263. Advancing Eco Agriculture | Where Plant Health Builds Soil Health | CEO John Kempf

https://www.advancingecoag.com/about

So excited because my guest today has this amazing green future grower story I KNOW listeners are going to absolutely love! So if you’re driving don’t worry I’ll make awesome SHOWNOTES because I know we are going to have a million golden seeds dropped with this amazing interview.

CEO of Advancing Ego Agriculture, John Kempf is on a mission to “produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and consistently higher yields!”

What I love about his story is how he started out and I can’t wait for you to hear it too! His passion for growing healthy soil and healthy plants for profit is contagious!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I love what I do I have fun!

I grew up in a family vegetable farm in snow-belt south of Lake Erie

Small scale market ~ fruits and veggies for wholesale markets

early 2000s we had 3 consecutive years

intense disease

we lost majority of crops to a variety of disease and insects

In the 3rd year in 2004, we observed that

plants which were grown on healthy soil

better biology

were very disease and insect resistant

cantaloupe resistant to powdery mildew that was side by side

soil with he previous pesticide exposure for the prior decade of growing vegetables we lost the majority of the crop to powdery mildew, 80% of leaves

The new soil didn’t have pesticide exposure didn't have any powdery mildew. Not 5-10% you couldn't find any! ZERO! There was a knifelike effect right down the field.

really a major turning point

what was the difference between those two plants

resistant to powdery mildew when the next plant 2 feet away was susceptible.

asking that question and the things I learned

plant science and agronomy from asking that question were what led to founding

Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA)

in 2006

AEA

Was the idea that we can grow plants that are completely resistant to diseases and insects based on how we manage nutrition.

where we identified plants that are healthy

not only are they

resistant to diseases and insects but they regenerate soil health at the same time

process of this journey I was fortunate to be guided by

USDA experts

land grant universities

all over the world

realized this exceptional info that very wise people had was scattered all over the place

• difficult to find
• not recorded at all
• some experiences were not being transferred

Led me to starting the Regenerative Ag Podcast

with the intention and goal of interviewing

• leading farmers
• leading scientists

sharing their information with other professional agronomists and growers who wanted to produce in a regenerative agriculture context!Tell me about your first gardening experience?

I grew up even from before I remember, we always grew our own food.

appreciate it as an adult

There were many years my parents purchased salt and pepper and spices and that was just about it

• maple syrup
• honey
• stevia
• sweeteners
• grew many of our own herbs
• 2 farmed ponds where we raised fish
• raised poultry
• grass fed beef
• family dairy cow
• grew a large garden
• small orchard

Lived an incredibly rich life from a food quality...