and what they aspire to. The different perspective of food of cancer survivors, for example. Are growers knowledgeable about what these people are looking for? [0:52:20] - Where is the greatest opportunity for growers today? Continue to do what they've done, but better! Be a partner in the process of enhancing the social component of what they do; be connected. Use natural resources well. Be a student of the farm and all aspects of the business. [0:54:20] - Matt's single recommendation for growers to learn more Learn something new. Challenge yourself to learn new things about your crops or your farm. Get an alternative point of view, and don't become too comfortable with what you "know" to be true. Get exposure to research if you have none. Be aware of some of the newest trends [0:57:30] - What technology or ideas is Matt excited about for the future of agriculture? Grower-fri

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tom Dykstra, the founder and laboratory director at Dykstra Labs, who also has advanced degrees in entomology and has worked with Dr. Phil Callahan. In this episode, we talk about plant and insect communications, and how plants can only see and feed on plants who are unhealthy (insects are only attracted to unhealthy plants). We also discuss Dr. Dykstra's current day work in bioelectromagnetics, entomology, and agriculture. This episode is a truly amazing glimpse into these very fascinating areas and how they relate to plant physiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Episode 4 - Dr. Dykstra - Highlights 3:00 - What memorable moments lead Tom to where he is today? Getting fired at the University of Florida leading to the path he's on now Work with flea larvae leading into Tom's PhD project Insect bioelectromagnetics 5:40 - What is the potential impact of Tom's work on agriculture? What might farmers be able to apply? Optimizing photosynthesis to optimize Brix level - leading to healthier plants 8:30 - Photosynthesis thoughts. How much is it possible to increase photosynthesis beyond what is normal? What tools can optimize it? You can increase it substantially Most plants between 4-8 brix. 12 serious insect damage stops. 14 is a genuinely healthy plant Plants are not working up to anywhere near their potential It's a matter of getting the photosynthetic rate up Need to not be putting up blockages - ex. pesticides Brix is by far the easiest thing to do to measure plant health Need to be weaning off pesticides immediately 17:30 - What can we do to increase energy flow in the soil profile? How much can you afford to lose? Start here Allow weeds to grow here - put out sugar as often as you can This is the cheapest and simplest way to clean out soil as fast as one season Switching over immediately can be a little painful, but anyone can transition slowly Cover crops can also help, but not quite as fast Erosion has recently become a problem 25:00 - Cover crops or applying sugar directly Cover crops take time and can help soil more over time - directly applying sugar is a massive dose Variety of cover crops is better than just one 27:30 - Why has erosion become such a challenge? Because microbes are gone - leading to fluffy soil that is easily washed away 28:40 - What has been something Tom has puzzled over for a long time? How insects smell - Tom's own research 10-15 years where Tom was unable to put the pieces together In Nov 2016, they were able to decipher details in how insects smell 31:20 - Why some insects are attracted to certain regions while others are not? Insects smell with antenna and palps Certain insects are "tuned" into certain smells Some plants will advertise themselves as unhealthy - insects will not attack healthy plants Insects are only looking for digestible plants (unhealthy) 35:20 - What are some of the compounds that serve as insect attractants we could manage and monitor? Ethanol is a universal odorant advertising plants as unhealthy - a lot of plants will release some sort of alcohol Every insect has its own brix cutoff where it will not attack a plant Massive brix level drop before a storm - temporary measure in plants 42:30 - Are nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen insect attractants? Indirectly, yes! High nitrogen is not a direct attractant, but the imbalance in the plant causes the plant to advertise itself because it's stressed 48:10 - What are the possible detection distances for these insect signaling compounds? They can be detected by great distances! Tremendous. No matter the distance. 50:20 - Why do some people seem to attract mosquitoes, and some do not? Like plants, this is the difference between healthy and unhealthy people. Mosquitoes seek people who advertise themselves as having disgestable blood. Mosquitoes have a choice, and are going to choose the most digestible blood available 54:10 - What are the differences between healthy and unhealthy mosquitoes? Not all insects are going to have the same diseases. They have states of health and unhealth 57:00 - What has been something that has really surprised Tom? How different insects are smelling the same molecule - Tom's focus in his research Insects have multiple receptors for smell Tom has learned throughout his life how little we know so far on these topics 1:01:20 - What does Tom believe to be true about agriculture that many others do not believe to be true? Insects are only attracted to unhealthy plants Because of this, pesticides are unnecessary 1:06:30 - What is a book or resource Tom would recommend? Going out there and talking to farmers directly Tom likes giving direct advice F

In this episode, I had an awesome time interviewing Dr. Michael McNeill, who is an agronomic consultant with several degrees in soil fertility, plant physiology, and quantitative genetics. We discuss how fertility and genetics impact plant response to disease invasion, what causes the suppression of soil health, Michael's experience quickly regenerating soil, how farming has changed since the green revolution, and how to develop a plant profile that protects against disease. Mentioned In This Episode: N. A. Krasil'nikov SOIL MICROORGANISMS AND HIGHER PLANTS Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, Episode 3 Timestamps: 4:10 - Michael's background Michael's seen the transition of his farm going from all horses, to the GPS guided tractors they use today. He sees a need to bring back certain aspects of the type of farming he learned from his grandfather, especially In terms of improving soil health and maintaining soil fertility. Michael's operation has gone completely organic. Around 42,000 acres of organic crops in Michael's area, with farmers ranging from 320 acres to 15,000 acres of organic area. 6:50 - Michael's professional work Michael left the farm for a few years for a degree at Iowa State University, majoring in agronomy for a B.S. degree in soils and soil fertility. Michael has a masters degree in plant physiology, and a PhD in quantitative genetics. After university, Michael studied the impact of diseases as weapons and how to defend crops against diseases. Michael learned about how fertility and genetics can create environments that can defend against pathogenic invasion. Michael had experimented with GMO's and moving genes from different species into plants, which he chose to step away from. This lead to focus on a quantitative genetic approach, and more into soil fertility and health. Michael has moved into agricultural consulting as well 11:00 - What is the scope of Michael's work? Most of Michael's work is working with soil health and soil fertility. Michael says soil health never used to be a big issue compared to today 11:30 - What has changed with soil health? Michael noticed plants in old photos looked much healthier Michael asked: what changed from back then? He says it's due to use of herbicides. 14:30 - Production dropping on farms Michael has observed a drop from 200 bushels per acre to 70-80. Michael has seen this across many farms. 16:10 - How do you go from depressed yields to back up to larger numbers Michael advises to firstly figure out what is going wrong, and stop doing that. "Get the food right" for the soil. There is no magic bullet solution 19:00 - What is causing the suppression of soil health? Excessive tillage doesn't seem to bother soil. However, you must be careful with which tillage tool to use. Tillage does not cause the same damage as herbicides, anhydrous ammonia, or high sulphur fertilizers 21:40 - What are the damaging effects of herbicides on soil health? Michael thinks we haven't paid enough attention to soil micronutrients They are important to plant growth, and easily chelated by pesticides. 23:00 - What did Michael learn from his grandfather would be relevant today? Crop rotation is lacking. Michael's grandfather had to grow oats for his horses, which are great at improving soil health. Michael says we should think of oats as an excellent cover crop. No better fertilizer than animal manures. 26:00 - What did Michael learn from studying diseases as a weapon? Diseases can continue to kill crops for many years. Antibiotic type products can strip soil protection It hard to fix contaminated soil. There is microbial life in soil that will keep everything in balance, provided you can provide the right nutrition. 29:40 - Is it possible to grow crops that don't have disease? Michael says yes! It's very hard to get disease to invade a perfectly healthy plant An unhealthy plant cannot convert sugars into complex sugars, which disease can't use. 33:10 - What has been something that has puzzled Michael? Michael's answer: The impact of lack of micronutrients in crops. Minerals are being chelated inside the plant tissue by herbicides Sap analysis correlates more with what plants are showing visually 36:20 - What are the things Michael believes to be true that others don't believe to be true? Michael believes soil can grow healthy and high yielding plants with minimal additional inputs 37:10 - How to grow healthy, high yield crops without fertilizer Creating healthy soil that allows plant roots to go deep into the soil for access to needed minerals 40:10 - What does Michael not believe to be true? Michael's answer: Most people believe you have to put a lot of input

In this episode, I interviewed Gabe Brown, a rancher who is a veteran no-tiller and the owner of Brown's Ranch in Bismarck, N.D.. We discussed Gabe's experience farming without applying any fertilizers, the ability to feed more people with regenerative agriculture than with the current system, the economics of grazing beef, and the tremendous opportunity of growing non-commodity crops. This episode is a great look at the practical applications of regenerative agriculture systems. Gabe's new book, Dirt to Soil, will be available in fall 2018 from Chelsea Green and Amazon. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Episode 2 - Gabe Brown - Highlights 0:02:40 - What moments have lead Gabe to where he is today? Since Gabe wasn't born and raised on a farm, he didn't have any preconceived notions, and was open to new ideas Gabe went to no tillage Gabe learned how to use the land without the use of synthetic inputs 0:04:40 - What were the key pieces Gabe changed to how he had been farming? Incorporating livestock Lowering synthetic inputs 0:07:20 - How important is it to incorporate livestock? Soil health revolves around carbon We can still definitely improve soil health without livestock, however they will not reach the levels of soil that had livestock Cover crops are still a no-brainer, however! 0:12:00 - Commodity crop mindset We have a human health crisis Nutrient density is a fraction of what it used to be Health of soil ecosystem is causing downward trend in nutrient density Focus on human health is a coming wave 0:16:40 - Do we actually have a food production problem? We have a distribution problem, not a food production problem. 0:20:50 - Iowa's change from 1946 Gabe is succeeding by focusing on growing different things Money coming from working on little things 0:25:00 - Agriculture is fun again! Much more enjoyable to work with a model of life rather than death 0:26:20 - We have a model of agriculture antagonistic to growers core values There are human health implications 0:28:30 - Can we increase meat consumption globally and produce an equivalent or greater amount of meat using the system Gabe has described? Absolutely yes! Not having animals out on the land causing issues Commodity vs regenerative model - growing cover crops, grazing 0:32:40 - Growing food as medicine What's Making Our Children Sick?: How Industrial Food Is Causing an Epidemic of Chronic Illness, and What Parents (and Doctors) Can Do About It by Dr. Michelle Perro (Author), Vincanne Adams (Author) 0:34:10 - What has really puzzled Gabe? Dealing with perennial weeds We have to get fungal activity back into soils 0:38:20 - What has surprised Gabe? Not able to be truly regenerative without removing or significantly backing off the use of synthetics 0:40:40 - What synthetic fertilisers has Gabe been using? Dry synthetic fertilisers such as urea They were significantly over applying nitrogen and phosphorus Need to wean off of synthetics 0:43:40 - What does Gabe believe to be true about modern agriculture that others don't believe to be true? We aren't given an owners manual for our soil Need to realize soil is living, dynamic, resilient ecosystem What thing that sets Gabe's operation apart: Living growing root in the ground as long as possible throughout the year 0:47:00 - Most growers haven't observed truly healthy plants 0:48:20 - What is the biggest opportunity in agriculture today? Advancing soil health to produce more nutrient dense food Consumers are starting to think of food as health Farmacology: Total Health from the Ground Up Daphne Miller M.D. (Author) 0:51:00 - What is a book or resource Gabe recommends? A Soil Owner's Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health by Jon Stika (Author) What's Making Our Children Sick?: How Industrial Food Is Causing an Epidemic of Chronic Illness, and What Parents (and Doctors) Can Do About It by Dr. Michelle Perro (Author), Vincanne Adams (Author) Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown (upcoming) 0:53:30 - What ideas and technology is Gabe excited about for the future of agriculture? Leaps in knowledge of soil biology Instrumentation to scan a food item to scan nutrient density Advancements in measuring carbon 0:58:00 - What actions would you recommend for growers? Educate themselves - have a desire to learn 5 principles - least amount of disturbance possible, armor on the soil, diversity, living root in ground as long as possible, animal integration. Try these 5 on a given field for 5 years Getting more perennials growing 1:01:50 - What question does Gabe wish John had asked? Just try something! Don't have to do it all to start Need to not drive young people away from agriculture Feedback & Booking Please send your feedback, r

In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Robert Kremer, a microbiology scientist for the USDA who also works as a professor in plant sciences at the University of Missouri. In this episode, we discuss Robert's project with the USDA decomposing weed seeds in soil, native soil microorganisms and microbial interactions, and the implications of AMPA and glyphosate on soil biology. We also discuss Robert's thoughts on the challenge of manganese availability, how growing GMO's impacts soil health, building soil carbon, how to choose soil inoculants and many more fascinating insights from a highly respected soil scientist. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006. If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant. Episode 1 - Dr. Kremer - Highlights 0:03:00 - What are Robert's memorable moments leading up to where he is today? Robert was asked by the USDA Agricultural Research Service to look at the possibility of decomposing weed seeds in soil used in microbiological approaches. Robert saw in the 80's, weed and pest management was mainly chemical based. Through trying natural ways of controlling weeds and attempting to understand what pesticides do, which lead him soil quality/health. 0:05:50 - Has Robert had success in developing biological controls? Are there tools available for farmers to use today? Robert found it almost impossible to control all weed growth. Modern input based agriculture ecosystems built up many weed seeds in the operations Robert was working on. Robert's work has helped set the stage for other work that has been done in this area. 0:08:10 - Is Robert aware of any development relevant to fruit and vegetable production systems? Or in areas where ecosystems have longer crop rotation incorporating cover crops? Agri-Food Canada has contributed to this area However, Robert doesn't believe there is a lot of development 0:09:40 - The impact of pesticides? Robert has found some pesticides to be damaging to certain microorganism, while the same pesticides can be stimulating to other microorganisms Microorganisms were able to adapt to commonly used insecticides and herbicides These compounds were building weed resistance, but also altering the soil microbial community at the same time Finding residual glyphosate in the soil 0:14:40 - How long does Robert find that glyphosate residues are remaining in soil? Plots that had gone a year without RoundUp had as high glyphosate levels as plots that received the glyphosate in the same year, showing there was a carry over of residual glyphosate Robert found it seemed random which plots had high levels of residual glyphosate AMPA can be just as toxic as glyphosate itself Robert was observing 10-50x more AMPA than glyphosate 0:17:40 - What are the implications of high concentrations of AMPA in soil profile? AMPA has very similar effects to glyphosate on soil 0:18:30 - What defines soil quality and health? Two main indicators: soil organic carbon, and microbial diversity A high proportion of soil organic carbon is active carbon. This is the portion of carbon that supports the microbial community and plant growth protection Diversity in fungi and bacteria 0:25:00 - What can a farmer today do to start measuring these factors? Labs exist that can put together soil assessments Some states have incentives for farmers to do this 0:27:00 - What are the long-term impacts of soil quality/health by compounds such as glyphosate or AMPA? Robert has noticed glyphosate tends to suppress beneficial groups of bacteria Manganese can become "tied up" because the plant cannot access micronutrients 0:31:00 - What are the long-term implications of manganese immobility in soil profiles? Shift in microbial diversity. Including cover crops or different crops in rotation can help free up manganese 0:33:30 - What crops are really effective at having a reducing effect and shifting the availability of manganese in the soil profile? When you have a diversity of cover crops, some will be able to mobilize micronutrients Common example: Buckwheat Sorghum 0:35:20 - How to GMOs impact soil microbial community Some early GMO soybeans roots seemed to release higher levels of amino acids and soluble carbon, which can attract potential pathogens In some GMO corn varieties, side effect of having more lignin 0:39:10 - What does Robert believe to be true about modern agriculture that many others don't believe to be true? Depletion of soil organic matter. Robert has seen a drop from 3% organic matter down to around 1% 0:41:00 - How can we regenerate the soluble carbon component in the soil profile? Having a diversity of plants, and having living roots in the soil as long as possible Follow corn or soybean with wheat 0:43:20 - What is a book or resource Robert wou