Episodes

  • Episode 184: The Crisis of Blandness in Agriculture with Mark Schatzker

    Episode 184: The Crisis of Blandness in Agriculture with Mark Schatzker
    Jul 9 2026

    Mark Schatzker's path into food science and journalism began in 1997 when an unforgettable Chilean steak completely changed his perspective on taste. Armed with a degree in philosophy, he became obsessed with understanding why standard North American food had lost its flavor. This curiosity sparked a decades-long global journey investigating the deep connection between soil quality, plant genetics, animal nutrition, and culinary excellence.

    Today, Mark is the acclaimed author of three groundbreaking books—Steak, The Dorito Effect, and The End of Craving. Beyond his writing, he collaborates on clinical neuroscience and physiology research at Yale University and the University of Bristol. His current initiatives focus on studying how artificial flavorings, declining crop nutrient density, and a degraded food environment physically alter human brain chemistry, cravings, and overall public health.

    In this episode, John and Mark discuss:

    • How modern agriculture's intense focus on yield has accidentally bred the natural flavor and nutrition out of whole foods.

    • The internal wisdom livestock use to actively seek out specific nutrients when grazing diverse, healthy pastures.

    • How synthetic flavorings are engineered in factories to trick human brain chemistry into a cycle of overconsumption.

    • The direct link between Advancing Eco Agriculture's focus on soil microbiomes and the creation of truly flavorful, nutrient-dense crops.

    • The stark differences between commodity-driven bulk food markets and traditional food cultures like those in Italy and Japan.

    • How regenerative growers can leverage exceptional crop flavor to command higher value and disrupt standard commodity markets.

    Resources
    To learn more about Mark's work and purchase his books, please visit: https://www.markschatzker.com/new-page-1

    To follow Mark's ongoing research and writing, check out his Substack: https://markschatzker.substack.com/

    About John Kempf
    John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.

    Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

    Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
    Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
    AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

    Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.

    Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
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    52 mins
  • Episode 183: Overcoming the Ammonium Death Spiral with Jim Dunlop

    Episode 183: Overcoming the Ammonium Death Spiral with Jim Dunlop
    Jul 2 2026

    Jim Dunlop is a senior agronomist with Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) whose journey into agriculture began after serving in the Marine Corps. He used the GI Bill to study biology and chemistry at CSU Stanislaus. While there, he started a CSA farm in the Yosemite foothills, which grew significantly as he collaborated with organic growers. Jim later managed a pasture livestock operation on California's Central Coast and spent a year traveling the country in an RV to visit diverse farms. He eventually settled in Oregon's Columbia Gorge, transitioning from a compost facility to managing orchards for Mike Omeg, where he first discovered AEA.

    Today, Jim is working to build the AEA business in the Pacific Northwest. He works with conventional and organic growers across a variety of crops, including tree fruit, berries, vegetables, and livestock pasture. In his role, Jim uses his years of experience, sap analysis and AI to pinpoint plant metabolic bottlenecks, helping growers overcome environmental stress and unlock peak crop performance.

    In this episode, John and Jim discuss:
    • How adding small amounts of sugar to foliar sprays stops a destructive "ammonium death spiral" by balancing nitrogen and raising sap pH.
    • How addressing a plant's foundational sugar and boron levels successfully unlocks calcium movement into new leaves far better than heavy doses of foliar calcium alone.
    • The way using AEA's pre-mixed nutrient blends rather than standard tank mixing helps farmers cut application costs while achieving identical sap movement.
    • The impressive field trial results of AEA's Pinion product in successfully making powdery mildew less active in highly susceptible conventional cherry orchards.
    • The powerful synergy of pairing fertigation and foliar applications together to trigger rapid shoot growth and maximize fruit size.
    Resources To learn about working with AEA, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/land/consulting/ To buy and see what Pinion can do for you, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/ To buy SeaStim, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/seastim-gal-p685008/

    About John Kempf
    John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.

    Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

    Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
    Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
    AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

    Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.

    Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
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    59 mins
  • Podcast Extra: Ask Me Anything with John Kempf - June 4, 2026

    Podcast Extra: Ask Me Anything with John Kempf - June 4, 2026
    Jun 18 2026
    In this Podcast Extra, Join John as he answers a wide range of grower-submitted questions covering challenges in agriculture. The discussion focuses on managing high summer leaf temperatures, optimizing organic nitrogen budgets, and navigating severe base saturation imbalances. John emphasizes the critical connection between precise crop nutrition, active soil biology, and the natural suppression of destructive diseases and pests. Other topics discussed include: Distinguishing between air temperature and leaf temperature, highlighting how a healthy wax lipid layer lowers a plant's canopy temperature by 8 to 10 degrees. Managing the photorespiration process in C3 and C4 plants to prevent protein degradation and the buildup of high ammonium levels. Utilizing trace amounts of nickel (3 to 10 grams per acre) as an essential enzyme cofactor to rapidly lower ammonium in plant sap. Applying Rejuvenate as a foliar tool to provide stressed crops with carbohydrates, enzymes, and high-energy compounds. Addressing low magnesium and potassium in soils with extreme calcium base saturation using targeted applications. Citing historical 1960s data on fire blight indicating the disease cannot establish when sap sucrose levels remain above a 22–26% threshold.Restructuring high-chloride potato programs by pairing Rebound micronutrients with Holo-K, SeaShield, and SeaStim.Remediating the typical "burnt leaf tips" on garlic by satisfying the crop's unusually high molybdenum requirement. Evaluating the limitations of indigenous microorganisms (IMOs) and acknowledging that 90% of living soil microbes require active plant roots to propagate. Deploying PhotoMag to optimize plant sap ratios, delivering magnesium, sulfur, molybdenum, and boron to efficiently convert excess ammonium into complete proteins . Advocating for a national food policy focused on nutritional quality and farmer economic viability over cheap, abundant food. Utilizing MacroPack and MicroPack within target foliar combinations to halt disease progression. Understanding why high-salt content fertilizers solubilize trace minerals and leach them down the soil profile over a 20- to 40-year period. Additional Resources: To learn more about managing nutrition during Critical Points of Influence, please watch this webinar. To learn more about how optimizing foliar applications, please watch this webinar. To learn more about AEA's Integrity Grown program, please listen to this podcast episode. To hear John and Michael McNeill's conversations, please listen to this podcast episode. About John Kempf A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits. Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide. Visit https://advancingecoag.com to learn more.
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    57 mins
  • Episode 182: Reclaiming Independence from Corporate Meat with Cole Mannix

    Episode 182: Reclaiming Independence from Corporate Meat with Cole Mannix
    Jun 12 2026

    Cole Mannix is a multi-generational rancher from central and western Montana who serves as the founder of Old Salt, a vertically integrated startup enterprise. Coming from a background rooted in mountain grazing and extensive holistic management, Cole spent decades working alongside his family and regional producers to optimize ecological function, riparian health, and predator coexistence on their expansive home landscapes.

    Recognizing the vulnerabilities ranching families face as processing and retail channels become increasingly consolidated, Cole launched Old Salt to construct an alternative ecosystem of localized market power. Under his leadership, Old Salt has grown to incorporate a membership of ranches operating alongside processing hubs, a direct e-commerce engine, local restaurants, and an annual community festival hosted directly on his family's ranch. Cole is dedicated to creating experiential, relational marketplaces that adequately reward producers, support active workforce ownership, and increase the sheer volume of passionate hearts and hands managing the landscape.

    In this episode, John and Cole discuss:

    • How Cole engineered an LLC model with cooperative principles to access external capital without risking members' family lands.

    • Constructing a vertically integrated market to disrupt highly consolidated, downstream corporate meat packing and processing monopolies.

    • Establishing regional slaughter facilities and custom restaurants to stabilize profit margins and balance animal carcasses locally.

    • Rerouting financial value directly back upstream to give independent ranchers viable financial alternatives to commodity supply chains.

    • Why integrating livestock back into modern cropping systems is restricted by structural barriers like missing fences and scarce water infrastructure.

    • Creating parallel government incentive programs focused on funding active farm labor rather than subsidizing crop insurance yields.
    Additional Resources
    To learn more about Cole's ranch, please visit: mannixbeef.com
    To learn more about Old Salt Co Op, please visit: oldsaltco-op.com/

    About John Kempf
    John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.

    Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

    Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
    Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
    AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

    Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.

    Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Episode 181: Plant Immunity Through Custom Foliars and Targeted Nutrition with Peter Henry

    Episode 181: Plant Immunity Through Custom Foliars and Targeted Nutrition with Peter Henry
    Jun 5 2026
    Peter Henry is a first-generation farmer who manages a diverse, seven-hectare operation in the mountainous terrain of Puerto Rico alongside a dedicated four-person workforce. He transitioned to agriculture during the pandemic after a successful career as a tech executive and startup vice president, initially purchasing the abandoned land with the intent of establishing a shade-grown specialty coffee farm. After encountering significant challenges with his initial coffee crops, Peter successfully shifted his operation toward passion fruit and a highly specialized niche market growing traditional African heirloom vegetables and tubers for buyers in the United States and Canada. Peter focuses heavily on biological soil health and precise nutritional balance instead of conventional chemical applications. He works closely with Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) to run on-farm trials and design sophisticated nutritional programs using AEA's data-driven inputs. By utilizing rigorous soil testing to address extreme iron and manganese imbalances, Peter designs custom foliar stacks delivered through a specialized micro-sprinkler system to proactively build plant immunity and suppress heavy tropical disease pressure. In this episode, John and Peter discuss: How Peter manages a complex landscape by separating the farm into distinct irrigation sectors to address vastly different soil mineral profiles on opposite sides of a river . Utilizing an aggressive pre-planting soil amendment strategy that combines lime and custom humic-complexed fertilizers based on comprehensive soil tests . How the operation completely avoids synthetic nitrogen applications because excess nitrogen immediately triggers insect pressure and fungal blights across his pepper and okra crops . Peter designing an innovative micro-sprinkler trellis system to broadcast humics and biology over multiple hectares in just over an hour . Mixing AEA's Humacarb, HoloPhos, and Spectrum directly into the irrigation system to actively inoculate both the soil and plant foliage with beneficial microbes . How running an on-farm trial of AEA's Pinion product for six weeks successfully eliminated severe bacterial leaf spot and stem issues on highly susceptible heirloom bell pepper crops . Integrating AEA's Rebound Copper alongside Rebound Molybdenum to completely reverse visual deficiencies and provide a dramatic greening effect on the farm's terraced pepper fields . Utilizing AEA's SeaShield and MacroPak to safely deliver trace organic nitrogen and essential amino acids without overriding the plants' reproductive cycles . Additional Resources To follow Peter's farm on Instagram, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/imfarmerpete/ or imfarmerpete on the app. To learn more about AEA's products, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com To learn more about AEA's Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/ About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits. Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide. Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Episode 180: Shifting Management Logistics to Build a Better Lifestyle with Tom Cotter

    Episode 180: Shifting Management Logistics to Build a Better Lifestyle with Tom Cotter
    May 28 2026
    Tom Cotter is a third-generation farmer from Austin in southeast Minnesota who operates a diverse operation alongside his family and brother-in-law, Tony. He began farming with his dad in 1994 under a purely conventional system characterized by full tillage and routine chemical applications. Tom's journey into soil health began unexpectedly when his father purchased a tile plow and they noticed how much easier the equipment pulled—and how much better subsequent yields were—following a 20-acre test planting of rapeseed cover crops. Today, Tom manages an operation encompassing 340 acres of certified organic ground, 430 acres of conventional no-till ground, and an 80-acre pasture. Driven by a desire to cut input costs and work with nature, Tom has successfully integrated a five-way crop rotation with multi-species cover crop mixes and intensive grass-finished livestock grazing. He is passionate about helping his local community and fellow producers, actively collaborating with the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition to host annual field days and food health days. In this episode, John and Tom discuss: A small trial of rapeseed in the 1990s that dramatically improved soil structure, earthworm populations, and subsequent corn yields. How integrating a 40-way cover crop mix and livestock triggered a massive biological explosion of 25 to 30 earthworms per shovelful. Balancing organic and conventional no-till acres using a simple plus-and-minus grading system to track soil health trends. Grazing livestock on crop ground for up to 10 months out of the year to cut feed costs and to act as a natural, variable-rate fertilizer system. Shifting to an adaptive multi-crop rotation distributed the workload, eliminated grueling hours, and reduced seasonal stress. How designing smart crop sequences and planting winter rye allowed him to completely eliminate fungicides and insecticides on his conventional acres. Distributing his workload so that he can take weekends off and enjoy motorcycle rides during harvest season . Additional Resources To learn more about Tom and the work of the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, please visit: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/about-us/tom-cotter/ About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most. AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits. Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide. Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Podcast Extra: Rethinking Fertility Inputs | Soil Strategies Podcast

    Podcast Extra: Rethinking Fertility Inputs | Soil Strategies Podcast
    May 21 2026
    In this Podcast Extra, John Kempf joins the Soil Strategies podcast, hosted by Roy Thompson of the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, to break down a radically different operating system for agriculture that transitions away from traditional NPK mindsets toward biological agronomy . In this episode they discuss: How high-salt index, electrolyte-based fertilizers interrupt plant signaling and create a long-term dependency by sabotaging effective microbial colonization . The powerful role a healthy microbiome plays in supercharging a plant's native genetic expression for ultimate disease and insect resistance . Why conventional soil tests have historically been utilized primarily as fertilizer sales tools rather than agronomic guides . The incredible economic opportunity growers have to break away from being "farmed" by input companies by optimizing free resources like water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide . And how well-designed foliar applications can harness the plant's photosynthetic engine to dramatically increase sugar production and feed soil biology without causing a yield drag . Additional ResourcesTo listen to more episodes of the Soil Strategies Podcast, please visit: https://www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/podcast/ About John Kempf John Kempf is an agronomist, entrepreneur, sought-after speaker, and the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) . He is also the host of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast . Growing up in the Amish community on a family fruit and vegetable farm, John experienced firsthand the financial pain and escalating pest pressures of traditional chemical-intensive models . This led him to study plant physiology and soil health deeply, helping him build a scientifically established, systems-based approach to plant nutrition that moves beyond electrolyte agronomy and leverages biological soil function . Support For This Show & Helping You GrowSince 2006, AEA has worked globally with professional growers to improve crop performance, build farm resiliency, and increase profitability through balanced nutrition and biological soil function . AEA believes in testing instead of guessing, relying on rigorous laboratory data to measure what the soil can actually deliver before making recommendations . Through a unique line of products—including biological seed treatments, well-designed foliar nutrition, and their highly effective broad-spectrum disease-resistance product, Pinion—AEA empowers farmers to reduce synthetic inputs, optimize photosynthesis, and transition smoothly into highly successful, resilient biological systems .
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    51 mins
  • Podcast Extra: Our Crops Aren't Sick, They're Dependent | Soil Talks Podcast

    Podcast Extra: Our Crops Aren't Sick, They're Dependent | Soil Talks Podcast
    May 14 2026

    In this Podcast Extra, John joins the Soil Talks Podcast to break down a radically different way to think about crop health, soil biology, and system function.

    In this episode they discuss:

    • Why pests may not be attacking your crops but reporting a deeper issue
    • How soluble fertilizers can create long-term dependency
    • The hidden relationship between plant immunity and soil microbiology
    • Why modern agriculture succeeds in yield but fails in resilience
    • And how some growers are producing healthier crops with fewer inputs

    Additional Resources
    To listen to more epsidoes of the Soil Talks Podcast, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVD04wz0u2J9qqu3L0zcZ9V8_YVzpr81

    About John Kempf
    John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.

    Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

    Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
    Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.

    AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.

    AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

    Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.

    Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com

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    1 hr and 2 mins