Podcasts about what your food ate

Organic gardeners know the mantra “feed the soil, let the soil feed the plants.” Healthy soil leads to plants that are not only more vigorous and resilient but also more nutrient-dense. My guests this week, “What Your Food Ate” authors David Montgomery and Anne Biklé, explain that when we take care of the land, the land takes care of us. Podcast Links for Show notes Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions. Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to receive weekly updates about new podcast episodes, seasonal gardening tips, and online gardening course announcements. Check out The joegardener® Online Gardening Academy for our growing library of organic gardening courses. Follow joegardener® on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and subscribe to The joegardenerTV YouTube channel.

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS EPISODE!!!!! I learned so, so, so much from GEOMORPHOLOGIST David Montgomery! Discover how soil life is the foundation of healthy ecosystems and how modern agricultural practices have disrupted the delicate balance between plants and soil microbes. David explains the crucial roles of microbes in the soil, their relationship with plant roots, and the parallels to our own gut microbiome. Tune in to learn about practical steps for restoring soil health, the benefits of getting our kids dirty, and how nurturing the world below us can lead to a healthier future above ground. It's an amazing episode! ** Learn more about David here >> https://www.dig2grow.com/ Purchase your copy of The Hidden Half of Nature here >> https://amzn.to/4ayfm63 Purchase your copy of What Your Food Ate here >> https://amzn.to/3KgMRzm ** Download your free 1000 Hours Outside tracker here >> https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/trackers Find everything you need to kick off your 1000 Hours Outside Journey here >> https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/blog/allthethings Order of copy of Ginny's newest book, Until the Streetlights Come On here >> https://amzn.to/3RXjBlN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met with Zuzanna Zielińska in Rotterdam

As plant-based diets gain popularity and outdoor activities like hiking and wild swimming become more advocated for wellness, the crucial link between nature and human health is gaining recognition. But what does it entail to derive nutrients, physical, and mental health benefits from the natural world? While the significance of dietary choices is well-established, can we also enhance agricultural practices to foster fertile soils, better health, and a deeper connection to the land? David R. Montgomery, a geomorphologist, delves into how Earth's surface processes shape ecological systems and human societies. His research spans from landslide impacts on mountain heights to soil's role in civilizations. Anne Biklé, a science writer, merges biology and environmental planning to explore humanity's complex bond with nature, focusing on agriculture, soil, and food. Their collaboration produced acclaimed works like "The Hidden Half of Nature" and "What Your Food Ate," examining soil health's influence on crops, animals, and humans. Marchelle Farrell, a therapist and writer, blends her Trinidadian roots with her UK experience, finding solace in gardening and nature writing. Her debut, "Uprooting," won the Nan Shepherd Prize for nature writing. Lorraine Lecourtois, the Interim Director of Wakehurst, bridges her background in theatre production with her passion for nature engagement. Committed to connecting people with the natural world, she spearheads research on biodiversity's impact on behavior. Kathy Willis CBE, a Professor of Biodiversity at Oxford, is renowned for her research on plant responses to environmental changes and ecosystem services. Her advocacy extends to public communication, evident in her BBC Radio series and books like "Botanicum." Recognized with the Michael Faraday Medal, she embodies the commitment to bridging science with public understanding. These voices collectively underscore the importance of nature's role in human health and well-being, inviting us to rethink our relationship with the natural world. For more on 5x15 events, visit: 5x15stories.com Twitter: twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: instagram.com/5x15stories

Since October 2021, Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt have had sixty conversations about the health and fertility of soil as part of the podcast. To celebrate World Soils Day 2023, we are sharing three recaps of conversations that were quite memorable with Dr. David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle authors of What Your Food Ate and Growing a Revolution; Clare Tallamy of Virginia Tech's 2022 Soil Judging Team; and Lee Rinehart a grazing specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology. World Soils Day was organized to bring attention and focus on the importance of healthy soil and the sustainable management of soil resources. David Montgomery and Anne Bikle start the conversation off with a discussion about soil life and how the health of soil can ultimately affect diet and nutrition at a basic level. Clare Tallamy gives a summary of how to assess and judge soil from inside a pit, while Lee Rinehart emphasizes how critical soil health is for grazing management, water quality, and drought resilience.To join the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and listen to the other 4 The Soil: A Conversation episodes, please visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://www.4thesoil.org/podcast To nourish and (re)imagine collaboration, conservation, and community, plan to register and attend the upcoming 2023 Virginia Farm to Table Conference.

How does soil health intimately and profoundly impact human health? What's the link between the soil microbiome and the human gut microbiome? How can we begin to restore our health, and the health of the living earth in concert with each other?  These are the questions posed by the outstanding book 'What your Food Ate: How to heal our land and reclaim our health' and the co-authors, Anne Biklé and David Montgomery are this week's guests as we delve deeply into the nature of soil, the functions of fungi, the populations of bacteria we depend on that inhabit our guts, and how we might affect total systemic change in the food and farming system.  So a little light listening for your day. In detail, Anne Biklé is a biologist, avid gardener. She is among the planet's leading experts on the microbial life of soil and its crucial importance to human wellbeing and survival. She is married to David Montgomery, who is a professor of Geomorphology at the University of Washington. David has studied everything from the ways that landslides and glaciers influence the height of mountain ranges, to the way that soils have shaped human civilizations both now and in the past. All of this has led him to write a number of books, including Dirt: The Erosion of Civilisations which explores how our historic - and contemporary - farming practices have critically undermined the living soil on which we depend. Following this, David and Anne co-wrote, The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and the book we're going to be exploring in depth today:  What your Food Ate: how to heal our land and reclaim the our Health.  David also plays in the band, Big Dirt, which is, and I quote directly from their Facebook page: Americana Alternative. Whatever that means. Roots folk-rock with something to say and fun to listen.I read What your Food Ate earlier this year and if you've listened to the podcast for any length of time, you'll have heard me mention it more than once. It's the most readable exploration I've come across of how our food is grown, and how it could - and should be grown - it's really easy to read, but it's full of the kind of mind-blowing data that we need if we're going to change our habits. You'll hear more in the podcast, but truly, the detail they gathered on the difference in content between food grown in the modern agri-business farm and that grown on a regenerative farm with no chemical inputs and no or minimal ploughing, one that strives to build the soil health and so build the health of everything else... it's both terrifying and inspiring. If you want something to persuade you that you need to change the places you buy your food, this is it. So, here we go. People of the Podcast, please welcome Anne Biklé and David Montgomery. Dig2Grow Website https://www.dig2grow.com/Buy the Books: https://www.dig2grow.com/booksBig Dirt https://www.reverbnation.com/bigdirtmusic

“He who sees all beings in his Self and his Self in all beings, he never suffers; because when he sees all creatures within his true Self, then jealousy, grief and hatred vanish.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're covering The Upanishads, a collection of ancient Indian texts which explore the philosophical and spiritual teachings of Hinduism. These texts delve into the nature of reality and the self while emphasizing the importance of meditation, self-realization, and the pursuit of knowledge to achieve enlightenment. We cover a wide range of topics including: Consciousness and the interconnectedness of all beings Parallels between The Upanishads and the philosophies of Plato  How cities differ in their homelessness approach Rationalism vs. intuition Our thoughts on the Twitter/X rebrand And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Project Hail Mary (9:00) The Three-Body Problem film (9:08) Silo (9:19)  The Great Library of Alexandria (15:39) Soma (16:18) The 99 Names For God In Arabic (18:46) Upanishads Wikipedia (20:13) Georgism (34:00) Does Georgism Work? Astral Codex Ten (35:11) In Praise of the Gods (44:38) Thunder's Catch (1:09:47) Books Mentioned: Essays and Aphorisms (0:25) The World as Will and Representation (1:14) Bhagavad Gita (4:00) The Upanishads translated by Juan Mascaro (4:46) The Egg (8:01) Wool, Shift, Dust (trilogy) (9:26) The Expanse (9:46)  The Right Stuff (38:04) Tao Te Ching (38:59) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Analects of Confucius (39:03) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Straw Dogs (45:21) God's Debris (50:34) What Your Food Ate (1:10:57) (Book Episode) People Mentioned: Nassim Taleb (1:03) Simon Sarris (44:32) Scott Adams (50:26) Show Topics: [1:24] In today's episode, we're discussing The Upanishads, widely considered as some of the most important and influential works in the history of Indian philosophy and spirituality.  [5:30] We dive into discussion about consciousness, souls, and whether everyone is a part of the same entity. The book suggests that there is a right path to follow, but doesn't necessarily give concrete details about what is good vs. bad. [8:58] There are several upcoming sci-fi movies coming out based on books that we're fans of. Which ones are you most excited to see? [11:12] Old texts are like a game of telephone: While the message may only change slightly each time its told, it can add up to a large percent over a period of time. We also talk about Plato's early texts and how they poke at the ideas of Christianity, even before Christ. [16:04] Soma is a ritual drink referenced in many ancient Hindu texts as well as in The Upanishads, thought to possibly contain mushrooms or other psychedelic properties. [18:15] Calling an infinite being by a finite name. In Islam, there are 99 names for God so to capture all properties of God. [20:09] We talk about some of the main parallels between the book and the philosophies of Plato as well as the longevity of large ancient empires (ex: Persian Empire). How did news spread among such a wide area without the communication tools we have today? [26:02] The contrast of ancient artifacts you can find in European cities vs. US cities. Plus, a little tangent on the birthplace of Teddy Roosevelt! [27:47] How cities differ in their homelessness approach. [34:26] What is Georgism and how would it look if it were applied in the US?  [36:32] ChatGPT's gives it's interpretation of Made You Think. We also reflect on books similar to The Upanishads that we have done in previous episodes. [40:48] Rationalism vs. intuition. We pose the question of whether the ideas from this book were independently developed or whether they sprout from other teachings. It may simply depend on what lens you're looking at it from. [45:18] Society's move to secularism and what may have repulsed people away from religion.  [49:02] The world is full of mystery. Even someone with a rationalist approach would have to take a step back and recognize there are some things we just don't know. [51:32] Our opinions on the Twitter/X rebrand and how the algorithm can change based on who you're following. The impact of replies in amplifying your tweet.  [57:27] What are the first tweets we see when we open the Twitter app? [1:01:31] The progression of spacecrafts and the advancement of automation systems. India's recent achievement of landing on the moon. [1:06:23] We conclude the episode with a talk on cod, Alaskan salmon, and the chicken farming industry.  [1:11:55] That's it for this episode! Join us next time as we dive into The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. Make sure to pick up a copy if you want to read along! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

What Your Food Ate – The Neglected Factor In Human Health Join David Montgomery and Anne Biklé as they delve into a groundbreaking discussion titled 'What Your Food Ate – The Neglected Factor in Human Health'. Discover the critical role of soil and plant health in defining our food quality, and consequently, our wellbeing. Learn about the interconnectedness of soil degradation, agricultural practices, our dietary choices, and our overall health. Uncover the power of regenerative farming, the gut-soil connection, and the impact of phytochemicals and Omega imbalances on our bodies. A must-watch for anyone invested in understanding the roots of human health and sustainability. Disclaimer:Medical and Health information changes constantly. Therefore, the information provided in this podcast should not be considered current, complete, or exhaustive. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is solely at your own risk. The Real Truth About Health does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, products, procedures, or opinions referenced in the following podcasts, nor does it exercise any authority or editorial control over that material. The Real Truth About Health provides a forum for discussion of public health issues. The views and opinions of our panelists do not necessarily reflect those of The Real Truth About Health and are provided by those panelists in their individual capacities. The Real Truth About Health has not reviewed or evaluated those statements or claims. 

For this first episode around the kitchen table, Katerina gets talking to Kirsten Gibbs about all things sustainable and practical: From one pot cooking and shopping by sail cargo, to surprising uses of pumpkin and the art of confit garlic, we dive into personalised eating, conscious food sourcing, local markets and many more stories and cooking tips from Kirsten's resourceful kitchen. Tune in for a wealth of resourceful and delicious ideas to explore in your own cooking adventures! ⭐ SHOW NOTES theintuitivecook.co.uk/podcast-ep1 ⭐ CONNECT WITH KIRSTEN The Disappearing Boss Kirsten Gibbs on LinkedIn ⭐ CONNECT WITH KATERINA website theintuitivecook.co.uk community Simply Good Food Collective instagram @intuitive.cook youtube @intuitivecook contact hello@theintuitivecook.co.uk ⭐ LINKS Find out more about the things we discussed (Note: links are posted for your convenience, and do not imply endorsement, affiliation or advertisment) sail cargo: New Dawn Traders book: What Your Food Ate nutrition app: Zoe Personalised Nutrition Original music by Colin Bass ⭐ DITCH THE RECIPES A FREE 5part mini course with my top tips to get started as an intuitive cook! Sign up here ⭐ YOUR WEEKLY DOSE OF KITCHEN CONFIDENCE A newsletter that helps you unleash your cooking instincts. Sign up here ⭐ MEET OTHER CURIOUS HOME COOKS IN OUR COMMUNITY Join the conversation

Join Nan Evans as she talks with scientists and authors, David Montgomery and Anne Bikle, about their recent book What Your Food Ate. This book deepens and broadens that old adage that "we are what we eat" by exploring how the health of soil ecosystems form the roots of a complex dynamic that determines the health of crops, livestock, and ultimately human communities (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: June 28, 2023) Learn more about the authors' work. Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans continues her conversation with scientists and authors, David Montgomery and Anne Bikle, about their recent book What Your Food Ate. This book deepens and broadens that old adage that “we are what we eat” by exploring how the health of soil ecosystems form the roots of a complex dynamic that determines the health of crops, livestock, and ultimately human communities. This discussion delves deeper into the benefits of restorative agriculture (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: July 19, 2023) Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Regenerate Soil, Regenerate Health: Author, Anne Biklé in Conversation With Zach Bush, MD - Conversation recorded live at Groundswell 2023.Hosted by Koen van SeijenThis eye-opening moderated session explores the interconnections between our health and our environment and how this translates into wellbeing for people and communities alike. Anne and Zach share their thoughts and experiences on the role of regenerative agriculture, farmers, and consumers in transitioning from a system that feeds degenerative disease to one that promotes health and vitality.Anne Biklé is a science writer and biologist with a soft spot for the botanical world, mulches, and microbes. Her research and writing focus on the linkages between soil, agriculture, microbiomes, and health. Her latest book is What Your Food Ate, and previously, The Hidden Half of Nature. Zach Bush, MD is a renowned multidisciplinary physician of internal medicine, endocrinology, hospice care, and an internationally recognized educator on the microbiome as it relates to health, human health, soil health, food systems, and a regenerative future.Support the showFeedback, ideas, suggestions? - Twitter @KoenvanSeijen - Get in touch www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.comJoin our newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P! Support the showThanks for listening and sharing!

“The ordinary traveler, who never goes off the beaten route and who on this beaten route is carried by others, without himself doing anything or risking anything, does not need to show much more initiative and intelligence than an express package." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're discussing The River of Doubt by Candace Millard, a story that follows the expedition of Theodore Roosevelt as he explores the Amazon river in Brazil. Though faced with many hardships along the way, Roosevelt finds purpose in this monumental journey after losing the 1912 election. We cover a wide range of topics including: The explorer spirit and the drive to explore the unknown Theories of how long humans have been in the Americas How the crew was able to form relationships with uncontacted tribes The progression of travel methods in comparison to the early 1900s What were in the cards for Roosevelt and Rondon after they returned And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: The Amazon Rainforest may have been shaped by humans (22:35) Reliving Shackleton's Epic Endurance Expedition (27:41) Kayaking from California to Hawaii (29:00)  Joe Rogan with Dan Flores (31:19) Affirmative Action ruling (36:42) 14 Peaks (52:32) The Alpinist (55:34) Meru (56:40) Candiru fish (1:02:27) Concorde's New York to London flight (1:17:44) United goes Supersonic (1:19:05) Adventure Capitalist (1:21:04) Books Mentioned: The River of Doubt The Comfort Crisis (6:26) Coyote America (31:22) What Your Food Ate (32:57) The Creative Act (1:19:47) People Mentioned: Cândido Rondon (13:54) Graham Hancock (25:48) Dan Flores (31:20) Jimmy Chin (58:03) Henry Hudson (1:12:34) Show Topics: (1:09) In this episode, we're talking about The River of Doubt. After losing the 1912 election, Roosevelt traveled to Brazil to explore the Amazon river, which was largely unknown at that time.  (4:17) The explorer spirit and the urge to explore something that people haven't seen before. While there's not much else for us to discover for the first time on earth, there are still many unique things to go see that only few have. (8:52) Roosevelt and the crew seemed to underestimate what they were getting into, and though underprepared, it ended up being an overall success.  (14:21) We talk a bit more about Rondon and his backstory, as well as what life looked like for him after the expedition. He had contact with tribes that were otherwise cut off from the rest of the world.  (18:26) The relationships with the tribes they came across and how the tribe leaders had to mutually agree before a course of action was taken on Roosevelt's crew. At the time, it was not known that the tribe they had contacted were cannabalists.  (22:37) There's a theory that the Amazon is man-made or at least man-influenced. While there's evidence of humans in the Amazon from at least 13,000 years ago, how long have humans really been in the Americas?  (27:50) Seafaring canoes and the possibility of natives reaching new land via canoe tens of thousands of years ago. It's also a mystery how many journeys have failed throughout time, as there is likely no record of their expedition at all. (31:29) The drive to explore is in our DNA. Do we feel that need for evolutionary purposes?  (37:40) We talk about the description of the surgery on Roosevelt's leg during the journey and the backstory behind it. (42:07) Sickness and the prevalence of malaria during the trip. We give some stats on the fatalities of malaria, and the lethality is less than we expected.  (44:19) Roosevelt brought his son, Kermit. Though Kermit didn't want to go, he went so he can watch out for his dad. Back in this time, going on a trip for months or even years meant you wouldn't have any contact with people back home for that whole span. (48:55) Stories of Roosevelt when he was visited by ambassadors in the White House, and other humorous presidential stories.  (52:32) There have been several amazing stories and documentaries describing the journies of different adventurists and mountain climbers. It goes to show just how important pacing yourself is and knowing how to pack the appropriate supplies.  (1:00:51) Why the crew hardly saw any wild life during their time in the Amazon. Though you're surrounded by them, they're extremely hidden. (1:05:58) Rondon's leadership along the way and how he managed to keep order, despite one of the crew members causing trouble.  (1:14:19) When we think about Roosevelt's journey and compare it to today, we see how far we've come. We can now reach the other side of the world at much quicker speeds and have the potential of seeing more growth in this area during our lifetime, too.  (1:19:53) Stay tuned for our next episode... Episode 100 of Made You Think! What has been your favorite episode so far? Let us know! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Across the board, dietary advice typically focuses on what and how much to eat, with remarkably little attention paid to how farming practices influence the nutritional quality of food and whether the “right foods” pack the nutrients they once had.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're discussing What Your Food Ate by David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé. Exploring the concept of "food chain reactions," the book unveils the hidden connections between our food choices and their environmental, social, and health impacts. Do you really know what you're eating? We cover a wide range of topics including: The revival of physical bookstores fueled by social media How the health of our soil essentially corresponds to our health Why nutritional diversity is so important The relationship between our diets and overall well-being What are our food cravings telling us? And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Great Book Series (1:04)  Barnes and Noble open 30 new stores (2:55) Reality Has a Surprising Amount of Detail (19:17) Mother Tongue Cooking Club (33:04) Force of Nature (57:55) Pluck (58:19) TrueMed (59:57) Rooted (1:09:26) Dutch Meadows Farm Books Mentioned: What Your Food Ate The Three-Body Problem (5:00) (Nat's Book Notes) Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (14:59) People Mentioned: Anthony Gustin (15:40) Wendell Berry (15:48) Ben Greenfield (26:57) Justin Mares (28:21) Miles Snyder (33:01) Calley Means (1:01:34) Gabe Brown (1:04:24) Show Topics: (1:35) The revival of Barnes and Noble along with the influence that 'Booktok' has had on physical book stores. (5:11) How different content performs on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. Each platform serves a different purpose whether it's for entertainment or educational.  (12:16) Today, we're discussing What Your Food Ate by David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé! Our food is a lot less nutritionally dense than we realize because of way that the food we eat is grown. (14:55) The co-authors' first book talks about the importance of caring for the soil, as that's the base for everything we grow. The same food can have such different nutritional values depending on how it was grown or raised. (20:08) Why nutritional diversity is important and how eating as nutrient dense foods as possible is really important too. When it comes to food, it's best to aim for quality over quantity.  (26:13) When we take a look at the foods we're eating, it makes sense that we may need supplements to give us our essential nutrients that may be otherwise lacking in our diet.  (28:01) What does Europe do differently than the US in terms of growing their food? We also talk about glyphosate levels in the things that we eat. (33:35) We give a brief overview of how the government has subsidized farmers in the US, which plays a role in our food supply and what we eat.  (38:44) Do our food cravings hint to us what we are deficient in? There have been studies done in infants where they chose foods that were beneficial to them when they were sick.  (40:33) It's shown that diet makes a difference in your overall health. Examples: The British WW2 diet and how a study in Japan showed that diet made a difference in mortality rate for those with lung cancer.  (44:45) How we source our food plays a role in our overall health. The nutritional density of the same food can vary just based on how it was raised. (50:39) We share some of our current eating habits from kimchi to sauerkraut, and what we will be having less of. (53:20) So, what solutions do we have and are we trending in the right direction when it comes to the food industry? (59:29) Regenerative farming - can this be seen on a larger scale? Neil talks about the mission of TrueMed. (1:06:28) Nutrients in animals have changed over time due to their diet and breeding, and it has an effect on the nutrients we receive from them, too. (1:10:53) That concludes this episode! Catch us next time where we will be discussing The River of Doubt. As episode 100 approaches us, we're excited to hear your suggestions on what we should do for that episode! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

I've steadily been falling in love with soil over the last few years as I've learned more about what's happening under our feet. There is SO much beauitful and fascinating complexity there. So I was beyond excited to be joined by David Montgomery and Anne Bikle in this podcast episode. They are the authors of one of my favorite reads of the last year, "What Your Food Ate." You'll be head-over-heels for soil by the end of this episode!Learn more about David Montgomery and Anne Bikle here: https://www.dig2grow.com/Find them on twitter here: https://twitter.com/Dig2Grow Check out Redmond's Salt here: http://theprairiehomestead.com/salt and use code HOMESTEAD to get 15% offCheck out Redmond's Soil Test here: http://theprairiehomestead.com/soiltest and use code HOMESTEAD to get 15% off Have a message you want to share with the world? Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast here: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-applicationWeekly musings from my homestead: http://theprairiehomestead.com/letterMy essays on an old-fashioned life: www.prairiephilosophy.comMy homesteading tutorials & recipes: www.theprairiehomestead.comOur Wyoming-raised, grass-finished beef: http://genuinebeefco.comJill on Twitter: http://twitter.com/homesteaderJill on Instagram: @jill.wingerJill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead

“It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this long-awaited episode, we're covering The Three-Body Problem, a science fiction trilogy by Liu Cixin. Find out what happens when a military group successfully sends signals into space in hopes of making contact with aliens. We cover a wide range of topics including: The difference bewteen exponential and linear cultures Why anything in the "dark forest" should be considered a threat Using hibernation as a form of time traveling Escapism and the need to flee earth to survive The fragility of being a human and remaining healthy And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.   Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: The Last of Us (0:59) Casa Grande Ruins (15:29) TransMedics (25:59) Fermi paradox (1:01:22) Books Mentioned: Project Hail Mary (6:17) Where Is My Flying Car? (38:42)  What Your Food Ate (39:19) The Paper Menagerie (51:07) Einstein: His Life and Universe (56:20) The Sovereign Individual (1:10:54) (Nat's Book Notes) The Courage to Be Disliked (1:15:36) People Mentioned: Liu Cixin Ken Liu (49:53) Walter Isaacson (56:20) Show Topics: (0:00) This week, we're diving into The Three-Body Problem! Spoiler alert: If you haven't read the book and don't want anything given away, we recommend you come back to this episode later to avoid learning plot twists and key information. (6:13) One of the quirks of the alien species is that they are not able to deceive each other. We also talk about the difference between exponential vs. linear culture. (10:16) The books jump through many genres from a mystery thriller to classic adventure. We provide some of the context of the book and ponder on how other civilizations would view humans in their perspective. (13:37) Nat, Neil, and Adil share their reactions on the end of the story and the inevitable death that everybody faces.  (15:12) Preserving information and monuments over time. There are still stone engravings that hold up today, but even things like paper and hard drives aren't able to withstand the test of time.  (19:15) This year, The Three-Body Problem is hitting Netflix as a TV series! We talk about what the show may look like and how they will portray the different dimensions. (22:52) A lot can change in just a short time. How would humanity react if we found out today that in a few hundred years, humanity would be destroyed by a group of powerful aliens? (24:12) How the book presented the idea of hibernation and using someone's skills later as opposed to the current moment. In a way, it's like time traveling. (28:58) Escapism, the space cities, and how easy it is to be poisoned by your own environment. (32:53) Wallfacers and other interesting ideas that the author incorporated into the storyline. The series was very interesting for its many different paradoxes and sociological concepts. (38:30) There's the paradox that we have so much we can potentially solve with our technological advancements, but at the same time, do we really have all of the of smaller components and variables of it figured out? (41:15) The fragility of being human and the importance of micronutrients to our functioning that we may or may not realize.  (47:21) The series is based on the author's back story in the cultural revolution in China. While written in 2007, the books weren't translated into English until 2014 where some parts of the story got slightly changed or adapted. (52:14) Will there be substantial changes in how we understand and view the universe in the next century, and how will these shift our perception of these novels? (1:00:01) There's a sense in today's world that we've simply figured everything out, while we arguably have a lot more yet to discover. (1:01:12) The Dark Forest theory. The idea that there are potentially many alien civilizations that exist, and other intelligent lives we come across would presumably be seen as a threat. (1:11:30) Nat, Neil, and Adil share their thoughts on which of the books in the trilogy was their favorite. (1:15:35) That's a wrap! Next up, we're reading The Courage to Be Disliked. Make sure to pick up a copy if you'd like to read along before the next episode! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

Today I'm geeking out over wheat berries. Yeah, it's no wonder I don't have a lot of non-homesteading friends, I guess I seem kinda weird to some... But fresh flour is something worth geeking out over! Join me today to find out why.Book resources on fresh flour: What Your Food Ate by David Montgomery and Anne Bikle, Flour Lab by Adam Leonti, Sourdough by Science by Karyn Lynn Newman, Bittman Bread by Mark Bittman and Kerri Conan, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple by Emilie RaffaFind all my favorite books on my bookshelf here: https://bookshop.org/shop/theprairiehomesteadSubscribe here for more thoughts on this and more:http://theprairiehomestead.com/letterBe sure to check out Toups & Co, a small homestead family that makes amazing skin products from natural ingredients. Go to ThePrairieHomestead.com/makeup and save 15% with code HOMESTEAD.Weekly musings from my homestead: http://theprairiehomestead.com/letterMy essays on an old-fashioned life: www.prairiephilosophy.comMy homesteading tutorials & recipes: www.theprairiehomestead.comOur Wyoming-raised, grass-finished beef: http://genuinebeefco.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/homesteaderInstagram: @jill.wingerFacebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead 

Oh hey, it's Mimi again. Gotcha two for the price of one today, because we're speaking with David Montgomery and Anne Biklé. I'm sure they don't need an introduction, because I know at least some of you all will have at least one of their books in your exhaustive libraries. If you haven't heard of them, David and Anne are married, live in Seattle, and are a pair of writers. To quote them, "Dave is a broad-minded geologist and Anne is a free-range biologist with a bad case of plant lust." If that doesn't make you want to hang out with them, I don't know how much better I'm going to be able to do. The reason I wanted to talk to them is not just because their book,  What Your Food Ate, just came out, but also because they have a really great way of going back through the membrane of time and looking at some of the origins of our understanding about the connections between plants, soil microbiology, and our own health. I can't recommend the books highly enough. Dave's mustache is also the mustache to end all mustaches.  A list of some of their amazing works... What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health (2022) The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health (2015) Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life (2017) Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (2008) Folks who make the show possible... Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification. Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements. RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. ... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat  

Delving into soil health is like peeling the layers of an onion back: new layers to soil health are brought to light every day. David Montgomery and Anne Bikle share what they learned and synthesized about soil health and food connections in writing their latest book: What Your Food Ate. As we learn about soil ecology and nutrient cycling, the urgency for caring for health from the soil up is increasingly apparent. David and Anne mention the importance of phytochemicals, micronutrients, fat balances, and microbial metabolites to plant and animal foods, and that new layers and directions for study continue to emerge. Overall, David and Anne encourage farmers and gardeners to do their own on-farm research, particularly in minimizing and eliminating tillage. Similarly, they encourage taking regional approaches to improve soil health and increase farm profitability so we can move forward in new ways. Montgomery, D. R. & Biklé, A. (2022). What your food ate: How to heal our land and reclaim our health. W. W. Norton Company. Available for purchase online at https://www.dig2grow.com/books or from other independent bookstores.Notes and resources for What Your Food Ate: https://www.dig2grow.com/_files/ugd/efeec1_9af7d03df12f447f90dee61521c08707.pdfDavid and Anne's books were written in the following order: Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations; The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health; Growing A Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life; and What Your Food Ate: How To Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health.Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ Please visit our new website with additional conversations and resources at https://www.4thesoil.org.

How do we nourish people rather than just feed them? Is there a more direct link between soil health and human health than we thought? David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé, authors of What Your Food Ate, talk with us about the deeper, more intriguing aspects of soil health, nutrition, and its implications for human health with us. David and Anne emphasize the importance of asking questions about the foundations of health: soil and nutritious food. David is a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. Anne attended the University of California, Santa Cruz earning degrees in Biology and Natural History. She holds a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. Anne's career has included work in biology, watershed restoration, environmental planning, and public health.Montgomery, D. R. & Biklé, A. (2022). What your food ate: How to heal our land and reclaim our health. W. W. Norton Company. Available for purchase online at https://www.dig2grow.com/books or from other independent bookstores.Notes and resources for What Your Food Ate: https://www.dig2grow.com/_files/ugd/efeec1_9af7d03df12f447f90dee61521c08707.pdfDavid and Anne's books were written in the following order: Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations; The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health; Growing A Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life; and What your Food Ate: How To Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health.Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and read the latest Soil Health Tip Tuesday blog post at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ Please visit our new website with additional conversations and resources at https://www.4thesoil.org.

In this episode, we launch season four of the Earthkeepers podcast. The last three years have been an amazing time of growth for us, both in terms of expansion of the Earthkeepers community around the world, and also in terms of establishing the ethos and vision of the podcast as a whole. Forrest and James  share a bit about lessons learned in season three, and we look ahead to new challenges in season four!Reach out to Forrest with podcast ideas at earthkeepers@circlewood.online  Mentions: Circlewood Village in development Earthkeepers Ep. 52 – Mobilizing Money for Greater Good: Trevor Thomas of Ethinvest Earthkeepers Ep. 59 – Green Money: Fighting Climate Change Through Smart Investing, with Zach Stein Earthkeepers Ep. 63 – What Your Food Ate, with Authors David Montgomery and Anne Biklé Mycorrhizal fungal networks Earthkeepers Ep. 56 – Uprooted: Ukrainian Identity and the Loss of Land, with Tanya Machabeli  Earthkeepers Ep. 58 – On Wild Children, Hunting, and the Poetry of Place, with Joel Pontius Earthkeepers Ep. 60 – Courage to Face the Future: Timothy Beal on His New Book, When Time Is Short Earthkeepers Ep. 50 – Farming Heals Us: Yeawa Asabi and Ray Williams of Black Farmers Collective and Yes Farm Earthkeepers Ep. 49 – Speaking for Climate Justice: Malawian Environmental Journalist Mathews Malata, Jr. Earthkeepers Ep. 69 – Unity in Diversity: “Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview” by Randy Woodley Earthkeepers Ep. 54 – Stronger Together: Mobilizing Communities of Resistance, with Dominic Frongillo CirclewoodDonate. Join the StandCirclewood.Donate. Join the Stand.

Did you know that your body can tell the difference - and get more benefit - from food that comes with it's natural fiber vs food stripped of its fiber but replaced with a supplement?How about the fact that ultra-processed foods -- like fake meat and cheese -- can't compete with their real counterparts when it comes to providing nutrients your body knows what to do with??These are just a few take-aways from our new favorite book, What Your Food Ate by David Montgomery and Anne Bikle.  This week, we feature an in-depth interview with the authors shedding light on everything from how farming practices affect the health of the soil microbiome -- to the ultimate affect soil health has on the flavor and health of your food.Be sure to get your copy of this great book - and get ready for a great conversation!Support the showBrought to you by the Global Food and Farm Online Community Click here to subscribe on your favorite platform or click here to listen on our website. Support the show through Patreon -- Patreon.com/TastingTerroir

Read the Transcript Article Here. This episode was sponsored by: Bartlett Tree Experts Guests David Montgomery and Anne Biklé talk with Garden Futurist about how they have used soil science, history, and storytelling to explore the interconnections between farming practices, how soil health affects the health of crops, how the health of crops influences the health of livestock, and how all of these things affect human health. David Montgomery is a professor at University of Washington, a MacArthur Fellow, and an authority on geomorphology and Anne Biklé is a biologist and environmental planner. They are known for previous books such as The Hidden Half of Nature and for a new book What Your Food Ate.

To learn more about Anne & David, visit their website dig2grow.com.The Hidden Half of Nature is available on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3SUrlmrWhat Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health is available on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3rOadmGGrowing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life is available on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3RLVh2QDirt: The Erosion of Civilizations is available on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3rJMcwT

Anne Biklé and Dave Montgomery are a husband and wife team and authors of the newly released What Your Food Ate and the trilogy: Dirt: the Erosion of Civilizations, the Hidden Half of Nature, and Growing a Revolution. Together, with Anne's lens of biology, and David's lens of geology, they explore the topics of soil, land, and human health. In this episode, we explore all things soil. Starting with an exploration of how many dynamics between organisms above ground feel combative, but life beneath the soil is truly collaborative. Anne and Dave explore nutrient cycles and how nutrition in the form of minerals is liberated from rocks by microbial and fungal life and recycled through time. We also explore how plants and animals (including humans) get their nutrition. Anne and Dave touch on the state of our soils and what it means to have lost around half of our soil organic matter in a short amount of time and what we can do about it. Touched on are ideas around taking a long view, and how we can do that with our own health and land health and how the history of the treatment of soil might teach us a little bit more about looking into the future. We look at not just regenerative agriculture, but also the impacts of chemical and mechanized agriculture. Ultimately, Anne and Dave guide us towards the future and just how much hope and resiliency nature is capable of. We also talk about: Policy changes informing changes in practice Boom and bust cycles of agriculture and civilization & so much more Find Anne + Dave: Twitter: @dig2grow Website: dig2grow.com Anne + Dave's Books (in order - but can absolutely be read independently): Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health Related Ground Work Episodes: Stephan van Vliet (for more on phytochemicals and the dark matter of nutrition) Brad Marshall (for more on omega 3:omega 6 ratios) Alicia Brown (for more on no till agriculture and growing for nutrients) Current Discounts for GW listeners: 15% off Farm True ghee and body care products using code: KATEKAV15 Join the Ground Work Collective: Instagram: @groundworkcollective Find a Farm: nearhome.groundworkcollective.com More: groundworkcollective.com Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: groundworkcollective.com/disclaimer Episode Webpage

On this episode we welcome Anne Biklé and David Montgomery, as well as co-host Sarah Day Levesque, to the program. Anne and David recently published What Your Food Ate, a deep dive into the research around regenerative agriculture tactics. They read hundreds of research papers, talked with dozens of practitioners and ended up … hopeful. Listen in as they talk about their book, how they see us building a more resilient human being through changing our food supply to focus on nutrient density, microbiology and plain old common sense. 49 minutes. Hosted by Ryan Slabaugh. Listen to the episode to find a way to save 10% on their new book at Bookstore.AcresUSA.com.

Today, we're speaking with geologist David Montgomery, co-author with Anne Bikle of a new book called "What Your Food Ate." Very interesting title. David is professor in the College of the Environment at the University of Washington and earlier had been awarded a MacArthur fellowship. You may already be familiar with him through his acclaimed book called "Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations." Dr. Montgomery has long argued that the root of good health begins with dirt, a factor that we ignore at our peril. Interview Summary   Well, I really admire your work, and this work in this area is so important. We've recorded a number of episodes around the issue of regenerative agriculture, and it's been impressive how much interest there is in this topic, which I think, only a few years ago, wasn't very well known to most people but now is becoming more part of the general discussion, which I see as a very positive development. Let's begin with your interest in dirt. So what is the condition of the Earth's dirt?   Well, sad to say, not very good in terms of our agricultural soils in particular. That's something as a geologist, that's what got me interested in soils is looking at the long history of human interaction with our landscapes and soils and ended up writing a history of farming about how it had degraded farmland around the world over the course of centuries. The short answer is that we have degraded something between about ¼ to 1/3, probably, of the world's potentially viable agricultural land to the point where it's not terribly useful for agriculture. The UN's 2015 Global State of the Soil report concluded we are losing about a third of a percent a year of our ability to grow food on this planet due to ongoing soil loss and degradation. So the physical erosion of the soil and the degradation of its fertility as manifests through the loss of soil organic matter. And, that 0.3% a year number doesn't sound like a big deal on a year to year basis. But think about that over the rest of this century, and it adds up to almost another 1/3 of the world's farmland taken out of production at a time when we really need all hands on deck or all acres on deck, as it may be, to feed the world as our population keeps growing. So, we face a fundamental challenge this century of how to sustain agriculture on a degrading resource base. Our other choice is to think about trying to improve, enhance and restore the soil. That is where regenerative agriculture comes in and where my interest has really grown beyond just looking at the sad experience of past civilizations that degraded their land. And to thinking about possible solutions that will allow humanity to continue intensive agriculture to feed the world well into the future.   So what are some of the factors that have driven the erosion and the degradation?   One of the biggest factors that contributed to the loss of topsoil in societies around the world was tillage, the act of plowing. That seems a little odd to hear at first because isn't that something that farmers do? It helps to provide weed control. It helps to prepare a seed bed for planting, but it also leaves the ground bear and vulnerable to erosion by water and wind until the next plants come in, whether it's a crop or whether it's weeds. If you leave the ground bare and vulnerable, you get the erosional situation like we saw in the Dust Bowl where great clouds of dust blew off the American Midwest when we plowed up the plains when the next drought came in. The same kind of thing happened in slower motion in societies in the past, mostly in response to rain rather than wind, but erosion that proceeded faster than the rebuilding of the soil gradually stripped off the top soil from regions around the world that people depended on to grow their food. And in the modern world, we can actually degrade soil faster with the combination of tillage, the over application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, which also contribute to decline in soil organic matter, and the concentration on monocultures can also reduce the release of exudates that plants produce and drip into the soils to feed microbes around their roots. That combination is all resulted in degradation of soil organic matter and the loss of topsoil, soil erosion in many parts of the world. So the very foundation, if you will, of modern conventional agriculture, intensive tillage, lots of agrichemical use, and monocultures has helped to undermine the native fertility of the farmland that future generations globally are going to depend on for their food. So one of the questions I've been wrestling with and how I got into looking at regenerative agriculture was how could that process be turned around? How could we actually sustain intensive farming and not degrade the land? Is it possible to actually engage in intensive farming that could improve the health of the world's soils? That started to turn me into an optimist when I ran into farmers, interviewed farmers, and studied their farms where they had indeed done that.   It is impressive to hear those stories. We've had a number of such farmers doing podcasts, and it's very inspiring to talk to them. So let's just take one piece of what you said, the use of tillage. You hear the term no-till farming. What does that mean? What does that look like?   - [David] Yeah, so that would be farming without plowing, and so the challenge is how do you get the seeds into the ground? How do you prepare a field for planting if you still have the remains of last year's crop on it, the so-called crop residue? Over the last century, people have invented new and different farm implements and machines, and there are no-till planters that can actually put seeds down into the soil in narrow little trenches that get good contact between the seed and the seed bed but don't require essentially inverting the soil. They don't rip it all up. They just disturb a little narrow slot to actually get seeds in the ground. What that also allows is keeping the residue from a prior crop as essentially a mulch. If you knock it down, if you kill any weeds that were there physically and knock them down, crimp their stems, you can convert them into mulch that can help keep moisture in the soil, but it also protects the soil from erosion. No-till farming is a way of farming that minimizes the physical disturbance of the soil, and you need different equipment to do it and a different mindset to do it, but it's very feasible to do, and there's lots of different ways to do it. Some farmers use a lot of herbicides to control their weeds in no till. That is the conventional way to do it, but there's others who are pioneering different techniques that don't require the use of a lot of herbicides to do no till. The basic idea of no till is to minimize the disturbance of the soil, and why is that important? Because it enhances the beneficial aspects of soil biology. It allows the natural soil ecology that really evolved in the last 450 million years since plants colonized the continents to work. Soil microbes have these partnerships that evolved between plants and life and the soil that are mutually beneficial. And if you disturb the soil physically, you disturb a lot of the fungal partners that crops are trying to invest in with some of their early growth.   I know the regenerative agriculture approach wasn't called this going back hundreds of years but been used by populations around the world, including Native Americans, but if we fast forward today, do you think that this holds promise for being done on a broad enough scale to really make a social difference?   Yes, I really do. What is different today is that in the past, these practices of crop rotations and of planting legumes in and amongst crops to get nitrogen into the soil, those are not new ideas. They have been traditional ideas in many societies around the world because they worked to help sustain the fertility of the soil. But, what I think we really have the opportunity to do now is to combine some of that ancient wisdom with the modern technology that allows us to do no till at scale. And, to minimize our use of not only physical disturbance from adopting no till but also to minimize the chemical disturbance that comes with the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides. Combining the modern technology with ancient wisdom can allow us to basically expand the realm of regenerative practices to very large-scale farming because unless we all want to become farmers, we're not going to be able to do small-scale regenerative farming and feed the world. Even though most of the world's population is fed by small-scale farmers, those of us in the westernized world relying on very few people to feed very many of us. I've been on regenerative farms that are up to 20,000 acres in the US; big, large mechanized farms that have done an amazing job at rebuilding the fertility of their land. I've also been on very small-scale subsistence farms in equatorial West Africa that are regenerative that have done an amazing job at rebuilding the fertility of their land. Those three general principles of minimizing disturbance, growing cover crop, always keeping living roots in the ground to provide exudates to feed the microbes, and to grow a diversity of plants. That recipe is a combination of principles that different kinds of practices would need to be used on large farms or small farms or high tech farms and manual labor subsistence farms, but the general underlying philosophy of cultivating the beneficial life in the soil underpins all those. And that's how I tend to look at what I would call regenerative agriculture, are farming practices that are tailored to the size of the farm, the environment, the climate, the crops that farmers want to grow, the technology they have access to, but that prioritizes building the health of the soil as the foundation for the farm.   It's nice to hear such a positive outlook on this. You are painting the picture saying that it can be done. Do you think it can be done in a way that can compete cost wise with traditional approaches to farming?   Absolutely, and that was a big focus of what I wrote about in "Growing a Revolution." If you could tell a farmer that you could cut their fertilizer costs, cut their diesel costs, cut their pesticide costs as much as in half, they all start looking at you like going, "Yeah, tell me more. How would you do that?" That's one of the key attractions, I think, of regenerative agriculture. Once the soil is restored to a healthier state, you don't need as much fertilizer. You don't need as many pesticides, and you don't drive tractors around as much if you're doing no till. What are three of the biggest costs on modern farms in north America? Well, fertilizer, diesel, and pesticide. And so if you can teach farmers a different way of farming that starts with a different way of looking at the soil and adopting a different series of practices that allows them to harvest as much while spending less to do it, it's a recipe for a more profitable farm. And for what I've seen in the experience of the pioneering regenerative farmers that I've interviewed, once they've restored fertility to their land, their yields are comparable to, if not better than, their conventional neighbors, and their expenses are less. That's what started turning me into an optimist on this is I've seen a lot of growing interest in farming communities simply because farmers are pushed to the wall and looking for ways to cut costs.   That's so exciting to hear that, and then, of course, at some point government could subsidize these sort of approaches to make it even more cost effective because of the environmental benefits.   There are all kinds of add-ons in terms of benefits, less offsite nitrogen pollution, greater on-farm biodiversity, enhancements to rural economies, and also differences in what gets into the food that we grow that could potentially benefit human health.   I have a million questions to ask you. We've talked about the vitality and health of the soil. Let's talk about the vitality and health of what's being grown in the soil, that is the nutrient quality of the foods. In the book, you note that produces significantly less nutrient dense than in the past. How much is this true, and how less dense is it?   Yes. That's a great question. So one of the things we really delved into in "What Your Food Ate" because it is a central question to thinking about, well, does soil health mattered to human health? And the conclusion we came away with in diving into the peer reviewed literature and doing some of food testing of our own, was that there's three key areas where the nutrient density, shall we say, of food has suffered over the last half century. And that's in terms of mineral micronutrients, phytochemicals, and the fat profiles of our meat and dairy. So how does that work? Well, in terms of mineral micronutrients, a lot of plants partner with fungal communities in the soil to actually trade sugars and fats and proteins. Plants will drip those out of their roots to feed microbes in the soil in exchange for those microbes, particularly fungi, giving back things like zinc or copper or iron mined from the soil. It's literally an underground economy but where both partners benefit from the exchanges, and conventional agricultural practices disturb those relationships. We're not talking so much about the major nutrient composition of foods as much as the micronutrients. Plants have different gene pathways where if they're grown in very nitrogen-rich environments, they shut down their exudate production. So they stop feeding their microbial partners. Their microbial partners aren't on the job to give them the mineral micronutrients that they need and that turn out to be very important for our health, too, when we eat them. Plants also make what are known as phytochemicals in response greatly to environmental stimuli, some of which are microbes in the soil. And so the communities of life around their roots are actually key partners in terms of making things that we don't often consider nutrients in the nutritional sciences, but they're important for maintaining human health, things like antioxidants, anti-inflammatories. Those are examples of the functions phytochemicals can serve in our bodies, and our farming practices have disrupted them. How much they have disrupted them? There are studies that show differences on the orders of 50 to 100%, others that are more like 20%. Most of the studies and the testing that we did as well make it look like it's more like around 20%-ish. It's modest but very real differences in these compounds that the medical sciences have shown are fairly beneficial to promoting human health in our diets.   So can I assume from what you're saying that there's research now showing that if you use better soil practices a la regenerative agriculture, that the nutrient quality improves?   Yes, it's a nontrivial difference. And the other difference, even bigger, is looking at the ratio of the composition of fats in meat and dairy in terms of the omega-6 and omega-3 fats. To make a very simple generalization, omega-6 fats in our bodies are instrumental in initiating inflammation whereas omega-3 fats are instrumental in quelling or reducing inflammation. It turns out that what we get in terms of the fat composition in our meat and dairy products very much depends on what the cows ate that produce that meat and dairy. Cows that grazed leafy green plants, actually grazing out in a pasture, they eat a lot of omega-3s because that's what's in the leaves of plants because omega-3s are central to photosynthesis. Omega-6s are a very rich in seed sources. They serve different purposes in seeds. Cattle that are on a feed lot diet of seed-derived feeds are rich in omega-6s, and our diet has gone from having just a few more omega-6s than omega-3s in our diet 100 years ago. Now we're awash in omega-6s from that change in our meat and dairy and also the addition of seed oils to processed foods. That trade we write about in the book that translates through, we think, to essentially how so many of us are dealing with chronic maladies that are rooted in chronic inflammation.   Another way to really move this along might be for consumers to begin requesting products that are grown in such a way, and so I'm wondering about your opinion on whether a poll from consumers might help here. Do you think there could come a time when that would be the case?   I absolutely do, in fact. I just noticed in Anne and my own buying habits. So we started doing this research and learning what it was we did along the way, our buying habits have changed. So we're buying 100% grass fed meat and dairy when we can. We've tried to connect with farmers whose practices we really like in terms of the produce we can buy at farmer's markets here in Seattle where we live. Now the average consumer faces a challenge today in terms of what's labeled as what in a grocery store, but it's our hope that people will start thinking more about these connections, start asking questions, ask the produce manager at your store, "What are the farms doing that you're getting the produce from?" I could definitely see a world in the not too distant future where consumers may be armed with the ability to know what the analyses of different batches of produce coming in.   And I wonder if the first movement here might not be from institutions, that a school system or a hospital or the procurement part of a city or county government, if they made purchasing decisions based on nutrient quality and, of course, the practices used to grow the food could make a big difference.   I think that is a tremendous idea that I think could be very impactful, and I think you're right, that that could be where you might see some of the biggest pieces of movement. There is also been some corporations that have been interested in trying to move towards adopting and advertising that they have adopted regenerative sourcing in some of their ingredients. I really see three areas that need attention in terms of advancing regenerative agriculture. Consumer demand is one, as we have been discussing. The inherent farmers' incentives in terms of economics that we discussed earlier is another. The third is in terms of rethinking our agricultural subsidies and policies to actually reward farmers who are rebuilding the health and fertility of their land. Those who are reinvesting in the future of America, quite literally, instead of continuing to subsidize conventional practices that frankly degrade the fertility of the land and the ability of future generations to feed themselves. If we could get all three of those areas lined up working towards the same goal of making what we call regenerative agriculture today the conventional agriculture of tomorrow, that could literally change the world in the coming decades. It's not going to happen fast, but I think it's something that could be done over the course of two or three decades at a time when we really need the change.   Well, especially if the right research got done at the right time. For example, I could imagine going back to school systems. Let's say that a school system changes its buying practices and ends up buying more nutrient-dense foods and then proves that there are beneficial outcomes for the kids, like better performance in school and more attention and things like that. Then you could see a lot of adopters coming pretty quickly.   Yes, I would love to see a lot more research along those lines done. We tried to connect the dots in "What Your Food Ate" from soil health to crop health to animal health to human health, but there's a lot of space between those dots and a lot of work that needs to be done, but it's a very promising area and a new way to think about those connections.   Could we talk about livestock for another minute? You mentioned this earlier, and it sounds like there's a lot of promise using these techniques for livestock production. Most people think of plant production here, but livestock are really important as context as well. Are there places where livestock and plant-based agriculture are interacting with each other in this context?   Yes, some of the farmers I visited were reintegrating animal husbandry into their cropping operations and having their cattle graze off their cover crops and then manure their fields. I came from a position where I had long thought of cattle in particular as harmful to the land through gully formation and erosion from overgrazing. The farmers that I visited who have used cattle to rebuild the fertility of their soils were really grazing in a very different manner, in a different style that enhanced the fertility of their land as a result of reintegrating them. I think one of the big inadvertent mistakes of 20th century agriculture was essentially separating animal husbandry from cropping and encouraging farmers to specialize in one or the other. Now we have the perverse situation where we grow a whole lot of corn using practices that degrade the fertility of the land to feed cattle and feed lots who then are full of omega-6s that degrade our health when we eat them. It makes no sense in terms of large-scale agricultural policy unless you are thinking with the mid-20th century mindset of maximizing efficiency and industrializing and separating those corners of agriculture. What we inadvertently did is we broke some of the biological and ecological connections that helped keep the land fertile and that were result of the integration of animal husbandry and cropping practices. That's another example, I think, of the value of potentially reintegrating some elements of ancient wisdom with modern science to think about doing things a little differently.   Let me end with this question, and I want to see if I'm reading you right. It sounds like if you look at the world's situation with dirt agriculture, it is a pretty dire picture, getting worse quickly, and it could go really badly if nothing is done, but it also sounds like you're very optimistic. There is a lot we know about what can be done, a lot of it is being done, and the signs for the future are positive. Am I reading that right?   I am optimistic about this. I struggle with how much of that optimism is a choice rather than a logical extension of what I know. But I think we know enough now about techniques that can rebuild fertility of the land and restore it that it's feasible to see a path forward where we could do that at scale with very positive results that could also put a lot of carbon back in the world's agricultural soils, which would have ancillary climate benefits. It's not going to solve the climate problem. That's a fossil fuel issue primarily, but it could help. Back when I wrote "Dirt" in 2007, I think it was, there was hardly anybody talking about soil health and the long-term importance of reinvesting in the world's agricultural soils to rebuild their fertility, and now almost every farming conference I go to or get invited to speak at, that's one of the big topics of discussion among farmers. And there's now discussion at policy level in terms of the new Farm Bill that climate activists are interested in. There's a lot of very broad, I think, public support and interest coalescing around the idea that one of the smartest things we could do for the future of our own species and for the health of the planet is to reinvest in the health and the fertility of our agricultural soils.   Bio   David R. Montgomery is a Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. He studies the evolution of topography and the influence of geomorphological processes on ecological systems and human societies. He received his B.S. in geology at Stanford University (1984) and his Ph.D. in geomorphology from UC Berkeley (1991). Current research includes field projects in the Philippines, eastern Tibet, and the Pacific Northwest of North America. In 2008 Montgomery received a MacArthur Fellowship. His books, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, King of Fish, and The Rocks Don't Lie have all won the Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. Montgomery's Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life, was a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson award for Literary Science Writing. His latest work with W. W. Norton, What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim our Health, published in 2022.  

“When you dig into the medical literature, 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States are diet-related chronic diseases. And so one of the hopeful messages that I think comes out of The Hidden Half of Nature, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate is that what we do to the land, essentially we do to us. And what's good for the land is good for us.So if we think about farming differently, we can actually enjoy ripple effects that are not only beneficial to the farmers in terms of reduced costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel - the three of the big costs in farming today. If we can farm and grow as much food using less of those kind of synthetic inputs, we'll all be better off. And farmers will be better off and more profitable, but it could also translate into better human health outcomes at a population level.”David R. Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He loved maps as a kid and now writes about the relationship of people to their environment, and regenerative agriculture. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author of award-winning popular-science books (King of Fish, Dirt, and Growing a Revolution) and co-authored The Hidden Half of Nature, The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.https://www.dig2grow.com/https://twitter.com/Dig2Growwww.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.info

David R. Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He loved maps as a kid and now writes about the relationship of people to their environment, and regenerative agriculture. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author of award-winning popular-science books (King of Fish, Dirt, and Growing a Revolution) and co-authored The Hidden Half of Nature, The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.“When you dig into the medical literature, 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States are diet-related chronic diseases. And so one of the hopeful messages that I think comes out of The Hidden Half of Nature, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate is that what we do to the land, essentially we do to us. And what's good for the land is good for us.So if we think about farming differently, we can actually enjoy ripple effects that are not only beneficial to the farmers in terms of reduced costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel - the three of the big costs in farming today. If we can farm and grow as much food using less of those kind of synthetic inputs, we'll all be better off. And farmers will be better off and more profitable, but it could also translate into better human health outcomes at a population level.”https://www.dig2grow.com/https://twitter.com/Dig2Growwww.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.infoPhoto credit: Cooper Reid

“When you dig into the medical literature, 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States are diet-related chronic diseases. And so one of the hopeful messages that I think comes out of The Hidden Half of Nature, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate is that what we do to the land, essentially we do to us. And what's good for the land is good for us.So if we think about farming differently, we can actually enjoy ripple effects that are not only beneficial to the farmers in terms of reduced costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel - the three of the big costs in farming today. If we can farm and grow as much food using less of those kind of synthetic inputs, we'll all be better off. And farmers will be better off and more profitable, but it could also translate into better human health outcomes at a population level.”David R. Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He loved maps as a kid and now writes about the relationship of people to their environment, and regenerative agriculture. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author of award-winning popular-science books (King of Fish, Dirt, and Growing a Revolution) and co-authored The Hidden Half of Nature, The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.https://www.dig2grow.com/https://twitter.com/Dig2Growwww.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.info

David R. Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He loved maps as a kid and now writes about the relationship of people to their environment, and regenerative agriculture. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author of award-winning popular-science books (King of Fish, Dirt, and Growing a Revolution) and co-authored The Hidden Half of Nature, The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.“When you dig into the medical literature, 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States are diet-related chronic diseases. And so one of the hopeful messages that I think comes out of The Hidden Half of Nature, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate is that what we do to the land, essentially we do to us. And what's good for the land is good for us.So if we think about farming differently, we can actually enjoy ripple effects that are not only beneficial to the farmers in terms of reduced costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel - the three of the big costs in farming today. If we can farm and grow as much food using less of those kind of synthetic inputs, we'll all be better off. And farmers will be better off and more profitable, but it could also translate into better human health outcomes at a population level.”https://www.dig2grow.com/https://twitter.com/Dig2Growwww.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.infoPhoto credit: Cooper Reid

David R. Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He loved maps as a kid and now writes about the relationship of people to their environment, and regenerative agriculture. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author of award-winning popular-science books (King of Fish, Dirt, and Growing a Revolution) and co-authored The Hidden Half of Nature, The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.“When you dig into the medical literature, 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States are diet-related chronic diseases. And so one of the hopeful messages that I think comes out of The Hidden Half of Nature, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate is that what we do to the land, essentially we do to us. And what's good for the land is good for us.So if we think about farming differently, we can actually enjoy ripple effects that are not only beneficial to the farmers in terms of reduced costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel - the three of the big costs in farming today. If we can farm and grow as much food using less of those kind of synthetic inputs, we'll all be better off. And farmers will be better off and more profitable, but it could also translate into better human health outcomes at a population level.”https://www.dig2grow.com/https://twitter.com/Dig2Growwww.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.infoPhoto credit: Cooper Reid

“When you dig into the medical literature, 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States are diet-related chronic diseases. And so one of the hopeful messages that I think comes out of The Hidden Half of Nature, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate is that what we do to the land, essentially we do to us. And what's good for the land is good for us.So if we think about farming differently, we can actually enjoy ripple effects that are not only beneficial to the farmers in terms of reduced costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel - the three of the big costs in farming today. If we can farm and grow as much food using less of those kind of synthetic inputs, we'll all be better off. And farmers will be better off and more profitable, but it could also translate into better human health outcomes at a population level.”David R. Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He loved maps as a kid and now writes about the relationship of people to their environment, and regenerative agriculture. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author of award-winning popular-science books (King of Fish, Dirt, and Growing a Revolution) and co-authored The Hidden Half of Nature, The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.https://www.dig2grow.com/https://twitter.com/Dig2Growwww.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.info

“When you dig into the medical literature, 7 out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States are diet-related chronic diseases. And so one of the hopeful messages that I think comes out of The Hidden Half of Nature, Growing a Revolution, and What Your Food Ate is that what we do to the land, essentially we do to us. And what's good for the land is good for us.So if we think about farming differently, we can actually enjoy ripple effects that are not only beneficial to the farmers in terms of reduced costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel - the three of the big costs in farming today. If we can farm and grow as much food using less of those kind of synthetic inputs, we'll all be better off. And farmers will be better off and more profitable, but it could also translate into better human health outcomes at a population level.”David R. Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He loved maps as a kid and now writes about the relationship of people to their environment, and regenerative agriculture. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He is the author of award-winning popular-science books (King of Fish, Dirt, and Growing a Revolution) and co-authored The Hidden Half of Nature, The Microbial Roots of Life and Health and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.https://www.dig2grow.com/https://twitter.com/Dig2Growwww.oneplanetpodcast.orgwww.creativeprocess.info

We've all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” Today we'll take that a step further… “you are what your food ate.” Pesticides and herbicides can impact the plants on which we rely for nutrients, and those same plants coupled with antibiotics fed to livestock can impact the meat in our diet. The plants and animals in our diet imbibe what is in the soil and food that nourishes them, and is passed on to us. How does that impact our health, and what are our alternatives? Tune in today as we discuss these questions and more with the authors of a new book, What Your Food Ate!

We've all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” Today we'll take that a step further… “you are what your food ate.” Pesticides and herbicides can impact the plants on which we rely for nutrients, and those same plants coupled with antibiotics fed to livestock can impact the meat in our diet. The plants and animals in our diet imbibe what is in the soil and food that nourishes them, and is passed on to us. How does that impact our health, and what are our alternatives? Tune in today as we discuss these questions and more with the authors of a new book, What Your Food Ate!

On this week's episode of the TopSoil Podcast, host Mitchell sits down with authors David Montgomery and Anne Biklé, a husband and wife writing duo. David is a broad-minded geologist and Anne is a free-range biologist with a bad case of plant lust. The pair have written several books both together and separate, including The Hidden Half of Nature, What Your Food Ate, Growing A Revolution, and Dirt. The couple started Dig2Grow because "that's what happens when you write, talk, and act on things that matter to the well-being of people and our one-and-only planet". You can learn more about both David and Anne on their website linked below.Mitchell HoraContinuum Ag | Founder & CEOWebsiteTwitterLinkedInDavid R. Montgomery and Anne BikléDig2GrowWebsite

Year after year, the quality of the world's agricultural soil is degrading, which deeply impacts the quality and quantity of the food that we grow. Further, there's a clear link between the health of our soil and the health of humans. What does that mean for us? Eventually we'll face an existential crisis of the world's food supply and our health. Fortunately, experts are studying how to improve our outlook, and two of them happen to live in Seattle. David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé believe that the roots of good health start on farms. In their latest book, What Your Food Ate, this local pair provided evidence from recent and forgotten science to illustrate how the health of the soil ripples through to crops, livestock, and ultimately us. They traced the links between crops and soil life that nourish one another, which in turn provide our bodies with the nutrients needed to protect us from pathogens and chronic ailments. Unfortunately, conventional agricultural practices hurt these vital partnerships and affect our well-being. Can farmers and ranchers produce enough nutrient-dense food to feed us all? Can we have quality and quantity? Montgomery and Biklé say yes. They argue that regenerative farming practices – agricultural practices that rebuild organic matter in soil and restore soil biodiversity – hold the key to healing sick soil and improving human health. “We need everybody to be thinking about a more sustainable food system,” says Montgomery, “because, quite frankly, the future of humanity in many ways really depends on what we do with that.” Agriculture and medicine emerged from our understanding of the natural world — and still depend on it. Through current scientific findings, Montgomery and Biklé showed us that what's good for the land is good for us, too. David R. Montgomery is a professor at the University of Washington, a MacArthur Fellow, a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, and an internationally recognized authority on geomorphology. His books have been translated into ten languages. Anne Biklé is a biologist and environmental planner whose writing has appeared in Nautilus, Natural History, Smithsonian, Fine Gardening, and Best Health. She lives with her husband, David R. Montgomery, in Seattle. Their work includes a trilogy of books about soil health, microbiomes, and farming — Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, The Hidden Half of Nature, and Growing a Revolution. Buy the Book: What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health (Hardcover) from Elliott Bay Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

We've all heard the iconic phrase: you are what you eat. But the research we did for our forthcoming book What Your Food Ate reveals far more to this story. That carrot, cauliflower, or leafy green had to eat before it landed on your plate. And soil health is one of the chief factors that influences what your food ate. Why care about this connection or the way farming practices affect soil health? The state of the soil ripples into our bodies. Anne Biklé and David R. Montgomery join Mark Alyn on this episode.

We've all heard the iconic phrase: you are what you eat. But the research we did for our forthcoming book What Your Food Ate reveals far more to this story. That carrot, cauliflower, or leafy green had to eat before it landed on your plate. And soil health is one of the chief factors that influences what your food ate. Why care about this connection or the way farming practices affect soil health? The state of the soil ripples into our bodies. Anne Biklé and David R. Montgomery join Mark Alyn on this episode.