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AgEmerge

Soil health, regenerative practices, and emerging technology — The AgEmerge Podcast.

Soil health, regenerative practices, and emerging technology — The AgEmerge Podcast. Join our host, Monte Bottens and producer Kim Sheese, as they engage with guests from diverse agriculture interests to discuss experiences, practices and scalable applications for any operation. Tune in to new episodes every other Tuesday to regenerate your ideas, soil, crops, livestock and livelihood.

Latest Episode

124 AgEmerge Podcast Soil Health Human Health Connection

Thanks for joining us! As the year draws to a close, we often find ourselves evaluating the results of this year's harvest and reflecting on the systems and practices we’ve adopted to improve soil health. Some of our guests have shared with us that they’ve changed their practices not only for soil health and water quality but also because of a health event in their lives that prompted an examination of their current systems. Today, we’re bringing you a medley of guests who explore the human health and soil health connection. We’ve picked out some great highlights, with Seth Watkins, a farmer and inaugural Iowa Leopold Conservation Award recipient in 2022. Anthony Corsaro, the Founder and Managing Director at Outlaw Ventures working on building a better food system for tomorrow. Dr. Stefan van Vliet a human physiologist studying the effects of food and physical activity on human health. and Erin Martin, gerontologist and founder of Conscious Aging Solutions. You’ll find links to the full episodes of each of these guests in the podcast notes. There’s no question that we’re still learning about all of the human and soil health relationships and we remain committed to bringing you guests who contribute to our understanding of these connections. Full AgEmerge Podcast links for each guest can be found here: Seth Watkins https://youtu.be/qjXlJmpTjEY?si=oq6Uwt2N9oJP1gIe Anthony Corsaro https://youtu.be/iJvIjyJbSaU?si=_3ded2srFLEjWK1s Dr. Stephan van Vliet https://on.soundcloud.com/mWXaR Erin Martin https://youtu.be/fAIr5GyUSgU?si=Emxr7VeK6yqA5vkC Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

December 5 • 59m 32s

Episodes

124 AgEmerge Podcast Soil Health Human Health Connection

December 5 • 59m 32s

123 AgEmerge Podcast With Dianna Bagnall a Research Scientist for the Soil Health Institute

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

November 21 • 55m 9s

122 AgEmerge Podcast With Jimmy Emmons Senior VP for Trust in Food

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

November 7 • 1h 5m 36s

121 AgEmerge Podcast With Dr. Jack Schultz

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

October 24 • 1h 2m 13s

120 AgEmerge Podcast With Dr. Kelsey Griesheim

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

October 10 • 57m 43s

119 AgEmerge Podcast Christian Krupke - Dept of Entomology - Purdue University

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

September 26 • 1h 9m 58s

118 AgEmerge Podcast with Anthony Corsaro of Outlaw Ventures & ReGen Brands Podcast

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Anthony Corsaro, an entrepreneur, investor, and regenerative agriculture evangelist whose mission is to help heal our people and planet through ventures that inspire the production and consumption of healthy, nutrient-dense foods. This is a powerful conversation including Anthony’s personal intense health journey and how he walks the walk when it comes to food as medicine. Anthony is the Founder and Managing Director at Outlaw Ventures: a family office backing the rebels, radicals, and revolutionaries building the better food system of tomorrow. Outlaw Ventures is in the process of raising a venture capital fund to invest in early-stage regenerative consumer brands. Anthony is also the Creator and Co-Host of The ReGen Brands Podcast: a podcast about the consumer brands supporting regenerative agriculture and how they’re changing the world. He is also the Founder of Regeneration Nation: a clothing company and community hub for the heroes and advocates of regenerative agriculture. Follow these links for more content from Anthony: https://www.regencoalition.com/ https://regen-brands.com/ https://regen-brands.beehiiv.com/subscribe https://www.outlaw.ventures/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

September 12 • 59m 12s

117 AgEmerge Podcast Erin Meyer - President of Basil's Harvest

What an exciting conversation today with Erin Meyer. As you know, we think exploring soil health is of critical importance, as it sheds light not only on its own vitality but also on how it influences ecosystems, food systems, and human well-being. We think this conversation really nails it. Erin is the Founder and President of Basil's Harvest (BH), a nonprofit sharing the message that soil health impacts human health by bringing people together in agriculture, health, and food systems to grow regional systems that are good for people and the planet. She is also a Clinical Associate at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL, where she enjoys training residents in the Food is Medicine experiential program she co-developed. Erin is a chef and registered dietitian with a Master of Sustainable Food Systems. Before founding BH, Erin developed on-farm experiential sustainable food system education and outreach to culinary professionals and health care professionals, owned a wholesale and retail food business that supported regional organic growers that created made-from-scratch goods, and was a certified diabetes educator. Erin loves to ride her bike, play pickle ball, cook with friends and family, and spend time with her husband and two daughters around the table enjoying lively talks and eating tasty food. Check out the links to Basil’s Harvest, the research Erin mentioned, as well as Janies Mill. https://basilsharvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/092221_BH_Report_RM_MP_OneUp_Digital.pdf https://basilsharvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Soil-Factsheet-2023-Final-Draft.pdf www.basilsharvest.org https://www.linkedin.com/company/basilsharvest/ https://www.janiesmill.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

August 29 • 55m 27s

116 AgEmerge Soil Health Medley

Thanks for joining us, today we’re focusing on the soil health principles that so many of our guests encourage growers to adopt and where it’s so important for us to first understand our context, knowing what plants and animals flourish in our specific environments. From there we work to not disturb the soil, reducing and eliminating both mechanical and chemical disruption. Next, we focus on armoring the soil by keeping it covered at all times. As well as keeping a living root in the soil to feed that soil biology. Then we add diversity, including diversity of plants, insects, microbes, wildlife and finally adding livestock to the land. From understanding water and mineral cycling, to how energy flows Monte says often, the practices may vary from location to location but the principles remain the same. On the AgEmerge Podcast, we strive to bring content that helps growers understand how they can adopt, improve and regenerate their soils. After all, soils really are the foundation of the work we are doing and it’s also the life work of many of our podcast guests. Some of our guests have had major epiphanies when it comes to soil health. And the great thing is, they put their money where their mouth is and share what they’ve learned. This podcast is meant to whet your appetite by revisiting some of the great guests we’ve had to understand how they shifted their paradigms, how they’ve come to the conclusion that adopting these changes were and are necessary in our production systems. We’ve picked out some great highlights, with Dr. Dwayne Beck from the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, Conservationist Jay Fuhrer, Entomologist Dr. John Tooker, Erin Martin founder of Conscious Aging Solutions, and Dr. Allen Williams from Understanding Ag. These folks are a powerhouse of knowledge, you can find their full podcasts here: Dr. Dwayne Beck https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast/episode/c292f019/049-agemerge-2021-podcast-dr-dwayne-beck-dakota-lakes-research-farm Jay Fuhrer https://youtu.be/7UuWtSiyIZk Dr. John Tooker https://youtu.be/l43o5aca-do Erin Martin https://youtu.be/fAIr5GyUSgU Dr. Allen Williams https://youtu.be/23UrqBEJZ1o Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

August 15 • 44m 16s

115 AgEmerge Podcast With Tom Willey

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Tom Willey. Tom, along with his wife Denesse, operated T&D Willey Farms from 1981 until 2016, a seventy-five-acre Certified Organic farm in Madera, California, growing a wide array of Mediterranean vegetables the year round. Tom says, “we've got to figure out how to live on agriculture without destroying the natural systems that support its productivity.” He says organic is all about living biology and the diversity of biology and and the all of the living organisms in your soil. Monte and Tom have a great conversation about all these things and so much more. T&D Willey Farms produce was appreciated in specialty markets and fine restaurants up and down the U.S. West Coast as well as on the tables of over 800 weekly Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription members in their own community. Tom was, for nearly a decade, Slow Food USA's governor for California's Central Valley and he passionately advocates for local food prominence through his writing, speaking, radio, and event organizing activities. His monthly "Down on the Farm" radio interview program features the work of progressive farmers and others prominent in San Joaquin Valley's agriculture and food communities. Tom has served over the years on the boards of directors of the Ecological Farming Association (EFA) and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and presently is a member of CCOF Certification Services’ five-person LLC Management Committee. He currently serves as a Policy Advisor to The Cornucopia Institute which monitors integrity of the U.S. organic industry. He has been collaborating with several California organic growers to develop no-till and reduced-till organic vegetable production systems over the last three years. https://tdwilleyfarms.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

August 1 • 1h 8m 19s

114 AgEmerge Podcast With Garth Mulkey

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Garth Mulkey. Garth and his wife Susan are fourth-generation seed farmers in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon and have been growing, conditioning, and marketing seeds at the same location since 1966. As dedicated seed producers, they are always focused on seed purity and quality, combined with proven genetics. Today Garth and Monte have a great conversation about the work Garth is doing. A fourth generation family-owned business, GS3 Quality Seed Inc. is owned by Garth and Susan Mulkey. They are fourth-generation seed farmers in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon and have been growing, conditioning and marketing seeds at the same location since 1966. As dedicated seed producers, they are always focused on seed purity and quality, combined with proven genetics. Garth and Susan have been no-till farming for 23 years and know firsthand the benefits of planting radishes and other cover crops. Even in seed production fields, radishes provide the same great benefits as they do for row-crop producers. https://www.tilthpro.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

July 18 • 50m 19s

113 AgEmerge Podcast With Eric Fuchs - Understanding Ag Consultant

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Eric Fuchs, a consultant for Understanding Ag. Eric’s work and experience make for a great conversation. He lives in Southeast Missouri on a diversified livestock operation where they raise hair sheep and contract graze cattle. He’s been using Holistic Planned Grazing for over eight years and has had a managed grazing system on his operation for more than 20 years. In addition to that, Eric also works in the water and wastewater industry as a source water protection technician. He works with small and large small communities and with agricultural producers to help ensure community water protection. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover so let’s jump right in. Eric Fuchs lives in Southeast Missouri on a diversified livestock operation where he raises hair sheep and contract grazes all classes of cattle. He has been using Holistic Planned Grazing for over eight years and has had a managed grazing system on his operation for more than 20 years. Eric also works in the water and wastewater industry as a source water protection technician. He works with small and large small communities and with agricultural producers to help ensure community water protection. His efforts help save millions of dollars in costly water treatment system upgrades while also negating the need for long-term regulations. He has seen firsthand the problems with agriculture land use and its effect on drinking water. Eric’s journey into regenerative ag began on his own operation when he discovered how soil health focused practices could benefit water resources. He also realized that more regulation is never the answer but that the solutions for clean water are easily attainable by changing how we operate. Graduating from the University of Missouri in 1994 with a degree in agronomy, Eric served in the U.S. Air Force for five years, during which time he received a master’s degree in human resource development. I began my farming career as a conventional grazing and livestock owner, which I quickly realized was not profitable or sustainable for our environment. When I started my career in source water protection, I quickly realized the problems created by conventional agriculture were rampant. Most problems I saw with poor drinking water quality could be attributed to agriculture. I had been using regenerative techniques on my own operation for many years but when I saw how these could also save our waterways and provide clean safe reliable drinking water, it became a passion of mine to let others know there were practical solutions to these problems. It was apparent that the same techniques used to make my own operation sustainable and profitable could be used on a large scale to clean up our drinking water. My passion now is to share with others the solutions to these problems. Through my experience as a regenerative farmer and source water specialist, I bring an understanding to a range of groups on the current and future scene of pending regulations. Additionally, I can work with communities, businesses and individuals to improve drinking water quality, AND save money and mitigate the need for additional burdensome regulations. www.understandingag.com Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

July 4 • 1h 33s

112 AgEmerge Podcast With Frank Lessiter

Thanks for joining us today we flip the tables as Frank Lessiter, Lessiter Media Founder and Editor of No-Till Farmer interviews Monte for the No-Till Farmer Influencers and Innovations Podcast. Frank and Monte discuss soil health, no-till and the regenerative agriculture movement and much more. Frank was the son of a fifth-generation Michigan dairy farm father and ag engineer and whose mother, a high school English teacher, influenced his love of storytelling. Pam, a business education graduate, was the daughter of an elementary school teacher and an industrial education professor. Graduates of Michigan State University, Frank and Pam met on the MSU campus, where both were employed in the university’s information services offices. On March 6, 1981, Frank and Pam hung out their own shingle upon acquiring a magazine, trade show and newsletter (with a staff of 5) from Reiman Publications (now part of Reader’s Digest), where Frank was executive vice president and chief editorial director. With a new company formed at the onset of the worst farm recession ever, their first decade in business brought challenges, yet also forged and annealed a foundation for what would become a very different kind of publishing company. And principles that would serve it as it evolved still several decades later. Through those lean years and the period of growth that followed, the name “Lessiter” (which at one time depended solely on paid-subscriptions), became synonymous with words like “actionable, meaningful, practical and relevant” for the content it delivered to its highly targeted audiences. Not fluff, not advertorials nor PR-speak, but rather unbiased, independent information that its subscribers and attendees could weigh, and act upon. “Where content becomes knowledge” began to be woven into the fabric of the Lessiter name. The decades that followed attracted new talent, and brought launches, acquisitions, new events and digital media channels. And yes, a few divestitures, too, as the company focused on the segments in which it could most make a difference. But the content-first approach has never wavered since that day in 1981 and Lessiter Media impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of subscribers, marketers and employees — as well as their families and ensuing generations. The small company launched an independent, unbiased conference for farmers when Monsanto was going to control the message to farmers. It unearthed lightning-rod topics that had be addressed when others didn’t want to “rock the boat” —unscrupulous practices affecting equine health, attempts at governmental regulation of farriers, and the brand purity and other “unwritten” tactics taking place in the farm equipment industry. On more than one occasion, the company elected to walk away from business rather than yield editorial independence. “We’ve refused to compromise on editorial quality as we deliver practical, ‘meat-and-potato’ content in everything we do,” says Lessiter. “This means delivering content that readers need to advance their businesses and lives. This has allowed us to achieve number-one status as the information source in each segment of the Niche Markets we serve — because the needs of the audience are placed first.” https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

June 20 • 1h 27m

111 AgEmerge Podcast With John Strauser Research Scientist Univ of Wisconsin

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome John Strauser, a research scientist in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. John works with colleagues on the Grassland 2.0 project, where they explore what an Agroecological transformation would look like in the Midwestern United States. In today’s conversation, Monte and John talk about those transformations and also about how it’s as much a head game as it is a management game. Dr. Strauser currently serves as a research scientist in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At Madison, John works with colleagues on the Grassland 2.0 project, where they explore what an Agroecological transformation would look like in the Midwestern United States. John’s background is in Human Geography, and earned a doctorate in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research and outreach focus on the social processes that drive bio-physical landscape change by employing the concept of place-making. While earning his bachelor’s degree at Purdue University, John played Defensive Line for the football team, where he was recognized as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten. John has spent his entire life living in the Mississippi River Valley, and Great Lakes Basin. From those experiences, he has built a passion for Midwestern Landscapes through many trips fishing, hunting, swimming, and biking with friends. As a 6th generation, Wisconsinite John is committed to working with communities to have a future where agricultural landscapes throughout Wisconsin and the upper Midwest serve to enhance water quality, build soil health, respect the dignity of labor, and strive toward racial and social justice. www.grasslandag.org Article by John Strauser: https://grasslandag.org/blog/re-defining-our-places-through-learning-hubs/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

June 6 • 57m 38s

110 AgEmerge Podcast Sarah Martello - Transparency Wise

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Sarah Martello, CEO and Co-Founder of Transparency Wise, a company created to help people connect with their food. Using a mobile device, shoppers can scan a Transparency Wise QR Code to access enhanced and verifiable product information. Monte and Sarah discuss the opportunities this technology provides in the food chain, from start to finish. Coming from a long line of generational farmers and growing up on a small farm in the Midwest, has inspired Sarah to help smaller producers get credit for a premium product by implementing technology that provides transparency into all their great production practices. Sarah started out her career as a tax attorney, gaining substantial experience representing small and medium-sized businesses. What started as a solo practice turned into a multi-city firm, representing clients all over the world. After leaving private practice, Sarah’s focus shifted to working in-house and consulting for technology and agricultural companies, until co-founding Transparency Wise in 2020. With her legal and tech expertise, what started as a Covid project has grown into a business with a mission to utilize its technology to empower both the consumer and the producer through transparent product information. Coming from a long line of generational farmers and growing up on a small farm in the Midwest has further inspired Sarah to help smaller producers to get credit for a more premium product by implementing technology that provides transparency into all their great production practices. Sarah now leads the Transparency Wise team as CEO and is passionate about providing technology that truly supports a better, more transparent, and sustainable way of producing the food consumers love. https://transparencywise.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

May 23 • 52m 39s

109 AgEmerge Podcast with Kevin McDonald at Guardian Agriculture

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

May 9 • 55m 29s

108 AgEmerge Podcast With Greg Gunthorp - Gunthorp Farms

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Greg Gunthorp. Greg is a fourth-generation farmer who is clearly a critical thinker. Greg has re-imagined what livestock production and meat marketing looks like on their farm. His understanding of the history of ag production and his ability to glean knowledge from that history has given him discernment and a great perspective on how to manage and lead their operation. Greg says he likes to act locally and think globally and that really defines the way Greg sees things, he has both that 30,000-foot big picture view clear down to the minute details. In 1998, Greg Gunthorp was selling live hogs for less than his grandfather did during the Great Depression. It was then that he entered the meat industry-- all while still raising high-quality, pasture-raised pigs like his family has for generations before him. The Gunthorp family looks a lot different now but the way they raise animals has stayed the same. Gunthorp Farms is a family-owned business and all members of the family chip in. Gunthorp Farms also employs approximately 30 full-time and 15 part-time employees. Gunthorp Farms specializes in quality meat that is a favorite among some of the best chefs in the Midwest. All of their animals are raised on pasture without the use of antibiotics. They have an on-farm USDA-inspected processing plant where they harvest, process, and package all of their animals before delivering to upscale restaurants and retailers. You can order their meats & have them shipped directly to your door. https://gunthorpfarms.com/ 435 N 850 E, LaGrange, IN 46761 Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

April 25 • 1h 9m 30s

107 AgEmerge Podcast With Tyler Dawley of Big Bluff Ranch

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Tyler Dawley of Big Bluff Ranch in Red Bluff, California. Big Bluff is a family-owned and operated ranch where they lead with quality, health, and happiness as their guiding principles. And while they say Big Bluff Ranch may be a small organic chicken farm compared to high-yield industrial operations, they’re one of the largest producers of pasture-raised chicken on the west coast. Today Monte and Tyler explore the path Big Bluff Ranch is taking to build a resilient food system that fits their context. And the great thing is, Tyler is willing to share not only their success but also their mistakes so he can help growers learn from his experiences. Tyler describes himself as the “Head Chicken Wrangler”, listen in and you’ll learn why. Big Bluff is a true family-owned and operated ranch. Quality, health, and happiness are our guiding principles - and they impact every aspect of what we do, from how our pastured chickens are raised, to how they’re fed, and everything in-between. More than just a sustainable chicken farm Big Bluff Ranch may be a small organic chicken farm compared to high-yield industrial operations, but we’re one of the largest producers of pasture-raised chicken on the west coast. We’re small because we are a true family-owned ranch, with each family member pitching in to help. We’re small in that we are personally involved in every aspect of production, from how we raise our pastured chickens to locally sourcing feed and processing with people we know who share the same values. This personal involvement ensures that animal welfare, sustainability, and regenerative farming remain at the forefront of everything we do. But Big Bluff Ranch is much more than that. Big Bluff Ranch: a destination for eco-tourists and an advocate for environmental stewardship The ranch is a beautiful 2,776 acres of rolling hills, grasslands, and oak woodlands that border the Mendocino National Forest and the Coast Range. Because of this, we’re also a destination for ecotourism and partner with our community in the shared goal of a sustainable and healthy landscape. We work with the Wildlife Conservation Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Northern California Regional Land Trust to implement the goals and objectives of the Red Bank Creek Riparian Restoration Project. Our partnership will help restore 3 miles of Red Bank Creek, a tributary to the Sacramento River. https://www.bigbluffranch.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

April 11 • 1h 30s

106 AgEmerge Podcast With Del Ficke of Ficke Cattle Company – Graze Master Genetics®

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

March 28 • 1h 6m 13s

105 AgEmerge Podcast Adrián Ferrero Co-Founder & CEO of Biome Makers

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

March 14 • 58m 4s

104 AgEmerge Podcast With Mike Callicrate - Callicrate Cattle Co & Ranch Foods Direct

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

February 28 • 1h 36s

103 AgEmerge Podcast With Ridge Shinn Executive Director of the Northeast Grass-fed Beef Initiative

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

February 14 • 1h 36s

102 AgEmerge Podcast With Omar De Kok Mercado - Savanna Institute

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

January 31 • 55m 6s

101 AgEmerge Podcast With Jay Fuhrer, Conservationist

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

January 17 • 1h 5m 34s

100 AgEmerge Podcast With Gabe Brown

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

January 3 • 3h 1m 51s

099 AgEmerge Podcast With Steve Statler of Wiliot

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

December 20 • 58m 42s

098 AgEmerge Podcast With Nofence Meghan Filbert And Allysse Sorensen

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

December 6 • 56m

097 AgEmerge Podcast with Monte Bottens CEO and Founder of Ag Solutions Network

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

November 22 • 39m 12s

096 AgEmerge Podcast with Dan Kittredge Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food Association

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

November 8 • 54m 49s

095 AgEmerge Podcast Pat Miletich

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

October 25 • 1h 2m 10s

094 AgEmerge Podcast Dr. Mahdi Al - Kaisi

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

October 11 • 1h 1m 17s

093 AgEmerge Podcast with Jerry Hattfield

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

September 27 • 1h 1m 51s

092 AgEmerge Podcast Russ Conser - CEO of Blue Nest Beef

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

September 13 • 1h 8m 30s

091 AgEmerge Podcast Dan Miller CEO & Founder of Steward

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

August 30 • 1h 33s

090 AgEmerge Podcast Dr Allen Williams - Understanding Ag

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

August 16 • 59m 50s

089 AgEmerge Podcast Dr John Tooker Prof of Entomology

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Dr. John Tooker. Dr. Tooker is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University. We have a great conversation with him as he discusses his research studying relationships among plants, invertebrate herbivores, and natural enemies to understand the factors that regulate populations of herbivorous insects and slugs. Dr. Tooker talks with Monte about how they are helping farmers observe what is happening in but also around their fields and using the power of observation while pausing to explore all the possible factors affecting their system. In addition, the long-term goal of his research is to exploit ecological interactions for sustainable insect pest management. https://ento.psu.edu/directory/jft11 https://ento.psu.edu/research/labs/john-tooker Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

August 2 • 1h 4m 48s

088 AgEmerge Podcast with Eric Jackson and Dr. Stephan van Vliet

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Eric Jackson and Dr. Stephan van Vliet, Eric currently serves as the Board Chair of the Bionutrient Food Association, on the BoD of Victory Hemp Foods and an advisor to Homeplate Foods, Water Asset Management, Other Half Processing and The Yield Lab. He is a Strategic Advisor to the Applied Ecological Institute and he also serves on the Steering Council for the Forever Green Partnership based out of the University of Minnesota. And since we last spoke with Dr. van Vliet, he has joined the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University, Stephan is Is a nutrition scientist with metabolomics expertise. Listen in as Eric and Stephan talk with Monte about how they are working together to explore nutrient density and food production from the soil up. Eric stated it best when he said it became apparent to him that there is a path forward if we want to create a food system that gives an opportunity for growers to participate in the value that they create through their production practices around quality. Eric currently serves as the Board Chair of the Bionutrient Food Association, on the BoD of Victory Hemp Foods and an advisor to Homeplate Foods, Water Asset Management, Other Half Processing and The Yield Lab. He is a Strategic Advisor to the Applied Ecological Institute and he also serves on the Steering Council for the Forever Green Partnership based out of the University of Minnesota. As an entrepreneur, Eric was the founding CEO of Pipeline Foods and a co-founder of Conservis, which was acquired by a joint venture established by Rabobank and TELUS Agriculture. He also co-founded CP Holdings as a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, developing carbon sequestration projects across the Northern Plains of the USA. In the corporate world, Eric started his career with The Pillsbury Company. He then joined International Proteins Corporation and led a MBO of the group. As CEO and Board Chair of IPC, he led the sale of the company to Scoular, where he joined their BoD and was corporate SVP and General Manager until his departure in 2007. Stephan Is a nutrition scientist with metabolomics expertise in the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University. Dr. Stephan van Vliet earned his PhD in Kinesiology as an ESPEN Fellow from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received training at the Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine and Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. van Vliet’s research is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human health. He routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between agricultural production methods, the nutrient density of food, and human health. His work has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Scientific Reports, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Physiology. https://bionutrient.org/ https://www.facebook.com/Bionutrient https://www.instagram.com/bionutrientfoodassociation https://twitter.com/BionutrientFood https://www.youtube.com/bionutrient https://www.linkedin.com/company/bionutrient https://stephanvanvliet.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

July 19 • 57m 29s

087 AgEmerge Podcast - Alan Lewis Natural Grocers

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Alan Lewis. Alan is the Vice President of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs at Natural Grocers. Alan navigates government affairs and food and agriculture policy for Natural Grocers, a Colorado based health food chain founded in 1955 with over 170 stores in 20 states. At the federal, state and local level, Alan engages on food, agriculture, nutrition, rural economic development, food safety, trade and health issues. He is active in several trade and advocacy organizations and is a fearless writer, speaker and activist. Alan shares how his personal family story plays deeply into why he is so passionate about the work he’s doing. Alan talks with Monte about how Natural Grocers is a part of a broad coalition of thousands of independent food retailers who are trying to change the food system by changing the supply chain. Join us as we explore this important topic. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you. Alan's TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y81rCiw1LPY Naturalgrocers.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdBPUfDtnD6qDMramNjM1Rg https://twitter.com/naturalgrocers https://www.pinterest.com/naturalgrocers/ https://www.instagram.com/naturalgrocers/ https://www.facebook.com/NaturalGrocers/

July 5 • 1h 3m 23s

086 AgEmerge Podcast - Erin Martin Conscious Aging Solutions Founder

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Erin Martin, founder of Conscious Aging Solutions connecting others with preventative and conscious approaches to longevity. Erin is a Gerontologist, and is passionate about studying the process of aging. And her story gets even more exciting because of her life experiences and a kind of a-ha moment during a trip to a blue-zone area that enforced her desire to uncover how food plays such a significant role in our aging process. Erin is certified in Regenerative Soil Advocacy through Kiss the Ground and is passionate about soil health while and sharing that food is medicine. Erin is also the President of the Tulsa Urban Ag Coalition and the director of Oklahoma’s FreshRx Food is Medicine program. Erin Martin’s passion for helping others started at fifteen when she started working in a retirement community. Today, Erin holds a Masters degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California, the first and #1 Gerontology school in the world. In 2017, Erin founded Conscious Aging Solutions to connect others with preventative and conscious approaches to longevity. She is certified in Regenerative Soil Advocacy through Kiss the Ground and is passionate about spreading the gospel of food is medicine and the link to soil health. Erin is the President of the Tulsa Urban Ag Coalition and the director of Oklahoma’s FreshRx Food is Medicine program. https://consciousagingsolutions.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiHPwXqkUcr0HR4gakqxGPQ https://www.facebook.com/consciousagingsolutions https://www.instagram.com/consciousagingsolutions/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

June 21 • 56m 27s

085 AgEmerge Podcast Clint Brauer Greenfield Robotics

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Clint Brauer, CEO and Founder of Greenfield Robotics. Clint has a great story. He grew up farming in south-central Kansas and went to K State where he got into technology. After graduating from college and spending a decade plus in media and technology, in Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and New York, Clint decided to return to his roots in Kansas, launching MG Honor Farms on the family farmstead. Clint began adopting regenerative ag principles but was frustrated with the limitations of current tools and technology for regenerative farming and the dream of organic no-till, so he decided to launch a company where he could use his technology experience to solve the scaling issues of regenerative broadacre systems. Clint and his team are doing some exciting work and he and Monte explore that today. Clint grew up in Kansas and learned as a child how to train dairy cattle, grow vegetables and farm broadacre crops. After college, he began his career with W3-Design, an early web design agency in Los Angeles, where he managed their top clients. Clint then worked for Universal Music where he helped with the data asset management project for digital distribution of music. In 2003, Clint joined Sony and his role quickly expanded to VP of Marketing, CRM and Operations of Sony Connect, an early cutting-edge video service which blazed a path for mainstream services like Netflix and Hulu. Clint’s team created one of the first true 360 degree views of customers across ecommerce, email, offline and online campaigns and the call centers. This involved integration of early stage SaaS companies Omniture, RightNow, PostFuture, Pivotlink and an internal ecommerce system. Clint also drove the division toward SEO as a customer acquisition strategy over traditional media deals. His team then successfully launched the Sony eReader and software across North America, both online and at retail, and also worked with book publishers to substantially decrease the cost of ebook conversion. After a decade-plus in media and technology, Clint returned to his roots in Kansas, launching MG Honor Farms on the family farmstead. Clint has grown and marketed over 100+ crops without chemicals outdoors, in traditional greenhouses as well as hydroponic greenhouses. Clint has also advised over 10 farms with their marketing, helping them secure distribution into 35+ grocery stores such as all Kansas City-area Whole Foods and Hy-Vee’s as well as 25+ restaurants and 4 school systems. In 2015 Clint started Canidae Farms, a regenerative farm network for Canidae Pet Foods (canidae.com/farms), which he continues to operate. In this role he is working with farms to adopt regenerative agriculture practices in return for higher margins. Canidae was acquired by L Catterton in 2018 and the program is now expanding again in 2020 with partner farms in Kansas and Nebraska. Frustrated with the limitations of current tools and technology for regenerative farming, Clint decided to launch a company to solve the scaling issues of regenerative broadacre systems. He recruited Carl Sutter and Steven Gentner, two talented engineers he met decades ago at W3-design, to co-found Greenfield Robotics. The company has been working for several years on its small, autonomous robots for weed control, and is currently in customer pilots. https://www.greenfieldrobotics.com/ https://www.facebook.com/greenfieldrobotics/ https://twitter.com/GreenfieldBots https://www.instagram.com/greenfieldrobotics/ linkedin.com/company/greenfield-robotics/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

June 7 • 50m 24s

084 AgEmerge Podcast Dr Fatma Kaplan - Pheronym

Thanks for joining us, today we welcome Dr. Fatma Kaplan. She is the co-founder, CEO, and CSO of Pheronym. Not only is she an entrepreneur and accomplished scientist with experience in biology and chemistry, but she also has a passion for understanding the intricacies and behaviors of both parasitic and beneficial nematodes. Monte and Fatma explore everything from nematodes in agriculture to nematodes in space, yes space! Dr. Kaplan conducted the first agricultural biocontrol experiment in Space at the International Space Station in 2020. Dr. Kaplan has a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology and postdoctoral training in Natural Product Chemistry with a focus on isolating biologically active compounds. She discovered the first sex pheromone of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and published in Nature in 2008. Then she discovered pheromones regulate other behaviors in both parasitic and beneficial nematodes. Dr. Kaplan conducted the first agricultural biocontrol experiment in Space at the International Space Station in 2020. She has very high impact publications and her dissertation was cited in textbooks within 5 years of publication. Dr. Kaplan worked as a scientist at NASA, the National Magnetic Field Laboratory and the US Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service. Dr. Kaplan co-founded Pheronym to bring nematode pheromone technology to the market. Dr. Kaplan believes that nematode pheromone technology will provide effective, non-toxic pest control for farmers and gardeners. https://www.pheronym.com/ https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2019/starship-nematode/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022201119300503 Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

May 24 • 57m 54s

083 AgEmerge Podcast - Paul Greive Pasturebird

Paul Greive, is Pasturebird’s Co-founder and VP of Sales and Marketing, located in Temecula, California. Paul shares with us Pasturebird’s awesome story and what has driven their team to reinvent American poultry production. They’ve worked to scale the production of regenerative poultry, raising over two million chickens without antibiotics or drugs. They’ve kept their focus on the land, the animal, and the consumer all while improving the soil every year. Paul says, “we use nature as our template, and move animals to fresh pasture every day.” Listen in and Monte and Paul discuss this great American story of passion, innovation, and regeneration. Paul grew up in downtown Seattle and was a college athlete with no interest in food or agriculture. His farming journey began after contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite during Marine Corps sniper training and experiencing the joint pain, brain fog, and decreased performance common with the autoimmune condition. After returning from Iraq in 2009, he and his family started eating paleo and grew frustrated with the lack of pasture raised meat available in Southern California. In 2012, they ordered 50 chicks and raised them in the backyard as a fun project. Mimicking their mentor, Joel Salatin, they raised the birds in mobile coops on pasture, moving them every single day. The birds sold out instantly, and the business started to take shape, especially when the LA Lakers and LA Dodgers players became their first wholesale accounts. Pasturebird has continued to grow into the largest pasture raised chicken operation in the world, and they’re hyper focused 2 things: 1) making true pasture raised + nutrient dense chicken more accessible and affordable, and 2) re-integrating animals and crops in a regenerative, closed loop system. The primary means for accomplishing this is Pasturebird’s Automated Range Coop (ARC), a 6,000 bird floorless mobile coop that drives itself to fresh pasture every daily using solar power. https://www.pasturebird.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgreive/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

May 10 • 1h 5s

082 AgEmerge Podcast with Brad Schmidt

Brad Schmidt, is the Manager of Agronomy at Regeneration Nation. We’ve had the pleasure of knowing Brad for several years and he was one of the speakers at our first AgEmerge event back in 2019. Brad has a passion, not only for soil health but for bringing people together to share their regenerative management experiences. Brad had the opportunity to work and learn under Dr. Dwayne Beck at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm where he saw and experienced firsthand how these practices worked in some of the toughest soils. Listen in as Monte and Brad discuss the power of producer-based research, diversifying your operation, including why other companies are interested in these practices and working with growers that are building soil health. Brad grew up in Southwest Minnesota, attended college at South Dakota State University receiving a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture Science. He worked for Dwayne Beck at Dakota Lakes Research Farm while attending school and after college, worked for Cronin Farms in Gettysburg SD on their very diverse cropping and ranching operation. Brad then became the head Agronomist for Ducks Unlimited in the US for 3 years. Working with DU he helped found their Soil Health Program to work more closely with farmers to reach their goals of profitability and reach DU's goals of conservation work. Nearing the end of his time with DU he founded Regeneration Nation LLC. Regeneration Nation is a biological-based company focused on increasing profitability and bringing more value back to farmers and ranchers with the power of biologicals. He also serves on the board for Holistic Management International and is a part-owner in his family's direct marketing business where they sell Regeneratively Raised meats direct to consumers. He’s married to his wife Ashley and they have one son and live in Brookings SD. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

April 26 • 55m 32s

081 AgEmerge Podcast With Ecdysis Foundation's Dr. Ryan Schmid and Tia Busenitz

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

April 12 • 1h 3m 3s

080 AgEmerge Podcast - Dr. Stephanie Seneff, MIT Senior Research Scientist

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

March 29 • 1h 28s

079 AgEmerge Podcast With David Brandt: Learning and Legacy

David Brandt of Brandt Farms and Walnut Creek Seed is a living legend. If you know your soil health, no-till history, and follow the leaders in these areas then you know how fortunate we are to get to visit with David. He’s been no-tilling since 1971, back when they called it trash farming and a whole list of other things. But David would not be deterred, he continued to test systems, implement cover crops and utilize livestock to improve soil health. Listen in to this great conversation as he and Monte talk about the history, the present, and the exciting future on their farm. ***BRANDT FARM EVENT*** NOTE: At the time of this airing, the event is sold out but click on the event link to find out more info about the event and possible access to a recording of the event. Brandt Farms is hosting their 2022 Spring Soil Health Field Day Friday, April 8th, 2022 8:30am-3:30pm Click below to register for the Field Day. https://www.walnutcreekseeds.com/default.html#upcomingevents David Brandt farms 950 acres all no-till, in Fairfield County, which is located in central Ohio. He began no-till farming in 1971 and has been using cover crops since 1978. David has participated in yield plots for corn, soybeans, and wheat into various covers. This information has been used by seed growers as well as county agents and universities to encourage other farmers to adapt no-till practices in their farming operations. He has also been planting various blends of cover crops to find out what benefits they provide to improve soil health. David is co-owner of Walnut Creek Seeds, LLC with his son and daughter-in-law Jay and Ann Brandt. David has had articles published in Farm Journal, Ohio Farmer, Country Journal, and numerous no-till journals. He has worked in cooperation with The Ohio State University, the University of Illinois, Penn State University, Purdue University, and Milan Research Farm in Tennessee. At present, David is working with OSU Randall Reeder and Dr. Islam on reducing input costs of fertilizers and herbicides using various cover crops which improve soil health. The results of this study have been published in the International Soil and Water Conservation Research journal. (March 2014, Vol. 2, No. 1) He is also working with the regional NRCS soils lab in Greensboro, North Carolina on the benefits of cover crops to improve soil health. David Brandt has received awards for conservation practices: Ohio EPA Non-Point Pollution Winner, Ohio Conservation Farmer, Ohio Conservation Educator Award from Ohio No-Till Council, Ohio State University South Center Supporter of the Year, a Friend to Public Education Award from the Ohio School Board Assoc., Ohio Agriculture Man of the Year, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, Ohio NRCS Soil Conservationist Partnership, 2015 No-Till Innovator in Crop Production award at the 2016 National No-Till Conference, Master Farmer of Ohio selected by the Ohio Farmer magazine and NRCS State Volunteer Awards, appointed to the rank of “Chevalier” of Agriculture merit by the French Minister of Agriculture 2016 Associations: Past Fairfield County Soil and Water Supervisor, Past President of Fairfield Co. Farm Bureau, Member of Land Use Planning Committee, Past President of Local Cooperative Association, Currently President of Ohio No-Till Council, Working with Local FFA chapters to allow young men and women to learn about agriculture and utilization of equipment and resources, member of the National Gideon’s Association, and several county Historical associations, Ohio State Piketon research committee member, host to the Believers Bible men's fellowship. Check out https://www.walnutcreekseeds.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you

March 15 • 58m 59s

078 AgEmerge Podcast Russell Hedrick, Farmer & Co-Owner of Soil Regen, Regen Mills & Heritage Ground

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

March 1 • 52m 26s

077 AgEmerge Podcast: Carbon Robotics with Paul Mikesell

Paul Mikesell, is Founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics where they have developed a system and technology for weed control that uses computer vision and very high powered lasers as the action for weed eradication. Listen in as Paul talks about the opportunities this technology creates! Paul Mikesell is the founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics. Paul has deep experience founding and building successful technology startups. Paul co-founded Isilon Systems, a distributed storage company, in 2001. Isilon went public in 2006 and was acquired by EMC for 2.5 billion dollars in 2010. In 2006, Paul co-founded Clustrix, a distributed database startup that was acquired by MariaDB in 2018. Prior to Carbon, Paul served as Director of Infrastructure Engineering at Uber, where he grew the team and opened the company’s engineering office in Seattle, later focusing on deep learning and computer vision. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Washington. Carbon Robotics Website: https://carbonrobotics.com/?mc_cid=a5f5790b3f&mc_eid=UNIQID Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carbonrobotics/?mc_cid=a5f5790b3f&mc_eid=UNIQID YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CarbonRoboticsLaserWeeding?mc_cid=a5f5790b3f&mc_eid=UNIQID Twitter: https://twitter.com/carbon_robotics?mc_cid=a5f5790b3f&mc_eid=UNIQID Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carbon_robotics/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

February 15 • 43m 2s

076 AgEmerge Podcast Nofence Grazing Technology

Nofence CTO Oscar Hovde Berntsen and CEO Knut Bentzen talk with us about how Nofence has worked to develop technology to graze animals and control moves using virtual fencing technology. Monte discusses with them the opportunities virtual fencing could create through managed grazing utilizing daily or regular moves. They also explore other opportunities virtual fencing could provide through proper ground management and animal observation like where the animals move and how they graze. Nofence is doing pilot projects in the United States so they can learn more about the needs of growers here in the US. This is an exciting conversation as they explore this technology and its amazing applications. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you! You can find more information on Nofence here: https://www.nofence.no/en/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.linkedin.com/company/nofence-as/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.linkedin.com/company/nofence-as/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.facebook.com/Nofence/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.instagram.com/nofence/?mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EihJuqlOmDc&mc_cid=aab29e451a&mc_eid=UNIQID

February 1 • 1h 4m 5s

075 AgEmerge Podcast Ben Moest

Ben Moest is a third-generation grain and livestock farmer located in Stephenson County, IL near the WI border where he and his family own and operate a hog and cash crop operation. Ben is the President of High Plains Grains, which he operates with his brother, Grant Moest, and two other partners. They raise 100% non-GMO corn & non-GMO soybeans along with small grains including wheat, rye, and oats. They also practice multi-species cover cropping on all of their acres annually and hope to begin the integration of livestock on the land in some form starting in 2022. Their primary focus in crop production is on soil conservation and building healthy, well-functioning soils that are improving over time. Family, communication, and legacy are all part of this exciting conversation where we hear how they’re all working in the operation and bringing their specific skills and talents together to create a well-oiled machine. In addition, we learn a lot about the mindset of building communication, fine-tuning management opportunities, and ultimately growing a business that utilizes and encourages new ideas. This conversation with Ben is so encouraging. The way his family approaches change and how they work together to communicate their individual desires and goals is exciting. And communication is really a big part of the equation. Recognizing that there are different ways for different types of operations to implement practices that build resilience in today's agriculture, is exciting to hear. After growing up on the farm, Ben attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business. After college, he earned his Series 3 license and spent time working as a licensed broker in the dairy risk management industry, while also becoming a licensed crop insurance agent, which he still is today. Ben came back to the family operation in 2019 to help raise a feminized CBD hemp crop, and then quickly started assisting in the management of the overall farm. What excites Ben most in life is soil stewardship & regenerative farming. He cares deeply for the land and has a life-long mission of leaving whatever land he's blessed to care for in much better shape than when he started. Ben believes farming production models of the future will be much more diverse and sustainable than what they are today, and he’s most excited about doing his part to help design, develop, test, and implement said models right on his own farm. Healthy people come from healthy ecosystems, and healthy ecosystems start with healthy soils. Take a look at some of Ben and his team's work in this Mechanized CBD Hemp Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=656Ll-GITZU Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm We’d love to hear from you!

January 18 • 1h 8m 26s

074 AgEmerge Podcast with Dr. Liz Haney: Founder of Soil Regen

Dr. Liz Haney is Founder of Soil Regen and co-founder of Regen Mills and Heritage Ground. Liz is a soil and ecosystem scientist with experience in regenerative agriculture education, soil health testing and analyses, carbon as well as conservation practice modeling. Today Monte and Liz unpack all of those areas including soil testing in the regenerative space, carbon, mobile milling, and everything in between. Listen in as we explore these topics! Liz’s purpose, drive, and passion are helping to improve producer profitability, environmental sustainability, and human health through regenerative practices and soil health. Throughout her career, she has developed an expansive network of scientists, thought leaders, consultants, farmers, and ranchers within the sustainable agriculture space. Liz loves nothing more than creating community and is skilled at coordinating and conducting educational events, workshops, and conferences, bringing together today’s leading innovators in regenerative agriculture. Liz is the founder of Soil Regen and co-founder of Regen Mills and Heritage Ground with Sarah Varble and Russell Hedrick. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm We’d love to hear from you!

January 4 • 48m 20s

073 AgEmerge Year End Edition: Thought Leaders, Growers, Entrepreneurs and Researchers

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

December 21 • 34m 11s

072 AgEmerge Podcast: Monte Bottens Talks Harvest, Challenges, and What's Next

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

December 7 • 55m 25s

071 AgEmerge Podcast with Dr. Pam Marrone

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

November 23 • 57m 57s

070 AgEmerge Podcast - Dino Giacomazzi, CEO of Giacomazzi Almond Company, Inc.

Dino Giacomazzi, is the CEO of Giacomazzi Almond Company, Inc and the 4th generation to manage his family’s farm founded in 1893 by his Swiss-Italian great-grandfather. The operation consists of 700 Acres of Almonds, 300 acres of Corn, wheat & Alfalfa, and 2 miniature donkeys. Dino talks with us about his farming journey, including family farming identities, industry dynamics, new opportunities and the different pressures changing farming practices and improvements face. He and Monte also discuss the excitement and challenges of engaging the next generation in the paradigm shifting business of agriculture. Monte and Dino explore everything from dairy, to almonds and cover crops and especially how they’re working to break down those metaphoric silos that can obstruct change. That includes a deep dive into some of the pressure points like water regulations as well as labor, environmental factors, and governing that affect farming operations today. The Giacomazzis were dairy farmers for 126 years and were the oldest continuously operating dairy farm in California at the time of their sale in 2019. Dino has managed his family farm since 2002. Prior to that, he had a 13-year career in the music and internet industries where he managed rock bands and developed online applications for internet startups and Fortune 1000 companies. Dino is a promoter of sustainable farming practices and was the 2012 Leopold Conservation Award recipient for California and named Sustainable Ag Champion by US EPA in 2010. Dino’s work on strip-tillage of dairy forage crops has been published in numerous journals and techniques developed on his farm have been adopted throughout California. Dino is currently utilizing highly efficient automated irrigation systems and implementing regenerative agricultural practices in his almond operation. Check out their almond company at https://giacomazzibrothers.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm We’d love to hear from you!

November 9 • 1h 12m 32s

069 AgEmerge Podcast Dr. Provenza: Livestock & Behavioral Ecology Impacts Soil, Plant & Human Health

Dr. Fred Provenza, is Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University where he directed an award-winning research group that pioneered an understanding of how learning influences foraging behavior and how behavior links soil, plants, herbivores, and humans. Today, he and Monte explore some of that research and the connections between animal and human nutrition. Fred Provenza grew up in Salida, Colorado. He later worked on a ranch while attending school in Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University. He obtained a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree in Range Science from Utah State University where he worked for 35 years. He is professor emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University where he directed an award-winning research group that pioneered an understanding of how learning influences foraging behavior and how behavior links soil, plants, herbivores, and humans. That work culminated in a program called BEHAVE, which was active from 2000-2010. BEHAVE was an international network of scientists, ranchers, farmers, and land managers committed to integrating behavioral principles with local knowledge to enhance environmental, economic, and cultural values of rural and urban communities. Though BEHAVE is no longer active, the principles and practices continue to influence researchers and managers worldwide. He authored three books, including Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us About Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom; Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change; and The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders (co-author with Michel Meuret). He published more than 300 research papers in a wide variety of scientific journals. He has been an invited speaker at more than 500 conferences. The many awards he received for research, teaching, and mentoring are the creativity that flowed from warm professional and personal relationships with over 75 graduate students, post-doctoral students, visiting scientists, and colleagues during the past 45 years. BEHAVE website link: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/behave/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm We’d love to hear from you!

October 26 • 59m 53s

068 AgEmerge Podcast Dr. Don Huber - Professor Emeritus, Purdue University

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

October 12 • 1h 3m 28s

067 AgEmerge Podcast - Seth Watkins, Farmer and Steward

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

September 28 • 53m 17s

066 AgEmerge Podcast - Ron Joyce President and CEO of Joyce Farms

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

September 14 • 1h 16m 18s

065 AgEmerge Podcast with Chef Rick Bayless

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

August 31 • 57m 48s

064 AgEmerge Podcast - Sarah Carlson - PFI

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

August 17 • 57m 42s

063 AgEmerge Mike Bredeson - Ecdysis Foundation

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

July 30 • 1h 5m 21s

062 AgEmerge Podcast Blaine Hitzfield Seven Sons Farms

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

July 20 • 59m 49s

061 AgEmerge Podcast - Jeff Moyer, CEO Rodale Institute

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

July 6 • 1h 8m 25s

060 AgEmerge Podcast - Dr Michelle Perro and the human health, soil health connection.

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

June 22 • 1h 1m 29s

059 Joe Bassett - Dawn Equipment And Underground Ag

Have you ever wanted to brainstorm with an ag-tech / equipment manufacturer? Well, that’s just what we did on today’s podcast. Joe Bassett, CEO of Dawn Equipment and Underground Ag joins us to discuss the full gamut of equipment, technology, software, management practices and, farming mindsets that drive research, development, investment and, implementation of these technologies. Grab a cup of coffee and hold on tight as Monte and Joe dig through all these topics. More about Joe: Joe studied Physics at the University of Iowa and has owned Dawn Equipment since 2015. He founded Underground Agriculture in 2019. Joe and his wife, Rachael, have a daughter, Mimi. Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm We’d love to hear from you!

June 8 • 1h 9m 56s

058 AgEmerge 2021 Monte Bottens: Soil Health, Spring, Innovation and Ag Tech

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

May 25 • 51m 27s

057 AgEmerge Podcast: Will Harris - White Oak Pastures

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

May 11 • 59m 35s

056 AgEmerge Podcast Dr. Stephan van Vliet: Research at the nexus of agricultural and human health.

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

April 27 • 1h 43s

055 AgEmerge Podcast - Mikayla Tabert: Soil Health "In Real Life"

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

April 13 • 41m 11s

054.AgEmerge Podcast: Dr. Joel Gruver Talks Soil Health, Systems and Solutions

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

March 30 • 1h 8m 26s

053 AgEmerge 2021 Podcast - Monte Bottens presents Fear The Same

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

March 16 • 37m 35s

052 AgEmerge Podcast 2021 Live Q&A Session

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

March 2 • 1h 30m 18s

051 AgEmerge 2021 Podcast - Jay McCaman "When Weeds Talk"

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

February 16 • 44m 38s

050 AgEmerge 50th Episode! Learning Curves.

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

February 2 • 55m 33s

049 AgEmerge 2021 Podcast - Dr. Dwayne Beck Dakota Lakes Research Farm

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

January 19 • 1h 5m 20s

048 AgEmerge 2021 - John Heermann

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

January 5 • 1h 5m 31s

047. AgEmerge Podcast Year End 2020

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

December 22 • 41m 30s

046. AgEmerge 2020 - Colin Hurd, Raven Autonomy

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

December 8 • 1h 9m 52s

045. AgEmerge Podcast - Creating and Measuring Your Microbes Smorgasbord

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

November 24 • 54m 37s