Agave & Cactus Talk

Here is a talk i did with the ladies from Amigas y Mezcal. They were kind enough to invite me on their show and i was more then willing. They had excellent questions and I wanted to put this in audio form because it had alot of great information. It was a great episode, give it a listen. If you want to skip to that podcast, skip to 13:50. Have a good one everyone. Have a backlog of podcasts i will...

Skip to 2:05, thats when they connnect & i am on shortly after. This is a IG live for the Tequiladies show, in which I talked California Agave & California Agave Spirits with the Tequiladies. Follow them on Instagram & Youtube. We discuss some of my background, Agave, Tequila and much more. I hope you enjoy this talk, have a great day. 

Skip to 6:30 to get past our technical difficulties at the begining with me trying to connect. In this talk we discuss the California agave Industry & agave spirits being made in CA. We go over farming techniques, the liquor industry & much more. It was done last year, but thought it would still be helpful. If you want to see the live video, follow Planet Mezcal on instagram! Lots of great...

Today I talk about an article I read called “Mezcal must challenge irresponsible agave farming”. It was a very interesting article talking about how we can make sure to grow agave in a sustainable fashion, that benefits environment, people and tradition. I hope you learned something in today’s podcast as a lot of the points that the main character in the article explains are things we are trying t...

Today, i talk about Brazilian Agave. The farmers & researchers are very innovative in Brazil & are using alot of advances in agriculture to explore & utilize the agave plant for a variety of uses, such as: bioenergy, biofuels, biomethane, biohydrogen, biochar & even slowing the deserts expansion. I think there is alot of positives in what they are doing as well as alot of negatives...

This is the 1st half to an almost 3 hour long podcast on this very interesting topic of cactus biofuels. opinions and thoughts on this cactus farming that is going on in India. I show how we in California and Mexico can learn from India and apply what they are learning and producing to everywhere. I also give thoughts on how to improve not only Indian cactus farming but how to take what they are d...

This is the 2nd half to an almost 3 hour long podcast on this very interesting topic of cactus biofuels. opinions and thoughts on this cactus farming that is going on in India. I show how we in California and Mexico can learn from India and apply what they are learning and producing to everywhere. I also give thoughts on how to improve not only Indian cactus farming but how to take what they are d...

Today we talking with my good friend Agaves De Occidente. He is cultivating all types of agaves in Jalisco, Mexico. common, and rare species alike. We talk about the current agave industry in Mexico and USA and how we are trying to promote the use of not only a diverse array of agaves, but also cacti, trees and shrubs, and preferably the native plants in your region to get the best results.   We t...

Today I focus’s an article I read about how the Australian government and farmers are combating cacti. this is an issue they have dealt with in 3 different centuries and I discuss how I believe they are approaching the problem from the wrong angle. cactus has the potential to be a giant cash crop in Australia but they choose to wage a loosing war poisoning their soil, environment and even people b...

Today, we are talking about Cactus farming in Namibia. I talk about how this almost 2 billion dollar mega investment into cactus farming in namibia can be done correctly, protecting the environment and being profitable. The goal of this huge project is to sell carbon credits linked to cacti sequestrating carbon. While a very interesting proposition, there are lots of questions i have for sure and...

Agave & Cactus Talk podcast : Nativotexas start at 1:35, thats when we are golden.  Great talk with my friend Chris about Agave. We chatted about lots of things we are facing with regards to managing agave and running an agave farm/buisness. We provided lots of education for any agave farmer to learn more about agave and thats one of the goals of this podcast. To help farmers.    I love podcas...

Today, i talk about cactus farming in Tunisia. I mention some of the problems they are encountering and some lessons that California and global Cactus can learn from this particular problem. As more farmers around the world begin to plant cactus, they should learn from case studies in tunisia, mexico, and brazil. Much like in agave, Africa is a large cactus producing region, so it was interesting...

This episode is me talking about what lessons i believe can be learned from my loss of agave genetics in the Eaton fire in Altadena, CA. What lessons may be applied to you and the larger goal of preserving agave genetics.

Talking about different trees I plant with my agave and cactus, why I am planting them and what uses I have for them or what direction I’m exploring with them. Trees and agave can coexist well for added value and profitability and this small list is just a primer. Use it to see what useful trees you can use in your agave and cactus fields. **Reuploaded bc wind and road noise was bothering me...

Today i talked about a very interesting article i read talking about tequila overproduction and the drop in sales. It was called "Mexico left with 500 mn liter tequila lake after demand slows" coming out of the financial times and written by Madeleine Speed and Christine Murray. I talk about opinions, implications and observations of the tequila industry with this article in perspective. Lots to t...

Today I talk about a very interesting article titled : The agave beverage with antioxidant properties backed by Tex Researchers, published by the tecscience news arm of the universidad tecnológico de Monterey. I wanted to highlight this amazing article and talk a little about why more people should be researching and crafting agave syrup of many different agave species.

Today i talk about Brazil and how Indigenous brazilians are using native brazilian cactus, such as mandacaru, to combat the loss of the dry forrest ecosystem. I also talk about cactus farming in brazil in general. Brazil is one of the most influential countries in cactus research and farming, so i found it fun to talk about them on the podcast.

Today we are talking about cactus farming in Italy and my recommendation for the country. I hope to see a diverse cactus polyculture, not a copycat of the world problems with a opuntia ficus indica monoculture. Lessons Italy must learn and implications of Italy succeeding for Europe.

Top 10 list of my biggest issues with agave farming in Mexico and around the world. This podcast is so that new agave farmers globally do not make the same mistakes and they learn to avoid them. As many countries start and expand the cultivation of agave we want them to take inspiration from the ecologically sound farms that are biodiverse and care about culture and people, not the big ag, monocul...

Today I go into 5 cold hardy agaves that may be planted around the United States, as they are super cold hardy(-22F-10F) and can take snow, wind, high elevation and drought. They are Agave Utahensis, Agave Parryi, Agave Montana, Agave Chrysantha & Agave Havardiana. I give some info on their potential for use in the USA and why I love them.

Agave & Cactus Talk # 7 - Chatting about agave and tequila with my friend. We go into Agave and Mexican culture, CA Agave spirits, global agave, agave business and how farmers/distillers can succeed, how we can help small brands, and even a little about nopales and cactus farming. Very interesting questions and conversation. You dont want to miss it. Have a Great day everyone, and make sure to...

Agave Tequiliana aka Agave Angustifolia subs Tequiliana is the only species allowed in the production of tequila. In todays episode, i go over why this is a major issue for the future of tequila production and some ways that the CRT can maintain tradition but adapt to a changing world. Tequila needs genetic diversity, or it will have a hard time staying dominant or maybe even existing. I give real...

Today I talk about the diversity the agave family by just trying to answer 1 question. How many agaves are there? This is not an easy question, but I think I did an ok job 😂 Hopefully me talking about so many different agave possibilities has you thinking of what you can do to improve agave genetics on your farm, nursery, or collection. Enjoy! Those i mentioned on IG: Katopin, hiddenagave, yamato...

In this podcast I go over why cotton top cactus (echinocactus polycephalus) is an amazing cactus, why it should be propagated on a massive scale, and some of the threats it is facing. I also talk about how I disagree with the IUCN’s classification of it as least concern and share some ways to help this cactus sustain its wild populations.

Today i talk about some of the species of cactus i grow, how cactus farming can make your ranch more profitable, & a few of the uses i have for cactus. I wanted this episode to be a primer for cactus farming and animals, but in no way is this everything. My next cactus podcast will likely be on why California vineyards should switch over to cactus, instead of agave, and make cactus wine, but w...