The People of Soil Health

Host, John Mesko, sits down with Darrick Steen to learn how Missouri Corn and Missouri Soybean support the organizations' farmer members – especially when it comes to soil health and environmental stewardship. Darrick shares how he went from growing up on a turkey farm to helping crop farmers achieve success, how the Missouri Strip Trial Program impacts nutrient management in the region, and why he values tag-teaming with the Soil Health Partnership.

Host, John Mesko, sits down with Kent Solberg to uncover all the ways diversity in farming operations helps improve soil health. Kent Solberg is a livestock and grazing specialist for the Sustainable Farming Association, as well as a field consultant for Understanding Ag – all in addition to being a farmer himself. He is passionate about incorporating plant and livestock diversity into farms, in order to optimize environmental improvements, productivity and profitability. This is a in-depth and fascinating conversation about the far-reaching impact farming can have (locally and beyond) and one you won't want to miss.

Host, John Mesko, talks with Randy Dell – soil health and nutrient strategy manager with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – about the dynamics between farmers and landowners when it comes to discussing different conservation practices. They dive into the barriers that get in the way of these conversations, the demographics of non-operating landowners, and tools/best practices farmers can use when talking to their landowners about sustainability and conservation practices (including approaches to improving soil health).

Host, John Mesko, talks with Wayne Honeycutt, CEO of the Soil Health Institute. They discuss what the Soil Health Institute is working on, including analyzing each aspect of soil health and figuring out how to increase farmer adoption. SHI is working on programs to quantify the business case for farmers and identify the best measurements and tools for farmers to select management practices that improve soil health.

Show notes

Host, John Mesko, talks with Debbie Reed, executive director of the Ecosystems Services Market Consortium (ESMC), a market designed to sell carbon, water quality and water quantity credits for the agriculture sector. The ESMC considers agriculture an incredibly important component of natural resource preservation and enhancement in our country and helps farmers capitalize on their environmental investments.

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Jim Isermann, SHP Field Manager for Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, talks with host John Mesko uncovering the first-ever 2019 Cover Crops Planting Report. The Cover Crop Planting Report consists of answers from 80 farmers that participated in SHP programs in 2019. Those 80 farmers live in eleven different states and provided information about the cover crops that they seeded last year. Listen in to learn more, and download the full 2019 Cover Crops Planting Report.

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Elyssa McFarland, Iowa farmer and SHP Development Manager talked with John Mesko about the future of soil health. As a farmer, she sees anecdotal changes on her farm due to the soil health management practices she's incorporated. As a researcher, she is really interested in being able to measure and track the changes and tie them to outcomes on the farm. In Elyssa's mind, soil health is the new frontier in agriculture.

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Jay Watson, Sourcing Sustainability Engagement Manager for General Mills, chats with host John Mesko about why General Mills is so invested in soil health. He believes focusing on soil health and improving natural resources is a win-, win-, win for the producers, for the environment, and for downstream food companies.

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Mike Jordan, a wheat farmer in Kansas, joined the Soil Health Partnership to gain access to expertise and see if he could make cover crops work on his farm after a few years of trying it on his own with only minimal success. After years of inconsistent success with cover crops, Mike is taking a new approach.

Episode show notes

Kristin Poley, SHP Michigan Research Manager, is focused on building research partnerships that help answer key soil health and water quality questions. She leverages Michigan's diverse regions to examine the many challenges and motivations farmers experience while trying to build soil health.

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