When we look at rapidly declining soil health, rising rates of depression and suicide in farmers, and our climate crisis, it can be easy to wonder how we got here. The answer is multifaceted, but a common theme of industrialized agriculture runs throughout. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy I talk to Allen Williams about how we have strayed from beneficial regenerative farming practices to adopt destructive ones, and how to find our way back.
Allen is a founding partner of Understanding Ag, LLC and the Soil Health Academy, and is a partner in Joyce Farms, Inc. He has consulted with more than 4,000 farmers and ranchers in the US and other countries, on operations ranging from a few acres to over 1 million acres. Allen and his partners pioneered many of the early regenerative agriculture principles and practices and now teach those to farmers globally. He is a “recovering academic,” having served 15 years on the faculty at Louisiana Tech University and Mississippi State University teaching genetics and physiology. Allen has been featured in the Carbon Nation film series, Soil Carbon Cowboys, on the Dr. Oz show, ABC Food Forecast News, and in Kiss The Ground, A Regenerative Secret, The Farmer’s Footprint film series, and the Sacred Cow film series.
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I like the “recovering academic” phrase. Love “recovering academics” cuz they’re truly ‘woke’!!! Thanks for posting
This helps explains, in a subtle way, why Bill Gates is the largest owner of farmland in USA. Even city dwellers need to grow their own food.
Is he planning on using the land for healthier farming? I have wondered what he was planning on doing with so much land he recently purchased in multiple states. Thanks
@Poppy Love Not sure what Bill Gates is planning for the farmland, IMO, I’m thinking it’s not going to be good.
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One your best podcasts ever. Absolutely fascinating! I have saved and will forwrd to this to all in know.
I can’t love this enough. It gives me hope that people like him and Gabe Brown are out there changing the way the land is farmed. I am old enough to remember how the land was farmed before the reliance on herbicides and pesticides.
Mark, you are in the Berkshires and I’m down in the valley. Though wmass is progressive with lots of higher-ed. and a long history of the organic movement, awareness of regenerative is too far behind. Yet Ma. always has been the best state to lead a model for local farming and foodsystems. Small farms mixed into our local communities.
Please Dr, tell Mr Williams to contact El Josco Bravo farm in Puerto Rico. It’s a beautiful project that is teaching students and people on how to work the land etc… They use a bull instead of a machine to work the soil. That bull is “The Josco” – Beautiful!!! Products are sooo good!!!! I think there are another four projects like that If I am not wrong. In fact, we need people working the land instead of selling it to Russians and Asians that might have another ideas… Puerto Rico needs more people that could act as a stimulant to the gov itself so that they could see the benefits of supporting a healthy agriculture for the island instead of growing expensive cement and or risk the environment with some type of different business that would only benefit investors. Healthy agriculture is the best use for a limited space as our beloved island is. if Mr Williams could contact them to support their effort would be fantastic!
Fundamentally, farming and medicine has been an Anti-Biotic mindset, nature competes so eliminate. When now a Pro-Biotic mindset is the needed paradigm shift. Benefits of nature diversity in farming and health.
You got your wish since this recording, with Gabe at the house ag climate hearing!