Ag Solutions Network entered the soil health game with biologicals almost two decades ago. We’ve seen farmers and our dealer network successfully impact more and more acreage with a soil health first approach. In 2019, AgEmerge began as an event idea where we gathered awesome speakers along with a dynamic group of growers to really challenge old paradigms and have conversations that resulted in system changes. Since the AgEmerge events, we expanded learning opportunities to our AgEmerge podcast. You can find podcast episodes and all the previous AgEmerge event speakers on our Ag Solutions Network YouTube channel, linked in the show notes.

As the end of 2021 approaches, we're excited to bring you this podcast with some new content from a summer meeting where Monte Bottens talks about how ASN’s Power2Gro System enables principle-based farming. And we’ve included some fun clips from the past year! Today’s collection of podcasts brings you thought-provoking discussions from people who changed the way they see things when it comes to soil health. Our discussions come from growers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other thought leaders who are passionate about all the aspects of regenerative agriculture. And we bring you people who’ve made life-changing decisions to improve not only their soil health but their personal health.

As you know, at ASN and with our AgEmerge content, we don't just talk about what our speakers are doing, we talk about how they are making it work. And we don’t sugar coat it, we discuss pain points, struggles and failures too. We think it's so important to remember that there will be ups and downs that pave the way to victory. So don’t let those hard knocks stop you on this journey.

The great news is, more and more growers are adopting soil health practices and we’re all building networks to help each other adopt these systems by sharing ideas, strategies, and practices that work. It seems no one is holding their cards close to their vest when it comes to regenerative agriculture and we’re all eager to help others get on board.

And as always, if you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing to help growers implement soil health practices, check out our website at asn.farm and there you can click on the links to follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin. There’s a lot of great things happening and always something to learn - thanks for listening!

Check out all these clips:

https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast

Featuring:

Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa

Dr. Pam Marrone, Marrone Bio Innovations

Jeff Moyer, CEO Rodale Institute

Jay McCaman, Author: When Weeds Talk

Dr. Joel Gruver, Soil Scientist Western Illinois University

Joe Bassett, CEO of Dawn Equipment and Underground Ag

Dr. Fred Provenza, Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University

Dr. Stephan van Vliet Nutrition Scientist and Metabolomics Expert, Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center at Duke University School of Medicine

Michelle Perro, MD, DHOM

Blaine Hitzfield, CEO of Seven Sons Farm

Dino Giacomazzi, the CEO of Giacomazzi Almond Company, Inc.

Dr. Mike Bredeson, Research Agroecologist at the Ecdysis Foundation

Mikayla Tabert, Trinity Creek Ranch, Inc.

Seth Watkins, Farmer from Clarinda Iowa

Will Harris, White Oak Pastures

Ron Joyce, President and CEO of Joyce Farms

Rick Bayless, Chef Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Xoco, Tortas

Monte and Kim discuss a range of topics including some of the exciting things Monte’s been working on, thinking about, and implementing over the past year. This time of year also gives us an opportunity to evaluate what worked, and what didn’t, as well as explore new ideas and opportunities. And, we talk about some topics happening right now in agriculture.

Monte Bottens has deep roots in agriculture. Raised as a fifth-generation, northwestern Illinois farmer, Monte is a business owner, entrepreneur and thought leader. Monte began his farming career with two bred sows given to him by his grandmother. Thanks to great guidance from his dad and equipment-sharing startup assistance, today he’s the owner of Bottens Family Farm. The farm utilizes the latest agricultural innovations in precision farming technology, crop management systems, and participates in advanced regenerative ag principles to produce a diversity of crops and grass-fed livestock.

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/mkOfo_u95sM

He is the Founder, President and CEO of Ag Solutions Network, Inc. (ASN) headquartered in Moline, Illinois, where he leads the development and distribution of the POWER2GRO crop production system. ASN utilizes the latest technological advancements and highest-quality ingredients to enable farmers to build soil health and soil wealth.

Monte is the Founder and Partner of California Ag Solutions, Inc. (CAS) in Madera, CA. The CAS team serves farmers of the Central Valley by helping them adopt reduced tillage techniques combined with improved water and nutrient efficiency using ASN’s POWER2GRO system on a wide variety of crops.

Monte has a love for the agricultural diversity in California. He serves on the leadership team of Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) center that develops integrated reduced tillage and irrigation techniques in California and globally. His excitement for ag tech and continuous process improvement also led him to get involved with the UC Davis Entrepreneurship Program and the Sacramento Angles. He has a desire to teach others and make region specific practices applicable for all different crops, soil types, and climates throughout the US. He has presented at many conferences and universities sharing his passion for soil health and agriculture innovation.

Monte is a graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He and his wife Robyn live in Sherrard, Illinois, close to family and the family farm.

Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!

Dr. Pam Marrone spent her 30 plus year career focused on biological products for pest management and plant health, having started and led three bioag companies.

She’s a scientist, a CEO, a serial entrepreneur, a pioneer and that’s just the short list. In her words, she says, she got “hooked on microbes” early on and spent her career looking for environmentally responsible biologically based solutions. By the end of this podcast, we're pretty sure you’ll be hooked on microbes too!

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/mP-zz0ZDhLQ

In August 2020, Dr. Marrone retired as CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations (NASDAQ: MBII), a company she started in 2006 and listed on NASDAQ (MBII) in 2013. She remains on the Board of Directors and as an advisor. She is the treasurer of the Association for Women in Science, on the board of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, is a Senior Fellow of the Arizona State University Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems and is a past alumni-Trustee of Cornell University. She is an advisor or board member for several ag/food tech and life sciences companies, most founded or led by women. She has a B.S. in entomology with Honors and Distinction from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University.

Learn more about Dr. Marrone:

https://marronebio.com/resources/bio-bites/

Twitter @pammarrone

LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-pam-marrone-110ab6/

Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!

Dino Giacomazzi, is the CEO of Giacomazzi Almond Company, Inc and the 4th generation to manage his family’s farm founded in 1893 by his Swiss-Italian great-grandfather. The operation consists of 700 Acres of Almonds, 300 acres of Corn, wheat & Alfalfa, and 2 miniature donkeys.

Dino talks with us about his farming journey, including family farming identities, industry dynamics, new opportunities and the different pressures changing farming practices and improvements face. He and Monte also discuss the excitement and challenges of engaging the next generation in the paradigm shifting business of agriculture. Monte and Dino explore everything from dairy, to almonds and cover crops and especially how they’re working to break down those metaphoric silos that can obstruct change. That includes a deep dive into some of the pressure points like water regulations as well as labor, environmental factors, and governing that affect farming operations today.

The Giacomazzis were dairy farmers for 126 years and were the oldest continuously operating dairy farm in California at the time of their sale in 2019.

Dino has managed his family farm since 2002. Prior to that, he had a 13-year career in the music and internet industries where he managed rock bands and developed online applications for internet startups and Fortune 1000 companies.

Dino is a promoter of sustainable farming practices and was the 2012 Leopold Conservation Award recipient for California and named Sustainable Ag Champion by US EPA in 2010. Dino’s work on strip-tillage of dairy forage crops has been published in numerous journals and techniques developed on his farm have been adopted throughout California.

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/cQux5HqWuQs

Dino is currently utilizing highly efficient automated irrigation systems and implementing regenerative agricultural practices in his almond operation.

Check out their almond company at https://giacomazzibrothers.com/

Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!

Dr. Fred Provenza, is Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University where he directed an award-winning research group that pioneered an understanding of how learning influences foraging behavior and how behavior links soil, plants, herbivores, and humans. Today, he and Monte explore some of that research and the connections between animal and human nutrition.

Fred Provenza grew up in Salida, Colorado. He later worked on a ranch while attending school in Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University. He obtained a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree in Range Science from Utah State University where he worked for 35 years. He is professor emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University where he directed an award-winning research group that pioneered an understanding of how learning influences foraging behavior and how behavior links soil, plants, herbivores, and humans.

That work culminated in a program called BEHAVE, which was active from 2000-2010. BEHAVE was an international network of scientists, ranchers, farmers, and land managers committed to integrating behavioral principles with local knowledge to enhance environmental, economic, and cultural values of rural and urban communities. Though BEHAVE is no longer active, the principles and practices continue to influence researchers and managers worldwide.

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/6eOh-R90P0M

He authored three books, including Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us About Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom; Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change; and The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders (co-author with Michel Meuret).

He published more than 300 research papers in a wide variety of scientific journals. He has been an invited speaker at more than 500 conferences. The many awards he received for research, teaching, and mentoring are the creativity that flowed from warm professional and personal relationships with over 75 graduate students, post-doctoral students, visiting scientists, and colleagues during the past 45 years.

BEHAVE website link: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/behave/

Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for joining us! It’s a true honor to get to speak with Dr. Don Huber Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University. You’ll want to read Dr. Huber’s full bio in the show notes. He is a pioneer in his field, his experience, knowledge, and understanding of plant pathology and physiology is simply remarkable.

The AgEmerge podcast is committed to asking tough questions and seeking solutions. The work Dr. Huber began stemmed from one question he wanted to answer, “why crop rotation has such a dramatic effect on many of the plant diseases.” That one question lead to over 55 years of research into the study of soil, microbial ecology, microbial interactions, parasite relationships, and nutrient disease relationships.

In 1997 and again in 2001 Monte heard Dr. Huber speak on several topics including glyphosate, which spurred Monte on to eliminate glyphosate from his own farm.

Dr. Huber’s Bio

Dr. Don M. Huber, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University, holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Idaho (1957, 1959), a Ph-D from Michigan State University (1963), and is a graduate of the US Army Command & General Staff College, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and National Security Program. He was Cereal Pathologist at the University of Idaho for 8 years before joining the Department of Botany & Plant Pathology at Purdue University in 1971.

His agricultural research for the past 55 years has focused on the epidemiology and control of soilborne plant pathogens with emphasis on microbial ecology, cultural and biological controls, nutrient-disease interactions, pesticide-disease interactions, physiology of host-parasite relationships, and techniques for rapid microbial identification.

Dr. Huber has had several concurrent careers including 14 years as a professional labor-relations conciliator with 7 years of service on the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board as a Mediator/Fact-Finder/Conciliator. He retired in 1995 as Associate Director of the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center (Colonel Retired, U.S. Army) (now the National Center for Medical Intelligence, NCMI) after 41+ years of active and reserve military service during which time he also commanded A strategic Medical Intelligence Detachment for 8 years with the US Army Medical Intelligence and Information Agency and Office of the Surgeon General.

Dr. Huber is a past Chairman of the USDA-APS National Plant Disease Recovery System; a member of the US Threat Pathogens Committee; former member of the Advisory Board for the Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress (now Congressional Research Service); and Global Epidemiology and Quadripartite Medical Working Groups of the Office of the US Surgeon General (OTSG).

He is author or co-author of over 300 journal articles, Experiment Station Bulletins, book chapters and review articles; five books, and 84 special invited publications; and an active scientific reviewer; speaker; consultant to academia, industry, and government; and international research cooperator.

Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!

Seth Watkins is a farmer from Clarinda, Iowa, and joins our podcast as he and Monte discuss what it looks like to think differently about our responsibilities as farmers. This summer Monte heard Seth’s TEDx talk about his passion for stewarding his land and where he said what he really wanted was clean water, healthy soils and happy cows. You’ll quickly hear that Seth wants to share what he’s learned on his journey from both his farm and his family’s perspective.

Seth is the fourth generation to care for his family’s heritage farm near Clarinda, Iowa. They raise beef cattle, corn, hay, oats, and various cover crops. He’s passionate about stewardship, especially water quality, the restoration of prairie, woodlands, and riparian areas. Seth believes when you have a healthy and diverse landscape combined with the values of inclusion, equity, and accessibility you can accomplish anything.

He also serves on The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation board of Directors and the Leadership Council for The Iowa Learning Farms. His wife Christy is an Early Childhood Specialist for Green Hills AEA. They have a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Tatum.

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/qjXlJmpTjEY

You can watch Seth on the TedX Des Moines stage here:

TedX link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ0wP9FJU1s

If you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing to help growers implement soil health practices, check out our website at asn.farm and there you can click on the links to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin. There are a lot of great things happening and always something to learn - thanks for listening!

And, if you've got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!

Ron Joyce, President and CEO of Joyce Farms joins us to discuss how their company is working with farmers using regenerative agriculture to grow, as Ron says, “flavorful meat.” And just as important, he's listening to chefs and customers who are asking for these quality products. Ron is quick to point out that there’s more to regenerative agriculture than just planting a cover crop or going organic. He and his team are working closely with farmers, choosing the right genetics, protecting animal welfare, and implementing the best soil health practices to produce that flavorful meat. Ron’s passion for this work is very evident and there’s so much to glean from today’s discussion.

As the lead visionary and guiding hand at Joyce Farms, Ron represents the company’s second generation of Joyces. Ron came on board in 1971 after graduating from UNC-Charlotte with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. In 1981, Ron took over leadership from his father, founder Alvin Joyce. Ron’s father taught him the importance of providing outstanding customer service in tandem with great products. He considers himself a “foodie” and his passion for delicious culinary experiences is evident in how he leads the organization.

Watch episode: https://youtu.be/ojnmHY89r1U

Visit Joyce Farms Website: https://joyce-farms.com/

Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!

The podcast today with Chef Rick Bayless is another great example of connecting dots and helping us understand how the food we grow impacts not only you the grower but the businesses and communities where our food is enjoyed.

Most people know Rick Bayless from winning the title of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. His highly rated public television series, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, is broadcast coast to coast and his nine cookbooks have earned multiple high-profile accolades.

Located in Chicago, Rick's Frontera Grill and Topolobampo have each received the “Outstanding Restaurant of the Year” designation from the James Beard Foundation — an unprecedented feat for side-by-side restaurants. His wildly popular fast-casual Xoco debuted in 2009 and Tortas Frontera at Chicago’s O’Hare airport has changed the face of airport dining. In 2016, he opened Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs. In 2018, Rick expanded his Clark Street restaurants by opening Bar Sótano, a Oaxacan-inspired mezcal bar with modern Mexican bar food. Tortazo, Rick's new fast-casual concept, debuted in 2020 in Chicago's iconic Willis Tower, with plans to open an outpost in New York City in fall 2021.

In 2012 and again in 2014, Rick joined forces with Lookingglass Theatre Company to create Cascabel, the story of food’s capacity to change lives. Cascabel’s audience shared a meal with the cast of actors, musicians, singers and circus performers as the tale of unrequited love resolved into magical beauty.

Always a philanthropist, Rick and his staff established the Frontera Farmer Foundation in 2003 to support small Midwestern farms. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly 200 grants totaling nearly $3 million. He also launched the Frontera Scholarship, a culinary school scholarship for Mexican-American students in Chicago, In 2019, Rick founded Impact Culinary Training, a restaurant job readiness program on the city’s west side. And in 2017 he established the Bayless Family Foundation to support the city’s vibrant theater scene with grants to Chicago theater companies totaling $1.5 million to date.

The Government of Mexico has bestowed on Rick the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle–the highest decoration bestowed on foreigners whose work has benefitted Mexico and its people.

Check out all the ways to follow Chef Rick:

Website: www.rickbayless.com

Frontera Farmer Foundation website: rickbayless.com/foundation

YouTube: youtube.com/rickbayless

Instagram: rick_bayless

Twitter: @rick_bayless

Facebook: facebook.com/chefrickbayless

We’ve got a great conversation with Sarah Carlson, Sarah is the Strategic Initiatives Director for PFI, Practical Farmers of Iowa. And well, there’s just a whole litany of things she does as an agronomist, agronomic researcher, educator, writer and just all-around amazing resource for everything cover crops, small grains, integrated crop and livestock concerns, all kinds of soil health practices and the list goes on and on. Today on the podcast she and Monte will dig into all these topics and so much more!

Sarah Carlson joined Practical Farmers of Iowa staff in the fall of 2007. Sarah is the Strategic Initiatives Director. She helps transfer agronomic research about cover crops and small grains through supply chain projects, articles, blogs and presentation materials while working to improve the support for cover crop and small grains research. She also serves as an agronomist on the staff transferring ideas for solutions to integrated crop and livestock concerns from farmers’ stories, results from on-farm research projects and her own knowledge as a trained agronomist.

Sarah co-majored in Biology and Geography at Augustana College in the Quad Cities graduating in 2001 with a BA degree. Following graduation, Sarah joined the Peace Corps as an Ag-business and Ag Extension volunteer. She lived in the southern highlands of Ecuador in South America for 2 1/2 years. Sarah returned to the Midwest in 2004 and began her Masters Program co-majoring in Sustainable Agriculture and Crop Production/Physiology in Iowa State’s Agronomy Department. She graduated in the spring of 2008 with an MS degree.

Sarah and her husband Oscar have five children between them, Rebeca, Oscar, Sadie, Tenoch and Mateo. They enjoy cooking, traveling and exploring the Iowa countryside.

https://practicalfarmers.org/

Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers.

Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected]

We’d love to hear from you!