Can Regenerative Agriculture Really Heal Humans And The Planet? with Jeff Tkach

Can Regenerative Agriculture Really Heal Humans And The Planet? | This episode is brought to you by Essentia, Athletic Greens, and ButcherBox The argument that is often made against organic farming is that it can’t feed the world. Opponents say it can’t be scaled to the level we need to feed our current and growing population, but the real data actually says otherwise. The Rodale Institute is leading the way when it comes to research in the area of regenerative agriculture. Their work over the last 40 years shows organic agriculture leads to equal or better yields than conventional (sometimes over 30% better) with less energy use and three to six times more profits for the farmer. And they’re not the only ones who’ve found this to be true—it’s been repeated in five different studies from various universities and the USDA. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m thrilled to sit down with Jeff Tkach to talk about the amazing work the Rodale Institute has done and is continuing to do to further the cause of regenerative agriculture. This episode is brought to you by Essentia, Athletic Greens, and ButcherBox. Essentia makes mattresses that go above and beyond the criteria to be non-toxic. Right now, Essentia is offering Doctor’s Farmacy listeners 25% off plus a free bundle of 2 pillows & a set of organic sheets at learn.myessentia.com/drmarkhyman. Athletic Greens is offering Doctor’s Farmacy listeners a full year supply of their Vitamin D3/K2 Liquid Formula free with your first purchase, plus 5 free travel packs. Just go to athleticgreens.com/hyman to take advantage of this great offer. For a limited time, new members to ButcherBox get 6 free grass-fed, grass-finished steaks when they go to ButcherBox.com/farmacy. This offer is good through Cyber Monday, November 30, 2020, so be sure to take advantage of it today. Here are more of the details from our interview: How the Rodale Institute came to look at the linkages between healthcare and health (9:18) The meaning of regenerative healthcare (13:18) Our societal and governmental disconnect between agriculture and human health (17:41) Rodale’s research on regenerative organic farming practices (21:49) The Farming Systems Trial, a 40-year side by side comparison of organic vs conventional grain production methods, and the creation of the USDA’s organic standard (24:22) The benefits of feeding the world using organic farming methods (29:22) Is organic food more nutritious? (30:51) Are the chemicals and pesticides in conventional foods harmful or harmless? (40:36) Evolving beyond the current organic standard with the launch of the Regenerative Organic Certification (44:20) Are animals needed in regenerative agriculture? (55:49) Learn more about the Rodale Institute at https://rodaleinstitute.org/ and follow them on Facebook @rodaleinstitute, on Instagram @rodaleinstitute, and on Twitter @rodaleinstitute. Read Rodale Institute’s white paper, “The Power of the Plate: The Case for Regenerative Organic Agriculture in Improving Human Health,” here: https://rodaleinstitute.org/education/resources/power-of-the-plate-regenerative-organic-agriculture/ Learn more about the Regenerative Organic Certification at https://regenorganic.org/.