Today’s episode brings you a story that sits right at the intersection of grit, service, and the regenerative future of our military installations. And it starts with a spark—one that Angela Czaja noticed long before the Department of War ever cared about cattle, soil health, or regenerative grazing.

As Angela puts it:

That spark eventually became one of the most unconventional, disruptive, and frankly needed ideas to hit the national security space in decades: using regenerative livestock management as a tool to harden military installations, restore degraded training lands, and create meaningful pathways for transitioning service members.

Angela joins us today to give the inside view—not the thesis version, not the policy deck, but the family-level, marriage-level, move-across-the-country-three-times-with-kids-in-tow version—of what it really took to build what is now the Regenerative Grazing Open-Air Lab at Camp San Luis Obispo.

In this conversation, you’ll hear how a dairy-farm kid from Wisconsin ends up shaping one of the most interesting ag-meets-national-security projects in the country… why livestock became a lifeline of purpose during her husband's transition from the Army Special Forces… and how their family’s faith, resilience, and service-driven mindset turned a wild idea into a model the Pentagon is now watching closely.

You can also watch the short documentary produced by Peter Byck on YouTube here.

Enjoy!

Our guest, Karl Palmberg from Sunlight and Rain Grass-fed Beef, is a man whose life has been shaped by service—first in the Air Force, flying F-16s, and now on the family farm, where he’s building a legacy of regenerative agriculture.

Karl’s story is a powerful reminder that the transition from military service to farming isn’t just about changing careers; it’s about finding a calling that brings deep satisfaction and a sense of duty to something greater than oneself.

As Karl puts it, “Being able to figure out how to feed people nutritious food gives a lot of job satisfaction whereas some of my peers end up doing other jobs that pay a lot more, but don’t give that kind of sense of meaning and purpose. And if I had to choose one, I choose the one that I have right now.”

Have a listen as we dive into Karl’s journey, his intentional approach to farming and grazing, and the lessons he’s learned along the way about purpose, service, and the enduring connection between veterans and the land.

Let's get into it!

Today’s guest is Juan Whiting— President of the Hinterland Institute, fourth generation farmer and rancher, and Army Reserve Civil Affairs officer. Juan has a masters degree in international development and prior to the Hinterland Institute and Stray Acres, he spent eight years in East Africa working on a regenerative ag movement.

Today, Juan is on a mission to transform how we steward 26 million acres of Department of Defense land.

Juan isn’t just talking about giving veterans a hobby farm or a soft landing. As he puts it, “we don’t just need to bring young people into agriculture. You need to bring in young people that can actually get the job done.”

In this episode, you’ll hear how Juan and his team are building partnerships with base commanders, regenerative producers, and veterans to regenerate rangelands, feed troops from local installations, and develop the next generation of “regenerates” – veterans trained and equipped to manage the land regeneratively.

This is a bold vision for national security, rural revival, and veteran opportunity – all rolled into one.

Lets get into it!

Today’s guest is James Triplett—Army veteran, youth pastor, former diesel mechanic, and now co-lead of a dynamic regenerative farm in Mississippi.

James isn’t here to play it safe. He’s here to talk about what it really means to hit rock bottom—and climb back out with purpose. From surviving suicidal ideation to managing 800 acres of rotationally grazed livestock in Mississippi, his story is proof that healing can happen on the land—but only if you’re willing to do the work.

As James says:

“I’m not chasing my dreams. I’m walking in my purpose.”

In this episode, you’ll hear how James went from rock-bottom to running Etta Hills Farm alongside the son of regenerative ag specialist Dr. Allen Williams. We dig into soil, business, faith, and why teaching ag to kids might be one of the most powerful things we can do for the next generation.

Let’s get into it.

Today’s episode is the second and final part of our conversation with Allan Savory, founder of the Savory Institute and one of the most influential voices in holistic management.

In Part 1, we covered Allan’s military background, his early ecological work in Africa, and the institutional resistance he faced when challenging deeply held beliefs in both science and policy. Today, we pick up with the practical side of his life’s work—how livestock, when properly managed, can regenerate land, restore biodiversity, and stabilize food systems.

As Allan said in our conversation:

“If your toolbox is empty, what are you going to do? There is nothing else in the human toolbox to reverse desertification other than properly managed livestock.”

We’ll talk about what holistic management really means, why rewilding isn’t enough, and how large-scale land restoration is not only possible—it’s happening.

You’ll also hear Allan’s thoughts on how military veterans can play a pivotal role in this movement, and why institutions—military, academic, and environmental—need to be radically restructured to meet today’s ecological challenges.

Let’s get back into it—Part 2 with Allan Savory starts now.

Today’s episode is the first in a special two-part series with a guest whose work has shaped the way millions think about land, livestock, and leadership.

Allan Savory is a legend in the regenerative agriculture world—founder of the Savory Institute, developer of the holistic management framework, and a lifelong challenger of convention.

From growing up in war-torn Rhodesia to commanding combat tracking units, and later reshaping global agricultural theory, Allan’s story is as unconventional as it is urgent.

As Allan says in today’s episode:

"Without agriculture, you cannot have a choir. You cannot have a church. You cannot have a university. You cannot have an economy. You cannot have a government. You cannot have an army. You cannot have anything. It is the very foundation of civilization."

In Part 1, we cover his early military service, his time as a young wildlife ecologist tasked with protecting massive swaths of African rangeland, and the origin of holistic management—how it was born not from theory, but from a lifetime of ecological and military observation under fire. We also dive deep into how institutional ego, flawed beliefs, and academic dogma continue to stand in the way of solving global desertification and food insecurity.

This isn’t your typical ag conversation—and it’s not meant to be. It's bold, unfiltered, and driven by a mission that started decades before most of us ever heard the word “regenerative.”

Enjoy Part 1 with Allan Savory.

“Holy cow, there's this big gap. There's this big gap of not having that data at the ground level of farms. The big ag companies only can get so far. They don't know exactly what's happening on the ground with soil and crops and pests and disease and so forth.”

In this episode, I sat down with Tom Gauthier, a former nuclear, biological and chemical specialist with the US Army and the CEO of AgTechLogic.

Tom doesn’t just talk about precision spraying trends or sugar coated aspects of entrepreneurship —he pulls back the curtain on what it's really like to build a mission-driven agtech company from the ground up, while staying grounded in both his military roots and a practical, field-based understanding of farming.

In this episode, we break down how Tom and his team are combining chlorophyll fluorescence sensors with real-time data capture and AI-enhanced analytics — not just to spot-spray weeds, but to identify things like standing water, detect disease early, and even feed actionable intel back into the supply chain.

We get into questions like:

You’ll hear how AgTechLogic’s precision spraying systems are helping producers save hundreds of gallons of crop protection products per application.

This is a candid conversation about earning trust, staying adaptable, and leading with humility.

Let’s get into it.

“We understood that when you start looking at food miles—how far your food has traveled and who's producing it—and when you realize that there are four companies that control 85% of the animal protein sold in the United States, that's really concerning to me from a national security standpoint, especially when those companies are not all American-owned”

Today’s episode is Part 2 of our conversation with retired Army Sergeant Major Kara Rutter.

In Part 1, Kara shared her unexpected journey through military service—from insisting on becoming a cook, to cooking for Secretary Rumsfeld, to representing the U.S. military overseas in some of the most strategically important regions of the world. We left off as Kara and her husband Matt had just found their 20-acre farm in Aiken, South Carolina and were beginning to turn their post-military life into something new.

In Part 2, we pick up with a powerful discussion on food systems, national security, and what it could take to localize protein sourcing for military bases. Kara shares her thoughts on decentralizing food supply chains, the vulnerabilities exposed during COVID, and why she sees food as a matter of strategic defense.

We also dive into the creation of Project Victory Gardens, their nonprofit focused on helping veterans become farmers, the success of their “farmer boot camp,” and a deeper look at their new agritourism incubator program.

If you're interested in how veterans are reshaping agriculture—not just for themselves but for their communities—this episode is for you.

Enjoy!

“I’ve worked in a lot of countries around the world, in the defense attaché system, and then in later positions. There is a cost of doing business in certain parts of the world”

Today’s conversation is a special two-part series featuring retired Army Sergeant Major Kara Rutter. From her beginnings as an Army cook—despite everyone telling her not to take the job—to working in the Secretary of Defense’s mess, and later serving as part of the Defense Attaché system in Ukraine, Kenya, and Namibia, Kara brings a unique and strategic perspective to both military service and food systems.

In Part 1 of our conversation, Kara walks us through her journey from enlisting in the Army to traveling the world in high-level diplomatic roles. We talk about what it was like to cook for Secretary Rumsfeld, sit as a fly on the wall as strategic decisions played out in the early days of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and see firsthand how global policy is shaped. Kara also shares her transition out of the military and how she and her husband landed on a 20-acre property in Aiken, South Carolina—fencing pastures, collecting “practice animals,” and building a new chapter on their farm.

This episode sets the stage for a larger conversation about national food security, agritourism, and veteran-led farming. In Part 2, we’ll pick up with Kara’s take on using cattle and local food systems to support military bases, and how that led to the founding of Project Victory Gardens and the creation of veteran-focused boot camps and agritourism incubators.

For now, settle in for Part 1 with Kara Rutter—it's a story of service and the earliest seeds of something much bigger.

Lets get into it.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned in both the military and agriculture is that success isn’t just about what you know—it’s about who you surround yourself with. If you build the right team and focus on the mission, you can accomplish just about anything.”

In this episode, I’m joined by Charley Jordan, a retired US Army aviator and Special Operations veteran who has channeled his military experience into a thriving career in floriculture and veteran mentorship.

Charley shares his journey from flying MH-47 Chinooks with the 160th Special Operations Aviation unit to building Jordan Farms in Tennessee, where he grows specialty flowers for his community. We talk about the challenges of transitioning out of the military, the importance of mentorship, and how programs like TN AgVols are helping veterans step into agriculture with confidence.

If you’re a veteran looking to carve out your place in agriculture or just want to hear an inspiring story of resilience and reinvention, this episode is for you. Let’s get into it