התמלול המלא של Jonathan Kemmerer

going to feed that much to a pig, you know, 10, 15 pounds, and you can 62 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,880 get two or three times as many pigs out of it, that's a much more efficient use of the 63 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:09,400 grain that you're buying. 64 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:14,080 The other thing that makes the Machons different is that the way they were traditionally raised 65 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:19,200 in China is that their job was to basically convert garden scraps into compost. 66 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:24,640 So because of that, they've adapted the ability to consume significantly more fiber and not 67 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:26,920 need as much protein as most pigs. 68 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,440 And that means that they can get significantly more of their diet from pasture, as well as 69 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:33,600 other byproducts. 70 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,080 So for example, I get spent brewer's grain from a brewery, I get wheat middlings from 71 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,160 a local flour mill. 72 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:45,200 And that's able to displace a lot of the grain that I would have to buy to feed the pigs. 73 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,360 And I think that they will be much more adapted to eating the fruit and the mass of trees 74 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:50,520 as well. 75 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:55,100 So circling back to your three practices that you're implementing, how long have you been 76 00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:57,600 in the Climate Smart Fieldscapes program? 77 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,200 I believe it's been going on for about a year, right? 78 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:02,200 Yes. 79 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:08,880 I was accepted this winter and I just hashed out my plan with my advisor here in the last 80 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:09,880 couple months. 81 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:23,800 I'm Kelly Wilson, Associate Director for the Center for Regenerative Ag. 82 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,320 I am jumping in on your podcast listening to share the news that we are opening our 83 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:32,380 second year application period for Regenerative Grazing, Climate Smart Fieldscapes, and Silvopasture 84 00:05:32,380 --> 00:05:33,380 programs. 85 00:05:33,380 --> 00:05:37,120 I'm joined by our Regenerative Grazing and Silvopasture program leads, Erin Keiley. 86 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,040 Erin, can you tell us about these programs? 87 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:41,040 Thanks Kelly. 88 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:45,160 The Regenerative Grazing program is about encouraging Missouri livestock producers to 89 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:49,000 implement adaptive grazing and really focus on the outcomes. 90 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:54,240 So a focus on soil health, increasing biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. 91 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,480 Think of it like prescribed grazing, but next level. 92 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:02,040 Farmers will develop a grazing plan and monitor across the grazing season. 93 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:06,720 Using these plans can be super helpful for producers to understand pasture composition, 94 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:12,320 recovery periods, key production dates, and this year, it's especially relevant, using 95 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:17,160 a grazing chart can help farmers understand drought and plan for de-stocking dates well 96 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:18,720 ahead of the market. 97 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:24,200 The program pays $50 per acre for a one-year contract, and our farmers will also have access 98 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:29,400 to grazing webinars, field days, and cost share on really robust soil testing through 99 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,880 SHAC so they can monitor and improve their soil health. 100 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:33,880 Thanks Erin. 101 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:38,560 The Climate Smart Fieldscape program is tailored for small and underserved producers in Missouri. 102 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,720 Farmers accepted into this program will work with technical assistance providers to develop 103 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:47,440 an operational plan that includes using three or more Climate Smart practices over the course 104 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:48,440 of three years. 105 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:53,160 We are offering a flat payment of $10,000 over the course of that three-year contract. 106 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,720 In this program, participants will also benefit from being part of a virtual cohort where 107 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:01,000 you'll meet with fellow farmers and technical assistance providers every few months on a 108 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:02,000 virtual meeting. 109 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:06,520 You'll also be a partner in education, so lastly you do some type of demonstration activity 110 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,640 like this podcast over the course of those three years. 111 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,160 The last program that we wanted to just briefly mention is the Silver Pasture Program. 112 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:18,760 Here, we are paying $250 per acre for producers to plant trees in pastures where livestock 113 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:19,760 will graze. 114 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:23,840 So if you are a Missouri producer interested in either general grazing, the Climate Smart 115 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:28,240 Fieldscape Program, or silver pasture, head over to our website at cra.missouri.edu to 116 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:29,240 learn more. 117 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:45,000 I think the trees being able to provide cover for the pigs and feed the pigs is huge. 118 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,800 I mean, pigs are naturally woodland animals, so that is a little bit more in line with 119 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,500 their natural habitat. 120 00:07:53,500 --> 00:07:58,600 I know looking at the trees that I'm bringing on that are native trees, each one can be 121 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,920 either food or habitat for over a hundred different insects, and that's one thing that 122 00:08:03,920 -->

00:08:07,040 I've noticed since starting my farm. 123 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:12,840 My farm was a corn-soy rotation field, so it was bare dirt when I got it, and one of 124 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:17,320 the things I've noticed over the last five years is that as I see more plant diversity, 125 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:22,400 I start seeing more insect diversity, eventually more diversity of birds, and it kind of just 126 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:23,400 goes from there. 127 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:30,880 So I think some of these initiatives of just bringing a wider range of plant life is bringing 128 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:36,440 more food and habitat for more other creatures. 129 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:42,000 One is that with more cover crops, with added trees, you're going to be able to sequester 130 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,680 a lot more carbon in your soil. 131 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:48,920 That's going to help you provide more nutrients to the plants that you're growing to feed 132 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:49,920 the animals. 133 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:55,040 It's going to produce more nutrient-dense forage for the animals. 134 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:59,400 Higher organic matter in the soil is also going to help you retain more moisture when 135 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:04,160 it rains, and that will help you, for one, take in more moisture when you get a heavy 136 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:09,160 rain event, but also allow it to retain more moisture so that when you have droughts, you're 137 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:10,760 not suffering as much. 138 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:17,720 And at the same time, I think the trees are a really great way of feeding the pigs, because 139 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:19,320 they're deeper-rooted systems. 140 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:24,560 I know out of the last five years, I would say three of them, I've had a really hard 141 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:28,600 time establishing winter crops, just because we're not getting a lot of rain. 142 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:30,640 I mean, last year is a great example. 143 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:36,080 I planted my fall and winter cover crops in August, and we didn't get any significant 144 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:41,360 rain until maybe mid-October, and that was not enough time to establish the cover crops 145 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,360 before winter. 146 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:49,440 Whereas the trees I have, like the baroques, persimmons, they're dropping in the fall and 147 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:55,600 the winter, and they would be able to withstand that kind of drought and still produce. 148 00:09:55,600 --> 00:10:01,120 What would you say to a farmer who maybe has never done any regenerative agricultural practices 149 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:05,120 before, and kind of wants to get into it, but doesn't know where to start? 150 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,820 I think working on an operation can be a huge help. 151 00:10:09,820 --> 00:10:15,160 I would also encourage people to work on an operation that is actually a for-profit farm. 152 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:21,320 There's just a big difference between something that actually has to function as a business 153 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:26,840 versus something that's grant-funded or is a passion project. 154 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:32,040 There's just different constraints on resources that I think are incredibly important to understand. 155 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:37,600 But I think also just having experience of doing the day-to-day work is really important. 156 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,600 I think people forget how much of a skill agriculture is. 157 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:48,640 You know, I feed pigs with double the efficiency that I used to just because of figuring out 158 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:49,640 different efficiencies. 159 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:55,080 You know, like I said, with this kind of agriculture not being standardized, there's a ton of different 160 00:10:55,080 --> 00:11:00,640 ways that you can house pigs, transport them, load them up for the butcher. 161 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:05,640 I mean, all of those things, they can take you 20 minutes or they can take you two hours. 162 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:10,320 It's really only through working on an operation that you can kind of figure out those efficiencies 163 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:11,320 that are really important. 164 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:18,880 I would say the other thing is being a part of your local food, whatever it is. 165 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:23,220 I think before you start a business, you need to understand what the demand is, what it 166 00:11:23,220 --> 00:11:28,800 is that people are actually looking for, what they're willing to pay for it, who's out there 167 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:33,920 doing it already, what isn't being produced that people are interested in. 168 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:40,700 I mean, you can't have a farm without a market of end consumers. 169 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:45,320 And so just kind of getting a foot in the door there and knowing what you're going to 170 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,640 do with your product when you sell it is huge because I've seen. 171 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:55,960 I think that, to me, seems to be the biggest mistake that people make in this type of agriculture 172 00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:00,000 is they think that all they have to do is produce something. 173 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:05,080 And I don't think that they allocate enough time towards actually selling it. 174 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:11,120 I don't think they think that, well, for example, I probably spend as much time in a given week 175 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:16,520 marketing and selling my pork as I do actually producing it. 176 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:20,120 And I think people don't allocate that time. 177 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:24,160 They think that all they have to do is produce it and then it moves out the door. 178 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:29,360 So yeah, having a solid background and experience in the actual agricultural production and 179 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:35,300 then also understanding your local marketplace and what is needed, I think are the two most 180 00:12:35,300 --> 00:12:37,840 important things. 181 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,160 A big thank you to Jonathan for letting me come out to his farm and chat. 182 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:45,680 Again, I'm Mikayla Boris, your host from the University of Missouri's Center for Regenerative 183 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:46,680 Agriculture. 184 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:51,140 If you have questions, comments, or any thoughts on this podcast, let us know by visiting our 185 00:12:51,140 --> 00:12:56,080 website at cra.missouri.edu and go to the podcast page. 186 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,440 You can also find us on social media at MU Regen Ag. 187 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:02,920 And also don't forget to leave us a rating wherever you're listening. 188 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,300 This podcast was produced in partnership with MU Extension. 189 00:13:06,300 --> 00:13:09,920 The music you're hearing is called Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw, and we snagged it 190 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:11,680 from the Free Music Archive. 191 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:14,760 Watch out for another regenerative reflection, and we'll see you next time.