Secrets of the Soil Podcast with Regen Ray

The power of Regenerative Agriculture is not in just one thing. It's a combination that includes the head, heart, and research to create solutions for the future.

Who is Terry McCosker

Terry is an internationally acclaimed teacher and has worked in research, extension, and property management in both government and private sectors for almost 55 years.

In his research era, Terry published over 40 papers and made several world-first discoveries in the 1980s in the fields of bull fertility, ruminant nutrition, and pasture ecology. Terry co-founded RCS over 35 years ago which has set the benchmark for capacity building in rural and regional Australia. He is responsible for the introduction of the GrazingforProfit™ School into Australia which now has over 8,000 graduates and has changed grazing, livestock, and business management nationally. Terry has chaired the Australian Beef Expo, has sat on numerous advisory committees, and has been nominated for many awards.

Terry was described in the Australian Farm Journal editorial in July 2010 as follows: “It is hard to imagine the mental toughness and commitment McCosker and his early farmer adopters had to muster to withstand the flood of criticism from within conventional agricultural science circles. … McCosker’s ideas took farming out of a war with nature to an association with it. He introduced Australian farmers to the concept of ecosystem health and developed methods of measuring it alongside financial health. Critically he introduced the concept of farm family well-being and welcomed female partners, siblings and parents into courses about decision making.”

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Website/s:

https://carbonlink.com.au/

https://www.rcsaustralia.com.au/

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Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/RCSAustralia/

https://www.facebook.com/carbonlink

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You can also reach out to Terry via phone: 1800 356 004

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WARNING: This Podcast May Cause Deep Love for Fungi

Mindset is everything! When you have the right mindset, it's so much easier to make these transitions and care for the soil.
Molding your thoughts into something that will benefit not only yourself but other people as well can be a very powerful thing- especially in today’s world where everyone needs healthy soils from which they grow their own food.

Who is Nick Ritar?

With his partner Kirsten Bradley, Nick Ritar runs Milkwood, offering courses in Permaculture design, urban farming, backyard veggies, natural bee-keeping, gourmet mushroom cultivation, fermented foods, natural building, market gardening, and much, much more.

Nick is Milkwood’s primary educator and consultant and is passionate about cultivating community and creating authentic outcomes for students studying permaculture.

Based in southern Tasmania, Nick spends his time growing good food, keeping bees, cultivating mushrooms, teaching permaculture design & advocating for community-scale resilience. 

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Website: www.milkwood.net

Join the next Mushroom Cultivation course.
https://soillearningcenter.com/home-mushroom/cultivation/course

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Social Media:

www.facebook.com/Milkwood

www.instagram.com/milkwood/

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For many of us, the soil is our mother, and covering it with a protective embrace will always be important. Imagine a world without cover crops. A place where the soil is bare and vulnerable to erosion and salinity. That's not something we want for our planet right? 

Our soil needs protection.

Who is Dr. Christos Miliotis?

Dr. Christos has been researching for 17 years methods to draw down greenhouse gases from the sky to soil with a special focus on the role of microbes to build the soil carbon sponge and draw in more water vapour from the atmosphere and store it in the soil.

The focus is on reimagining greenhouse gases as resources where there is too much of a good thing in the wrong place and through plants and microbes to transfer too, much of a good thing in the right place - THE SOIL.

Christos is a Soil and Gut health consultant as the two are inextricably linked.

Website: https://biodiver.city/

Facebook Groups:

All things Hemp. We can feed, clothe, house and power up the world

holy cow it's Organic- an organic lifestyle that won't cost the earth/

Fermenting Foods

intermittent fasting

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With a diverse ecosystem, the benefits are endless. Diversity in the form of plants and animals is one way to keep your ecosystem healthy. Soil health also relies on a diverse range of organisms for its well-being, as they all contribute something special towards making sure that there are enough nutrients available where needed most.

Who is Fred Provenza?

Fred Provenza grew up in Salida, Colorado, working on a ranch and attending school in Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University. He is professor emeritus of Behavioral Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University where he worked for 35 years, directing an award-winning research group that pioneered an understanding of how learning influences foraging behavior and how behavior links soil, plants, herbivores, and humans.

He is the author of three books, including Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom; Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change; and The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders (co-author with Michel Meuret).

He has published over 300 research papers in a wide variety of scientific journals. He has been an invited speaker at over 500 conferences. The many awards he received for research, teaching, and mentoring are the creativity that flowed from warm professional and personal relationships with over 75 graduate students, post-doctoral students, visiting scientists, and colleagues during the past 45 years.

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Website: http://behave.net/

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Attached is the link to download the PDF copy of the Importance of Plant Diversity For Soil Health.

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Farming is more than a way of life, it’s at the heart and through the power of storytelling, we are building bridges that will one day connect all people with their desired outcomes. 

Listen to this episode and discover more about why building a strong connection with farmer-consumer through storytelling is very important.

Who is Blair Beattie?

Passionate Jack of all Trades finding purpose in his regenerative story.

Having worked in many realms of business and activism, Blair’s true purpose is grounded in the advocacy of Regenerative Agriculture, manifesting itself as the director of  Farmer’s Footprint Australia.

With vast experience in food systems, native ingredients, and soil health, Blair’s knowledge in these fields is equaled by his passion for community, sovereignty, and his family. As he continues to learn, listen, stumble, and be humbled by his journey, his focus is to educate, empower and activate humans toward a regenerative life.

Website:

https://farmersfootprint.org.au/

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/farmersfootprintaustralia

https://www.instagram.com/farmersfootprintaustralia/

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The earth is a beautiful place, but it's also delicate. With so many people and animals depending on the land for their daily needs from food sources to places of safety from disasters or violence-the ecosystem cannot survive if we don't take care of it! 

What is a Solution? Listen to this episode as Ethan discusses Regenerative Agriculture, Diversity, Holistic Management, and More...

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Who is Ethan Gordon?

Ethan Gordon is a Ph.D. Candidate with the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney. He uses discourse analysis to explore regenerative agriculture and other ecological alternatives to extractive agricultural models.

Through action research alongside the Institute of Ecological Agriculture (IEA), Ethan aims to understand how transformation can be facilitated in agriculture to prevent further ecosystem degradation and social unrest. IEA is a co-operative of farmers, consultants, and educators dedicated to, and advocating for, healthy agricultural landscapes and communities. Together, they are developing an accreditation designed to support the ethical and professional standards of consultants, educators, and trainers in ecological (regenerative) agriculture.

This is important work to Ethan because it speaks directly to his family’s custodianship of Moffat Falls, a pastoral property located in the lands of the Dunghutti, Gumbaynggirr, and Anaiwan Nations. Moffat Falls is a steer trade operation. Through holistic landscape management, they utilise their grazing animals for carbon sequestration and are early adopters of carbon farming.

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Website: 

https://www.ethangordon.com.au/

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Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanforearth/

https://www.instagram.com/ethanforearth/

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Recent publication:

https://www.ethangordon.com.au/publications

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UTS Profile:

https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Ethan.Gordon

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There is growing evidence that by using farming methods that replenish the soil, we can decrease the negative consequences and possibly even reverse some of our soil problems.

Bio-dynamic agriculture is an environmentally friendly method of farming that includes gradually increasing soil fertility by applying compost made from organic materials. As a result, the plants are healthier and have more vitamins than conventional crops.

Love to eat but not keen on the chemicals? Let's hear from Mark Rathbone about how he founded Save Our Soils and how, as a child, he was exposed to a lot of information from his father during his transition from conventional to organic farming, which sparked his interest in regenerative agriculture and healthy eating.

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Who Is Mark Rathbone?

Mark Rathbone runs his own business called Save Our Soil Australia. His mission is to inform people of the regenerative nature of bio-dynamic agriculture by growing tasty fruit and vegetables, selling them through farmers' markets, and providing information on the subject via our website, speaking engagements, and other media.

Mark and his family have been bio-dynamic farming since December 1965 (when he was just 2 years old) so he is probably in a really good position to explain it.

Website: https://www.saveoursoil.com.au/

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Can you imagine a landscape designer who's so worried about the final results of his landscape designs that he started his own business to make sure he was getting it right? That's Ryan Young, landscaper, and founder of Uncommon Ground Ply Ltd.

What started out as frustration at the lack of natural landscapes in the homes he was designing grew into a passion for promoting naturally-grown products, and now Ryan is helping open organic farmers share their message with the world.

His passion for music (he always has an earphone in) puts him in a space where he can gain ideas or inspiration, and his love for the environment and our soil has helped him establish a successful business around taking care of the land. Let’s discover the fascinating world of landscaping. design and love for soil as Ryan Young opens up to us his passion and his journey from being a business owner to a traveler.

Who is Ryan Young?

Ryan Young is one of the finest Landscape Designers in Melbourne and is now servicing most states in Australia.

A craftsman and artist he works closely with his clients to create their vision. Considered and resourceful, Ryan’s attention to the detail of landscape design creates enduring spaces. He creates inspirational landscapes for practical living, specializing in holistic gardens his designs are beautifully practical. If you would like to live in a garden that evolves over time, allow Ryan to design you and your family a truly inspirational outdoor space. Invest in a landscape design that adapts to the rhythms of family life.

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Website: http://www.uncommonground.com.au/

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncommon_ground/

                  https://www.instagram.com/we_are_nomads/

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Growing your own food is one of the best ways to make sure you're eating only healthy, fresh ingredients. Not only will it taste better than anything from a grocery store but also being in control means no more worries about pesticides or other chemicals.

Listen to this podcast and discover the importance of food and nutrition, as well as how chemicals affect our health. 

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Who is Cyndi O’Meara?

Cyndi is about educating. Her greatest love is to teach, both in the public arena and within the large corporate food companies, to enable everyone to make better choices so they too can enjoy greater health throughout their lives.  Her unique, surprisingly simple yet extensively researched but down-to-earth approach, challenges and encourages others to eliminate unhealthy habits and has inspired thousands to make smarter choices about the food they choose to put into their body.

Cyndi confronts her audiences, whether, within the public or corporate sectors, she has the courage to call out deception and misinformation and believes in arming people with the tools and resources to reach their goals.

By educating people on food choices, how to read food labels, why diets don’t work, and how drugs can affect your total well-being and vitality, Cyndi empowers them to make long-lasting changes with simple and achievable steps on how to create healthier habits.

Changing Habits has been recognised by the Australian Organic Annual Awards 2019 as a finalist for Best Organic Influencer.

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Watch this! What is with Wheat Documentary

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Websites: 

https://changinghabits.com.au/

https://thenutrition.academy/

Social Media:

Facebook: https://changinghabits.com.au/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/changinghabits

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changinghabits_hq/

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The catastrophic consequences of global climate change have gone on way too far. Meanwhile, the demand for carbon is on the rise, and it's a market that's predicted to grow There is no sign of slowing down, and if continues to be credited a number of new grant programs could benefit farmers all over the country.

Proper soil carbon management can not only retain more water, but can also restore the landscape, increase your yield, and give you access to necessary resources.

Let’s dig deeper into this as Louisa Kiely shares with us everything we need to know about carbon farming.

Who is Louisa Kiely?

Louisa, Director of  Carbon Farmers of Australia, obtained her Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of New England. She worked in the market research industry as a field supervisor while bringing up her 3 children. Together with her husband Michael, in 1991-2003 Louisa established and grew a city-based marketing agency from zero to 55 employees. In this business, she was Director and General Manager of Boomerang! Integrated Marketing & Advertising.

Intent on following her first choice of career, she studied for the Advanced Diploma of Farm Management at Sydney University (Orange), trained in Holistic Management, and from 1998 to 2017 she was a woolgrower in the Wellington NSW district, growing fine Merino Wool.

She was selected by the Central Western Catchment Management Authority as one of 10 highly innovative landholders in the Catchment, to be trained in farm planning and soil restoration. Through this training, she and Michael became convinced that soil carbon could solve many agricultural, environmental, and climate change problems.

She co-founded the Carbon Coalition Against Global Warming in February 2006 to lobby for the right of Australian landholders to trade on the emissions offset market the credits they can earn by sequestering carbon in their soils. She has since traveled throughout Australia and internationally meeting scientists and farmers and spreading the word about Carbon Farming.

She was invited to be a delegate at a Climate Change and Conservation Farming Conference in LaFayette, Indiana, organised by the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation. She was also a delegate at the National Carbon Offset Coalition Conference in Bozeman, Montana. She is co-founder of Carbon Farmers of Australia Pty Ltd (CFA). CFA also published the world’s first Carbon Farming Handbook.

Seeking to build bridges with the scientific community, she organised two Soil C Summits between Scientists and Farmers, in Dubbo and Orange NSW. And as co-founder of CFA, she organised and ran the world’s first Carbon Farming Conference & Expo in November 2007. In 2019 the 9th National Carbon Farming Conference & Expo, the biggest yet with delegates from every state in Australia and from all over the world, was held.

She developed the “CarbonCredited™” brand for wool and recruited woolgrowers into this emissions reduction program. Louisa has been recognized for her work and was chosen as runner up in the 2008 NSW Rural Woman of the Year. She has also sat on the board of the Regional Development Australia Committee – Orana Region. This intergovernmental committee was set up to ensure the future strength and development in rural and regional Australia.

As director of Carbon Farmers of Australia Pty Ltd, she was a part of a consortium of 3 companies that developed the first Soil Carbon Methodology submitted to the Carbon Farming Initiative process. Carbon Farmers of Australia also offers farm-ready training in Carbon Farming and Trading.

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Website: https://carbonfarmersofaustralia.com.au/

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