This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Larry Phelan , a professor at Ohio State University where he heads research programs studying the role of soil communities in plant health and susceptibility to disease and insect pests in biological farming systems. Larry also heads programs researching the identification and behaviors of plant secondary compounds and insect pheromones that affect host finding and other behaviors. In this episode, Larry and I discuss plant and insect communicati...
May 18, 2018•51 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing a great farmer and friend of mine, Klaas Martens . Klaas has been farming for more than 30 years and has driven the adoption of sustainable farming practices through his work with numerous national organizations and advisory committees. This episode contains some really great information from Klaas's many years of experience developing sustainable farming systems. In this episode, we talk about the cultural practices that form the basis of weed contr...
May 12, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Groff , a farmer and cover crop pioneer who has also worked with the University of Maryland on extensive cover crop research. Steve founded Cover Crop Coaching in 2016 and has spoken to audiences across North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and many other parts of the world on the use of cover crops across the full range of agricultural applications. In this episode, we talk about important management tools to incorporate with cover crops, t...
May 05, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Don Huber , a leading plant pathologist and Professor Emeritus at Purdue University. We discuss how to manage soil-borne diseases by managing crop rotations, and the management needed to grow 500 hundred bushels corn. Don shared intriguing observations on how soil-borne disease pathogen populations remain present in the soil constantly and are actually 'beneficial' saprophytic fungi until the right environment is present. Root diseases are ...
Apr 28, 2018•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Matt Kleinhenz , a professor at the Ohio State University in vegetable crop physiology who has done research in many areas of horticulture and crop sciences. We talk about high quality food production, how growers and consumers view nutrient density, how farmers can influence the market, Matt's views on nutritional yield, and how growers can stay up-to-date on the latest crop breakthroughs. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow This show is brought to yo...
Apr 21, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 5
This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tom Dykstra , the founder and laboratory director at Dykstra Labs, who also has advanced degrees in entomology and has worked with Dr. Phil Callahan. In this episode, we talk about plant and insect communications, and how plants can only see and feed on plants who are unhealthy (insects are only attracted to unhealthy plants). We also discuss Dr. Dykstra's current day work in bioelectromagnetics, entomology, and agriculture. This episode is a tru...
Apr 17, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode, I had an awesome time interviewing Dr. Michael McNeill, who is an agronomic consultant with several degrees in soil fertility, plant physiology, and quantitative genetics. We discuss how fertility and genetics impact plant response to disease invasion, what causes the suppression of soil health, Michael's experience quickly regenerating soil, how farming has changed since the green revolution, and how to develop a plant profile that protects against disease. Mentioned In This Ep...
Apr 14, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode, I interviewed Gabe Brown, a rancher who is a veteran no-tiller and the owner of Brown's Ranch in Bismarck, N.D.. We discussed Gabe's experience farming without applying any fertilizers, the ability to feed more people with regenerative agriculture than with the current system, the economics of grazing beef, and the tremendous opportunity of growing non-commodity crops. This episode is a great look at the practical applications of regenerative agriculture systems. Gabe's new book...
Apr 14, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Robert Kremer , a microbiology scientist for the USDA who also works as a professor in plant sciences at the University of Missouri. In this episode, we discuss Robert's project with the USDA decomposing weed seeds in soil, native soil microorganisms and microbial interactions, and the implications of AMPA and glyphosate on soil biology. We also discuss Robert's thoughts on the challenge of manganese availability, how growing GMO's impacts ...
Apr 13, 2018•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 1
