Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

Abianne Falla used to see the native holly shrub as a pesky invasive on her family's Texas land, until the 2011 drought highlighted its resilience: it was the sole green survivor. Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is North America's only caffeinated plant, though its roots as a ceremonial brew in Gulf Coast indigenous societies have been suppressed by colonial forces and lost to commercialization. As a memb...

Morgan Twain-Peterson founded Bedrock Wine Company in 2007, growing from humble beginnings in a small outbuilding into a respected winery. Jake Neustadt joined Morgan in 2015, bringing his expertise in transitioning old vineyards to regenerative practices. Together they are focused on enhancing soil health, producing uniquely Californian wines, and preserving California's historic vineyards, some...

Hilda Gore is a certified health coach and the host of the Wise Traditions podcast for the Weston A. Price Foundation. Born with a ventricular septal defect requiring open-heart surgery at age nine, she developed a passion for holistic health, emphasizing physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Through her global travels, Hilda has learned from indigenous communities about ancestral health pr...

In this Podcast Extra episode, John Kempf introduces Revenant Charge™, a new true-liquid biostimulant from AEA. Revenant Charge™ was developed to address the rising costs of soil health products for row crops while maintaining the powerful results growers have come to expect from AEA's Rejuvenate. Designed as a microbial accelerant, Revenant Charge™ stimulates soil biology and increases nutrient a...

This is the first time we've had a high schooler on the podcast! Maizie Koentopp, a 9th grader in Chicago, conducted a simple yet elegant experiment on buckwheat plants. Motivated by her father's urban farming work and her own concern about climate change, Maizie wanted to test the effect of endophytic bacteria on plant development as an alternative to harmful agrochemicals. She compared seeds ino...

After growing up on a farm, Mollie Engelhart built a vegan restaurant empire in Los Angeles, which she planned to sell before COVID disrupted her plans. During the pandemic, she lost her income and spent time back on the farm, using nature's lens to question societal constructs like veganism. These experiences inspired her book, Debunked by Nature, where she shares her shift to truth-seeking based...

Jay Watte is a fourth-generation farmer from the Imperial Valley in Southern California, where he manages a family operation focused on seed production. Thanks to his pioneering practices, Jay hasn't sprayed insecticides on his farm for nearly two years. Instead of pesticides, Jay uses nutrient management, particularly boron applications, to boost plant resilience and reduce pest pressure. His exp...

Martin Crompton believes farmers can win by focusing on nutrition and flavor. He encourages farmers to adopt marketing and business development to tap into the growing demand for healthier, nutrient-dense foods. Martin is operations director at Union Grove Farm in North Carolina, where he creates demand for their table grapes through a "pull" marketing strategy of storytelling and education. By le...

Brad McIntyre, a fourth-generation farmer in Caldwell, Idaho, has transformed his family's operation along the Snake River Basin, scaling back from 3,000 to 1,000 acres due to urbanization and rising costs. Inspired by no-till pioneers, he now manages a diverse farm with seed production, grass-finished beef, pastured pork, poultry, and eggs; all non-GMO. Brad advances regenerative agriculture thro...

Sam Godwin is a second-generation farmer operating a 300-acre organic orchard in north central Washington, primarily growing apples, pears, and cherries. His farm, which is small by industry standards, faces economic pressures in a market dominated by larger operations, and so has adopted organic practices since the early 2000s to differentiate and add value. Sam is in his second year of integrati...

Anthony Myint is the founder of Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit focused on transforming agriculture through innovative economic models. A former chef and restaurateur, Myint transitioned from the restaurant industry to champion regenerative agriculture and address the climate impact of food systems. His organization helps farmers transition to regenerative practices by funding farm projects that enhan...

Troy Swift started farming at age 42, and has achieved incredible results using regenerative practices in his Texas pecan grove: increasing yields in certain varieties by up to 6X, while cutting nitrogen inputs by 97%, reducing insecticides, and eliminating herbicides.  Troy is a first-generation farmer from Central Texas who transitioned to pecan farming after a career in the composite jet engine...

Jake Ewing farms 1,300 acres of corn in Western Illinois, a relatively small operation compared to neighboring farms. Jake's farm has been shaped by the need to compete in a region dominated by large-scale commodity crop production, forcing him to rethink traditional approaches to corn farming, and developing a focus on innovative, cost-effective practices.  Jake's journey toward regenerative agri...

Steven Thompson is the co-founder of Analemma Wines in Mosier, Oregon, where he and his team have transformed a conventional cherry orchard into a vibrant, biodynamic vineyard. With a background in wine and viticulture, Steven focuses on creating a farm that reflects beauty, biodiversity, and intentional design. Through regenerative practices, Steven has eliminated synthetic inputs, transitioned t...

In this Podcast Short, John Kempf announces the launch of FieldLark, an AI agronomist chatbot designed to democratize regenerative agriculture knowledge, which provides first-principles, thinking-based recommendations on how to solve agronomic challenges. FieldLark empowers farmers with accessible, expert-level insights to optimize crop and soil health. In this episode, John covers: FieldLark's pu...

In this Podcast Extra, John Kempf joins the Rooted in Organic Podcast to discuss AI and agriculture.  The Rooted in Organic Podcast is dedicated to promoting organic living and sustainable agriculture. Through their podcast, they discuss time-honored techniques, like Amish farming, and explore modern solutions, like regenerative agriculture. With each conversation, they aim to empower their audien...

Vance Crowe believes that the key to preserving multi-generational farms is for farmers to communicate better, especially within their own families. As founder of Legacy Interviews, podcast host, and keynote speaker, Vance knows a thing or two about communication.  Vance developed strong communication skills early on, shaped by a competitive family environment on an Illinois farm. Vance has worked...

Erwin Westers runs a biodynamic seed farm in the northern Netherlands, producing high-quality seeds for potatoes, radish, and wildflowers. His operation uses innovative mulching and cover cropping to enhance soil health. Westers pioneers regenerative agriculture with techniques like Flechenratte surface decomposition, reducing pests and weeds and improving soil structure. He leads the Dutch Regene...

In this Podcast Extra, John Kempf joins Farm to Table Talk, hosted by Rodger Wasson.  Rodger is a seasoned food and agriculture expert from a Central Illinois farming family. He brings together chefs, farmers, policymakers, and researchers to discuss how food is grown, prepared, and shared. The podcast explores stories and ideas shaping the modern food system for anyone curious about their food's...

In this Podcast Extra, AEA's Director of Partnerships and Expansion, Kish Johnson, joins JM Fortier, founder of the Market Gardener Institute, for a compelling conversation on the Market Gardener Podcast . In this episode, they discuss how data-driven tools like SAP analysis and foliar sprays are transforming regenerative farming. Kish shares how farms are eliminating pests and diseases through op...

Join AEA founder John Kempf for Field Talks, a series of in-the-field conversations. This episode features Cole Neese, a corn and soybean grower in Indiana. Together, they explore real-time agronomic insights, crop progress, challenges, and success stories from the growing season. In this episode, John and Cole Neese, a farmer from West Central Indiana, discuss: Excessive Rainfall Challenges : Col...

Grant Breitkreutz is a farmer from Minnesota who transitioned from conventional practices to a soil health–focused approach. Alongside his wife Dawn, he transformed their farm through no-till, diverse cover crops, adaptive grazing, and continual learning. He's known for asking "why," experimenting boldly, and sharing openly what's worked and what hasn't. Grant is a key voice in agriculture because...

Jonathan Lundgren is an agroecologist, farmer, rancher, and beekeeper, and founder and director of the Ecdysis Foundation and Blue Dasher Farm. Ecdysis Foundation is leading the Thousand Farms Initiative, providing data to validate regenerative agriculture's impact on soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. His work challenges conventional farming by fostering farmer-scientist collabo...

Robert Verkerk, Ph. D., is an environmental scientist and the founder of the Alliance for Natural Health, with over 40 years of experience studying the interplay between human health, agriculture, and ecosystems. His work focuses on promoting regenerative agricultural practices and natural health solutions, emphasizing the need to reconnect food production with ecological and human well-being thro...

Ivo Jeramaz, a mechanical engineer turned vintner, immigrated from former Yugoslavia (now Croatia) to Napa Valley, where he rediscovered his ancestral connection to farming. Initially resentful of agriculture due to its demands in his youth, Ivo's perspective shifted dramatically within weeks of arriving in Napa, where he embraced grape growing and winemaking as a fulfilling life's work, now leadi...