Joel Williams is an independent plant and soil health educator who provides lectures, workshops, and consultations on soil management, plant nutrition, and integrated approaches to sustainable food production. Joel enjoys designing farming systems that focus on managing soil biology along with crop and soil nutrition to optimize plant immunity and soil function. He has extensive experience working in Australia, the UK, and Canada, integrating soil and plant analyses as a joined-up strategy for managing production.

In this episode, Joel and John discuss:

• The differences between the chemistry vs. biology approach

• The importance of a well-structured soil

• Reasons for using biological seed coatings

• Efficiencies of foliar applications vs. soil applications

• Crop responses to incremental changes over extended periods

• Strategies for efficient foliar applications

• Nitrogen applications and management

• Yield expectations during regenerative transitions

To learn more about Joel and his work, please visit https://integratedsoils.com/

About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture. A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.

Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
The recognized leader in regenerative agriculture since 2006, Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) is on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable. 

AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA’s science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter most. 

AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with their products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers in North America to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers around the world.

Learn more about AEA’s regenerative programs and products, and check out the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.

~ 

VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this inspiring webinar featuring John and three AEA grower partners that share how regenerative agriculture is changing the way they farm and live: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk

Check out this episode!

The post Episode #83: John Warmerdam appeared first on Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Erin Silva is an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant Pathology as well as the Director for the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison. 

After completing a Ph.D. in Horticulture at Washington State University, Dr. Silva obtained a faculty position at New Mexico State University. During her tenure at NMSU, Dr. Silva taught courses on organic vegetable production, including an experiential learning course integrating the campus working student organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. Dr. Silva initiated several organic research projects at NMSU, including work on a cover crop-based reduced tillage approach for organic vegetable crops and breeding vegetables for organic production systems.

These research themes continued as Dr. Silva moved into the first organically focused research position at the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2006. Through her work at UW-Madison, she has developed an internationally recognized program that improves the management of organic production systems and increases the profitability and sustainability for organic producers and rural communities.

In this episode, Dr. Silva and John discuss the following:

To find out more information about Erin’s research, please visit https://uworganic.wisc.edu/ograin/. OGRAIN, The Organic Grain Resource and Information Network, exists to provide farmers access to research and to form a community of organic grain producers.

About John KempfJohn Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, a plant nutrition and biostimulants consulting company. A top expert in the field of biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who are growing that supply.

​Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition - a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

Support For This Show & Helping You GrowThe recognized leader in regenerative agriculture since 2006, AEA (Advancing Eco Agriculture) is on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable. 

AEA works directly with growers on the application of its unique line of crop nutritional supplements and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting edge plant and soil data gathering techniques, AEA’s science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. 

AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with their products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers in North America to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers around the world who thirst for actionable information about regenerative agriculture.

Learn more about AEA’s regenerative programs and products.

VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this amazing conversation between John and three AEA growers about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk

Fred Provenza, Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Ecology at Utah State University, is the co-founder of BEHAVE (Behavioral Education for Human, Animal, Vegetation and Ecosystem Management), an international research and outreach program that seeks to understand the principles of animal behavior. For the past 30 years, this group has produced ground-breaking research that laid the foundations for what is now known as behavior-based management of landscapes. 

Through his research, books, and speaking engagements, Fred has paved the way for the behavior-based management of landscapes. His work has influenced researchers across disciplines.

In this episode, Fred and John Kempf discuss:

• The consciousness of plants and animals, and our relationships to them
• The relationships between domestic animals, crops, and healthy landscapes
• Fred’s understanding of the gut microbiome of livestock and how it changes with diverse diets 
• The pathway for regenerating millions of arid acres in the US West
• Appreciating the culture and heritage of animals 
• The functional significance of both human and animal family structures

Fred has authored three books:

• Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/nourishment
• • Also available on audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/An-Original-Audiobook-Adaptation-of-Nourishment-Audiobook/B0BKH5NBF5
• Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change: https://www.amazon.com/Foraging-Behavior-Managing-Survive-Change/dp/0970389922
• The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/the-art-and-science-of-shepherding

Support For This Show & Helping You Grow

This show is brought to you by Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA), leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006.

AEA produces the highest quality biological and mineral nutrition products along with offering Plant Sap Analysis, and regenerative program development for your farm. 

If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop quality, resilience, and profit — email hello@advancingecoag.com or call 800-495-6603 today to be connected with a dedicated AEA regenerative agriculture crop consultant. To learn more visit https://www.advancingecoag.com 

~ 

VIDEO: For more conversations with John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this amazing conversation between John and 3 growers about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk

Kelly Mulville, a veteran agricultural consultant, is the Vineyard Director at Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, California. For more than 25 years, Kelly has been obtaining impressive results by merging his experience in viticulture with his understanding of Allan Savory’s holistic grazing management techniques. His approach to extended-season vineyard livestock grazing and other ecological practices continue to capture an audience of vineyard managers around the globe.

Kelly and John discuss in this episode:

• How Kelly developed practices around incorporating sheep into his vineyard management.
• Flooring a wildlife biologist with the bird population data on Kelly’s vineyard after implementing new practices.
• The role plant-grazing animals play in reducing insect pressures.
• Kelly’s cover cropping strategy and how it has led to a diversity of 50 species of plants growing in the vineyard.
• The specific holistic management techniques inspired by Allan Savory’s work that have contributed to vineyard success.
• The adaptability of these practices on other crops like nuts and tree crops.

Joe Lewis is an internationally renowned scientist recognized for his work in entomology and agricultural studies. His discoveries in the behavioral and chemical interactions of parasitoids, insect herbivores, and plants have played a critical role in our understanding of ecological growing. He is also the author of A New Farm Language: How a Sharecropper's Son Discovered a World of Talking Plants, Smart Insects, and Natural Solutions.

Listen as Joe and John discuss:

• Joe’s introduction to agriculture growing up on a Mississippi cotton farm
• The discovery of plants utilizing chemical compounds to alert parasitic wasps to the presence of caterpillars.
•  The first demonstration of associative learning in parasitic wasps.
• Sensitivity of signals between plants and parasitic wasps, including how they differentiate from food and host.
• Environmental impacts that have led to unbalanced increases in insect pressures.
• The value of cover cropping to provide a nectar source for insects during production season.
• Changing the paradigm from “how to kill this pest” to “why is this pest a pest?”

A New Farm Language by Joe Lewis: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/a-new-farm-language

Adam Chappell is a regenerative grower and cover crop advocate from Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Adam started growing with his dad and brother on their 7,500 acre property in 2005, but by 2009 pigweed issues alone had nearly pushed them into bankruptcy. Knowing there had to be a better way, Adam began educating himself about the power of regenerative agriculture, implementing a cover cropping strategy that he claims saved the family farm. Today, Adam’s operation grows a variety of broadacre crops and continues to make strides in ecological health and crop performance.

Throughout their conversation, Adam and AEA Founder John Kempf discuss:

• Adam’s start in agriculture and how cover cropping brought the farm “from the brink of bankruptcy to a profitable enterprise.”
•  Adam’s current methodologies for crop rotation and cover cropping.
• How the adoption of regenerative practices has contributed to improved profitability.
• Adam’s background in entomology and ecology and the shifts in insect populations he has seen over time.
• Questioning the necessity of soil testing and becoming wary of “sales tools.”
• Implementing Dr. Norman Lupo’s root intensification method and other row spacing strategies.
•  Livestock integration and the story of Adam’s first purchase of cattle.
• Why Adam’s goals for the future include “getting smaller.”

Rick Clark is a fifth-generation farmer from Warren County, Indiana. Driven by a desire to work alongside mother nature, Rick has been implementing regenerative practices on his farm for almost a decade. Rick’s commitment to soil health has allowed him to grow his operation to 7000 organic, no-till acres, in part by employing a variety of cover cropping and weed control techniques.

In their conversation, Rick and John Kempf discuss:

• Rick’s journey to a fully organic operation
• Conventional agriculture’s “dependency on chemistry” and the best practices for conventional burn down
•  Rick’s humbling experiences experimenting with cover crops in the early days
• How planting multiple cash crops together could be the future of agriculture
•  Handling foxtail and other difficult weeds through regenerative practices  
• The power of diversity and rotation in a no-tillage system
• Rick’s take on farm economics and how he  is saving almost $1.7 million a year in inputs 

Tim Parton is a regenerative agriculture advocate and Farm Manager at Brewood Park Farm in the United Kingdom. Tim has been implementing regenerative practices on his 300-hectare estate for over 15 years. He has received several accolades for his work, such as being named the Arable Innovator of the Year by British Farming Awards and receiving the Farm Innovator of the Year award from Farmers Weekly.

Throughout their conversation, Tim and John discuss:

• Tim’s background and retreat from intensive pesticide use.
•  How balancing plant nutrition helped Tim cultivate canola seedlings that are resistant to flea beetles.
• Tim’s experience with Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (or BYDV) and how he manages aphids in an ecological system.
• Foliar application systems and their economic impacts.
• Increases in commodity fertilizer prices and what this means for the financial viability of regenerative agriculture.
• How Tim has managed to not apply any NPK fertilizers for more than a decade.
• The cultural management practices that have replaced fungicide applications on Tim’s farm.
• The importance of carbon sequestration, educating consumers, and sharing information among growers.

James Johnson is a fourth-generation farmer in New Mexico and the Vice President of Carzalia Valley Produce. When James finally took over the family farm in the early 2000s the outlook of his operation seemed grim. After many years of trial and error with various practices, James found the Advancing Eco Agriculture team where he discovered the benefits of regenerative agriculture.

Thanks to his partnership with AEA, James achieved an outstanding yield of 1,490 lbs/acre for Pima Cotton at the end of harvest season 2020 while his county average was 880 lbs/acre!

In this episode, James and AEA founder John Kempf discuss:

• The shift in agronomy management on James’ farm over the last 20 years.
• James’ first encounter with John Kempf and the similarities in their personal stories.
• The long-term effects of herbicide, insecticide, and pesticide use on crops from the perspective of a self-declared “recovering glyphoholic”
• Solving onion thrips and western flower thrips pressure with regenerative foliar applications, rather than insecticides.
• James’ observations on chlorpyrifos and diazinon—how their use affects non-target species and overall soil biology.
• The technology James uses as a self-proclaimed early adopter, including evapotranspiration platforms and an AI robot that pulls weeds.

Dale Strickler is an agronomist at Green Cover Seed and prominent author primarily focused on soil health. Dale grew up on a family farm outside Colony, KS, and received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy from Kansas State University. Dale has been an advocate for the use of cover crops for over three decades and continues to experiment, achieving increasingly exciting results.

Dale has published two books, The Drought-Resilient Farm and Managing Pasture. His third book, The Complete Guide to Restoring Your Soil, will be released later this year.

In this episode, Dale and AEA Founder John Kempf discuss:

• Dale’s agricultural background and what inspired his fascination with cover crops.
• His experiences with heavy clay soil and implementing a subsurface, drip-irrigated pasture.
• How regenerative practices can affect water-holding capacity of soils and restore small water cycles.
• Dale’s most memorable moments in his consulting work with growers across the country.
• Hand cropping, intercropping, and other practices forgotten by mainstream, mechanized agriculture.
• The reason farmers need to be “thinking like a scientist” and the power of self-education.  

John Fagan is the Chairman & Chief Scientist at the Health Research Institute, also known as HRI Labs, in Fairfield, Iowa. HRI provides testing services that focus on the nutritional value and biofunctionality of food sources. HRI’s research and collaboration efforts continue to help grow the global regenerative agriculture movement in myriad ways.

Throughout their discussion, Fagan and John discuss:

• The scope of Fagan’s work at the Health Research Institute.
•  How chromatography, mass spectrometry, and other analytical tools allow Fagan to identify plant and animal compounds.
• Fagan’s research in comparing conventional vs organic production methods and his key takeaways.
• The diversity and variability of plant compounds and their potential for innovation in the world of agriculture.
• Fagan’s tentatively named “Farmer Led Innovation Network” and how it is combining cutting-edge science and data collection.  
• How evidence of glyphosate presents across different crop types, agricultural products, and soil profiles.
• The evolution of glyphosate detection and what science can tell us about glyphosate levels in our food.

Check out the glyphosate research mentioned by Fagan here: https://johnkempf.com/perspective-on-glyphosate-challenges/

Nicole Masters is an internationally recognized agroecologist from New Zealand. Fortified by her studies in ecology and plant physiology, Nicole currently serves as the Director of Integrity Soils, a collection of regenerative agriculture coaches that assist growers around the globe. Nicole is also the author of “For the Love of Soil: Strategies to Regenerate Our Food Production Systems.”

In this episode, Nicole and John discuss:

• Nicole’s background in vermicompost and her strategy of customizing microbial applications to produce specific outcomes.
• The current rise in research on microbial quorum sensing and quorum signaling.
• Many case studies and examples that explain relationships between soil life and nutrition profiles and weed populations.
• The function of biology in response to plant signals and in enhancement of plant immune systems.
• The practice of bio-priming seeds or land, and how it helps to produce disease-suppressive soils, and to regenerate native plant populations.

Harriet Mella is an independent Austrian researcher known for her work uncovering the unexplained phenomena of plant growth and development. Informed by her background in microbiology, mycology, and biochemistry, Harriet has a unique capacity to describe little-known connections between emerging biological research and agriculture.

During the interview, Harriet and John discuss: 

• Observations on epigenetic expressions and the role of optimal nutrition.
• The flexibility of plant architecture and its direct correlation with microbiome health.
• Harriet’s insights on zodiac rhythms, humic substances, Biodynamic methods, and numerous first-hand agricultural experiences.
• When a plant is no longer absorbing nitrate and how this affects water use efficiency and carbon cycling.
• Harriet’s findings on biophotonics and dark septate endophytes, and her explanation of their impact on plant health.  
• Building stable humic substances during the winter months with the assistance of specific fungal groups.

Harriet Mella’s new online course, “Carbon Micro Cycling,” explores the connections between soil carbon and soil fertility. Sign up for the course on Kind Harvest today! https://kindharvest.ag/courses/ra-cc-carbon-course/

Steven Bierlink is an apple grower located in Quincy, WA. When Steven returned to work on his family operation after graduating with a business degree, he was driven to meet the many challenges their orchard faced. Looking for solutions to bitter pit, cork spot, and lenticel rot, Steven sought out the management practices that could renew the health of their orchard.

Today, Steven abides by meticulous observation in his management practices that have brought many exciting successes, notably on his Honeycrisp blocks which have packed out at a stunning 160 bins per acre.

On this episode, Steven and John discuss:

• Overcoming bitter pit in Honeycrisp apples by altering the interplay among excessive potassium applications, calcium timing, and manganese availability. 
• Steven’s focus on observation resulted in a shift away from his previous conventional operational methods. 
• How Steven balances data collected from fruit analysis and sap analysis to maximize marketable fruit production.
• Managerial philosophies for happy, engaged employees, healthy work-life balance, and why he chooses to maintain a smaller-scale farm.
• Virtually elimination of alternate-year bearing, through a combination of pruning, bud and spur management, PGR’s, nutrition, and lime-sulfur sprays.
• The importance of growers owning the decision-making process, working alongside consultants.

Jason Hobson is one of the initial Regenerative Agriculture Consultants at AEA, working alongside John Kempf in the early years and becoming the Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Jason joined AEA in 2011 and quickly became the lead consultant for larger scale operations, building relationships with distributors and other partners along the way. He gained his knowledge of soil fertility and plant nutrition through hands-on experience, developing a passion for agronomy and regenerative practices that fuels him today.

Throughout their conversation, Jason and John discuss:

• How one Wendell Berry book would change Jason’s career path forever.
• AEA’s approach to nutrient and crop management, how it differed from conventional wisdom.
• Highlights from the last decade of working together: organizational victories and new agronomic discoveries.
• Jason’s thoughts on the “layering of silver bullet solutions” and how farms can degrade in search of a cure.
• Common themes among growers and organizations that have seen success while working with AEA.
• The fallacy of nitrogen and other limiting factors for healthy crops.

Alvin Peachey is an Amish organic dairy farmer from central Pennsylvania. Over the course of more than a decade, Alvin has grown his operation to 90 100% grass-fed cows on 92 acres, implementing regenerative practices that flips the script of the status quo for dairy farmers.

In this thought provoking and practical conversation, Alvin and John discuss:

• Alvin’s background as a dairy farmer starting with only 25 cows and 10 replacements.
•  The difference between rotational grazing and management-intensive grazing.
• How Alvin tracks and manages his cost of production and how his economic models diverge from the mainstream.
• Unique approaches to creating balanced and diverse nutritional profiles, not just in grazable forages, but also in stored winter feeds.
• Important considerations for maximizing sugars and proteins in baleage. 
• The genetic and structural qualities Alvin looks for in dairy cows.
• Alvin’s thoughts and observations on the financial future of dairy farming.

“For the crop production acres, we have no budget on fertilizer… because we have unlimited potential, so why would we have a budget? Right?” -Alvin Peachey

Jesse Frost is the Co-Owner of Rough Draft Farmstead in central Kentucky and host of the No-Till Market Garden Podcast. Jesse’s rich background in researching and experimenting with no-till practices lead to his first book, “The Living Soil Handbook: The No-Till Grower’s Guide to Ecological Market Gardening,” which will be published this summer.

Throughout their conversation John and Jesse discuss:

• How Jesse got his start as a farmer and how a mission to uncover regenerative techniques lead to a promising career in market gardening.
• The economic opportunities surrounding market gardening, including the positive impact of collaboration and Jesse’s thoughts on land ownership.
• The best way to strategize and implement a direct-to-consumers business model.
• Two management styles that work for no-till growers on a smaller scale: Jesse’s thought on the basic cover crop model and the deep compost mulch system
• An overview of the four different types of compost: inoculating compost, fertilizing compost, nutritional compost, and mulching compost.
• The current state of the average farmer’s psyche and the power of relationships and community building.
• Jesse’s current intercropping practices and how they are implemented for pest and disease control.

Pre-order Jesse’s book here: https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook/d9z5gkf1bbnhu0w5xxb3trngiqhwgo

Check out “The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm: Human-Scale Methods for Intensive Commercial Production and Ecological Health” by Daniel Mays here: https://www.frithfarm.net/book.html

Jon Stika is an agronomist and former soil health instructor with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Officially retiring in 2015, Jon now spends his time as environmental consultant for those looking to gain insight on the biological systems of agriculture. Jon is also the author of “A Soil Owner’s Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health,” which was published in 2016, yet continues to have an impact on agricultural thought leaders around the globe.

Throughout their conversation, Jon and John discuss:

• Jon’s realization that soil is not a chemical system, but a biological one.
• The impact of using synthetic fertilizers for several decades and how this has “sidelined” the true biology of our fields.
• What it means to be energy inefficient and the impact on mainstream agricultural systems and practices.
• Jon’s 15-year journey to a regenerative approach; how rapid implementation and economics can inspire other growers to transition to integrating biological methodologies.
• The differences between building soil from the foundational bedrock versus the act of regenerating soil.
• Jon’s belief in the power of educating beyond the growers, working with lenders, banks, agronomists, and landowners to help them understand and support the transition to regenerative agriculture.
• How models used in mainstream agriculture—and even sustainable agriculture—operate on a foundation of “dysfunctional soil.”

Pick up a copy of Jon’s book, “A Soil Owner’s Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health,” today! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30084638-a-soil-owner-s-manual 

Jay Fuhrer is a Conservationist & veteran Soil Health Specialist from the Natural Resources Conservation Services, located out of Bismarck, North Dakota. With over 4 decades of experience, Jay’s work has been critical to the widespread implementation of regenerative agriculture across the globe. Of his many contributions, Jay is most known for developing the 5 Soil Health Principles: establishing soil armor, minimizing soil disturbance, continuing live plant and root presence, and integrating livestock grazing systems.

Throughout their conversation, Jay and John discuss:

• Jay’s early years at the NRCS, and his desire to move forward with agriculture’s best interest at heart.
• The story of how Jay and his colleagues started a 150-acre demonstration farm with a focus on natural resource education.
• Examples of new research and discoveries being made at Menoken Farm, including the implications of water hydrology systems and the power of encouraging soil biology.
• Jay’s observations from conducting Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and measuring infiltration rates over the years.
• Assisting growers by “starting with the geology” and how Jay’s soil recommendations are rooted in the history of the land.
• Proper livestock integration and the benefits of diversity when it comes to grazing.
• The shortcomings of agricultural system labels and Jay’s reasoning for working with growers of all backgrounds.
• Jay’s concerns with shrinking native range land in the Dakotas and why he believes it is an ecosystem that we should maintain into the future.