Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

Bob Kinford is a veteran stockman and grazing consultant who has spent a lifetime observing and refining the way we interact with livestock. His journey began as a child watching cattle scatter while sheep and goats remained bunched, leading him to question the conventional belief that cows lack decision-making capabilities. Through decades of working alone, he developed a unique approach to managing large herds without the use of permanent or electric fencing, focusing instead on the intuitive relationship between the handler and the animal's natural instincts.  
Bob advocates for the "rebooting" of cattle to restore their innate herd instincts and selective grazing habits. He demonstrates how this transition allows livestock to become more nutritionally self-sufficient, often consuming invasive species and "weeds" like leafy spurge or spotted knapweed that they would typically ignore in a stressed environment. By utilizing proactive management, he illustrates how stress-free handling can significantly increase forage productivity, soil health through distributed fertility, and overall ranch profitability. 

In this episode John and Bob discuss:
The inherent intelligence and decision-making capabilities of livestock compared to mainstream scientific views   
Managing large herds across vast landscapes without the use of traditional or electronic fencing  
Creating murmurations in cattle to guide their movement through subtle body positioning and intention   
The three-day "reboot" process that triggers cattle to begin eating highly nutritious invasive plants   
Strategies for increasing animal weight gain by reducing the stress associated with traditional feeding and moving   
The relationship between animal bedding patterns and the development of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil  
Additional Resources
 To learn more about Bob and his work, please visit: https://migratorygrazing.com/ or http://bobkinford.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

Alex Udermann is a fifth-generation farmer from Minnesota who operates a dairy farm alongside his brother, parents, and wife. He began his career farming full-time immediately after high school and currently manages a diverse operation that includes milk cows, steers, and row crops. Facing significant financial struggles and equity erosion in 2016, Alex transitioned the farm toward regenerative practices to ensure the operation's future survival and profitability.


Today, the farm is 100% no-till and incorporates cover crops, nutrient management plans, and large-scale composting. Alex uses advanced technology like drones for interseeding and foliar feeding to mimic natural processes he cannot achieve through traditional grazing. Driven by a passion to help others avoid the costly mistakes he encountered, he serves as a mentor for the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, where he shares his experiences with other producers through field days and educational panels.
In this episode, John and Alex discuss:
The financial challenges and equity erosion that forced the farm to change its management style

Alex's experiences dealing with unsupportive banks and traditional agronomy managers during his transition

How the farm successfully moved to no-till soybeans using a small investment in existing equipment

The dramatic reduction in veterinary expenses and improvements in livestock health following soil health changes

Observing massive improvements in water infiltration compared to neighboring conventional fields after heavy rains

The use of drones and compost extracts to increase fungal levels and biological diversity in the soil

Additional Resources
To learn more about Alex and his farm, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/al.and.krissy/
To learn more about the work of the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, please visit: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/
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

Bob Tillman is a former electronics professional who launched Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery in 2003 on the steep, mountainous terrain of Paso Robles, California . Managing thirty-two acres of grapes, he has spent two decades transitioning from conventional methods to a biological approach centered on the natural resilience of his native ecosystem.
He eliminated tillage in 2006 and moved away from synthetic inputs to rely on native ground cover and biological cycling . By utilizing total nutrition testing, he identifies vast mineral reserves already present in his soil and focuses on microbial health to make those nutrients available to the vines

In this episode, John and Bob discuss:

Tranisitiong to a completely no-till system after observing that native grasses were more effective and resilient than planted cover crops .

How nutrition testing revealed that the soil contains enough potassium for over six hundred years and enough iron for millions of years of production .

Utilizing AEA and sap analysis to identify specific micronutrient deficiencies and adjust nutrition throughout the growing season through foliar applications.

Applying AEA products like CalGuard and Rebound Boron helps address seasonal trending deficiencies in calcium and boron levels .

How the vineyard uses compost extracts and teas to inject biological activity directly into the soil through the irrigation system .

High-density native plant populations providing ground cover that supports deep-rooted vines while maintaining high soil organic matter .

Additional Resources
To learn more about Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery, please visit: https://altacolina.com/learn-more-about-alta-colina-wines/
To learn more about Advancing Eco Agriculture and their products, please vist: https://advancingecoag.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

David Stelzer is the founder of Azure Standard, a company born from a 1970s family health crisis that inspired a switch to organic farming. When a major processor dropped their organic grain for conventional wheat in the 1980s, David began delivering his own crops directly to co-ops in a pickup truck. This grew into a massive independent distribution network that now manages roughly 12,000 SKUs, connecting growers directly to consumers.
In the field of regenerative agriculture, David focuses on vertical integration to bypass the expensive and often unethical mainstream middleman. By managing the farming, processing, and distribution in-house, he is able to pay farmers higher premiums while keeping food affordable for families. On his 5,000-acre farm, he proves that regenerative systems can match conventional yields while producing nutritionally superior food.
In this episode, John and David discuss:
David's childhood recovery from a life-threatening respiratory illness after his parents transitioned the family to a whole-food, organic diet.

The decision to stop using mercury-treated seeds after realizing the chemical was intended for a disease that didn't exist in their region.

How the loss of a major organic grain contract forced David to start his own distribution route, which eventually grew into Azure Standard.

The vertical integration model that removes middlemen and brokers to pay farmers more while keeping consumer prices competitive.

David's observation that their 5,000-acre organic farm maintains yields comparable to conventional neighbors without long-term losses.

The astronomical demand for domestic organic and regenerative products, including frozen fruits and legumes, which currently outpaces US supply.

Additional Resources
 To learn more about Azure Standard, please visit: https://www.azurestandard.com/about-us
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

In this webinar for the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, John Kempf discusses a paradigm shift in nitrogen management . John outlines how moving away from high-electrolyte "chemistry" fertilizers toward biological nutrition can build crop resilience and significantly reduce input costs . By understanding how different forms of nitrogen, such as ammonium and urea versus nitrate, impact plant physiology and water requirements, growers can navigate a transition to a system where soil biology provides the majority of the crop's nutritional needs .

In this webinar, John discusses: 

High-yielding crops historically receive about 80% of their nitrogen as ammonium and 20% as nitrate .

Plants and soil biology interact with specific nitrogen forms like amino acids rather than generic N .

Nitrate requires three molecules of water for conversion, increasing a plant's total water requirement .

Foliar urea can be four to seven times more efficient than soil-applied nitrogen

Replacing the first 25 pounds of nitrogen with 25 pounds of sulfur can deliver an equivalent yield responses

Managing nitrogen with carbon and molybdenum reduces leaching and supports biological fixation

Additional Resources
To learn more about the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, please visit: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/
To learn more about AEA's approach to Nitrogen Management, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/article/regenerative-nitrogen/
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