The Whole Farm Podcast

In this episode of The Whole Farm Podcast presented by CHONEX, Michael sits down with Christie Apple, an agronomist, soil health advocate, and founder of Crop Scout Christie, for a powerful conversation about the role ag retail plays in the future of soil health. Christie shares how she found her way into agronomy after starting in business administration and quickly realizing that the intersectio...

In this episode of "The Whole Farm Podcast," Michael Pisciotta and Les Riley sit down with Russell Hedrick, a first-generation farmer from Hickory, North Carolina, and one of the most progressive young farmers in the country. Russell farms JRH Grain Farms, LLC, where he has built a reputation for challenging conventional assumptions about yield, soil health, nutrient management, and prof...

In this episode of the Whole Farm Podcast, Michael sits down with Oscar Ruiz and Lizzie French of Waypoint Analytical for a practical conversation about soil health testing, CEMA 216, Haney testing, and soil microbial analysis. Oscar and Lizzie explain how newer soil health tests can work alongside traditional testing methods like Mehlich-3, rather than replacing them. They break down what these t...

In this episode of the Whole Farm Podcast brought to you by CHONEX, host Michael Piscotta sits down with regenerative citrus grower Herb Young for a deep, practical conversation on soil biology, organic citrus production, microbial inoculants, cover crops, and nutrient density. Herb shares his unique journey from a 38-year career in the pesticide industry to becoming a certified organic and certif...

In this episode of The Whole Farm Podcast, presented by CHONEX, we welcome back Dr. Tom Dykstra for Part 2 of our conversation on plant health, Brix, and insect resistance. In this episode, Dr. Dykstra walks through his leaf Brix insect chart and explains how different Brix levels relate to plant health, insect feeding behavior, disease pressure, and crop resilience.  Dr. Dykstra explains why he f...

In this episode of the Whole Farm Podcast, Michael Pisciotta and Les Riley from CHONEX sit down with Dr. Tom Dykstra to explore the connection between plant health, Brix levels, and insect behavior. Dr. Dykstra breaks down what Brix really measures and challenges the common belief that insects avoid high-sugar plants. Instead, he explains how pests are drawn to unhealthy crops with incomplete prot...

What if the biggest lever for healthier vines, better fruit quality, and more resilient vineyards is belowground? In this episode, microbiologist and Napa Valley vineyard consultant Misha Vandal shares results from multi-site vineyard trials focused on soil health, vineyard management, and rebuilding microbial communities. We dig into how shifting the soil microbiome can support nutrient cycling,...

What does real soil health look like under the microscope — and how can farmers use biology to improve nutrient efficiency, crop yields, and resilience? In this episode of The Whole Farm Podcast by CHONEX , we feature a deep dive into soil health with Lynn Rogers, CEO & President of Microbial Matrix Systems Inc. With more than 23 years of experience working alongside farmers and biological man...

What’s driving the rapid growth of biologicals, and how can farmers and agronomists determine real performance?  In this webinar replay, Dr. Pam Marrone, Co-founder and Executive Chair of Invasive Species Corporation, and advisor to CHONEX, breaks down the biofertilizer market, the overlap with biostimulants, and the data standards needed to evaluate products confidently. You’ll learn why biologic...

Join CHONEX for a practical, whole farm-focused discussion on modern nutrient management. This session brings together Jackson Stansell from Sentinel Ag & Jack Washburn from Cultra to discuss nutrient management planning and EQIP 590 funding with precision nitrogen application and digital tools that help farmers organize their soil & plant analysis data. Our guests will do an overview for...