Soil health, regenerative practices,  emerging technology, grower insights, and research — The AgEmerge Podcast.

Join our host, Monte Bottens and producer Kim Sheese, as they engage with guests from diverse agriculture interests to discuss experiences, practices and scalable applications for any operation.

Tune in to new episodes every other Tuesday to regenerate your ideas, soil, crops, livestock and livelihood.

Juan Whiting is a 4th-generation farmer, ag entrepreneur, author and a seasoned expert in navigating the often-complicated world of grant writing and agricultural funding. *** Show notes and Links *** Subscribe to AgEmerge here: https://www.youtube.com/c/AgSolutionsNetwork Want to hear more about non-traditional farm funding? Watch Dan Miller here: https://youtu.be/GqUy4gDJ0s8 Basil's Harvest has gotten creative with funding local food efforts. Watch here: https://youtu.be/s9v36OouaIo Ag Solutions Network Socials: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast https://www.facebook.com/ASN.farm https://www.linkedin.com/company/agsolutionsnetwork https://twitter.com/POWER2GRO https://www.instagram.com/agsolutionsnetwork/ Ag Solutions Network website: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you. ************************ From working with the Conflict and Development Foundation in East Africa to leading his own consulting company, Stray Acres LLC, Juan has a unique passion for linking farmers, ranchers, and their partners to the funding they need to build better environments, communities, and food systems. As a 4th generation farmer and an ag entrepreneur, Juan has weathered storms, both literal and figurative. Grants have provided a stable foundation to innovate, lead, and build operations even when cashflow was limited. Grant writing started as a job as he led funded projects for the Conflict and Development Foundation in East Africa, it became a source of funding for his own farm management company, and today it is a passion, as he leads top industry leaders and high performing teams in their pursuit of funding with his consulting company, Stray Acres LLC. He spent over 8 years in East Africa working on community and agricultural related projects. Juan is deeply passionate about linking farmers, ranchers and their partners to the funding and support they need to improve their environments, build communities, and strengthen food systems. Whether it is a small community garden or a full-scale ranching operation, there is a story to be told and organizations with the funds to make it a reality. Juan proudly serves as an Agricultural Specialist/Civil Affairs officer in the US Army. He contributes to the army's mission and objectives of winning hearts and minds overseas and promoting the American way of life by feeding empty stomachs. When he is not pushing revolutions in the ag industry, Juan is spending time with his beautiful wife and 5 kids homeschooling, cooking, road tripping or simply connecting with the outdoors the way it was meant to be. If you’d like to learn more about Juan’s work with Stray Acres LLC or his holistic funding approach, check out his book, The Holistic Funding Approach, available on Amazon. You can also visit his website at strayacresconsulting.com to explore tools, services, and even take a quiz to see what funding solutions are right for you.

Andrew is a forward-thinking farmer and entrepreneur based in Chowchilla, California, dedicated to advancing regenerative agriculture practices. *** Show notes and Links *** Subscribe to AgEmerge here: https://www.youtube.com/c/AgSolutionsNetwork Here more from California agriculture and out of the box farming with Scott Park: https://youtu.be/d-24inKWTR0 Andrew will be one of the speakers at the 4th Annual Regenerative Tree Nut Field Day Jan 21-22, 2025 You can find out more about the event here: https://burroughsfamilyfarms.com/pages/regenerative-almond-field-day Ag Solutions Network Socials: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast https://www.facebook.com/ASN.farm https://www.linkedin.com/company/agsolutionsnetwork https://twitter.com/POWER2GRO https://www.instagram.com/agsolutionsnetwork/ Ag Solutions Network website: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you. ************************ Andrew is a forward-thinking farmer and entrepreneur based in Chowchilla, California, dedicated to advancing regenerative agriculture practices. After a career in music in Los Angeles, Andrew returned to his hometown in 2012, where he began his journey in farming by working with his father-in-law. What started as a curiosity about the overuse of chemicals and the lack of biodiversity in traditional farming quickly evolved into a passion for building resilient soil systems. In 2020, Andrew founded EcoThrive Farm Management, a business focused on promoting soil health and balancing agricultural ecosystems. Through the adoption of practices like cover cropping, reduced chemical inputs, and composting, Andrew has demonstrated sustainable farming benefits the environment and significantly reduces costs and enhances long-term profitability. Andrew’s innovative approach has led to remarkable successes, such as saving over $600 per acre in farming costs, reducing water usage by up to 25%, and fostering thriving ecosystems that include improved biodiversity and nutrient cycling. His commitment to working with nature instead of against it has earned him recognition as a leader in sustainable farming. Beyond farming, Andrew is passionate about sharing his journey and encouraging others to rethink conventional practices. He believes in the power of collaboration and learning from failure to push the boundaries of what’s possible in regenerative agriculture. In Andrew’s own words: “We went from considering ourselves almond or pistachio farmers to ecosystem farmers. We're soil farmers. This is what our focus is.” Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

Guest host David Kleinschmidt joined us at the 2024 Big Soil Health Event in Cedar Falls, IA, where we had the privilege of connecting with some incredible attendees. *** Show notes and Links *** Subscribe to AgEmerge here: https://www.youtube.com/c/AgSolutionsNetwork Ag Solutions Network Socials: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast https://www.facebook.com/ASN.farm https://www.linkedin.com/company/agsolutionsnetwork https://twitter.com/POWER2GRO https://www.instagram.com/agsolutionsnetwork/ Ag Solutions Network website: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/ ************************ It was a great event where hundreds of farmers and ranchers from all over the country gathered to learn, share, and encourage each other to continue to adopt soil health strategies. We asked attendees to join us in our “on the road" studio to share their soil health journey. Below is our BSHE podcast guest list showing where they are from and how you can connect: Tony Peirick lives in south-central Wisconsin and he’s the chairman of a farmer-led group in Wisconsin called Dodge County Farmers Healthy Soil, Healthy Water. Tony is also involved in the Fields of Sinsinawa. https://fishersandfarmers.org/groups/dodge-county-farmers-for-healthy-soil-healthy-water/ https://fieldsofsinsinawa.org/ Blake Vince is a fifth-generation farmer from Merlin, Ontario, Canada. Blake will tell you that soil health is the focus of his farm practices. You may have heard Blake speak at other events - his wisdom and perspective on soil health is certainly an encouragement to growers striving to improve their systems. https://www.notill.org/blake-vince https://www.cpm-magazine.co.uk/sustainable-farming/conversations-with-blake-vince-roots-not-iron/ Grant and Dawn Breitkreutz operate Stoney Creek Farm near Redwood Falls, MN. They are also the inaugural winners of the Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award. You’ve seen them on Farmer’s Footprint and so many other places. Their story offers so much hope and sage advice to other growers. https://sandcountyfoundation.org/news/2024/dawn-and-grant-breitkreutz-receive-minnesota-leopold-conservation-award https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/mentors/dawn-and-grant-breitkreutz/ https://farmersfootprint.us/grant-and-dawn-breitkreutz/ Phil Smith farms in Minnesota and has a great story of adopting a regenerative system on his farm and encourages growers to know it’s never too late to start! Adam Chappell is from Cotton Plant, Arkansas. He grows about 2,500 acres of, corn, soybeans, rice, and occasionally cotton. You've probably seen Adam on YouTube and other avenues as he has been very transparent of his soil health journey and practices. https://farmersfootprint.us/adam-chappell/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.

We’re digging into the power of regenerative farming, enterprise stacking, and community-driven agriculture with Lydia Dresbach. *** Show notes and Links *** Subscribe to AgEmerge here: https://www.youtube.com/c/AgSolutionsNetwork Want to hear more another dynamic woman? Watch AgEmerge Podcast Episode 134 with Jeanne Carver of Shaniko Wool Company here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj1gy73MUdY More from stacking farm enterprises with Greg Gunthorp: https://youtu.be/XQR4yrQm-6A Ag Solutions Network Socials: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast https://www.facebook.com/ASN.farm https://www.linkedin.com/company/agsolutionsnetwork https://twitter.com/POWER2GRO https://www.instagram.com/agsolutionsnetwork/ Ag Solutions Network website: https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you. ************************ Lydia’s story is a testament to rethinking what’s possible on the farm—from growing heritage grains and running agritourism events to creating a thriving ecosystem of many enterprises! Be inspired by her vision for stewardship, her dedication to community, and her commitment to crafting a future where farming is sustainable, profitable, and deeply connected to the people it serves. Lydia Dresbach is a young farmer at Dresbach Farms, a multigenerational regenerative farm located in southern Ohio, focused on providing quality food to her community through stacking enterprises, stewarding well, and direct marketing. She currently manages all direct marketing for Dresbach Farms, has her own herd of cattle, has a large role in the agritourism events hosted on the farm, dabbles in vegetable production, is a part of a local heritage grain hub, and assists with the managing of the whole farm operation. https://dresbachfarms.grazecart.com/ Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.