Podcast appearances and mentions of tim hammerich

Dr. Kevin McPhee is a pulse crop breeder at Montana State University. He's been there for just over eight years after building a similar program in pulse crop breeding at North Dakota State University. Prior to that, he was working on pulse crops with the USDA ARS based in Pullman, Washington. Together we discuss the pulse crop breeding program in Montana, including their goals for the program in pea, chickpea and lentils. He describes varieties they've released and what's in the pipeline that growers might want to know about for the future. “  What really separates the winter peas from the spring peas and gives them the advantage is when we have a dry year and there isn't the in-season moisture rains for the spring crop. With the winter peas already in the ground…they don't have to worry about planting them in the spring. That's one big advantage. And then they can take advantage of all of the winter moisture that's in the soil and any of the spring rains that occur. They flower a month ahead of the spring types. So they're well on their way before we get into the heat of the summer and the potential dry conditions, and that's where they shine.” - Dr. Kevin McPheeThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Kevin McPhee, a pulse crop breeder at Montana State UniversityDiscover new pulse crop varieties that are being introduced and the benefits they offer producersExplore major advantages offered by winter peas that may benefit producers looking to be more water efficientGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Chris Holzapfel is the research manager at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF). IHARF is a producer-led not-for-profit organization based in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. Their mandate is to provide extension type work for agricultural research and demonstration, including a lot of work with pulse crops.  Holzapfel started in his role at IHARF in 2005 and over the years they've grown to now conducting 40 to 50 small plot trials as well as some field scale research on crops relevant to the area.He shares some of the research they've done with seeding rates, fertility and with supplementing phosphorus in particular. “ Phosphorus is, without a doubt, by a large margin, the most important nutrient to manage. That's the one that we've gotten the most consistent responses to in our work…You know with phosphorus you're almost fertilizing the soil as much as you are the plants.” - Chris HolzapfelThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Chris Holzapfel, the research manager at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF)Discover the soil and weather particulars of the Saskatchewan regionExplore the research being done to evaluate different seeding rates and their impact on competing with different weed populationsLearn about the potential benefits of a phosphorus supplement and how to evaluate its benefit on your operationRead more about IHARF at their websiteGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

In this episode of Soil Sense, co-hosts Tim Hammerich and Dr. Abbey Wick explore how Brazilian farmers, like Cézar, and Syngenta's Grazielle Parenti, are innovating soil health practices in tropical environments. The discussion focuses on Brazil's potential to double agricultural production without deforestation through initiatives like the Reverte Project. Parenti talks about Syngenta's collaboration with farmers to restore degraded pasture lands into productive farmland. Cézar details his experiences and methods in advancing soil health on his expansive farm, emphasizing the critical role of technology and sustainable practices. Together, they highlight the synergistic efforts in Brazil to boost soil health, create economic benefits, and sustain agricultural productivity.00:00 Introduction to Brazil's Agricultural Potential01:20 Meet the Hosts and Guests01:54 Cézar's Farming Journey03:30 Soil Health Practices in Brazil06:02 Challenges and Innovations in Tropical Agriculture16:00 The Reverte Project: Transforming Degraded Lands23:13 Technology's Role in Soil Health31:13 Future of Brazilian Agriculture38:33 Conclusion and Takeaways

Dr. Brian Jenks is a weed scientist at North Dakota State University based in Minot. Jenks has been in this role since 1997 and over that time he has seen an alarming rise in resistance to many of our herbicides from certain weeds, especially in kochia. In this episode, Jenks shares about the latest in kochia management including what's working and not working, which products have built up resistance and which products are still effective. We also talk about a few other key weeds like palmer amaranth, wild oat and green foxtail. “ And if there's anybody listening who's thinking about using Tough on lentil, please call me before you use it because there's some things that you need to know. I mean just reading the label, you're not going to have sufficient information because all they say on there is spray 6 to 20 ounces and oh, by the way, you can tank mix with Metribuzin. Well, that is a recipe for potential disaster if you do that. Because we need to talk rates, we need to talk timing, we need to talk adjuvants, and I'm encouraging growers to do this only as a last resort because you will see severe injury.” - Dr. Brian JenksThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Brian Jenks, a weed scientist at North Dakota State University based in Minot, NDDiscover the rising risk of herbicide resistance in weed management especially with the weed kochiaLearn the process to evaluate the type of kochia resistance producers may be facing and how to get that service for freeUnderstand the significance of a weed being on the noxious weed list and the impact that has on producersContact Dr. Brian Jenks with any of your weed biology or herbicide questions at (701) 857-7677Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Introducing: season eight of Soil Sense! Co-hosts Tim Hammerich and Dr. Abbey Wick are excited to bring another season to the show, this time sponsored by Syngenta. Season eight explores soil health at scale, featuring farmers from all around the world.  Science and innovation have unlocked incredible gains in agricultural productivity and sustainability over the years. But there's still so much potential out there, especially if we're able to leverage a better understanding of soil science. We're joined today by Syngenta CEO, Jeff Rowe, and chief soil scientist, Dr. Matt Wallenstein. They challenge us consider the art of the possible when it comes to the future of soil health.“ For most farmers, a lot of farmers in the world, the land is their most important investment. And in some ways, historically, it's been what we understood the least.” - Jeff Rowe Jeff Rowe is the CEO of Syngenta group based in Basel, Switzerland. But the other hat he wears is that of a family farmer. These two vantage points, as an agribusiness CEO and a farmer, make him an excellent guest to kick off this season.  “ Because we hadn't given as much attention to the soil, that now represents the biggest opportunity we have to increase productivity and sustainability in the next decade.” Matt Wallenstein, Ph.D.Dr. Matt Wallenstein joined Syngenta with a background in research at Colorado State, and as an entrepreneur. He launched a startup to commercialize some of this research. He was recruited by Jeff to lead the company's soil health efforts. Jeff and Matt discuss the potential for soil health to advance agricultural productivity and sustainability.This Week on Soil Sense:Meet farmer and Syngenta CEO Jeff Rowe and chief soil scientist Dr. Matt WallensteinExplore how scientific advancements in soil science can lead to opportunities for farmersConsider the importance of resilient soil, the balance of traditional and modern farming methods, and Syngenta's commitment to supporting soil health globallyThank you to Syngenta for sponsoring this season of the Soil Sense podcast. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there!

After a tough year in 2023, agronomist Jeannie Rude and Northeast Montana farmer Blake Rasmussen were part of a project to create a video about their experiences with Real Ag Radio's Shaun Haney. That video documented the far reaching impacts root rot can have on farmers and the local community. Blake is a fifth generation farmer on an operation that has included lentils and chickpeas in their rotations for the past 25 years. He has also been an active member of the Northern Pulse Growers Association for the past five years. Jeannie Rude is an agronomist with Pro Coop also located in northeast Montana. She returns to the podcast time with Blake to share their experiences with root rots. “ The root diseases impact the lentil crop and that has an impact on the grower, the health of their soils, and the health of their farm economics. We just got this awesome Columbia grain pulse facility completed in the last few years. So it affects everything from the soil health right down to Main Street in this community.” - Jeannie RudeThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Northeast Montana farmer Blake Rasmussen and hear again from Northeast Montana agronomist Jeannie RudeDiscover the impact Blake had while participating in the Gulf Food Show in DubaiExplore the longterm challenges root rots presents for producers and the lack of information regarding it for how to manage itLearn about the efforts being made to better identify the cause of these issues and what can be done to improve their managementWatch the video featuring Jeannie and Blake on the Real Agriculture YouTube channel coordinated by the Pulse Crops Working Group with funding from the North Central IPM Center. Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Ian Burke is a weed scientist at Washington State University. His work focuses on weed biology and ecology, and he does a lot of work with herbicides. Dr. Burke discusses his research evaluating herbicides for use in peas, lentils and chickpeas and how to manage herbicide carry over issues that can impact these crops. This is the deep dive into herbicide carry over that you might not have even realized you needed.“ We have not enough moisture during the summer to break down the herbicides and not enough heat units during the winter to break down the herbicides. So we really have sort of a perfect storm, a very unique situation, in the United States where herbicides applied in our important rotational crop like wheat persists for far longer than than anywhere else.” - Ian Burke, Ph.D.This Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Ian Burke, Ph.D. and learn about cropping systems in his area of the Pacific NorthwestUnderstand herbicide carryover and the factors that causes herbicide persistence like the characteristics of the products themselves, environmental conditions, and soil propertiesDiscover how farmers can manage herbicide carryover while still maintaining the efficacy of their herbicide program. Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

In this episode of the SWAT Agronomy podcast we feature Chris Hawkins. Chris is the sales director at Croptimistic Technology based in Saskatchewan. In that role he serves both farmers directly as well as the partners that Croptimistic works with. He's also responsible for the partner services side of the business, so one of his key objectives is to help their partners grow their businesses. Chris tells host Tim Hammerich talk about his path from the family farm to farm machinery to now ag tech. They also talk more about his experiences working with SWAT MAPS customers, why they don't have a big sales team, and the path forward for precision agriculture.“ When we can build a zone map for our farmers that is built on those stable properties, and they can count on that map being accurate year after year after year. Then they realized that they can manage those zones better than they could ever do in the past.” - Chris HawkinsFollow Chris on X: @SWATMAPSHawkKey Moments: 00:00 Introduction to SWAT Agronomy 00:48 Guest Introduction: Chris Hawkins02:10 Chris Hawkins' Career Journey03:43 Understanding Precision Agriculture08:44 Challenges and Solutions in Agronomy13:52 Partner Services and Growth21:48 Future of Agriculture Technology24:21 Conclusion and FarewellLearn more at SWATMAPS.com.

Paul Kanning is a farmer in Montana who grows mostly red lentils and yellow peas as well as wheat and canola. He also serves as the chairman of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council. Lewi Crow is a Risk Management Specialist with the USDA Risk Management Agency that services Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. Lewi and Paul talk about the importance of RMA and crop insurance, but also the process behind developing crop insurance programs for pulse crops. “ As an individual farmer, I have to provide them data and the way I do that is by making transactions, right? And so selling pulses in the fall helps establish the harvest price for the fall. That's the only way that they can come up with the data is by farmers putting product out in the stream… That makes the whole wheel turn.” - Paul Kanning ”...some of the things that I do with that is reviewing plant dates, basically just kind of pulling apart crop programs and reviewing all aspects of it that goes on with rates and t-yields for individual counties, rotation requirements, various things that farmers tend to encounter when choosing crop insurance.” - Lewi CrowThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Paul Kanning, a pulse crop farmer in Montana and the chairman of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, and Lewi Crow, a Risk Management Specialist with the USDA Risk Management Agency Understand what the RMA provides for producers and the insight they can offer when making production decisionsMake a note of these important dates:January 15th is when the harvest price is released Beginning of March is when projected prices for this 2025 crop year are releasedMarch 15th is the sales closing date for most of the spring seeded crops so Lewi recommends reviewing your crop insurance prior to that date Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Chuck Penner founded Leftfield Commodity Research in 2010. The company provides market analysis and economic research focused on the crops that are important to farmers in Western Canada and the northern parts of the US. Penner shares about the global marketplace for peas, chickpeas and lentils. This episode was recorded on January 10th, 2025.“ One of the things that I've been telling Canadian farmers… is to forget about being the only show in town anymore. Now you have Australia producing more red lentils than Canada does. You have Russia, you have Kazakhstan, and you have the US production going up there as well too…So you need to think globally about not just demand, but the supplies as well.” - Chuck PennerPenner shares about drivers both on the supply side and the demand side that are impacting the trajectory of these global and domestic markets. Through his many newsletters and research projects he aims to keep producers informed about the current state of industries they need to know about. He shares the potential impact on the pulse crop market of different tariffs and what that could mean for producers“ In some ways geopolitics is a factor that's always there, but this year it's kind of amped up a lot and not just in Canadian-US trade, but Canada and India and Canada and China and those types of things where you have potential for those sudden moves.” - Chuck PennerThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Chuck Penner founder of Leftfield Commodity Research where they provide market analysis and economic research focused on the crops in Western Canada and the northern parts of the USExplore the potential impact of tariffs on the pulse crop markets and what producers need to knowDiscover the growing global pulse crop markets and the impact that can have on North American pricesGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

In this insightful episode, Mark Jewell welcomes Tim Hammerich, host of the Future of Agriculture Podcast and partner at Cogent Consulting, for a deep dive into intentional leadership, culture building, and navigating challenges in agribusiness. From their shared FFA roots to current leadership hurdles, Mark and Tim explore how intentionality shapes success in business and life. Tim also shares his journey transitioning from recruitment to communications consulting and how embracing "infinite games" has transformed his perspective on success.Key Takeaways:Intentional Leadership Starts with Choices:Being intentional is about making definitive choices and accepting the opportunity cost of those decisions.Leaders who embrace intentionality attract like-minded individuals, creating strong, aligned teams.Building a Strong Organizational Culture:Define core values and repeat them consistently. For Tim's Little League team, these were: effort, respect, and teamwork.Prioritize what matters most to your organization, and be honest about your limitations.Lessons in Talent Retention:Know who you are as an employer—set realistic expectations for your team.Align talent with company values and needs to ensure long-term success and engagement.The Power of Infinite Games:Shift focus from finite goals (e.g., earning a specific income) to infinite pursuits like designing a fulfilling lifestyle.An infinite mindset creates resilience and sustained motivation.Energy Management > Time Management:Prioritize movement, hydration, and rest to maximize productivity and focus.Working on high-leverage tasks rather than low-value activities leads to greater impact and fulfillment.Notable Quotes:“Intentionality is about making a choice, even when it means closing other doors.” – Tim Hammerich“The leaders winning the talent game are those who know what they stand for—and what they don't.” – Mark Jewell“Don't try to do so much. Focus on what's most important and let go of the rest.” – Tim Hammerich“The ag economy is tough right now. Give yourself grace and prioritize taking care of yourself.” – Tim HammerichPractical Applications for Leaders:Create Intentional Culture: Define and embody your core values. Reiterate them consistently to build alignment.Focus on Energy Management: Stay hydrated, get quality sleep, and move regularly to sustain high performance.Prioritize the Infinite Game: Focus on long-term fulfillment and growth rather than short-term wins.Evaluate Your Time: Assess the financial and personal ROI of your activities to focus on what truly matters.Tim leaves listeners with an important reminder to give themselves grace during challenging times. Whether navigating the complexities of agribusiness or balancing personal responsibilities, taking care of yourself and staying intentional can lead to greater fulfillment and resilience.Lead with intention, embrace the infinite game, and thrive in all areas of life!

Dr. Clain Jones is Montana State University Extension's soil fertility specialist. In this role he covers anything that has to do with fertilizer or nutrient cycling in both agriculture as well as home/garden systems. He started at MSU as a tenure track faculty member in 2006, and has ended up doing quite a bit of work with pulse crops over the years. He joins me today to talk about fertility in pulses, the importance of inoculation, nitrogen credits, soil pH, and the overall importance of pulse crops to soil health.“Adding five pounds of sulfur per acre to lentils, what we found at least here in Bozeman, was that nitrogen fixation increased at a much faster rate than yield did. What that told us was that by applying sulfur, maybe we're not going to see a huge yield response, but we're going to contribute a lot more nitrogen both to that crop and to the next crop.” - Dr. Clain JonesDr. Jones stresses the importance of plant nutrition and pH when it comes to optimizing a pulse crop's ability to fix nitrogen. Limestone deposits in the soil can make pH values highly variable even within a field. This can make accurate soil testing a challenge. An acidic pH has a significant impact on rhizobia viability as they don't tolerate low pH values very well. Along with pH, many micronutrients such as sulfur, potassium and phosphorus also need to be considered when assessing overall soil health and nitrogen fixation efficiency.“We have low phosphorus because our high levels of calcium tie up that phosphorus making it less available to crops. Knowing that phosphorus is essential for nitrogen fixation, my gut feel is that phosphorus is probably the nutrient most limiting nitrogen fixation and probably pulse crop growth in our two state region.” - Dr. Clain JonesThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Clain Jones, the Montana State University Extension's soil fertility specialistDiscover the impact of pH and micronutrients on a pulse crop's ability to fix nitrogenExplore the recommended testing and values of soil nutrition to allow for optimal nitrogen fixationGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Kim Sauressig is a fourth generation farmer in Central North Dakota where he grows a wide range of crops including corn, wheat, durum, barley, soybeans, lentils, chickpeas and pinto beans. He also raised cattle until a few years ago when they decided to focus exclusively on crops. When not farming, Kim chairs the North Dakota Dry Pea & Lentil Council and has a seat on the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council where he serves as the chair of the research committee. Kim shares his journey into pulse crops, what roles they play in his overall rotations, the value of associations like the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, and why he believes more farmers should consider including pulse crops in their crop rotations. “So we started seeding pintos and we were putting a little bit of “N” down. My agronomist called me and he got our soil test back from the laboratory and he is like, just drop your fertilizer. He said, “You don't have to put anything down.” And I truthfully, honestly think that that's because the lentils from the two years previous had fixated it in there. We didn't need it anymore.” - Kim SauressigKim highlights the many benefits of pulse crops that he has experienced including their nitrogen fixation capabilities and their efficiency with water use. Through his work on the North Dakota Dry Pea and Lentil Council and the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council he has expanded his personal network to include many agronomists and research scientists that have really helped him not only fine tune his operation but also support future pulse crop growers. He goes on to share the many advantages the councils offers producers by way of research and financial support.“Your revenue protections and your crop insurances and stuff, that's kind of directly put together by the US Dry Pea and Lentil Council….They were a dog in the fight that helped get dollars to come back into the specialty crop side of things. I mean we're talking millions and millions of dollars that went back to producers that were growing pulse crops that were very, very beneficial.” - Kim SauressigThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Kim Sauressig, a fourth generation farmer in Central North Dakota, chair of the North Dakota Dry Pea & Lentil Council and chair of the research committee on the USA Dry Pea & Lentil CouncilDiscover Kim's experiences with pulse crops and the insights he has gained from participating in both the North Dakota Dry Pea and Lentil Council and the USA Dry Pea and Lentil CouncilGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

At the time of this interview, Steve Sebesta was the director of the Foundation Seed Program at North Dakota State University and the Deputy Commissioner of the North Dakota State Seed Department. Steve has since retired from these positions, so we were very lucky to capture his years of experience and expertise in this area before his retirement. In this episode, Steve discusses the critical role of the foundation seedstocks program, how the plant variety protection act works and why seed needs to be certified.“North Dakota is a little unique compared to most other states in that we have a county seed increase program. So when a new variety is released and we have foundation seed available, the counties decide whether or not they want to produce seed in their county of that new variety. And if they do, then their county grower, who is typically an experienced grower, will produce seed essentially for the county. It's not his seed. He doesn't have ownership of it. It's for the county seed grower. So it's a really good way to increase the amount of seed available of a brand new variety very quickly.” - Steve SebestaGermination success, variety identification and weed presence contribute to the certification of seed that allows for the label required for selling seed in North Dakota. North Dakota has the largest seed certification agency in the country, with between 250,000 and 300,000 acres of seed production every year. Of that, field peas is their third largest crop, with over 21,000 acres in 2023. “A lot of the public varieties were funded by government programs, federal government programs. And so they needed a way to try to incentivize investment in research and development and production of new varieties. So they implemented the Plant Variety Protection Act which gives the variety owner the exclusive authority to determine who can and cannot produce seed of their product and market that seed. So there are a lot of infringements that are possible on a PVP variety that people need to be aware of.” - Steve SebestaThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Steve Sebesta who recently retired as the director of the Foundation Seed Program at North Dakota State University and the Deputy Commissioner of the North Dakota State Seed DepartmentDiscover the function, purpose and process of the Foundation Seed Program as well as the requirements that must be met for seed to be labeled as certifiedGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

In this unique solo episode, Tim Hammerich shares his framework for thinking about the future of agriculture. Drawing inspiration from a recent keynote at the 4th annual Soybean Research Forum and Think Tank, Tim discusses the rationale behind the podcast and shares the four key questions (plus a bonus) that guide his exploration into agricultural innovation. 00:00 Introduction and Purpose of the Podcast00:36 Inspiration from a Recent Keynote01:49 Reflecting on the Podcast's Journey04:26 Challenges in Discussing the Future of Agriculture08:31 Framework for Thinking About the Future of Agriculture09:38 Current Trends and Historical Insights12:20 Innovations on the Fringes13:43 Considering Unpredictable Changes18:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Nicole Atchison is the CEO of PURIS Holdings, a vertically-integrated plant-based food company that operates from field to fork in primarily yellow peas. Nicole leads the agriculture side of the business, including contracting with growers, seed development and breeding, and innovation in product development. Her brother Tyler leads the ingredient side of the business. PURIS operates throughout the entire supply chain from developing genetics to developing new markets. “So if you're making a high protein cereal, you need a different pea protein than if you're making a plant-based beverage, which is still using a pea protein. But those two pea proteins are slightly different. And that's really the innovation that we do on our processing side, is we create these different proteins with different functionalities so that they can work in these different applications.” - Nicole AtchisonAtchison describes the wet protein processing they are using that provides a unique protein stream with a lot of potential for furthering plant-based protein production. She sees potential for pulse proteins in providing protein sources for both consumer beverages and medical nutrition. As they ramp up production, PURIS Holdings is also active in ongoing efforts to regulate the impact of foreign pulse crop processing and imports affecting both global and domestic markets.“I'm a huge advocate for pulse based ingredients because I do think that as much as we want and encourage people to have and eat whole pulses, that's not where the American consumer is today. We like convenient foods, packaged and processed. That's where our market is. And so we need to be able to drive these crops into those channels as well and that's why processing is so critical to the market.” - Nicole AtchisonThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Nicole Atchison is the CEO of PURIS HoldingsDiscover the journey PURIS Holdings has taken to develop plant-based proteins and their initial introduction to pulse cropsExplore the global ingredient market for pulses and the operations of processing pulse cropsGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Eric von Wettberg is a professor at the University of Vermont and the director of the Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station. His research program focuses on understanding crop domestication as a means to harness the diversity of crop wild relatives to breed crops with improved climate resilience and stress tolerance. In this episode we discuss Von Wettberg's work in pulses, his adventures in germplasm collection, the challenges and opportunities of maintaining genetic diversity, and the importance of protecting crop wild relatives. “We're never fully done with collecting germplasm because there might be more out there and those plants are in a natural habitat. That habitat is not static, so they may be changing over time. There's diseases in some natural populations and disease resistance can actually evolve. So we need to be collecting germplasm continually, and we should even have preserves or parks that hold crop wild relatives. To let them evolve so that we can let evolution generate more resistant varieties for us.” - Dr. Eric von WettbergVon Wettberg shares his concern with the loss of genetic variation in crops, particularly pulses, as a result of human cultivation and selection. A lack of genetic variation reduces resilience of these crops to expected effects of climate change such as drought and disease. In his research group, they are using a new collection of the wild relatives of chickpea to restore genetic variation to cultivated chickpea, and to better understand the genetic basis of flowering time and drought tolerance. “Any mutation, whether it's a new mutation or an old mutation, is helpful. But by collecting, we're more likely to find the old mutations… By looking in wild populations, there's just been more time for those mutations to occur, which makes them a helpful place to look.” - Dr. Eric von WettbergThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Eric von Wettberg is a professor at the University of Vermont and the director of the Vermont Agriculture Experiment StationExplore the impact the loss of genetic variation can have on crop varieties and what is being done to mitigate that riskGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Charlie Cahill developed his knowledge of dryland farming during the 1990s, ultimately becoming what one nominator called “the go-to guy” for information on agronomic practices and seed genetics in the region. A graduate of Montana State University, Cahill has served on the board of the Montana Seed Growers Association and helped create the pulse checkoff program in Montana, which allows growers a voice in how their contributions are invested around the state.“Farmers traditionally have been used to being able to keep and trade their own seed amongst other growers, and this has been going on (for) an exceptional amount of time. Well, if you don't have money to actually go into the breeding programs, you don't get new stuff. And if you look at all of the crops that have money in them: corn, canola, soybeans. We spend a lot of money for the seed, but at the same time, you'll notice we also get really neat stuff.” - Charlie CahillCahill joins the show to talk about the current state of the seed industry in Montana, some inside information on the seed business and what's driving seed choices, and trying to bring together market demand and producer needs into a valuable and profitable seed technology. “The demand right now is far outstripping the supply on (lentil) seed. We are probably one of the largest sellers of lentil seed in the United States and we're sold out at the moment, and our production was okay. So that gives you an idea.” - Charlie CahillThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Charlie Cahill of Cahill Seeds, and learn about the history of pulse seed production in MontanaLearn about some of the drivers of pulse crop seed developmentHear more about what buyers of pulses are looking for in genetics in the futureDiscover what it's like be an independent seed producerGrowing Pulse Crops Podcast is hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Michelle Hubbard leads a field, greenhouse, growth chamber and lab based research program at Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, a part of the Canadian federal government. Based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, her work focuses on pulse pathology, including important diseases like ascochyta blight of chickpea, root rot of pea and lentil and anthracnose of lentil. Hubbard discusses a mystery illness that has been popping up in parts of Saskatchewan and other areas in recent years. She shares the symptoms of this disease and the extensive research that has been done to try to understand what exactly is going on so that we can start to manage for it in the future. She provides insights not only into pulse pathology, but also into the approach scientists like herself take to try to find answers for farmers.“It is frustrating, but it's also interesting and I keep going by thinking we're learning other things. Even if we're not finding an answer to this problem, we're learning other useful things like about drought and Verticillium and nematodes.” - Dr. Michelle HubbardThe exact pathogenesis of the mystery illness in chickpeas continues to elude researchers despite major efforts. The disease first emerged in 2019 and made its mark by creating severe crop loss similar to ascochyta blight. However, these chickpeas did not demonstrate obvious girdling and patterns of being transmitted airborne like typical ascochyta blight. Drought stress followed by rainfall was another factor explored for explaining the unique symptoms observed in the field but this too was disproved in trials. Herbicide application without moisture was another factor explored and it too could not be replicated successfully. The investigation continues with Dr. Hubbard offering this advice to producers. “Keep an eye out for it, but (don't) panic about it. If they want to find out more information or pictures, there's a lot of pictures on the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers website, as well as some old reports dating back to the beginning of the issue that explains it really well and shows pictures and examples. Or if somebody wants to contact me, I'm happy to send pictures or to help you find a link where you can find more pictures.” - Dr. Michelle HubbardThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Michelle Hubbard a plant pathologist who leads a field, greenhouse, growth chamber and lab based research program at Agriculture and AgriFood CanadaUnderstand the emergence and research related to identifying this mystery chickpea illnessLearn more about Dr. Hubbard's work at AgriFood Canada by visiting her webpage Check out the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers webpage as well to learn more about this emerging concernGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Tom Warkentin is a professor at the University of Saskatchewan where he is part of a team at the Crop Development Center. He has been a pulse crop breeder for about 30 years, mostly focused on field peas. Warkentin discusses the progress of his pulse crop breeding program over the decades, including varieties that have had a big impact on the industry. He also shares how he balances the need to improve genetics on multiple fronts all at once, like yield, quality, lodging, disease resistance, protein and a number of other factors. He'll also cover what's in the pipeline currently for new varieties and what questions and areas of research are still left unanswered. “Definitely yield is first and we keep pushing to improve yield. I think if we go through the records we've probably boosted yield 1 to 2% per year if you take the long-term average over a couple of decades. Second trait that farmers definitely like is lodging resistance, so the ability to stay upright. That has remained as probably the second most important trait in pea varieties over the last 30 years.” - Dr. Tom WarkentinOther priorities they focus on include protein quality and quantity, root rot resistance and ascochyta resistance. Dr. Warkentin discusses where these priorities come from including producer requests, processor preferences and consumer demands. Employing different techniques to highlight different characteristics is a lengthy difficult process in plant genetics that Dr. Warkentin's team have been fine-tuning for years.“So a combination of conventional breeding and marker assisted breeding and screening material with the actual pathogens, either indoors or outdoors. All of those approaches we're using.” - Dr. Tom WarkentinThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Tom Warkentin, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan where he is part of a team at the Crop Development Center.Discover the priorities of genetic traits that his breeding program is addressing in peas and the impact this development is having on the pulse crop industryExplore the process the plant breeding team is employing to improve pulse crop geneticsLearn more about Dr. Warkentin's work at the University of Saskatchewan by visiting his research webpage Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Zack Bateson is the Research Manager at the National Ag Genotyping Center based in Fargo, North Dakota. You heard a little bit about the work the National Genotyping Center is doing in episode five with Dr. Brian Jenks. In this episode we dive deeper into the services they offer to provide DNA testing for farmers and agronomists. Bateson got his start in DNA-based testing working in wildlife biology with prairie chickens and lizards, but says all of the skills can be applied to any organisms including variety detection, herbicide resistance, and soil pathogens, which is where he focuses today. “Growers can send us kochia and we can genotype them for the resistance to group 14. Then they're able to have a discussion with either their agronomists or other consultants to see whether it can be another actionable spraying opportunity or if there's something else that they can do about these resistant weeds.” - Zach BatesonThe National Ag Genotyping Center is a private nonprofit diagnostic lab that provides genetic testing to identify pathogens, pests and genetic traits such as resistance to herbicides. This valuable information can help growers determine next steps in treatment of fields without having to rely solely on potentially costly trial and error practices. Alongside these established practices they are also developing identification testing for different causes of root rot.“The work involved is simpler for a person to do, especially with robotics, we can not only do tens of samples per day, but we can extract from hundreds of samples per day. We can test for multiple genetic markers throughout the day, so we're talking hundreds and almost thousands of data points that can be processed and reported out.” - Zach BatesonThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Zack Bateson, the Research Manager at the National Ag Genotyping Center based in Fargo, North DakotaExplore the work done at the National Ag Genotyping Center and the value they provide growers in North Dakota. Discover the support and research being developed at the National Ag Genotyping Center and the future projects they expect to participate inGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Brian Jenks is a weed scientist at North Dakota State University based in Minot. He has been in this role since 1997 and over that time he has seen an alarming rise in resistance to many of our herbicides from certain weeds, especially in kochia. In this episode Jenks discusses the resistance problem and some of the work underway to help farmers manage these weeds that are getting tougher every year to control. He also shares an exciting new offering from the Ag Genotyping Center to identify resistance.“I've been polling farmers this winter and the most common answer I get is about 80%. Farmers think about 80% of their kochia is roundup resistant. So it's a majority of the kochia and we know that there's group 14 resistance out there to Aim and Sharpen. So if we want to control kochia in a burn down, we need to know if Aim and Sharpen are going to work for us.” - Dr. Brian JenksSpray droplet size, travel speed when spraying and the height of the kochia when treated are all factors that greatly affect the success of herbicide use. True resistance however will be able to survive each of these adjustments. Developing new mechanisms of action and products to circumvent the resistance is a lengthy difficult process with no clear immediate solution in site. With resistance observed in many commonly used herbicides, gramoxone seems to be the only one that remains consistently effective. Unfortunately resistance is likely to emerge here too without other measures being taken.“The worst thing we can do is probably a two year rotation where we're using the same herbicides and the same crops over and over. I'm optimistic if we can diversify our crops to get a minimum of 3, 4, 5 crops in the rotation, and then use 5, 6, 7 different modes of action with our herbicides.” - Dr. Brian JenksThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Brian Jenks, a weed scientist at North Dakota State UniversityExplore the growing problem of herbicide resistant kochia and the impact this problem will have on pulse crop productionUnderstand the significance of different spray techniques and following up on spray treatments with early season monitoringGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Chris Graham is an associate professor at South Dakota State University. He's also the manager of the West River Research Farm near Sturgis, South Dakota. At that facility they focus a lot on regenerative agriculture, including doing a lot of work with peas and other pulses to extend crop rotations in that semi-arid region in the western part of the state. Graham shares about pulse production in South Dakota, focusing mostly on field peas. He also shares some of the complexities of nitrogen fixation, including what it might look like to have farm-specific microbial inoculant mixes in the future. “When you look at the growth of wheat, generally the yield is set first and then the protein is made later in its life cycle. And so we often see peas, obviously they're harvested and they start to decay, and that slow decay releases nitrogen later in the wheat growing season. And so we often see a protein bump with wheat following peas.” - Dr. Chris GrahamWhile there isn't a lot of acreage in pulses in South Dakota yet, Graham calls field peas the “nickel slots” of the pulses. In other words, a great place to start incorporating them into a rotation with a low barrier to entry. He highlights that your soil nitrogen content will likely not increase but your input needs may decrease when pulses are used.“It's still nitrogen that you didn't have to apply and it's also nitrogen that the plant did not necessarily take up from the soil. And so it's conserving some of that nitrogen that's being made available just on that baseline level. ” - Dr. Chris GrahamThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Chris Graham, an associate professor at South Dakota State University and the manager of the West River Research Farm near Sturgis, South DakotaExplore the potential use of pulse crops in rotations in South DakotaDiscover the niche pulses can fill in rotation as a broadleaf crop capable of nitrogen fixationVisit Dr. Graham's webpage here.Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Dr. Breanne Tidemann is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based in Lacombe, Alberta. As a weed scientist, her job is to explore new and novel ways to manage weeds. Her focus is to research applied management strategies, weed biology and ecology, and screening for herbicide resistance. In this episode, Tidemann discusses the work she has been leading in Canada on the effectiveness of weed seed destruction technology including the use of mills and shares that this approach can be a very helpful tool in the toolbox especially in pulses.“By and large, on the vast majority of weed species that have been tested in Canada and the United States, we're seeing greater than 95% control of what goes into those mills…There's the odd one here or there that's a little bit lower, but when I say it's a little bit lower, we're typically still talking greater than 80% control.” - Dr. Breanne TidemannTideman shares the concern that at the end of the season the remaining weeds have managed to survive everything the farmer has put them through. They are therefore the fittest weeds that are the most difficult to get rid of. She proposes that rather than spreading those weed seeds all over the field with a combine we need to focus on destroying them. This process may not solve any weed problems for the crop you're harvesting, but it does start the weed management for the next year early and can have real impacts on future production. “So there's six main methods of harvest weed seed control. Some of them are things we would consider using in North America, like the weed seed destruction technology.…it's basically trying to turn the combine from a weed seed spreader into a weed seed predator” - Dr. Breanne TidemannThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet Dr. Breanne Tidemann a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based in Lacombe, AlbertaExplore the value and purpose of research regarding harvest weed seed control especially as it relates to crops with limited herbicide options such as pulse cropsDiscover current methods and equipment that are effective for harvest weed seed control and are available in North AmericaConnect with Dr. Tidemann on Twitter @breannetidemann or visit her website here.Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

Farmer and Northern Pulse Growers Association president Sam Arnson and executive director Shannon Berndt join us to talk about their work at NPGA, the importance of bringing the industry together to fund research, marketing and education efforts, and how other pulse growers can get involved. They share what NPGA has accomplished and what the future holds for northern pulse growers in the region.“This is an exciting time to be part of this industry because we are still a fairly small industry, but we're growing. We're seeing a lot of additional states coming on board with acreage and production that face some of the same challenges that North Dakota and Montana producers face. And so as a collective group of growers, I think it's important that y'all have a voice.” - Shannon BerndtThe Northern Pulse Growers Association is a nonprofit association representing dry pea, lentil, chickpea, lupin and fava bean growers from Montana and North Dakota. Shannon Berndt has been serving as the assocation's executive director since 2007. When not acting as president for NPGA Sam is found farming northwest of Williston, North Dakota. “People are overall excited next year for pulses to be put into their rotation if their rotation allows it. And I mean by that is their crop rotation and or chemical herbicide usage if it's opened for pulses. I think a lot of acres are gonna go in next year.” - Sam ArnsonThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Meet farmer and Northern Pulse Growers Association president Sam Arnson and executive director Shannon BerndtExplore the progress in development and collaboration between producers the organization has accomplished for pulse growers in the northern regionDiscover what future opportunities the NPGA feels pulse growers have available to them as the industry grows and expandsGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

In this episode we're looking at a new pulse crop: sweet white lupins. Dr. Mike Ostlie is the director of the Carrington Research Extension Center at North Dakota State University. In the early 2000s a private company that was developing lupin varieties had gone out of business and the germplasm was given to NDSU to work on varieties. Now they're close to releasing new varieties and Ostlie joins us to share why this is exciting for growers and for the pulse crops industry in general. “It's actually really an exciting time to be in the lupin world right now because there's a lot of interest in it I think all around in people looking for some new food ingredients, for instance, on the buyer side. As well as some farmers that are interested in getting something a little bit different in their crop rotation.” - Dr. Mike OstlieWhile these varieties of sweet white lupins will be new to many US growers, there is also an initiative in Canada to develop and release blue lupins which have a lot of the same qualities. These qualities include being a strong nitrogen fixer, a phosphorous scavenger, and a high protein legume. Ostlie noted that there is some existing production of sweet lupin in Australia that mainly goes to the pet food and livestock feed industries there. “The lupins have pretty wide adaptability in the northern plains in the fact that they produce reasonable yield under those very large drought conditions. When they're provided water, the yield potential is quite high….We've seen yields get up to 60 to 70 bushels an acre with lupins, which again, is very competitive with a lot of crops in the area.” - Dr. Mike OstlieThis Week on Growing Pulse Crops:Dr. Mike Ostlie shares the development and potential of white lupins where varieties are being developed at the Carrington Research Extension Center at NDSUDiscover the yield potential and resilience of the Lupin plant that is also known for its ability to scavenge phosphorus and fix nitrogenLearn the unique characteristics and input needs for this up and coming pulse cropGrowing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

In this special episode, hosted by Tim Hammerich and the Future of Agriculture Podcast, Tim and John Kempf will challenge several commonly held assumptions about the future of agriculture. Take regenerative agriculture, which is often defined by the ability to improve soil health and sequester carbon. But John Kempf says these are outcomes, even by-products, not the complete definition of regenerative. In this episode, Tim and John discuss: What it means to be regenerative AEA observations from working with over 10,000 growers and 4 million acres AEA's Wefunder campaign How to look at agriculture problems and solutions through a regenerative lens Future of Agriculture explores the people, companies, and ideas shaping the agriculture industry's future. Every week, Tim Hammerich talks to the farmers, founders, innovators, and investors to share stories of agtech, sustainability, resiliency, and the future of food. Future of Agriculture believes innovation is an important part of the future of agriculture, and real change comes from collaboration between scientists, entrepreneurs, and farmers. Lead with optimism, but also bring data. Additional Resources: To listen to more episodes of Future of Agriculture, please visit: https://www.futureofagriculture.com/ To learn more about AEA's Wefunder campaign, please visit: https://wefunder.com/advancingecoag About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.  AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.  AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits. Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide. Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com/ ~  VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk  

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There is a lot more information about soil health available today than there was a decade ago, but it's still up to each individual farmer to figure out what works best for their operation. Delaware farmer Jay Baxter grows soybeans, corn, sweet corn, and lima beans on Baxter Farms. Jay is the fourth generation to do so along with his sister who farms with him as well as some other family stakeholders that include his 93 year old grandmother who is still engaged with the farm. In addition to the crops, they have eight chicken houses. At any one time they have about 225,000 broilers on the farm. That's enough to keep anyone busy, but Jay and his wife have also started a couple side businesses: a greenhouse company growing contract potted flowers for a wholesale distributor, and a custom cover crop application business.  He shares about the cover crops, equipment, biosolids, and poultry manure that are part of his operation.  “We're starting to understand what different cover crops do to our soils, and we're starting to understand what different mixes and how different cover crop species mix together, how they interact with one another, and what they can do to benefit us on our farm and our particular soils. And what they can kind of bring to the table and help us to utilize some of our, well, our number one resource, which is our soil.” - Jay Baxter One interesting thing about Jay that is unique is that he has included hairy vetch in his cover crop mix for about 20 years. He has heard all of the concerns others have about hairy vetch, and says for him every year is different, but they've learned to manage the cover crop in a way that has been very beneficial to their operation. His unique techniques have paid off in the past specifically with his lima bean practices.  “Because they were sitting on top of a mulch, as opposed to sitting on top of bare soil, they had no blemish on them, and therefore were A grade beans, and that's what the processor really wanted. So we immediately became no till and cover crop farming lima bean growers.” - Jay Baxter This Week on Soil Sense: Meet fourth generation Delaware farmer Jay Baxter who shares about his operation including cover crops, a greenhouse company growing potted flowers, a poultry operation and a custom cover crop application business Explore the many facets of Jay's operation and the trials and successes he has found over the years Discover the regulations of using biosolids and waste water on a farming operations Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

It's always neat to hear of farms that have been with a family for generations, but is it still possible for a first generation farmer to get started? Ryan Bivens is proof that it is possible, but that doesn't mean it's easy. First generation Kentucky farmer Ryan Biven talks about his path to getting started in farming, why wheat is his favorite cover crop, and how he manages 88 different landlords in his area of central Kentucky.  “Just because somebody says you can't do that.…Try it yourself. Do it on a small basis. You have to figure out what can and cannot work for you. You can't break the bank doing it. If you're gonna screw something up, do it on a small trial. Try it out there. And who's to say, if it works, then next year expand it but you know what's best for your own soils.” - Ryan Bivens Ryan farms soybeans, corn and wheat on about 7600 acres, 1200 of which he owns and the remaining he leases from 88 different landlords. Ryan grew up around agriculture and started farming in FFA. After college his wife took an ag teaching job in the community they now live in so he had to start over. He searched for farmland to rent through an ad in the local newspaper and built from there. Ryan shares how he got his start, his approach to soil health, and a whole lot more. “We can't tell each other how to farm. There is not one right way or wrong way to do it. Everybody has to know their own land, they have to know their soils, and they have to know what works for them. If I don't go out and learn something every day, that's the day I need to hang it up and quit. Because that's the day when you're done as far as I'm concerned.” - Ryan Bivens This Week on Soil Sense: Meet first generation Kentucky farmer Ryan Biven and discover his unique path to farming  Discover his business model including both owned and rented land and explore his approach to soil health on that land Explore Ryan's practices with rotation and his experiences with cover crops Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.

Fine-tuning any system that involves biology and mother nature is going to take time, especially when all of those changes have to happen while also running a business. Nebraska farmer Ed Lammers has spent over 30 years implementing new practices and business models on his farm. He joins the show to talk about cover crops, incorporating livestock, and embracing technology to build healthier soils. In this episode we talk about cover crops, incorporating livestock into the operation, technology, and Ed's desire to start raising some rye for seed. “I'm trying to improve my soil health in any way I can. Being open to changes is crucial, but the economics to allow you to be open to those experimental challenges or changes are crucial also.” - Ed Lammers Ed has been farming for 35 years and has tried a lot of different practices over that time. In addition to row crops, Ed and his son raise about 200 cow/calf pairs, and market the beef farm-to-table. He said that business has really grown since his son took it over, and they are now able to sell around 40% of their beef through that channel.  “The animal nutrients all go back into our soils. It's a big part of our input costs and just being a good sustainable farmer..” - Ed Lammers This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Nebraska farmer Ed Lammers Discover Ed's journey into cover crops and incorporating livestock onto his operation Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

When it comes to sustainability, it's hard to argue with results. For Virginia farmer Susan Watkins that means seven generations and counting of stewarding highly productive farmland. In this episode we get to talk about that rich history and the soil health building practices that she is implementing on her operation. We talk to Susan about their legacy of caring for the soil, how they transitioned to no-till over 20 years ago, how they incorporated cover crops about 15 years ago, and what she's looking forward to next. “We farm Five Forks. So Five Forks was pretty instrumental towards the end of the Civil War. And we actually farm on that original land too. The house is still standing. The owners of the house still have the portraits from their ancestors and it has slash marks through the portraits where the soldiers came in and slashed them. So yes, a lot of rich history here.” - Susan Watkins Susan farms in Dinwiddie County along with her husband Maxwell and her son Cody. She grows soybeans, corn and wheat on about 3500 acres. A lot of that ground is rented, but they still farm some of the original land that was granted by the king of England to the Watkins Family, at least seven generations ago. More recently though they have been exploring biological inputs on their operation alongside their no till practices and cover crops. “We're all farmers. We all want to preserve our lands and pass it along to our children if possible. And that's the goal of everyone. But the margins are so slim. We have to be conscious of new technologies, new ideas and adapt to those. We can't stay stuck in one era. We have to keep moving forward.” - Susan Watkins This Week on Soil Sense: Meet seventh generation Virginia farmer Susan Watkins Discover the rich history associated with the Watkins family farm land Explore the crops and practices they are using on their operation to improve soil health and yields including no-till, biological inputs and cover crops Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Eisenhower famously said “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.” That resonates with a lot of farmers who know the theory of farming doesn't always directly translate to the practice. Farmer and agronomist Frank Rademacher joins us to talk about what's working on his farm in East Central Illinois, and the work he does as a conservation agronomist with The Nature Conservancy. Frank discusses the theory vs the practice when it comes to soil health, what has worked and what hasn't worked on his farm, how they've arrived at some of their current practices, and a little bit on Frank's work with retailers on behalf of The Nature Conservancy.  “What we kind of found is we were doing diverse mixes, kind of buying into some of that messaging that diverse mixes are always best. And again, I think that's kind of where the theory versus in practice discussion happens because we would have some harsh winters and no snow cover. And so some of those species would not overwinter. And so, we start off on a bad foot if we're really depending on cover crops and we can't get the consistency. So what we've really tried to build over time is a portfolio of cover crops that perform consistently.” - Frank Rademacher Frank found a passion for agronomy while in college, and started helping his father implement some conservation practices on their farm. Over the past 10 years, Frank and his father have gone 100% no-till and insecticide-free on their 600 acre farm. They've also ramped up their cover crop program which includes using a roller-crimper and high biomass cover crops. Frank also works as a conservation agronomist with The Nature Conservancy, where part of his focus is working with ag retailers and other farmer advisors to add conservation advice to their business models.  “I understand what some of the environmental goals that Illinois has set out are and I also understand that some of these things are difficult to do at the farm level. And so, how do we scale conservation? That's a lot of what we look at now is not only shaping that cover crop mix to be a little bit more flexible, depending on spring weather, but also just understanding the operation as a whole.” - Frank Rademacher This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Illinois farmer and conservation agronomist Frank Rademacher Explore the balance Frank is finding between operational success and incorporating conservation practices Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

When you think about soil health, you might picture a soybean field or a corn field.  It may not be immediately apparent how many other industries rely on soil health, like pork. National Pork Board Chief Sustainability Officer Jamie Burr joins us to share about the importance of soil health, conservation, and sustainability to the pork industry. He's been in this particular role for about six months, but has spent most of his life in the pork industry.  “The reason that the pork board is so involved in that is if you look at all of our footprints, whether it be carbon, land or water, a vast majority of our footprint has to do with making feed. So those crops are as much as 60 to 70 percent of each one of those footprints.” - Jamie Burr Prior to the pork board, Jamie spent almost 24 years at Tyson Foods in various environmental and sustainability roles, most of which were on the live production side in both pork and poultry. Jamie shares how he defines sustainability, why the pork board prioritizes soil health for people, planet and pork, how the industry is striving forward in key areas of sustainability and conservation, and how they're leveraging data to tell that story to consumers.  “The goal that we have as a pork industry is a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. And that's the farm gate emissions. So that would be from the time the grain is grown til the pigs leave the farm gate…So we have stood up a platform to begin collecting that data so that producers can enter data and then we can start publicly reporting on those metrics from a transparency perspective. Without that data, it's hard to tell a story.” - Jamie Burr This Week on Soil Sense: Meet National Pork Board Chief Sustainability Officer Jamie Burr who shares about the importance of soil health, conservation, and sustainability to the pork industry Explore the sustainability priorities of the Pork Board and the oversight they offer producers Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

In this episode we wrap up season seven of the soil sense podcast with a well known and well respected farmer and long-time soil conservationist, Barry Fisher. Barry recently retired from his career at the USDA, where he most recently worked in the soil health division. In that capacity he met and spoke with farmers about soil health throughout the central part of the US. Since retirement, Barry manages his family farm in Greencastle, Indiana and has a consulting business where he does training and soil health education for organizations through Fisher Soil Health LLC. Barry discusses soil health principles, important considerations for transition to regenerative practices, and the essential role of a knowledgeable advisor. “If you really think about it, our current crops are only feeding the biology June, July, a little bit of May, and maybe a little bit of August. That's a very small percent of the total year… We did a lot of talking about no till as far as protecting erosion, but when we added cover crops to it, that was a game changer in that now the cover crop immediately fed more biology longer. That biology immediately started providing aggregate stability which absolutely helps the surface infiltration of soil, the aeration of soil. You know you start getting better structure to the surface of the soil and that can happen in as little as one season when we add cover crops.” - Barry Fisher One visual Barry has used to help demonstrate soil health to producers is what he has called the “fence row effect.” Previous fence rows can illustrate the value and yield potential when incorporating the four principles of soil health. There is a reduction in disturbance, added diversity of plant life, maintained living roots in the soil and because of that the soil is kept covered. These four principles can allow producers to see a bump in yield in these areas. Barry goes on to explain how to generalize some of those principles on an operation-wide basis.  “Generally there's some farmer in the front row that says, “Okay Fisher, that's great, but, my landlord wants me to farm the whole farm, not just the old fence rows.”... I can show those aerial photos where management on one farm had the four principles kind of in place and the management on the farm right next to it did not. And the aerial photo is very telling that yes, we can manage beyond the fence row. We can get that fence row effect across the entire farm.” - Barry Fisher This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Barry Fisher a current Indiana farmer and retired USDA soil conservationist Explore what Barry calls the “fence row effect” and how that can be applied to demonstrating the four principles of soil health Discover Barry's recommendations in transitioning tillage and cover crop practices Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.

Throughout this series, we have featured a lot of large scale commercial farming operations, but soil health is just as important to farms that operate on smaller acreages as well. Mike Lewis is a farmer, military veteran, and the senior manager for the National Center for Appropriate Technologies. Mike farms in southeastern Kentucky on a small farm in the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. His farm consists of 126 acres, 12 of which he uses to grow fresh market vegetables and the other 114 is a forest-based pasture system where he raises cattle, pastured pork and pastured poultry.  “For me, soil health is the most critical thing to the success of our operation… One of Wendell Berry's quotes is, “What I stand for is what I stand on.” And I think that soil is what we all stand on. And it's the foundation for all life and sustenance on this planet. So there's nothing more important than healthy soils.” - Mike Lewis As the senior manager in the sustainable agriculture and rural communities division of NCAT Mike focuses on building resilient communities and supporting farmers in sustainable production systems. The Armed to Farm and Soil For Water programs are two of the many programs he contributes to. Mike also opens up his own family farm to other producers to demonstrate some of the soil health principles he has incorporated on his operation. “I think that one of the things that we're really focused on is being able to have a place where we can show other producers other alternatives to production, right? We open our farm up three or four times a year for other producers to come on and look at our hog production system and to learn how we've reduced our feed inputs by timing of our farrowing and our pasture management skills.” - Mike Lewis This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Mike Lewis, a Kentucky farmer, military veteran, and the senior manager for the National Center for Appropriate Technologies Discover Mike's journey from the farm to the military and back to the farm to raise his family Explore the Armed to Farm and Soil For Water programs and the opportunities they offer producers Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Sometimes in agriculture we are so consumed by work that needs to happen on the farm that we don't get much of a chance to share what we're doing or visit others to see what's working for them. Kansas Soil Health Alliance Coordinator Jennifer Simmelink is helping to make this communication happen more frequently. Jennifer grew up surrounded by agriculture in York, Nebraska. Although she didn't grow up on a farm, she studied Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Kansas State University. It was there that she met her now husband, which led her to settling down on his family's farm in North Central, Kansas. We asked Jennifer to wear both hats today as a farmer and the coordinator of the alliance to share her journey to spreading soil health awareness.  “We talk about the impact that water and wind erosion and things can have on your communities. Whether it's cleaning out ditches or cleaning out contaminants in drinking water. To go out and be able to be a part of that and to help meet others where they're at to take their step forward. It's a complex process.” - Jennifer Simmelink The Kansas Soil Health Alliance is a 501c3 organization that is producer led with the mission of improving and protecting Kansas soils through farmer and rancher led education. Jennifer spends a lot of her time traveling throughout the state coordinating field days and working alongside farmers and other organizations to provide educational opportunities for both current and future farmer generations. “I think that's what we all want to do is we want to give the next generation better than what we had. Not easier. We're not trying to pave things down, but can we give them a good start? We want to improve on things. So you can tell them this is for you. This is why it should matter to you.” - Jennifer Simmelink This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Kansas Soil Health Alliance Coordinator Jennifer Simmelink and learn about her job spreading soil health awareness through producer led events and education Discover the many efforts of the Kansas Soil Health Alliance and the programs and events they have going on Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

One of the valuable aspects of this series is that it has given us a chance to talk to farmers at all different stages of their soil health journey. It's particularly inspiring to talk to someone who has been at this a long time and is really seeing the benefits of some of these practices. New York farmer Donn Branton discusses how decades of experimenting and learning has led him to develop his system of growing no-till non-GMO corn and soybeans with practices like cover crops and bio strip-till in Western New York.  “The water infiltration, the earthworm activity, those are the biggest things. Drove around with one of the soil water technicians one winter day and I said, you see that brown snowbank there? Yeah. Drive up the road a little further next to our field. What color is that one? It's white. What's going on? I said, it's wind erosion. You know, some things like that are so obvious when you're keen to it.” - Donn Branton Don has a really interesting story that led him into farming on his own in 1979. Since that time he's often been ahead of the curve with everything from reducing tillage to adding cover crops to embracing variable rate technology to planting corn into biostrips.  “One of the biggest things when we first started doing reduced till, heavy rainfall come through. Neighbors would have standing water, we wouldn't. Okay, what's going on? Well, we got water infiltration and had earthworm middens.” - Donn Branton This Week on Soil Sense: Meet New York farmer Donn Branton and discover his long term efforts towards soil health on his operation Explore Donn's different soil health practices, the many benefits he's observed and the additional revenue he's enjoyed Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Advancements in ag research and technology not only help farmers produce more with less, but also have had a big impact on their ability to build healthier soils. John Butler is the CEO of Agricenter International and a 5th generation farmer from Northwestern Tennessee. Before joining Agricenter International about seven years ago, he worked on his family farm for about 25 years and had a career with Cargill where he worked across multiple geographies in North America. He shares his unique perspective as someone who has worked in agribusiness, operated a more traditional farm, and now is running an urban farm and research hub. He shares his take on soil health, how they adapt principles to their local context of the Mississippi Delta Region, the impact of their research and education efforts, and new technologies as well. “I can't farm the way I farm today if I had the same tools I had in the 80's. What's allowing me this flexibility is the chemistries that we have, the fertilizers that we have, and the equipment that we have. On our AgriCenter research plot last year, we flew fungicide with the drone over our corn crop. I mean, I don't know if I would have said that five years ago. I don't know if I would even have known to have said that five years ago. So it's a pretty cool space. We're evolving significantly.” - John Butler Agricenter International was founded in 1979 as a joint effort between Shelby County and the state of Tennessee which set aside 1,000 acres to operate an urban farm. Today, the nonprofit organization is an education, agribusiness, research and agricultural hub of the Mid-South. They have over 1.5 million visitors annually, and partner with around 80 companies every year to conduct research that includes over 20,000 replicated plots on around 700 acres of land. The breadth and scale of the organization is impressive enough, but the diversity is also remarkable, including row crops, specialty crops, tree crops, and a wide range of new products and growing practices.  “Our mission is to advance the knowledge and understanding of agriculture. And so we do that through a lot of different lenses and some of it's very, very intentional. And some of it is not so intentional… We have a commercial kitchen. We have canning classes through extension. Everything you can think of from A to Z. And so, because we have so many resources here on campus, we have about 40 companies that are located here…. It's really an opportunity for both consumers and producers to connect.” - John Butler This Week on Soil Sense: Meet John Butler, the CEO of Agricenter International  and a 5th generation farmer from Northwestern Tennessee. Discover the opportunities Agricenter International offers the agricultural industry and visitors alike to experience and learn Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Fifth generation farmer Ryan Britt talks about the practices he's combined over the years and the results he's seeing in North Central Missouri. Ryan has been a full time farmer of soybeans, corn and wheat alongside his father ever since returning after college about 23 years ago. Ryan shares the journey he and his father have been on to transition their farm to no-till, add more cover crops, plant green, and incorporate livestock into their row crop operations. We also talk about various incentive programs that Ryan has been able to take advantage of, and how their soil health practices set them up for the drought conditions they're currently experiencing.  “Between the no till practices, the cover crop, and the terraces, we've actually greatly minimized some of our nutrient runoff concerns and our erosion concerns. So you kind of have to keep stacking all those things together. It's not one particular practice that makes a significant change, it's the whole system. We've seen that through the course of time, through stacking all those together, we're actually seeing some improvement in some of our land.” - Ryan Britt Ryan has become very involved in volunteer leadership positions, including his current role as an Executive Board Member for the National Association of Conservation Districts where he represents the north central region. He's also the immediate past president of the Missouri Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and a former Randolph County Farm Bureau President, among other service positions. He says these roles have exposed him to how other farms operate and given him countless lessons that he's been able to bring back to his farm for conservation, efficiency, and profitability.  “My father and my grandfather always encouraged me to try to improve things, to try to leave it better than you found it… As I got to seeing the different things that actually had lasting impacts, conservation and specifically soil and water programs are one of those things that I felt was a great investment and I feel like we're able to continue. And it's something that I feel like my kids will be able to be proud of or at least get some of the benefits from.” - Ryan Britt This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Fifth generation farmer Ryan Britt who shares the soil health practices he's combined on his operation and the results he's seeing in North Central Missouri. Discover Ryan's journey to soil health and the organizations he participates in to promote its practices Explore Ryan's recommendations for introducing soil health practices to any operation Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Farmer Joe Rothermel joins the show to talk about cover crops, strip tillage, and experiments he's trying on his farm in East Central Illinois. Joe is the fifth generation to operate his farm and he is someone who loves new ideas and approaches and is always experimenting with new ways to improve his farm. He is motivated to find ways to lower his inputs while maintaining profitable yields.  “I have an air seeder where I can plant twin rows in between the bean rows. So then we went in and planted various clover mixes. So, what I'm going to try and do is modify the platform so it pushes down the cover crops in between the bean rows so we can cut the beans and leave the cover crop. We're just trying to have our cake and eat it too. That's basically what we're trying to do. I don't know if this is going to work. It all depends on the weather, just like anything else in farming, but... if we could get 30 bushel beans and 75 pounds of nitrogen I think that'd be kind of cool.” - Joe Rothermel Joe originally thought he wanted to be a crop duster. He ultimately decided he didn't quite have the right personality for it, but it led him into a career in the aerospace industry. In the mid 1990's he came back to the family farm and took over which is where he has been ever since. At that time his father had been incorporating no-till practices for years and in his retirement he continued to encourage Joe to pursue soil health with cover crops. Despite some early mistakes, Joe continued these efforts and has found some real success. “My goal has always been to try and minimize inputs, chemicals, fertilizer, and trying to at least maintain yield. I'm not trying to be a corn yield champion or anything like that. I would like to maintain yields and reduce input costs.” - Joe Rothermel This Week on Soil Sense: Meet East Illinois farmer Joe Rothermel and explore his use of cover crops and strip tillage as well as ongoing experiments he is trying on his farm Discover the process Joe took to incorporate cover crops into his operation and the different techniques he is attempting Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

There are a lot of similarities amongst farmers, but there is no denying the fact that every farm is different. Never is that more apparent than when you learn about a farming operation in a different part of the country than where you're from. Louisiana farmer Garrett Marsh shares about some of his early experiences with cover crops, why he switched from flooding to row rice and how that fits into his rotation. Garrett shares about how his lifelong interest in soil eventually led him to cover crops.  “It's worked out really well so far. Like I said, it's cut down on erosion. I hadn't had a whole super lot of weed pressure. So far, it's been working good. I'm kind of wanting to get into some of the other cover crops that cost a little more. Just for the fact of, I want to try to do a little experimenting with the nitrogen savings on it.” - Garrett Marsh Garrett and his wife farm near Tallulah, Louisiana which is just across the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, MS. His grandfather started out sharecropping in the area, so he is now the third generation of his family to farm that land. They farm around 1700 acres of soybeans, corn, rice, wheat, and cotton. Garrett offers advice to producers considering incorporating soil health practices into their operations.  “Rather than jumping off into it head first and planting every acre you got in it, you know, I would suggest just kind of starting off slow, a couple of fields and experimenting with them. See how you like it. Cause I mean, it's different for everybody. It really is, you know your neighbor is going to do something different than what you are and you just got to find the little niche that's right for you and there's no doubt that it's going to.” Garrett Marsh This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Louisiana farmer Garrett Marsh and discover his journey into cover crops Discover the many similarities and differences in farming in different parts of the country Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute.If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.

We love to talk about soil conservation practices on this show, but it's always important to frame it in a realistic context that acknowledges farms are businesses. This means that the right thing for the soil has to also be the right thing for the farm's profitability. Michigan farmer Laurie Isley shares how she's embraced new practices at Sunrise Farms, from strip tillage to precision technology to biologicals and beyond on today's episode of Soil Sense. “We've also found that we continue to be profitable in the same way that we were before using these other practices. And that's really the point we try and get across to the farmers we talk to. Profitability is not this one and conservation this one. They can be very close together. It's not like they're two ends of a spectrum. Some of it isn't that I'm getting a greater yield. It's just, I have fewer costs related to the tillage that I was doing prior to that.” - Laurie Isley Laurie is one of the owners of Sunrise Farms in Southeastern Michigan along with her husband, Jim and their son Jacob. The family farm grows about 1100 acres of corn and soybeans and implements a lot of different conservation practices including strip tillage, cover crops which they have flown on, filter strips, soil tests, and precision ag practices. Laurie, who also spent decades teaching agriscience at the high school level, now also contributes to the industry as part of the Michigan Soybean Committee and the United Soybean Board, where she is the chair of the Communication and Education Committee.  “It requires people that are open to seeking more information. So I guess my major message to them is don't settle. Be willing to look for what are new opportunities that I can use on my farm that will help me to be more profitable, but also help to ensure that the soil that I leave behind for the generations to come is as good as it possibly can be and still viable for other generations to continue farming in this area.” Laurie Isley This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Michigan farmer Laurie Isley as she shares how she's embraced new practices at Sunrise Farms Explore the introduction and use of cover crops on her operation and the efforts she's making to share her experiences with other producers Discover Laurie's journey from agriscience teacher to the Michigan Soybean Board and United Soybean Board Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Improving soil health doesn't happen overnight, but it's amazing how a series of small changes, compounded over time, can really make a difference. In this episode, we talk to 4th generation Ohio farmer Fred Yoder about things he's been implementing over the past four decades to improve his soil health and what he has experienced firsthand that he wants farmers everywhere to experience as well. Along with his wife Debbie and his 2 children, he grows corn, soybeans, and wheat. He also has operated a retail farm seed business for over 36 years and sells seed and other technology products to farmers.  “I think we should be building soil and the things that we're doing today, I think we're building rather than even maintaining, we're actually improving soil. Dad wasn't the first to say it, but I asked him when I bought the farm, any last minute, recommendations. He said, “Just leave it in better shape than what you got it.” And today the farm is the most productive it's ever been and in the best shape it's ever been. And I think that's because of some of the things that we've been doing over the years.” - Fred Yoder Fred is also a founding board member and now Co-Chair of “Solutions from the Land,” a non-profit that explores integrated land management solutions to help meet food security, economic development, climate change and conservation of biodiversity goals. He also serves as Chair of the “North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance,” representing all factions of production agriculture, and working to ensure that farmer-to-farmer education and economics will be the driving force to adapting to a changing climate while feeding the world. “I look at my soil as my 401k, you won't get instant gratification from it… What they have to be convinced of is the fact if you invest in some of these practices that it'll pay dividends later on down the road. The first couple of years, you have to actually get your soils conditioned for less tillage and for cover crops and things like that. You give me a farmer for three to five years and I'll have him for life because once you go through that transitional change, then all of a sudden it supports itself.” Fred Yoder This Week on Soil Sense: Meet 4th generation Ohio farmer Fred Yoder and explore his soil health journey over the past 4 decades of farming Discover the advice Fred offers all producers on pursuing soil health practices on their operations Explore the organizations and efforts Fred participates in to support soil health practices Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

There is no substitute for experience. Michigan farmer John Burk has a masters degree in crop and soil science, spent 10 years as an ag and natural resources agent for Michigan State University, and has spent over two decades farming full time. Even though he's been farming full time for over 20 years now, he still remains involved in a lot of cover crop work with the university as well as some conservation districts. His real world experience and knowledge are invaluable in our discussion about the future of soil health.  “Get some green manure back in. You've gotta replenish them soils. You've gotta keep them soils healthy, and you need to keep them in one place so they're not all over the neighborhood. At the same time, I'm gonna tell somebody don't go out tomorrow and this fall and say, I'm gonna plant a thousand acres of rye. You're never gonna do it again. Do a hundred acres of rye. Figure out how you're gonna manage that hundred before you do a thousand.” - John Burk John shares specifics about his planning strategies and things he has implemented or at least tried over the years. He brings a unique perspective as someone who not only grows corn and soybeans, but also sugar beets and dry edible beans. John says you need to “replenish your soil somehow and tillage isn't gonna do it all.” He recommends cover crops as a natural answer that will provide great benefits to soil health. “If you really think about it…the more root mass you have in the soil, the harder it is for that soil to compact. Plus it gives more air pockets for the rain to flow through rather than pond on top or pack those soil aggregates together. So that's why I always like to have a bunch of different masses of roots or even the mass up top worked into the soil.” - John Burk This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Michigan farmer John Burk as he shares extremely practical and detailed information about finding a way to build healthier soils on the farm John shares a lot of specifics about things he has implemented or tried over the years, including some really useful tools and strategies.  Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Ray Gaesser grew up on a small farm in southern Indiana and said he visited Iowa for the Farm Progress Show one year and never wanted to leave. So that's where he and his wife moved when they had the chance to start their farming careers. Over the decades Ray has improved his own soil health and enjoys working with neighbor farmers to do the same. Ray shares about his adoption of soil health building practices, no-till and cover crops, what he did to survive tough times in the 1980s, and how the interest in soil health is bringing new economic opportunities to his community.  “My message has always been when we work together, we all benefit. We're providing soil health benefits with cover crops and no-till and all that. But we're also working with our neighbors to add to that benefit and help them at the same time. And, you know, we don't have to be in competition all the time, do we? Why don't we think about our community a little bit.” - Ray Gaesser Ray first gained experience with no-till on a farm he worked at in Indiana. After moving to his own operation in Iowa he began to integrate that same practice in the 1990's. He is still hesitant to plant his corn into a green cover crop and prefers to have the cover crop terminated prior to planting. His soybeans on the other hand get planted “green or nearly green.” This difference is based on past experiences and successes. He admits that “not every practice fits for everyone” and that as a farming community we need to try new practices to continue to “invest in our next generations.” “It's a process and we continue to adapt and to learn and to find opportunities.” - Ray Gaesser This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser as he reflects on his soil health journey and his desire to support other farms in his community today Discover Ray's experience with adopting soil health building practices, no-till and cover crops Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Farms are complex systems and everyone's soil health journey is different. For some, one change or new piece of equipment can really be the missing piece that starts bringing everything together. Western New York farmer Jason Swede shares about his crop rotation, how strip tillage has been a game changer for them, his experiments with things like biostrips, how he approaches cover crops, and much much more. He shares how these practices including growing a diverse mix of crops has helped him to maintain a profitable business while building healthier soils. “Looking back at it, I think we were tilling ourselves into a position where we weren't getting good crops… We felt like we had to have that perfect seedbed. And we'd till the ground and it wasn't quite right. We'd till it again and then we'd till it again if we had to. And we were putting compaction layers in there that I don't think our crops could get through. And once we went to strip till, it completely changed everything for us. I think our roots were going deeper, getting into moisture that we weren't seeing other times of the year, and just everything kinda came together for us.” - Jason Swede Jason grew up on the farm and although he went to school for ag business, he has always loved farming. Jason farms with his father, brother, nephew and son on 4,500 acres. It's a diversified crop farm where they grow corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and processing vegetables like sweet corn, peas and string beans. They are also partners in a dairy operation and own an alfalfa pelletizing plant. Continuing to improve their biostrip protocols, dialing in their planting green technique and adjusting their fertility is what the future holds for their operation. “We're working on a study that is comparing planting green with early burn down with no cover crops. It's a four year study that we're playing around with to see the differences over time. And first year I think we saw a yield drag with planting green, but it was our first time trying it and I think as time goes by, we're gonna learn some things. I'm more interested in seeing what happens with soil health planting green continually for four years to see what the long-term effect is.” - Jason Swede This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Western New York farmer Jason Swede Explore his soil health journey in incorporating crop rotation, strip tillage, and experiments with things like biostrips, planting green and cover crops Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Trying new ideas on the farm, especially those that involve innovative approaches, will not always be easily understood by neighbors or other people who drive by. But for those willing to follow their own curiosity, the benefits can far outweigh the costs. Illinois farmer Gary Asay talks about his farming system that combines no-till, cover crops and hog manure. Gary farms in Henry County in Northwest Illinois. There's a lot of hard-earned wisdom in Gary's path to getting into no-till, and the impact that has had on his farming operation.   “A lot of people look at what I do and … they think I'm crazy. You know, it can't be done. We want to tell people it can be done. No-till cover crops is not easy. A lot of people expect just to go out there and have a prescription, you do this at a certain time and everything works just right. With cover crops you gotta manage even better. So it is a challenge and it takes time, but I do believe the benefits are good enough to keep working at it.” -Gary Asay Soil erosion and maintaining the soil's nutrition along with less need for equipment have motivated Gary to incorporate these practices. He has been in continuous no-till for over 20 years and started incorporating cover crops in 2010. He began raising hogs as a kid in 4-H, and after many years he finally sold his hog operation to a young farmer getting into the business, but he still uses the manure from that operation as a major source of his fertilizer.  “I feel more and more that it is very important to keep that microbiome in the soil healthy and working for you...every time I dig in the soil, I was turning up earthworms and seeing the holes in the soil from the earthworms that they leave. It tells me that, you know, there's a lot going on underground and the microbiomes are a part you can't really see but they have added benefits there too.” - Gary Asay This Week on Soil Sense: Meet farmer Gary Asay from Henry County in Northwest Illinois Discover how Gary incorporates no-till, cover crops and hog manure in his operation and his journey to that end Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Nancy Kavazanjian and her husband Charlie Hammer farm in the south central part of Wisconsin where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat in rotation. Over the years they have been innovators in no-till and strip till farming, and were the first in their area to regularly use cover crops. We'll talk about her farm and her soil health building practices, but we also get into things like how she looks at soil biology and what prompted them to want to implement prairie strips and pollinator habitat and the experiments she's still conducting on the farm. “We've been farming together for over 40 years, and when we started farming, we took a motto for our farm and it was “our soil is our strength.” Because we knew as crop farmers here in the middle of dairy country that what we could do best was to grow good crops. And we knew to grow good crops, we needed good soils. And what that has involved has evolved over the years. So we were early adopters of no-till, and we're now mostly either no-till or strip tillers.” - Nancy Kavazanjian Kavazanjian talks candidly about what has worked and what hasn't worked on their 2,000 acre farm, and the questions they're still asking themselves about how to be the best stewards of the land they can possibly be. The area they farm historically was glaciated leading to lots of rocks and inconsistencies in their soil types.  “I think maybe because I didn't know what I didn't know I wasn't afraid to try things. I didn't know that women weren't supposed to go to those meetings 45 years ago; the crop meetings and the machinery meetings.  You know, a lot of times I was the only woman. There wasn't a woman on staff, but I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be there, so I was always there. I didn't know that we shouldn't be trying things.” - Nancy Kavazanjian This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Nancy Kavazanjian who farms with her husband Charlie Hammer in the south central part of Wisconsin where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat in rotation. Explore their soil health journey in no-till, strip-till and cover crops that complimented their operation Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com. 

Not every soil health building practice is going to work the same way on every farm. That's one of the reasons we call it a journey. Sometimes, it can lead to unexpected places like in this episode's example, figuring out how to plant green. We are joined by Trey Hill of Harbourview Farms in Maryland. He has an interesting story of how practices such as cover crops, no till and planting green have made farming more fun for him and improved his soil without sacrificing yields. “One day he was planting green and the turn rows had been killed off, and he is like, Trey, come out here.You gotta see this. You gotta quit killing these cover crops. This is just planting beautifully. And this was two people that shouldn't have liked it. We were both kind of looking at each other going, what's going on here like this? This doesn't make sense. Neither one of us should believe this or agree with it but we both saw it and we're like, wow.” - Trey Hill For years, Trey has been a vocal advocate for engaging with consumers and environmental groups to find solutions that are both great for the planet and for farmer viability and profitability. Trey grows corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and peas on just over 10,000 acres. Trey shares that this transition hasn't always been easy. Adjusting from a “procedural standpoint” to not being able to scout his fields and do stand assessments has been difficult. He goes on to share the benefits that make that adjustment well worth it.  “In a drought, we definitely do better and I think that I like it in the spring. I think it keeps the soil a little more even temperature. We don't get as much replant unless it's from slugs, but we get a lot better emergence if the cover crops are there. We're seeing a lot more earthworms. We're building organic matter. We're doing a certification now for regenerative practices…We're seeing some pretty significant increases which makes me feel good.” - Trey Hill This Week on Soil Sense: Meet Trey Hill of Harbourview Farms in Maryland where they produce corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and peas  Discover Trey's unexpected journey from cover crops to planting green Explore their transition to no till and cover crops and the effects Trey is observing Learn more about the Farmers for Soil Health Program Thank you to the Soy Checkoff for sponsoring this Farmers for Soil Health series of the Soil Sense podcast. This show is produced by Dr. Abbey Wick, Dr. Olivia Caillouet, and Tim Hammerich, with support from the United Soybean Board, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Health Institute. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you're there. Check out the Farmers for Soil Health website at FarmersForSoilHealth.com.