From The Soil Up Podcast

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, Conan discusses his intentions for 2025, focusing on goal setting through intentionality. He emphasizes the importance of growth, collaboration, setting boundaries, authenticity, and health and wellness. Conan shares his personal experiences and insights on how these areas will shape his year and the impact they can have on his business and personal...

In this episode, Conan chats to Canaan Ahu the CEO of Agrownomics, a independent soil and fertility company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. They discuss various aspects of agriculture, focusing on the importance of understanding soil health, the role of foliar applications, challenges in agricultural research, and the significance of grazing management. Canaan is a big advocate for  the need f...

In this episode of The Force of Nature Podcast, Conan chats to the legend that is Mark Benns from Wingman. Mark is a former dairy farmer turned to New Zealand's first independent herd improvement consultancy. We cover the importance of openness in the agricultural industry, his transition from farming to consulting, and the significance of empathy and trust in building relationships with farmers....

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, Conan interviews Melissa Baer from Backstory Tech, who shares her journey from growing up on an organic farm in Canada to starting a tech company focused on building brand trust in the food industry. We discuss the importance of marketing in agriculture, the challenges of understanding consumer preferences and  the need for collaboration within the i...

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, host Conan interviews John Niezen, an expert in dairy farming and agricultural research. John shares his extensive background, including his experiences in various countries and the importance of understanding farmer insights in agricultural practices. The conversation delves into his research and the challenges of parasite management in sheep, the r...

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, Conan speaks with Greg Mumm, a first-generation farmer from Kangaroo Valley, Australia. Greg shares his journey from a professional rugby coaching to pursuing his dream of farming at the age of 40. He discusses the challenges and learning experiences of running a regenerative farm, the importance of community and family values, and the innovative app...

Siobhan Griffin has managed and owned farms for 30 years in New York State and Vermont where she delved into organic and holistic regenerative management of dairy cattle and finishing beef. With the goal of producing healthy food for families, she built a solar powered cheese plant on her farm and learned quickly that healthy cows on healthy, diverse grassland supported the best tasting cheese and...

In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with two of the founders of Verdi, Nic Conland and Jason Cruise. Verdi provides New Zealand farmers the opportunity to improve soil health and earn income through soil carbon credits. We cover the importance of soil carbon, their verification process, the opportunity for NZ farmers and the country and a whole lot more. https://verdi.nz/

Andrew Savage is today's guest on the podcast who has created Savage Rural Consulting to help agribusinesses simplify and optimise their business and goals. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including farming experiences, agribusiness consulting, NLP, money mindset, and the challenges faced by farmers. We discussed the impact of values, beliefs, and biases on decision-making and the...

For episode 10, I decided to celebrate my first year in business by recording a podcast sharing a bit of insight into what I have learnt or aim learning as a business owner and how that applies to agricultural businesses.  I discuss the importance of making decisions, embracing failure as a learning opportunity, responding rather than reacting to situations, and investing in personal development....

In this episode I talk to the creator of the Miti Beef Bar and founder of Alps to Ocean Foods, Daniel Carson. Daniel explains the concept behind Alps to Ocean Foods, which focuses on utilizing young dairy beef to create a low-carbon, high-value meat snack and protein bar. He highlights the opportunities for scale and innovation in the manufacturing beef market and the potential benefits for farmer...

In episode 8 I speak with Tim Gieseke EcoCommerce company in Minnesota, USA.  Tim discusses the concept of eco-commerce and the Natural Capital Unit (NCU) as a way to account for ecosystem services in agriculture. He emphasizes the need for a singular accounting system that allows farmers to govern their own data and integrate it with market demands. Giesicki proposes the NCU as a geospatial bushe...

In episode 7 I speak with John King from Succession. John is a certified Holistic Management® educator who travels throughout New Zealand to talk with and teach groups and individuals to manage holistically and tap into regenerative farming techniques.  John has also written a book "Curiosity" about real experiences of farmers confronted and confused by outcomes of their actions and decisions and...

In episode 6 I speak with Sarah Robb from Spring with Sarah. Sarah is a certified coach, NLP Master Practitioner, speaker and author. She helps her clients retrain the brain and breakthrough beliefs and patterns that keep them stuck. https://springwithsarah.com/    https://www.instagram.com/springwithsarah/  

In episode 5 I speak with Dr Woody Lane a livestock nutritionist, a forage and grazing specialist, and an author of books From the Feed Trough, Capturing Sunlight 1 and 2. We discuss his experiences, different types of grazing, the 5 day rule, dinosaur grazing and his books.   ⁠https://www.woodylane.com/⁠

In episode 4 I speak to Silas Hedley Lawrence also known as Grassfed Farmer on Instagram. Silas is FAI’s Farm Manager, overseeing the commercial farming enterprise and coordinating the farm with its research obligations near Oxford.  Silas’ has eight years of experience managing farms regeneratively, with an emphasis on organic year-round grazing systems. With ties to New Zealand through his famil...

In episode 3 I talk with Pablo Gregorini about his research on designing future grazing systems and browsing systems for grasslands and human health as well as dietary variety as opposed to diversity and monotony. Pablo is the Professor of Livestock Production & Agricultural Systems at Lincoln University, as well as the director of the Lincoln University Pastoral Livestock Production Lab’ and...

In episode 2 we pick up the second half of our chat with Jim Elizondo from Real Wealth Ranching to learn about his Total Grazing Program and what he has observed over his career.   ⁠ https://www.rwranching.com/

In this first episode I interview Jaime (Jim) Elizondo from Real Wealth Ranching based in Texas to hear about his background and learn more about his Total Grazing Program. My interview with Jaime has been broken into two episodes as he had so much knowledge and value to share.  ⁠https://www.rwranching.com/ 

A short episode to introduce The Force of Nature Podcast, who I am and what it is all about.