Sourcing Matters.show

EPISODE 105: Regenerative Ocean Farming

Host: Aaron Niederhelman Guest: Bri Warner, CEO & Pres. @ Atlantic Sea Farms Guest: Chris Sherman, CEO @ Island Creek Oysters

This latest episode is about how to re-build a food system that creates quality sustenance for people, new jobs on working waterfronts and healthier oceans through the adoption of smarter management practices on regenerative ocean farms. Regenerative ocean farming is an aquatic farming system that grows seaweed and shellfish on no inputs. As is the case with terrestrial production, aquatic regen farming is all about investing in the ecological health of an ecosystem to create good food.

REGENERATIVE OCEAN FARMING

US seaweed pioneer Bri Warner shares in her experience of having to make a compelling business case for kelp production in coastal communities in Maine. Ahead of the curve, Warner has leveraged some creative methods and core business fundamentals to establish a whole new kind of values-based food production company. We discover that what she's producing actually has a pretty unfair advantage in catching the eye of contemporary consumers over almost everything else in the food value chain.

"The three best foods that you can eat on the planet are (regenerative) aquaculture mussels, oysters and kelp. We're all removing carbon from the water. We're all doing this with zero arable land. Zero freshwater. Zero pesticides. The fact is, these three products grow more efficiently than any terrestrial food, especially any terrestrial food animal protein out there. What we can honestly say about these aquaculture products is that they're actually making the planet better," explains Warner – CEO & President of Atlantic Sea Farms.

Island Creek Oysters (ICO) is a vertically integrated Regenerative Ocean Farming success story. They grow out their own oyster seed; they produce feedstuff algae to raise oysters; they sell that seed to other growers; they operate their own farms that grow-out seeds from adolescence -to- maturity; they aggregate & distribute mature oysters to diverse retailers and food service relationships – including their own restaurants; they invest in preserving and improving the marine ecological systems that grow their crops; they offer an experience for anyone to share-in the stories of their food with the community that produced it.

"Through its benefit for the economy. The social, cultural and gastronomic benefits that we all get, and all of the nutritional values this seafood offers. And, the environmental gain – which gets at the concept of adding value back into the ecosystem from which we depend on to produce good food. This all culminates in us supporting the concept of 'coastal communities', which is core to our mission and values at Island Creek Oysters," says Chris Sherman – ICO, CEO and Eisenhower Fellow.

How Regen Business Backs the Planet

As for environmental restoration, oysters grown not for consumption have become part of the equation for producers like ICO. Each mollusk can filter up-to 50 gallons of seawater a day, oysters bond together to create natural reefs that protect shorelines and cities, and these shellfish act as great neighbors in estuaries to keep oceans thriving with other keystone species and biodiversity. Sherman explains how they support NGO-backed restoration projects through a few different channels. But always interested in pushing the envelope, Sherman is evaluating how the farms can work in lockstep with restoration projects to instigate more environmental action for the industry.

"We harness the power of private industry and profit to scale environmental impact. One of the things that we focus on is validating some of the claims that we make as an industry about the positive impacts of commercial farms. The questions that we're trying to answer include: How do farms stack up to natural oyster reefs? How do farms compare to synthetic reefs brought online in restoration projects? How do we optimize nitrogen removal, and deliver habitat creation? Through scientific methods, we're on a path to quantify the ecosystem value of commercial shellfish farms," explains Sherman.

An Innovation Economy Supporting Community

Warner has built a creative business model that employs Maine lobsterman as her production team of this line-grown kelp coming from the clean, cold waters of the North Atlantic. With over 4000 boats working in the Maine lobster industry, Bri sees kelp production as a mutually beneficial relationship that offers existing boat owners a new revenue stream without requiring additional equipment or extensive operating expenses.

The approach has been so successful that when Warner first took over as CEO of Atlantic Sea farms in 2018 the company was sourcing 30,000 lbs. of seaweed a year. Now, after building-out the required processing infrastructure, finding new markets ripe for this next super-food, and via that creative approach to employ a lobstermen workforce in their off-season – Atlantic Sea Farms will harvest 1.2 Million lbs. of human-grade kelp this year alone. With plenty of capacity to grow. As we've seen in our stories before, there are many creative ideas generating on the innovation economies of Regen farms.

---

Listen-in to the full conversation with Bri, Chris, and Aaron as they discuss how we can achieve good for the people and planet through smarter ocean management on regenerative ocean farms.

ep. 104: Jonathan Webb || where tech embraces nature in controlled growing environments "To feed the population of 2050 we'll need to grow more food than we have in the entire history of human agriculture. That's what keeps me up at night. That's a need for more food than the previous 10,000 years of human food production combined," explains Jonathan Webb. A Kentucky native, Webb first made a name for himself in building-out clean energy infrastructure throughout Appalachia. In starting AppHarvest, Webb returned home to his Blue-Grass state roots to build-out a large-scale state-of-the-art value-based food production operation that is truly disrupting the apple cart. As you'll hear once again in this conversation, 'Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness'.

---

NEW EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SALAD PLATE & FRUIT BOWL Something that I found especially insightful in my conversation with Jonathan was his storyline about regional food systems. He draws-upon an analogy of shipping coal to support growth of cities and spawn progress. Cities in his region first began to thrive much thanks to the innovative supply chain that sourced consistent energy from the hills of Kentucky.

After years of learning about decentralized energy in the Solar industry, Webb leveraged a skill set gained in clean energy production and large-scale infrastructure to build-out and now source good food at scale in that region. Funny enough, it's once again all about a consistent source of 'energy-units' to make these cities thrive and prosper, but now that energy comes in the form of better quality, fresher, tastier, and vibrant fruit and veg. It's like a whole new green energy innovation economy spawning in the hills of Kentucky. Feeding neighbors, employing communities and having a net positive impact on the planet - this is a CORE SYSTEMS CHANGE in food production that takes the best that tech & nature have to offer.

--- With a consistent supply of fresh quality produce, Webb and AppHarvest are making inroads into key supply chains. Through affiliations, partnerships and ambassadors - AppHarvest is also making headway for the entire CEA industry on both Main Street and Wall Street. Utilizing a proven Dutch solution for large-scale horizontal glass-house production farms - AppHarvest will have all the capacity it needs to become real competition for fresh and frozen markets alike across the US. So, look out fellow patriots on either-side of the aisle, you're about to experience a Green-Energy-Revolution coming straight out of coal-country.

--- CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE (CEA) Once a regional market has been saturated with all kinds of good veg & fruits - AppHarvest can expand its footprint and grow into more. The Controlled Environment Ag (CEA) glass-house model that AppHavest has established is a turn-key scalable solution that will grow more good food in diverse regions in the United States for years to come.

New footprints can made available anywhere there's a market ripe with evolving consumer POV and new expectations for food. From what we learn from Webb, the positive impacts for this better quality, healthier, fresher, smarter, and safer foods can be, and should enjoyed by everyone in his region; your region; all regions, really. With this first dip-of-the-chip in Morehead, KY - AppHarvest has only just begun to 'Fight the good Food Fight'.

#SourcingMatters

ep. 103 guest: Jonathan LundgrenEcdysis Foundation founding Scientist/ Farmer

For ep. 103 we welcome Ecdysis Foundation founder, Jonathan Lundgren. What's really needed to frame-out mainstream adoption of regenerative – "it's good data," explains Dr. Lundgren. Good and accurate data coming from bleeding-edge scientific studies, in fact. So, in January 2022, the Ecdysis Foundation launched their 1000 (Regen) farm initiative as the most ambitious agroecology experiment ever conducted. The belief is that it's the scientific analysis on oodles of rich data coming from all kinds of different farms in different regions, footprints and crop types that will ignite a regenerative movement from a slow-burn evolution – into a revolution.

On-farm Scientific Analysis to Fuel the Regenerative Movement The millions of data-points coming from the 1000 Regen farms will be used to measure outcomes that are in accordance to best regenerative food production principles. Using a simple scoring matrix - they can already make some in-tune predictions for the farm's success. Lundgren says "The 1000 farm study is to establish a scientific spine that supports the transition to a regenerative food system."

ANGLE: The planet needs a paradigm shift in our approach to food. Nature has been shouldering the impact of externalities from input-based and extractive models of food production. In the contemporary world, that's just not going to cut it anymore. Demand for differentiated value-based food products is skyrocketing, and conventional commodities are melting under pressures and economic strain. GOLDEN NUGGETS: Bumping-up against planetary boundaries is the pressure-point that will change food. The solution begins with regenerative natural resource management on our farms, and with land use. Dr. Lundgren says that the straw that can stir the drink today is modern science. In his call to action to others in the scientific community, Lundgren sees an ecological enlightenment, "Scientists must connect with the problem that they are trying to solve. That means getting your hands dirty with agriculture."

Ep. 102: Land Use: Regen Ag & Soil Health -ft. Fred Kirschenmann

Fred Kirschenmann has been an agent-of-change in agriculture for five decades. His work at the Leopold Center at Iowa State University has introduced resilient farming practices to diverse stakeholders, and advanced the adoption of regenerative land management through building an awareness for soil health in the US breadbasket.

As President of the board at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY, Fred has worked with leaders from cuisine, food systems and production agriculture to establish a globally recognized epicenter of research and enrichment for food. As a whole, Fred's collective efforts to reconnect us with nature through food and its production elevates him to an iconic stature in a time of ecological enlightenment. Tune in to hear what this true-action-hero icon has to say about the movement in 2022 and beyond.

A statesman for a just and stable tomorrow. Every-time I sit down with Fred I learn something new. He's a philosopher and master craftsman of storytelling that has inspired many of us in the movement to take next steps in our own journeys. Despite holding multiple jobs, overseeing hundreds acres of farmland, and shouldering the weight of the world well into his 80s, Fred remains current on advancements and bleeding-edge research. Leveraging an impressive compendium of readings and on-going discussions with other iconic thought-leaders - Fred is a wealth of knowledge who continues to mold and sway new mindsets. This type of inspiration from action heroes like Fred serves up quality nourishment for the movement, and fuels deeper engagement.

When I first stewed over the startup idea to coax food values through the supply chain, Fred coached me to think systematically and to adapt my focus to incorporate different stakeholders in the equation. He challenged me to include soil health, regenerative land management practice and regional food systems into a single frame that would focus on the betterment for all parties involved. A decade later, we have a long way to go to reach betterment, but after sitting down and chatting with Fred in this latest end-of-2021 chapter, it's clear that the revolution has begun. IMO – what Fred has helped kindle over the last half century will reach a fever pitch within this next generation. I've seen first hand the inertia and passion of this generation to come. It's real and it's going to happen. Considering all of that, I've come to appreciate that how we produce our food and manage the living soil will ultimately determine the stability of the planet.

Folks don't follow new ideas alone. It's the leaders of these ideas that motivates others to act, and it is people that drive movements of change.

One thing is for sure, to stabilize this planet under threat we need to be do a better job listening to more of our iconic leaders - like Fred. Folks who've lived-it; folks with real chops in delivering "betterment" to more. For a more just and prosperous tomorrow, we need to listen to folks that know about instituting nature-based solutions. The folks worth their salt; the ones with unique wisdom worthy of leading they movement are the action heroes who bring real solutions to the table.

An infomercial for Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Health, after hearing from an icon of food system and ecological change - be inspired to take the next step in your journey.

Key Takeaways…

EPISODE RECAP:

• LAND USE: regenerative agriculture is proper on-farm natural resource management
• HUMAN HEALTH: soil health harmonizes with gut health: microflora not too much different than soil
• CIRCULAR ECONOMY: investing in soil health results in positive human & public health, planetary stability
• LABOR: the future farming workforce wants to grow food for each other, and not commodities

WHAT GOOD SOIL OFFERS:

Soil is the lifeblood of every successful civilization. The positive results and impact of good soil health from regenerative land management practices include:

• Perpetual food production
• Carbon Banking & Planetary Stability
• No chemical and synthetic runoffs
• Cleaner / health living environment for all stakeholders
• Enhances nature and biodiversity
• Sweet water Storage and clarity

GABE BROWN'S 5 PRINCIPLES OF REGENERATIVE:

To get us there we need a new operating model to land management. Especially when it comes to the way we produce our food, we need a new operating model to land management. Here are the pillars to support change our relationship with nature and each other.

1. No disturbance (no-till, no-synthetics)
2. Bolstering Soil's Natural Defense (the outer-layer protecting all that life)
3. Bio-diversity (marrying nature's way keeps the system healthy)
4. A living root in the ground as long as possible (cover-crops & seasonal diversity)
5. Animal & Insect integration (nature relies on the entire system working together)

..

@StoneBarns

www.SourcingMatters.show

Ep. 101: Will Shafroth – National Park Foundation, CEO & President ||

Proper land use and natural resource management on public lands is a mechanism to foster greater planetary stability. Joining as guest of episode 101 is the President and CEO of the National Park Foundation, Will Shafroth. Throughout the 45 minute conversation we explore how exposure, experience and immersion into the US National Parks changes mindsets for the better. We hear how enlightenment, empathy and environmental consciousness is presented each and every year to over 330 million visitors in 423 National Parks. Spanning all 50 states, the parks encompass 84 million acres, 2400 historical sites, 17K miles of trails and 43K miles of shoreline, and are available to us all as a public service.

Wallace Stegner famously called the National Parks "America's Best Idea". Will Shafroth and his team at the National Park Foundation (NPF) believe that this best idea should be common grounds available to each and everyone no matter background or history. Under Shafroth's leadership, the National Park Foundation has spawned numerous initiatives to foster inclusion for all audiences and to cater to those who have been often overlooked in previous generations of visitors. Owning "the Good, the Bad and the Ugly" of National Parks and US History, Shafroth looks to the wide array of Parks, Sites and Monuments as learning laboratories and living classrooms that will progress social and environmental solutions for decades to come.

The vast majority of the National Parks remain untouched wilderness. This wilderness combined with smart land use and proper natural resource management will help stabilize a planet under threat by coming at a new world from a few different angles. Not only will these public lands (with a collective footprint about the size of Montana) clean water, sequester & bank carbon, and nurture biodiversity, but the National Parks offer these living classrooms for deeper understanding and appreciation for the all important Nature-Based Solutions to climate change. Ultimately, reconnecting more of us with natural order is a required next step in (climate) action to mitigate climate change.

In feeding our souls by reconnecting us with Nature and with each other, the public lands of our National Parks can teach us about who we were, who we are now, and what we can become if we strive for a more just and balanced future.

www.SourcingMatters.show

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project

Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.

This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.

We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.

EPISODE EIGHT:

Join the Conversation

Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Dr. Agnes Kalibata, UN Special Envoy for Food System Summit

_______

'Laying Down Tracks' ep.8:

What better way to finish off the UN FSS Pre-Summit than to listen to the last episode of the Laying Down Tracks series with guest and UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit, Dr. Agnes Kalibata. This episode touches on a lot of ground but focuses on the importance of the summit being a "people's summit" and on the significance of having all voices be part of the Summit process to achieve true food systems transformation and meet all 17 SDG's.

Whatever problem a country or community is struggling with there is a solution to match. "The fact that too many people are going hungry does not mean that we aren't producing enough. The challenge is in the inequities that live in our food systems. Through the solution clusters we have been able to mobilize and identify game changing ideas that have been consolidated into 52 solutions," says Dr. Kalibata as she describes how these innovative solutions can help solve specific challenges in Food Systems.

Don't miss this last episode on the importance of all actors coming together for true food system transformation and learn more about Dr. Kalibata's journey on how she came to be so passionate about helping bring this change.

https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks

www.SourcingMatters.show

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project

Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.

This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.

We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.

EPISODE SEVEN:

Good Food For All

Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Paul Polman, Co-founder & Chair at IMAGINE Guest: Chantelle Nicholson, chef owner at Tredwells and All's Well

_______

'Laying Down Tracks' ep.7:

"If you work in silos you will never get these changes implemented because the farmer can't afford it, but if big corporations come to work together across the value chain; you create value at a different level," says influencer, businessman and campaigner, Paul Polman. This latest episode is all about how to build a food system that's dedicated to nutrition and health of people and the planet.

Joining in this conversation is Chef, writer, and regenerative food system advocate, Chantelle Nicholson, who talks about the importance of consciousness as the first step and asking questions on where do you buy your food and how many plants are you eating a week, as something we can all do to bring in more good food for all.

Listen to this conversation with Paul, Chantelle, and Aaron as they discuss how we can achieve good for the people and planet, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.

https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks

www.SourcingMatters.show

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project

Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.

This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.

We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.

EPISODE SIX:

Food for all Corners of the Planet

Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Co-host: Ruth Richardson, Executive Director for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and Chair of Food Systems Champions Network Guest: Helianti Hilman, Founder and Executive Chairperson at Javara, and a Food Systems Champion

_______

'Laying Down Tracks' ep.6:

Hope and true collaboration will help drive food system change and stabilize our planet. "Different people have different ways of thinking of food systems and that's why I am such an advocate on building these systems on values and principles. This is what is going to lead us to a much more hopeful future," says the Co-host and Executive Director for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and Chair of Food Systems Champions Network, Ruth Richardson. This latest episode is all about diverse interests coming together to produce food for all corners of the planet. Food system transformation requires a true multi-stakeholder initiative to really make it work.

Joining in this conversation as guest is the Founder and Executive Chairperson at Javara, and a Food Systems Champion, Helianti Hilman who talks about the importance of building the whole supply chain on true collaboration, diversity, inclusion, and respectful relationships with farmers and producers to create true system change.

Listen to this conversation with Ruth, Helianti and host Aaron Niederhelman as they discuss how food systems connect us all and must be built on values to lead us all to a much more hopeful future, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.

https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks

www.SourcingMatters.show

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project

Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.

This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.

We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.

SPECIAL EPISODE:

Food Solutions for the Forcibly Displaced

Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Valerie Newsom Guarnieri, WFP Assistant Executive Director Guest: Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner of Operations at the UNHCR Guest: Malish James, WFP Storyteller refugee

_______

'Laying Down Tracks' special episode:

It's World Refugee Day and we are bringing to you a special encore episode to tune into. This episode touches on the importance of creating an environment of self-reliance for the more than 80 million people displaced worldwide – approximately the population of Germany. "People leave their home because of food insecurity and then results in even more food insecurity because they cannot produce anymore," says the Assistant High Commissioner of Operations at the UNHCR, Raouf Mazou.

Episode guest and WFP Assistant Executive Director, Valerie Newsom, similarly echoes the importance of creating self-reliance: "A big problem for a lot of refugees is access to land. One exciting solution we have been working on is adapting a low-tech hydroponics technique that allow people to grow food in impossible places. Whenever there is an opportunity with a little bit of land for refugees to grow some of their food needs, we take that opportunity."

Listen to this conversation with Raouf, Valerie, and WFP Storyteller refugee Malish James as they discuss who the forcibly displaced really represent and why we are seeing such an increase in number, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.

https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks

www.SourcingMatters.show

a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project

Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.

This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.

We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.

EPISODE FIVE:

System Resilience

Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast Guest: Nate Mook, CEO of World Central Kitchen

_______

'Laying Down Tracks' ep.5:

What better way to celebrate Sustainable Gastronomy Day than to listen to the latest episode of Laying Down Tracks? This episode touches on the importance of bringing resilience into food systems transformation as one of the most vital things to enable communities to bounce back from a crises and environmental shock.

"Food too often is seen as a commodity, as an object. It is often seen as a logistical problem. But it is about sharing a fresh nourishing plate to uplift spirits and make people feel like things will get better," says CEO for World Central Kitchen, Nate Mook, who discusses with host Aaron the importance of shifting how we respond to crisis.

Listen to this conversation on the importance of building resilience to vulnerabilities and creating long term food security, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.

https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks

www.SourcingMatters.show