Back in the spring of 2023, Kara asked if I’d like to be a guest on her podcast series revolving around the interconnectedness of regeneration as it applies to our personal health, both spiritual and physical, the land on this beautiful planet, and all the creatures, including our non-human brothers and sisters, that live on it as well. The minute she asked, I knew just what I’d like to talk about–the 2022 ACRES conference. Our conversation ranged far and wide, but did focus on the technical side of regenerative ag. For more about Kara’s work head over to her website:
https://www.landfoodlife.com/
To jump right to our podcast episode:
https://www.landfoodlife.com/podcast/episode/7a695560/tales-from-the-soil-nurturing-our-land-back-to-life-with-peter-brezny
The 2022 ACRES conference in particular was truly revelatory for me. So many things came into sharper focus; the rhizophagy cycle, neonic impacts on not just insects (one neonic treated corn seed has enough insecticide to kill an entire hive) but mammalian health as well, the integration of livestock on large acreage as a step toward soil and microbiology regeneration, as well as a built in ‘insurance policy’ against crop failure (no insurance agents needed!), the critical function of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi as communications and nutrient transport partners between plants and bacteria…the list goes on and on…
So many great minds were there to convey this critical information that will shape the future of agriculture and how we impact the health of everyone on the planet through our farming practices. Dr. James White from Rutgers University, Dr. Jonathan Lundgron of Blue Dasher Farm in South Dakota, Jimmy Emmons of Emmons Farm in Leedey Oklahoma, John Kempf of AEA, Dr. Kristine Nichols of Understanding Ag, and so many more were critical in helping me recognize more of the connectedness of our agricultural systems, and the importance of shifting our mindset to allow nature to work with us in our production systems. In a nutshell, “Outcomes based, Wholistic management” was the overarching theme of the conference, and I was so lucky to be at the right place at the right time, for all of this to come together on the never ending self education path that is regenerative agriculture and life.
