Quality Agriculture: Conversations about Regenerative Agronomy with Innovative Scientists and Growers

From regenerative agriculture expert John Kempf comes an exciting new book! John Kempf has long been a speaker at the annual AcresUSA Eco-Ag Conference and now has published his first volume of interviews with growers, consultants and scientists. 

An increasing number of farmers and scientists believe the foundational ideas of mainstream agronomy are incomplete and unsound. Conventional crop production ignores biology in favor of chemical interventions, leading farmers to buy inputs they don't need. Fertilizer recommendations keep going up, pest pressure becomes more intense, pesticide applications are needed more often, and soil health continues to degrade.

However, innovative growers and researchers are beginning to think differently about production agriculture systems. They have developed practices that regenerate soil and plant health and that deliver much better results than mainstream methods. Using these principles, growers are able to decrease fertilizer applications, reduce disease and insect pressure, hold more water in the soil, improve soil health, and grow crops that are more resilient to climatic extremes, increasing farm profitability immediately. 

As a leading agronomist and teacher, John Kempf has implemented regenerative agricultural systems on millions of acres across many different crop types and regions with his team, Advancing Eco Agriculture. In Quality Agriculture, John interviews a group of growers, consultants, and scientists who describe how to think and farm differently in order to produce exceptional results in the field. Their remarkable insights will challenge you, encourage you, and inspire gratitude and joy for the rewards of working with natural systems.

353 pages. Softcover. Copyright 2020.

Praise for Quality Agriculture

"No matter what form of production agriculture you are involved with, Quality Agriculture is a must read. John uses his expertise to delve deep into ago-ecology with many of the industry’s pioneers." 

— Gabe Brown, regenerative farmer and rancher, and author of Dirt to Soil

"Inspiring and insightful interviews with true leaders in regenerative agriculture."

— David R. Montgomery, author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations

"Knowledge about regenerative farming systems comes in many forms from many farmers, researchers, ag educators, and consultants. The challenge is sorting through all the information, learning what is possible, and putting together a working system for the land that matters. These interviews certainly expand and clarify the knowledge base of professionals who have spent their careers studying regenerative agriculture. A great read―you won’t be disappointed." 

— Gary Zimmer, biological farmer and author of The Biological Farmer 

About John Kempf

John Kempf is an entrepreneur, speaker, podcast host and teacher. He grew up on a fruit-and-vegetable farm in Northeast Ohio, and has developed nutrition management systems that regenerate plant and soil health quickly, resulting in strong economic returns for growers.

As the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, Crop Health Labs, Ozadia, and the Regenerative Agriculture Academy, he is passionate about the potential of well-managed agriculture ecosystems to reverse ecological degradation, bringing joy and profit back to producers. John's mission is to have these regenerative models of agriculture management become the mainstream globally by 2040.