Farms for Tomorrow

Building Plants Cell by Cell

Episode 4:

Balanced Nutrition, Thriving Crops

Calcium is a central and often overlooked crop nutrient. Using examples to illustrate how it works, soil consultant Jon Frank introduces Carey Reams’ Biological Theory of Ionization as a framework to provide full-spectrum plant and animal nutrition. These improvements have huge implications for food quality and farm profitability.

Part 1 Listen

High-Brix Forage for Quality Milk Production | Length: 8:25

Switching to high-brix, high-quality hay improved the health, milk quality and yield of dairy goats, highlighting the importance of soil fertility in animal nutrition.

Part 2 Listen

Calcium as a Key Crop Nutrient | Length: 11:38

Yes, people will go out of their way for better food.

Part 3 Listen

Balancing Soil Nutrients – Reams’ Theory Simplified | Length: 9:32

Proper balance of soil nutrients, particularly calcium and potassium, is essential for optimal plant growth and reproduction.

Part 4 Listen

Optimizing Plant Performance Through Mineral Management | Length: 6:07

Your plant leaves feed the soil microbes that feed the crop. Optimizing leaf mineral content is necessary for efficient energy conversion and superior crops. It’s up to you.

About Jon Frank

Jon Frank currently serves as regional sales manager and soil specialist for Integrated Soil and Plant Technologies, working with growers across the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and parts of Wisconsin. Over the course of his career as a soil consultant, Jon has focused on specialty crops, market gardens, home gardens, and greenhouses, and has worked with growers of broad-acre crops like hay, corn, and soybeans as well. Jon is a lifelong student of the soil and began his career in agricultural consulting in 2005.

More about Jon Frank >

More Information

Episode Transcript

Integrated Soil and Plant Technologies

Grow Your Own Nutrition

Carey Reams

Carey Reams Agricultural Concepts

The post s03e04 – Jon Frank – Building Plants Cell by Cell appeared first on Farms For Tomorrow.

Restoring Soil Vitality

Episode 1: Day Two
Joe Scrimger:
Bio-Systems II

Restoring Soil Vitality | Length: 1:01:50

“Nitrogen’s not the issue. It’s putting on too much at one time… But even organically, we have to have nitrogen from someplace… What we try to do in the conventional world is get those farmers to use at least three different sources of nitrogen that release at three different times.” – Joe Scrimger

Joe Scrimger connects the dots between nitrogen use on the farm, soil health and water quality.

More Information

Transcript – Day One

Transcript – Day Two

Joe Scrimger: LinkedIn

Imlay City Mucklands

Rex and Glenn Spray – Organic Row Crop Farmers

Rex Spray Honored for Decades of Sustainable Farming

Edward H. Faulkner: The Father of No-till

The Plowman’s Folly – Online PDF

Gabe Brown

Brown’s Ranch

Eliot Coleman: Four Season Farm

Richard Harwood: Kellogg Biological Station

Mike Bronkeema

Carey Reams

Carey Reams Agricultural Concepts

Nature Conservancy Video: Saginaw Valley Farmers Learn from Each Other

Andre Voisin – Soil, Grass & Cancer: The Link Between Human Health and the Mineral Balance of the Soil.

The post s03e01b – Joe Scrimger – Nitrogen, Water, and the Farm appeared first on Farms For Tomorrow.

Food as Medicine

Episode 3:
Sally Witkowski:
Cross W Ranch

A Ranch on a Mission

Rancher Sally Witkowski describes how she and her husband Jim Witkowski got their entire family into grass-fed, grass-finished organic cattle ranching. Includes a look at regenerative practices, humane animal care, revenue streams, market trends, and the importance of a mission-driven mindset.

Part 1 Listen

Powerful Motivations | Length: 7:42

What’s it take to go from 0-60 in cattle ranching, coming from a non-farming background?

Part 2 Listen

Clean Food: Meeting the Market | Length: 7:11

Yes, people will go out of their way for better food.

Part 3 Listen

Multiple Revenue Streams | Length: 7:16

With a main emphasis on cattle ranching, Cross W continues to build out other revenue streams to secure their operation and meet community needs.

Part 4 Listen

Ag Tourism as a Revenue Stream | Length: 4:00

How barn weddings became an important additional revenue stream for Cross W Ranch.

Part 5 Listen

A Regenerative Approach to Food Quality | Length: 6:29

Animal and human health start with soil and plant health. Two practices can help jumpstart this process: building diverse plant communities in the pasture, and using foliar feeding when needed to strengthen pasture and hay productivity.

Part 6 Listen

Animal Care and Management | Length: 2:13

How does nature do it? A quick snapshot of animal handling practice and philosophy at Cross W Ranch.

Part 7 Listen

Family, Succession, and Land Conservation | Length: 3:18

How the family component works in the management of Cross W Ranch, and how land preservation fits into the long-term picture.

Part 8 Listen

Ranch Evolution and Plans | Length: 10:29

Business growth at Cross W Ranch: a step-by-step process of getting the needed equipment, adapting farm practice, and planning with a long-term vision in mind.

About Sally Witkowski

Sally Witkowski is a rancher and co-founder, together with husband Jim Witkowski, of Cross W Ranch in Howell, Michigan. A Michigan native, Sally completed a dual degree program in Fine Arts / Industrial Design from The University of Michigan before meeting Jim and starting a family together.

More about Sally Witkowski >

More about Cross W Ranch >

More Information

Episode Transcript

Cross W Ranch Website

Bionutrient Food Association

Advancing Eco Agriculture

The post s03e03 – Sally Witkowski – Food as Medicine appeared first on Farms For Tomorrow.

Organic Apples – Mindset and Methods

Episode 2:
Jim Koan –
Almar
Orchards

About Jim Koan

Jim Koan was born into a family that had been growing apples in Michigan’s Genesee County since the mid-1800s. After completing degree programs in psychology and education at The University of Michigan and beginning a career teaching, Jim and his wife Karen – also an educator – continued working on the farm during their off hours to supplement their income.

In 1978, Jim and Karen left their teaching careers to help run the orchard, with Jim ultimately becoming a full partner and then owner of the family’s conventionally managed operation, Almar Orchards. more

More Information

Episode Transcript

Almar Orchards

The post s03e02 – Jim Koan – Almar Orchards appeared first on Farms For Tomorrow.

Restoring Soil Vitality

Episode 1: Day One
Joe Scrimger:
Bio-Systems II

Restoring Soil Vitality | Length: 1:07:43

“Nitrogen’s not the issue. It’s putting on too much at one time… But even organically, we have to have nitrogen from someplace… What we try to do in the conventional world is get those farmers to use at least three different sources of nitrogen that release at three different times.” – Joe Scrimger

Joe Scrimger connects the dots between nitrogen use on the farm, soil health and water quality.

More Information

Transcript – Day One

Transcript – Day Two

Joe Scrimger: LinkedIn

Imlay City Mucklands

Rex and Glenn Spray – Organic Row Crop Farmers

Rex Spray Honored for Decades of Sustainable Farming

Edward H. Faulkner: The Father of No-till

The Plowman’s Folly – Online PDF

Gabe Brown

Brown’s Ranch

Eliot Coleman: Four Season Farm

Richard Harwood: Kellogg Biological Station

Mike Bronkeema

Carey Reams

Carey Reams Agricultural Concepts

Nature Conservancy Video: Saginaw Valley Farmers Learn from Each Other

Andre Voisin – Soil, Grass & Cancer: The Link Between Human Health and the Mineral Balance of the Soil.

The post s03e01 – Joe Scrimger – Nitrogen, Water, and the Farm appeared first on Farms For Tomorrow.