In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, Conan interviews Melissa Baer from Backstory Tech, who shares her journey from growing up on an organic farm in Canada to starting a tech company focused on building brand trust in the food industry. We discuss the importance of marketing in agriculture, the challenges of understanding consumer preferences and  the need for collaboration within the industry. 

https://www.backstorytech.com/about-us⁠

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, host Conan interviews John Niezen, an expert in dairy farming and agricultural research. John shares his extensive background, including his experiences in various countries and the importance of understanding farmer insights in agricultural practices. The conversation delves into his research and the challenges of parasite management in sheep, the role of pasture species, and the significance of soil health. John also shares his extensive experience in dairy farming across various countries, discussing the challenges and innovations in the industry and offers insights into improving dairy nutrition and animal welfare.

To connect with John:

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, Conan speaks with Greg Mumm, a first-generation farmer from Kangaroo Valley, Australia. Greg shares his journey from a professional rugby coaching to pursuing his dream of farming at the age of 40. He discusses the challenges and learning experiences of running a regenerative farm, the importance of community and family values, and the innovative approach he is taking with dairy beef.

Siobhan Griffin has managed and owned farms for 30 years in New York State and Vermont where she delved into organic and holistic regenerative management of dairy cattle and finishing beef. With the goal of producing healthy food for families, she built a solar powered cheese plant on her farm and learned quickly that healthy cows on healthy, diverse grassland supported the best tasting cheese and meat.  She relocated to New Zealand in 2017 and now lives at Ridgepark Farm with her partner and 4200 ewes on 400 hectares. She plans to spend the next chapter of her life keeping pastoral farmers on the land by helping them be more profitable and teaching them how to use their livestock to heal the land and build carbon in the soil as grazing coach.

In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with two of the founders of Verdi, Nic Conland and Jason Cruise. Verdi provides New Zealand farmers the opportunity to improve soil health and earn income through soil carbon credits. We cover the importance of soil carbon, their verification process, the opportunity for NZ farmers and the country and a whole lot more.

https://verdi.nz/

Andrew Savage is today's guest on the podcast who has created Savage Rural Consulting to help agribusinesses simplify and optimise their business and goals. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including farming experiences, agribusiness consulting, NLP, money mindset, and the challenges faced by farmers. We discussed the impact of values, beliefs, and biases on decision-making and the importance of recognizing and addressing these factors.

For episode 10, I decided to celebrate my first year in business by recording a podcast sharing a bit of insight into what I have learnt or aim learning as a business owner and how that applies to agricultural businesses. 

In this episode I talk to the creator of the Miti Beef Bar and founder of Alps to Ocean Foods, Daniel Carson. Daniel explains the concept behind Alps to Ocean Foods, which focuses on utilizing young dairy beef to create a low-carbon, high-value meat snack and protein bar. He highlights the opportunities for scale and innovation in the manufacturing beef market and the potential benefits for farmers and the environment and the potential for New Zealand to capture more value in the meat snacks market.

In episode 8 I speak with Tim Gieseke EcoCommerce company in Minnesota, USA. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-gieseke-215392239/

In episode 7 I speak with John King from Succession. John is a certified Holistic Management® educator who travels throughout New Zealand to talk with and teach groups and individuals to manage holistically and tap into regenerative farming techniques. 

Johns Book: https://www.facebook.com/people/Curiosity-Farmers-Discovering-What-Works/100090138104100/