2019 Eco-Ag Conference Workshop MP3 Complete Set

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The 2019 Eco-Ag Conference Workshop MP3 Complete Set is comprised of 43 different audio files recorded live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dec. 10-12. Here is a list of the audio you will be receiving.

Bob Quinn: Lessons in the Changing the Future of Our Food
Bob Quinn is an organic farmer and progressive leader in promoting organic, sustainable agriculture around the world. With a PhD in plant biochemistry and degrees in botany and plant pathology, he has turned his northern Montana family farm into an organic laboratory. On a mission to educate, as well as farm eco-consciously, Bob is the co-author of Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food. 1 hour, 0 minutes

Carey Gillam: Unraveling Dependence on Chemical Agriculture
Carey Gillam walks the wide-eyed farmer into the Monsanto/Bayer playbook. How have they historically misled farmers and the general public about the public safety of their products? From award-winning author and journalist Carey Gillam comes a sobering hour, including questions-and-answers from farmers, about the truth behind the largest name in agriculture. 1 hour, 0 minutes

David Montgomery: Growing a Revolution
David Montgomery explores this duality through laying out the historical roots of the problem and relating his experiences visiting farmers around the world. He’ll share the practices of innovative farmers who have restored fertility to the land. 1 hour, 13 minutes

Dr. Zach Bush: Grounds for a Revolution: The Intersection of Soil and Human Health and a Path to Recovery
Join Dr. Zach Bush and a community of eco-farmers for a talk that created a huge buzz at the 2019 Eco-Ag Conference and Trade Show in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He connects the dots between the huge increase in glyphosate-formulated products and the increase in public health issues around the globe, while pointing out the difference between truly healthy ecosystems and our modern health food fads. 1 hour, 36 minutes

Kathleen Merrigan: Building a Sustainable Agricultural Future
Kathleen Merrigan is an expert in food and agriculture policy, having served as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2009-2013. Currently, she teaches at Arizona State University, and led the crowd at the 2019 Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show in Minneapolis through a thoughtful discussion on the state of today's agriculture policy. 49 minutes, 32 seconds

Vail Dixon: Is Your Soil Really Working?
Vail intensively researches and demonstrates ways to repair damaged soil biologically, and economically, fostering a connection between soil, plant, animal, ecosystem and human health. She is building her farm in Nelson County, Virginia, into a regional training center for regenerative farming and living that integrates Holistic Management, permaculture, and biological farming. 1 hour, 5 minutes

Don Huber: Is the "Truth" Killing Us?
The legendary Dr. Don Huber, previous winner of the Eco-Ag Achievement Award and Professor Emeritus, Purdue University, continues to ask the tough questions about the food industry. In this talk, he shares his research into the connection between human disease and toxic agriculture and GMOs. 2 hours, 2 minutes

Mark Shepard: Water Management for Any Farm
Mark Shepard’s farm looks a little different than tradition would mandate. His experience converting a worn-out, monocrop farm into a vibrant, diverse and profitable farm came through years of trial-and-error and thinking differently about how to solve traditional problems. Marks’s systems are tried-and-true in how to build a specific management system that collects and delivers your crops' most important input — water. 1 hour, 1 minute

Scott Denning: The Three S's of Climate Change
Scott Denning, a scientist with Colorado State University, leads a discussion about the research his team is conducting, how weather data is being disrupted, and what data makes sense for the modern farmer in 2019. Get your questions answered about how climate relates to weather, and what the future might behold. Recorded live during the 2019 Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1 hour, 1 minute

Dr. Andrew Smith: How Rodale’s Field Trials Can Inform Your Transition
Finding good information that is relevant to your operation, your fields, your climate, and your business size is often difficult. Rodale Institute, they hires land-grant scientists to work every day to solve problems for the agriculture industry, ranging from small-scale farms to massive, large-scale commercial operations. Emmanuel Omondi leads their research division, and has years of experience in understanding what works in a field, and why. From no-till studies, to nutritional vegetable studies, to hemp field studies, Emmanuel’s team is leading the way for farmers to better understand modern farming techniques, and why they work. 1 hour, 10 minutes

Dr. Andrew Smith: Lessons in Organic No-Till
To till or not to till? Often, farmers who are looking for ways to decrease their tilling programs and encourage more soil life are stuck in tradition. Learn real techniques from Andrew Smith from the Rodale Institute about no-till tactics, studies and processes that work. Session attendees will learn specific techniques they will need to know before transitioning to no-till systems, including cover crops, equipment needs, year-one challenges, and more. 30 minutes, 35 seconds 

Noel Garcia: Plant Stress Test: Biotics and Abiotic Stress Mitigation Through Plant Nutrition
Nutritional demands of many crops vary widely throughout the growing season. If crops are not properly fed, either from the soil or from fertilizers, they end up being malnourished resulting in low yields and quality often far below their genetic potential. And even worse, crop malnourishment results in a stressed crop, making it vulnerable to diseases and insects requiring insecticides and fungicides – and requiring more water, making it more susceptible to drought and heat – and to hail damage and to cold (late frosts). This advisor will share lessons learned on farms across North America and reveal some miracles in crop nutrition. 50 minutes, 53 seconds.

Meagan Perry Kaiser: Bridging the Old with the New for Actionable Soil Health
Meagan Perry gives a fascinating, instructional talk about utilizing reliable lab results paired with precision ag to gauge improvements in all three pillars of soil health: biological, physical and structural, which in turn bring profitability to farmers, improving our environment and supplying a sustainable food source. Perry serves as the Chief Operations Officer and Soil Scientist of the world-famous Perry Agricultural Laboratory, Inc. located in Bowling Green, Missouri. In 2011 Meagan and her husband Marc started PAL Farm Management LLC, a precision agriculture business that utilizes GPS technology to pull soil and plant tissue samples and make variable rate fertilizer and planting prescriptions. Recorded live at the 2019 Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show. 1 hour, 15 minutes

Paul Dorrance: Rotational Grazing 101
Rotational, management-intensive, mob-grazing: these terms describe varying aspects of the same theme — movement. Movement of grazing animals has been shown to build soil health, benefit animals, reduce pest and parasite loads and increase profitability. Paul Dorrance of Pastured Providence Farmstead in Ohio will discuss the terminology, benefits, techniques and tools required to leverage animal movement for the benefit of your land, your livestock, and your farm’s bottom line. 1 hour, 15 minutes

Doug Fine: This Time the Farmers Are in Charge: The Regenerative Hemp Entrepreneur Renaissance
For the first time in a century, independent agriculture can provide rural families, enterprises and communities a living. But it isn’t automatic. The farming year no longer ends at harvest: now the farmer is a producer and marketer. The long term hemp play for many independent farmers is a top-shelf “vintage” product line, which sequesters carbon even as it builds rural economies. We’ll trace the journey from soil prep and genetics acquisition through packaging and marketing a final product, including some hilarious field stories. 1 hour, 10 minutes

Glen Rabenberg: Managing Soil Nutrition 101
Glen Rabenberg will walk you through the key principles of soil nutrition. Whether this is your first conference or your 31st, this class will reinforce the basics of common-sense farming. Rabenberg, an experienced instructor, consultant and a farmer in South Dakota, will explain the top-five nutrients in the soil and why they are important; what healthy soil consists of; what a healthy plant is made of; and the importance of air in the soil. Whether you are facing issues with your biological farming program, or just traditional problems like compaction, this session will start the process of finding a solution. 1 hour, 58 minutes

Glen Rabenberg: Understanding Soil Health Challenges That Limit Your Operation
Are you walking the field and asking the right questions? Glen Rabenberg will help you walk the fields with a slightly different approach, in order to detect critical issues like excess magnesium, compaction, nitrogen deficiencies, excess manure and no-till successes and failures. Session attendees will walk away with a new approach to understanding soil health, and will know how to correct the causes that are limiting yields and soil health. 57 minutes

Panel: The Regenerative Supply Chain
As awareness and application of regenerative agriculture practices continue to grow, questions about how the supply line will take shape to support increased production are becoming more compelling. How will “regenerative” be defined? How will farmers transition? What markets will they find for their crops? How will family farms win in the end? These are still up for debate. This conversation between leaders already working in the regenerative agriculture supply system will dive deep into these questions, including the conflict, the solutions and the progress happening between farmers, ranchers, corporations, consumers and the land itself. 1 hour, 31 minutes

Edwin Blosser: Building Humus in Your Soil
Humus is an often-misunderstood term, and Edwin Blosser, an established instructor on all facets of soil health, is here to help you understand it better. By understanding humus, the key layers of your soil that help foster life, nutritional flow and root and plant development, you will better understand your overall farming program, including aspects like fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and tilling. Blosser is also a master at teaching how to build large-scale compost systems, and how biological farming systems can both foster humus, build plant yields, and create fewer management challenges for the land owner. Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of the life happening under their feet as they walk the fields. 58 minutes, 53 seconds 

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin: Regenerative Poultry Production Protocols: The Building Blocks of Scaling Up with Integrity
Scaling up your chicken operation to become a commercial operator can be difficult. Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin's system of integrating poultry into your crop and pasture operation is spreading around the world because it helps farmers see clear, humane paths forward, and how to reach the larger markets. He brings an indigenous-based approach to putting poultry back into its natural environment and to the business development process for aggregating and scaling the collective impact of small farms for a new and regenerative industry. In this workshop, he will lay out the regenerative poultry production protocol and will incorporate the larger-scale planning underway at the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance to scale up this system across regions in the U.S. and internationally. 1 hour, 17 minutes

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin: Regenerative Agriculture Alliance: Decolonizing Agriculture, Building the Foundation of a Multi-Sector Regenerative Supply Chain
Regenerative agriculture is more than just ensuring our soil is maintained and healthy. It also means regenerating marketplaces, healthy humans, and healthy supply lines. The Regenerative Agriculture Alliance is working to bring focus to the regenerative supply-chain by joining others working at a system level to consolidate infrastructure and investments and share scalable production models across five emerging regenerative sectors with potential for scaled-up collective impact. This workshop is designed for those with a plan of their own to scale-up models that have been designed with an eye beyond farm operations and into aggregated scaled impact. It will lay out plans to bring together the building blocks (institutions, financing, operations, regional brands, etc.,) needed to consolidate and organize a business-driven regenerative ecosystem. 1 hour, 6 minutes

Nick Barnard: Fermentation Clinic
Fermenting is truly an art. Author Nick Barnard, author of Eat Right, will demonstrate how to truly get the flavor of the region into your food through fermentation techniques. Learn about the safe way to ferment food, the different techniques for fermenting, and why fermenting has helped humans survive and be healthy for hundreds of years. Barnard, a frequent contributor to Acres U.S.A. magazine, always gives a lively, inspiring presentation. 1 hour, 4 minutes

Neal Kinsey: Determining and Providing Magnesium Needs For Crops and Soils
Few soils in the world tend to have the correct amount of magnesium for the highest yields and plant nutrient content. Learn from world-renowned soil management consultant Neal Kinsey about magnesium, and why you need adequate magnesium to sufficiently utilize both nitrogen and phosphate, and how can you apply more magnesium. Along with potassium, it also helps against frost resistance. Kinsey, a student of William A. Albrecht and founder of Kinsey Agricultural Services, travels the world helping farmers build soil health. 56 minutes, 39 seconds

Dr. Nasha Winters: Vitalism: Farmaceutical Prescriptions to Optimize the Terrain
Food is medicine. At least, that’s the premise of Acres U.S.A. and eco-agriculture, and Dr. Nasha Winters specializes in explaining how nutritional food, and healthy soil, can fuel a human body to be more resistant to illness and disease. Where do those vital nutrients come from, and how can farmers grow healthier food for their customers? Learn how to connect the dots between healthy soil and healthy food and healthy humans with this fascinating, educational session. 1 hour, 4 minutes

John Kempf: Foliar Sprays: The Best Tool to Regenerate Agriculture
Destined to fill the room, John Kempf, founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, will describe how properly designed foliar applications can regenerate soil health faster than any other management tool. Many growers do not observe the crop responses that foliar sprays are capable of delivering because their applications are not well designed. John will describe why many foliar applications are not as effective as they could be and how to design a synergistic stack of products to get the most out of your foliar sprays. Connect the dots between your foliar program and your crop health. 58 minutes, 42 seconds

Gary Zimmer: Obtaining Healthy, Mineralized, High-Producing Crops
Bring a notebook and be ready to fill it as Gary Zimmer walks you through how different minerals, compost, cover crops and tillage can work together to build amazing yields on an annual basis. Getting to these yields usually requires both soil fertility and healthy soils and a system of farming — not just doing one thing. Gary will talk about getting the mineralization base right, using his decades of experience. The author of Biological Farmer, Zimmer works all over the world helping farmer solve problems related to soil nutrients, soil biological properties and the soil physical structure. 1 hour, 0 minutes

Dave Steinhauser: Pastured Pork, Simplified
Hogs often carry the reputation of being high-maintenance and destructive to properties. But with the right management program, hogs can be constructive and productive members of your farm. Experienced pastured pork farmer, Dave Steinhauser will explain key management principles for raising hogs simply. You’ll walk away with a good understanding of the fencing options, how to select the right watering location and tools, and the different marketing options available for small- to medium-scale farmers. 1 hour, 4 minutes

Anne Biklé: The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health
Drawing from her book, The Hidden Half of Nature, Biklé will highlight key insights and discoveries from the emerging field of microbiome science. Diet, it turns out, profoundly influences the well-being of the soil body just as it does the human body. She’ll share her journey of how restoring soil and researching the science and history behind plant and human microbiomes led her to a new narrative of humanity’s tangled relationship with the tiniest creatures on Earth. For we are less what we eat, and more what microbiomes eat. This new reality stands poised to shape the future of agriculture, medicine and our place in nature. 1 hour, 0 minutes

Aaron Weaver: Nutrient-Dense Organic Vegetable Production
Aaron Weaver will walk growers through the steps of cultivating nutrient-dense vegetable crops. He will describe the process of starting plants in the greenhouse, how to create a well-balanced soil for transplants, build up biology in the soil, key times to push nutrition, and how to address weather challenges. Weaver brings years of experience to this informative session that you won’t want to miss! 56 minutes, 34 seconds

Dr. Paul Dettloff: Diversifying Dairy with A2A2 Milk
Learn from the 2019 Eco-Ag Lifetime Achievement Award winner! The dairy market is being disrupted, and many are either going out of business or struggling to find a way back to their traditional success. Dr. Paul Dettloff has some ideas for these dairy farmers, and will lead a workshop about new opportunities in the A2A2 milk market in Asia and Europe. He’ll tell the story of A2A2 milk, what it is and the genetics behind it, who the major players are in consumption worldwide, and what this can mean for your operation. His latest book, The Complete Guide to Raising Animals Organically, came out in 2019. 1 hour, 9 minutes

Panel CD: Deep Connections – Soil and Human Health
How do soil health and farming practices affect human health? This could be the question of our lifetime. Join biologist and researcher Anne Biklé and Dr. Nasha Winters, as they look at what we know about the connections between our agricultural system and human health and what actions are needed to reverse the trends of massive disease and end-of-life challenges. This conversation should be lively, entertaining and provide guidance on how to use our food systems to better support healthy humans. 57 minutes, 5 seconds

Steve Trotter: New Technologies Developed for Plant & Soil Management
In today’s depleted soils, finding input nutrients with no limiting factors or risks is a delicate process. The efficiencies of these nutrients, be they mineral or plant-based, provide the sequencing nutrition to perfect full genetic expression for optimal plant health. We will explore restoring the soil biomass and physical properties of the soil by using new technologies for nutritional program performance. 1 hour, 2 minutes

Nichki Carangelo: Pastured Rabbits Done Right
This presentation is designed to be an easily digestible, practical experience for farmers who are considering starting or integrating a profitable small- to mid-scale rabbitry. The seminar has an emphasis on pasture-based management, but includes a full enterprise budget, sample breeding schedules, feed guidelines, and other rabbit husbandry basics that can be applied to a variety of management styles. This session is appropriate for both beginning and experienced farmers who are new to raising rabbits. 1 hour, 3 minutes

Mark Shepard: Restorative Farming Systems
Mark Shepard’s farm looks a little different than tradition would mandate. His experience converting a worn-out, monocrop farm into a vibrant, diverse, and profitable farm came through years of trial and error and thinking differently about how to solve traditional problems. Mark’s sytems are tried-and-true, from crop and orchard integrations, to pest and weed management, to livestock care and marketplace development. Mark’s new book, Water for Any Farm, is now available. 1 hour, 3 minutes

Judith McGeary: Agriculture in the National Political Spotlight … and What it Means For You
For the first time in decades, agriculture is a hot topic in the national political landscape. From the impact of tariffs on farmers to presidential candidates’ proposals for antitrust and climate change, agriculture is in the mainstream news more and more. What does it mean for sustainable producers and regenerative agriculture? How can you, as an individual, promote the changes that we truly need? 59 minutes, 35 seconds

Sherri Duggar: Why Advocacy Matters and How to Make it Work for You
We’re heading into 2020, an increasingly important election year, and food, agriculture and climate change are — for the first time — being discussed by many of the presidential candidates. We need to be at the table, at the podium, in the media, and in legislators’ offices in coming months when these conversations are taking place. Come prepared to discuss ways to better organize, build coalitions, fine-tune narratives, and be heard in the consumer, agriculture, and political spaces. 50 minutes, 19 seconds

Steve Gabriel: Building a Silvopasture System
Integrating forestry and orchard management tactics into your pasture and crops programs is popular on a huge scale in South America and Asia, and is slowly creeping into the American agriculture scene. Playing on the basics of permaculture and biodiversity, silvopasturing can provide a better environment for livestock and all life on the farm. Other techniques like natural fencing, livestock shade and wildlife attraction also make silvopasture a technique likely to grow in popularity. 57 minutes, 57 seconds.

Darrin Unruh: What Carbon Farming Markets Can Mean for Your Farm
The sequestration of atmospheric carbon back into our soils is one of the many powerful tools farming with ecological methods has to offer. But how can we incentivize more farmers to use strategies to sequester carbon? And how can farmers already doing this great work benefit even further from these practices? Indigo Ag will explain the potential of carbon markets and what models such as theirs have to offer farmers like you! 1 hour, 0 minutes

André Leu: Poisoning Our Children - How Glyphosate and Other Pesticides in Our Food and Environment Damage Children
André Leu, international director for Regeneration International, is one of the leaders around the world in advocating for ecological-based farming systems. His book, Myths of Safe Pesticides, showed there is no published scientific evidence that proves the safety the residues of glyphosate or any other pesticides that are permitted in our food and environment. In this talk, he will update that book with the most current research, and ask the hard questions about how pesticides are linked to disease, depression and other world health issues, especially child development and world hunger. 1 hour, 4 minutes

Vail Dixon: The Wild Professor: Using Nature as Mentor to Build a Myccorhizal Movement 
The energy in, energy out equation is something all farmers are trying to solve. If every year you are feeling more drained, less efficient and burned out, then it’s time to rethink how we are working with nature, and what nature can do for us. Nature is a teacher and student, and finding the right balance on your farm or ranch will mean you are building efficiencies. Vail will explore creative ways we can utilize nature, while enjoying more free time. Interactive brainstorming at the end will help capture the ideas connections that are sparked. 1 hour, 0 minutes

Roger Gussiaas: The Hemp Opportunity
The biggest new thing in agriculture means there are a lot of prospectors trying to figure out how it is done. Professional growers, meanwhile, are primed to take advantage and diversify their operations. Yet, regulations and other red tape mean the industry is still being built. Where are the opportunities? What do you need to know as a hemp grower in 2019 and 2020? Learn the specifics from someone with experience in hemp production and hemp marketing. 51 minutes, 45 seconds

Anders Gurda & Erin Heitkamp: Successfully Transition with the Right Resources
According to the latest U.S. Agriculture Census, the fastest growing segment of new farmers are women, who have historically not been given the same paths to market, to financial loans, to equipment and to the land itself. Now, with new opportunities opening up for all farmers, this discussion will look into the changing demographics of farming, and the challenges and opportunities this will present in the future. Sherri Duggar, president of the Indiana Farmer’s Union, will be hosting the discussion. Recorded live at the 2019 Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 53 minutes, 12 seconds

Panel: Women Leading Eco-Ag 
According to the latest U.S. Agriculture Census, the fastest growing segment of new farmers are women, who have historically not been given the same paths to market, to financial loans, to equipment and to the land itself. Now, with new opportunities opening up for all farmers, this discussion will look into the changing demographics of farming, and the challenges and opportunities this will present in the future. Sherri Duggar, president of the Indiana Farmer’s Union, will be hosting the discussion. 55 minutes, 8 seconds