He's faced near complete paralysis, having his legs amputated and being in a coma, twice. Despite these challenges, Brian Randolph is one of the most positive people I know. Unfortunately, his battles aren't over and he needs your help. Brian is waiting for a kidney transplant and liver tissue donation. Take a listen to his incredible story, then return here to complete Mayo Clinic's Living transplantation questionnaire to see if you might be a match.

Watch Brian take a few more steps at PT!

April is Autism Awareness Month  https://ontarioautismcoalition.com/ which is a cause close to Brianne Brown’s heart. She shares why having a special needs child is a blessing for the whole family. If you’re interested in International perspectives on the Future of Farming, you can catch Brianne on this panel at the Arrell Food Summit https://arrellfoodinstitute.ca/food-summit/ Finally, we find out if this 6^th generation dairy farmer could only milk one breed of cows for the rest of her life, is it Holsteins or Jerseys….

Tonight I'm heading down to Middlezoy in Somerset to talk to conservationist, wildlife photographer, naturalist, and writer, Simon Phelps. 

Who said a farmer and an environmentalist couldn't have a polite conversation?!

We discuss his background, and how the natural environment has always held a fascination to him, which led to studying Geography and Ecology at Uni, before hearing about his various roles in the sector, including ecological surveying in Dorset, and working as a youth engagement officer in the Midlands.

We then discuss his current role with Butterfly Conservation, working with farmers and landowners to advise them on managing their land for threatened species in Exmoor, Dartmoor, and Bodmin. We talk about the role that farmers play in managing the UK's natural environment, and how working with them has changed his mind on a few things.

We discuss the idea of rewinding, and what that means to him, before moving on to hedge row management and what he believes that farmers should be doing differently with their hedges, and why they're so important to the natural environment.

All this and much more.

It was great to talk to Simon, and hear that farmers and conservationists can work together in a positive way to benefit the UK countryside. Check it out folks..

This episode is sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more information please visit www.nfu-cymru.org.uk or www.rockandrollfarming.com 

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to work in partnership with Farmer's Guardian. For all the latest news and features from across the Ag industry, please visit www.fginsight.com 

Rock & Roll Farming is a part of Farm & Rural Ag Network, for more great agriculture related podcasts and vlogs, please visit www.farmruralag.com 

Ryan Sirolli is the Senior Director at Danone North America, a food company that focuses on dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and plant-based foods. Ryan is responsible for leading a team that serves to develop and execute agricultural sourcing and improve supply chain sustainability. He and his team emphasizes on soil health as well as creating alternative economic models that advocate both customer satisfaction and environmental sustainability.

Today, Ryan shares how Danone North America is part of a global sustainability project. He discusses many of the company’s current environmental advocacies and how the company has aligned its goals to meet the needs of both health and environmentally conscious consumers. He also provides insight with regards to the GMO and Non-GMO debate and shares his thoughts on the future of organic and sustainable agriculture.

“It’s our responsibility to make sure that whatever we source, whatever system the farmer chooses to use or whatever the consumer wants - it’s our responsibility to make sure we do it in the most sustainable way.” - Ryan Sirolli

 
This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: 

• Ryan's educational background and experience.
• What is the Dannon Pledge?
• The products Danone is focusing on.
• How they establish a level of trust with their customers and investors.
• The GMO vs. Non-GMO argument.
• Danone's commitment to their customers and the environment.
• How they invest in soil health.
• How they define regenerative agriculture.
• The possibilities for their supply chain in the future.

Ryan Sirolli’s Words of Wisdom:

• The consumers are more proactive about their health. They want to know where their food is coming from, how it is being made, and they want to buy from brands they can trust.
• Environmental sustainability is now a major factor of what drives consumers to buy healthy products.

Connect with Ryan Sirolli:

• Danone North America

Check Out Our Sponsor for the “Sustainability at Scale” Series

Have you ever heard of Marrone’s BIO WITH BITE? Marrone Bio Innovation offers crop pest protection for the modern organic and conventional production systems. To make sure every grower using their products realize the best possible return on investment, Marrone invests time and resources to thoroughly test and demonstrate the efficacy of those new state of the art products. With serious trial data to back it up! You can see more and connect directly with Marrone by visiting them at www.marronebio.com

Marrone is very proud to support The Future Of Agriculture blog series on sustainability in agriculture with Tim Hammerich.

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter 
AgGrad on Facebook 
AgGrad on LinkedIn 
AgGrad on Instagram 

Meet Trey Hill of Harborview Farms

You ever wonder what would happen to your loved ones if you suddenly died? Would they know what to do with your business?

Glen Newcomer has a unique view on making a "when you die folder"

Please visit our sponsor

https://www.farmersedge.ca/

Are today's "food police" shaping food policy? If so, who is the driving force behind these celebrity appointed experts? Join Jayson Lusk, author of "The Food Police," as he shares his observations and studies.

Lesley and Rob chat with Clayton Rempel, a certified aerial applicator. Listen to what he does and why people shouldn't fear crop dusters.

My guest this week is Ashely (Captain) Knapton. She loves agriculture and wants to try ALL the jobs before she eventually realizes her dream and takes over her family’s dairy farm.

Tonight I am actually travelling! And heading the grand total of 9 1/2 miles across the English border, to Hordley in North Shropshire, to talk to Quinoa grower Stephen Jones @BritishQuinoa

We start off discussing Stephen's farm, that his family have been on for 80 years, and how he ended up studying crop production and agronomy at Harper Adams University, before going on to do a phd at Nottingham. 

We then talk about how he first heard about Quinoa in a local magazine, and how it fired his imagination enough to try to grow some for himself on the farm, (we also find out how you pronounce it - IS IT QUINOA OR KEEN-WAH?!) and his early experiments with supermarket bought seed.

We then move on to the breakthrough moment when he found varieties bred specifically for the European market, through Wageningan University in the Netherlands, and how he has close ties to other growers throughout Europe, before discussing the crop itself, and how it compares to other conventional crops grown in the UK. 

We talk about how they process it and market it, and how they sell to companies from Pret a Manger, right through to large supermarkets, and how cool it is to see something they've grown in stores. 

We also talk about the food itself, how it tastes, how to cook it, and what the nutritional benefits are, as well as talking about their range of own brand retail packs, and what the future holds for the business. 

All this and lots, lots more. Stephen's one of the interesting and innovative farmers in the UK who are really pushing boundaries, and it was absolutely fascinating to talk to him and learn more about his amazing product and business. 

Check it out folks..

This episode is kindly sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more information please visit www.nfu-cymru.org or www.rockandrollfarming.com 

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to work in partnership with Farmer's Guardian. For all the latest news and features across the Ag industry, please visit www.fginsight.com 

David Perry is the President, CEO, and Director of Indigo Ag, a company that seeks to harness the power of plant microbes to improve yield and lessen (and potentially eliminate) the use of harmful pesticides and insecticides. David is a well-known entrepreneur, having founded and built three outstanding companies within the last two decades. He has lead the last two companies through successful IPOs while providing significant returns for their investors. Prior to becoming a businessman, David attended the US Air Force Academy and was a National Merit Scholar.

In this episode, David explains how plant-microbe research can benefit the farmer as well as the environment. He describes the thought processes involved in founding Indigo Ag, the benefits of their research as well as its plausible risks towards the environment. He also shares their current research progress and their future projects.

 
“To improve economic prosperity for farmers, we should move farming from being a completely commoditized business to one where they are increasingly producing things that are value-added.” – David Perry

 
This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: 

• Why he believes microbes can help improve agriculture.
• Their solutions to identifying microbes that increase yields.
• Technologies that enabled them to expand and innovate their research.
• Can they patent the microbes they find?
• The risks of this type of research towards the environment.
• The problems they started working on.
• Can microbes eventually replace chemicals in agriculture?
• What identity preservation means from a farmer's view point.

David Perry’s Words of Wisdom:

• Developing microbes are much faster than developing chemicals.
• There's a future in which we use less than half of the chemical fertilizers we use today, and we may eliminate 90% of the chemical pesticides and insecticides.
• If the farmer is delivering their crop to a local elevator and it's getting piled in with their neighbors, there's no way for them to get paid for better quality or greater sustainability.

Resources Mentioned:

• Marrone Bio Innovations

Connect with David Perry:

• Indigo Ag

Check Out Our Sponsor for the “Sustainability at Scale” Series

Have you ever heard of Marrone’s BIO WITH BITE? Marrone Bio Innovation offers crop pest protection for the modern organic and conventional production systems. To make sure every grower using their products realize the best possible return on investment, Marrone invests time and resources to thoroughly test and demonstrate the efficacy of those new state of the art products. With serious trial data to back it up! You can see more and connect directly with Marrone by visiting them at www.marronebio.com

Marrone is very proud to support The Future Of Agriculture blog series on sustainability in agriculture with Tim Hammerich.

Join Our 100th Episode Celebration!

We are celebrating the Future of Agriculture Podcast’s 100th episode - and we want to celebrate with you! Visit SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg to record your voice and tell us which Future of Agriculture Podcast episode was your number 1 favorite - and why! Who knows? We may even play your voice in a future episode! Head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg today to record your voice and share your favorite episode with us.

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter 
AgGrad on Facebook 
AgGrad on LinkedIn 

Derek Klingenberg is that guy that plays his trombone to cows and other odd stuff. Listen to how he has navigated bringing agriculture to YouTube.

Please visit our sponsor

https://www.farmersedge.ca/

Lynn Weaver join Rob & Lesley to talk about the lost art of cooking and food labels.

Tonight for this Rock & Roll Farming special, I talk to NFU President Minette Batters.

We discuss the 'Health & Harmony' DEFRA consultation papers; why working farmers should respond to them, what's good about them, what's bad about them, what we as farmers need to happen post-brexit, and crucially, whether she employs a Donald Trump extreme handshake OR a Tory front bench power-stance when meeting with Government VIPs. 

Check it out folks.. 

This episode is kindly sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more information please visit www.nfu-cymru.org.uk or www.rockandrollfarming.com

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to work in partnership with Farmer's Guardian. For all the latest news and features from across the Ag industry, please visit www.fginsight.com 

Donnarie Hales, BASF Product Marketing Manager, discusses new rotation options for rice growers, her new gig, and the changing social media landscape.

Tonight I'm delighted to be travelling down to Wimborne in Dorset, in the south West of England, to talk to sheep farmer Jemma Harding @meandeweblog

We talk about the perception of sheep farming as cool at the moment, and how the reality can be very different, before hearing about her early life growing up on the family farm and how her initial love of sheep developed. 

We discuss her time at University studying photography, and how she combined it with farming, before hearing about how a night out at an MTV party in Birmingham led ultimately to a job offer and an eventual role interviewing musicians and celebrities around the World. 

We then hear in depth about the accident that happened to her in 2008, when she was knocked off her bike by a lorry in central London, and the horrendous injuries she sustained. She tells us about the operations she went through, and how through sheer determination she was out of hospital in just 5 weeks, and how her collie puppy and horse helped her through the long nights suffering with PTSD.

We hear about how she left London life and went back to the family business, before her Father's diagnosis with stage 4 cancer, and death just 9 months later. We discuss the difficulties she faced afterwards, dealing with it emotionally, but also with the farm, and how she had to learn to do many of the day to day things from scratch.

We also discuss the issues she's had with dog attacks in her flock, and how it seems to be a growing problem in the UK, before moving on to talk about where she's at now, and how despite it all, she has no regrets. 

All this and much, much more.

Jemma's story is one of courage in the face of huge adversity, and sheer determination to succeed, and it was an absolute privilege to talk to her tonight. 

Check it out folks.. 

This episode is kindly sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more info please visit www.nfu-cymru.org or visit www.rockandrollfarming.com

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to work in partnership with Farmer's Guardian. For all the latest news and features across the Ag industry please visit www.fginsight.com

Jason Mauck is a farmer in Gaston, Indiana and the CEO of Constant Canopy, an operation dedicated to closing the gap between livestock and grain production. He is passionate about demystifying misconceptions and bringing public awareness to how the farming and agriculture industry truly works from a large-scale farming perspective.

Jason joins me today to share how his large-scale nutrient management system works, discuss the imbalance between supply and demand, and why he believes a sharing economy is a perfect solution to addressing these issues. He shares the intercropping strategy he uses to create higher crop yields, effective strategies for using manure as a soil nutrient management technique, and how he describes “true soil wealth” for large-scale farmers. He also explains the concept of wheat spreading and how it impacts production costs and the benefits of planting soybeans early in the growing season.

“I don’t think there’s one subject that is more compatible with the sharing economy than manure distribution.” - Jason Mauck

This Week on the Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• Effective strategies for using manure as a nutrient management technique on large-scale farming operations.
• Why newer methods of using manure to manage soil nutrients are more effective and economical than older methods.
• How the sharing economy can address supply and demand issues related to manure distribution.
• The cropping system he uses to keep production costs low while using manure-based nutrient management techniques.
• The benefits of locally placing manure versus widespread placement.
• The benefits of developing an intercropping system.
• Why he advocates for early soybean planting - even when predicting another freeze.
• Understanding the concept of wheat spreading and how it impacts production costs.
• How he harvests wheat without harming soybean crops with his intercropping system.
• Benefits of early bean seed planting.
• How allowing bean plans to grow side-by-side - instead of upright - impacts the overall growth and production.
• Why he believes more farmers do not experiment with intercropping strategies.
• How farmers evaluate annual soil health.
• How he describes “true soil wealth.”

Connect with Jason Mauck:

• Jason Mauck on Twitter

Check Out Our Sponsor for the “Sustainability at Scale” Series

Have you ever heard of Marrone’s BIO WITH BITE? Marrone Bio Innovation offers crop pest protection for the modern organic and conventional production systems. To make sure every grower using their products realize the best possible return on investment, Marrone invests time and resources to thoroughly test and demonstrate the efficacy of those new state of the art products. With serious trial data to back it up! You can see more and connect directly with Marrone by visiting them at www.marronebio.com

Marrone is very proud to support The Future Of Agriculture blog series on sustainability in agriculture with Tim Hammerich.

Join Our 100th Episode Celebration!

We are celebrating the Future of Agriculture Podcast’s 100th episode - and we want to celebrate with you! Visit SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg to record your voice and tell us which Future of Agriculture Podcast episode was your number 1 favorite - and why! Who knows? We may even play your voice in a future episode! Head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg today to record your voice and share your favorite episode with us.

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter 
AgGrad on Facebook 

Heather Moore is a first generation dairy farmer who gained her love for ag though showing cows in FFA. She has opened her own shop selling cheese made from milk produced on their farm.

please visit our sponsor

https://www.farmersedge.ca/

Canada is aboot to go label crazy on their food. We talk this over with Andrew Campbell

Tonight, for this very special Rock and Roll Farming Podcast I head down to Westminster in London to talk to DEFRA Secretary of State Michael Gove about their consultation paper 'Health and Harmony: the future for food and farming and the environment in a green brexit', and why it's absolutely vital that working farmers respond.  

This episode is kindly sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more details please visit www.nfu-cymru.org or www.rockandrollfarming.com

Rock and Roll Farming is proud to work in partnership with Farmer's Guardian. Please visit www.fginsight.com 

How would you like a pig farm 10 minutes from Ontario’s hottest summer beach destination? Most farmers hate fighting cottage traffic, but Teresa Van Ray and her family are firm believers in “If you can’t beat em, join em.” Their on-farm store, The Whole Pig, sparks some interesting conversations with their customers and adding 30 acres of garlic to their operation leads to some fairly obvious honey, garlic ribs jokes. Well, obvious to Wendell…

www.thewholepig.ca

Tonight I'm heading down to Overbury Farms on the Worcestershire/ Gloucestershire border to talk to Farm Manager Jake Freestone @No1FarmerJake

We hear about the 1600ha mixed farm that he manages, that's been in the same family since 1722, and the wide range of soil types, conditions, crops, and enterprises that they have going on there.

We discuss Jake's non-farming background, and how he caught the bug initially helping out on his Godfather's dairy farm in Bedfordshire, and how from then on he wasn't going to do anything else but farm. We find out how he eventually ended up at Overbury, after stints at Seale Hayne Agricultural College and several different farms and estates, gaining a wide range of experience in different roles.

We hear what crops they were growing when he arrived, and what system they were using then, before moving on to discuss the impact of his Nuffield Scholarship and what he learned from innovative farmers around the World using a zero-tillage system, and his 'light-bulb' moment in Oklahoma.

We then discuss at length how he's set about drastically changing the tillage system at Overbury; from the cross slot drill they use, to both cover and companion crops, and the huge environmental and cost benefit they've seen since making the change.

We also talk about his passion for sharing the knowledge he's accumulated through his experience with the system with other farmers, and also his blog, harvest diary, and social media, and why he feels that showing what they do on the farm is important.

All this and much, much more.

Jake's one of the brightest and best farmers in the UK, and it was a genuine pleasure to hear more about the pioneering work he's doing with environmental farming.

Check it out folks..

Marc Brazeau is the Chief Organizer and Editor at Food and Farm Discussion Lab, a food system think tank and online magazine for people within the agriculture industry to share evidence-based solutions, ideas, and concepts related to sustainable agriculture, hunger and food security, and public health and nutrition concerns. With previous experience as a chef and restaurant owner as well as organizing unions within the agriculture space, he brings a unique perspective to the food-to-table movement. He is passionate about helping others form their opinions regarding agricultural issues based on evidence, science, and facts.

Marc joins me today to share how he became interested in evidence-based agriculture concerns, what inspired him to create the Food and Farm Discussion Lab, and how his views of food sustainability have evolved. He explains the variables that affect the global sustainability of food, why he believes scalability is a critical factor to consider when addressing food sustainability matters, and the issues that he believes have become over-hyped within the industry.

“If you’re not dealing with corn, soy, wheat, forage crops, or meat, then you’re not really having a serious conversation about sustainability.” - Marc Brazeau

This Week on the Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• What inspired him to start the Food and Farm Discussion Lab.
• The pivotal moment that lead him to begin searching for evidence-based information regarding sustainability issues in agriculture.
• How agriculture professionals currently view the term “sustainability” and how we should transition to more productive views.
• The variables that create the most impact on the global food sustainability crisis.
• Why corn, soy, wheat, meat, and forage crops are critical to the overall scalability factor of food sustainability.
• Over-hyped technologies and initiatives within the agriculture industry related to food sustainability.
• How his views and opinions regarding food sustainability have evolved since starting the Food and Farm Discussion Lab.

Resources Mentioned:

• Bio Fortified
• Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food book by Raoul Adamchak and Pamela Ronald
• Accountable Ag blog post by John Phipps

Connect with Marc Brazeau:

• Food and Farm Discussion Lab
• Food and Farm Discussion Lab Forum

Join Our 100th Episode Celebration!

We are celebrating the Future of Agriculture Podcast’s 100th episode - and we want to celebrate with you! Visit SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg to record your voice and tell us which Future of Agriculture Podcast episode was your number 1 favorite - and why! Who knows? We may even play your voice in a future episode! Head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg today to record your voice and share your favorite episode with us.

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter 
AgGrad on Facebook 
AgGrad on LinkedIn 
AgGrad on Instagram 

Jessie Alt works for a big seed company, Her husband works for another... and she writes cuss words on pumpkins

please visit our sponsor:

https://www.farmersedge.ca/

Tonight for this Rock & Roll Farming Special, I head down to Exeter in Devon to talk to Farmer, and co-founder of Ladies in Beef, Jilly Greed, to hear all about Great British Beef Week (April 23rd - 30th)