Farmers and agronomists have a lot on their plate just to produce a profitable crop every year. So what happens when their buyers start requesting they also change practices to move in a more regenerative direction? Today we hear Emily, an agronomist for a large farm in Alberta, Canada, and Syngenta’s Tara McCaughey, about the quest to grow a more regenerative potato.

“ It's very different from what we're used to. We have somebody who comes here, sells us a product, we see the results. It's instant ROI. With a lot of these practices, it's gonna cost you extra time and people, but you don't necessarily get that right back, that harvest. This is more of a long game. So trying to justify that when you're convincing people to make a change. I think that's an additional barrier is that you might not see your yield increase year one. And that's just a different mindset shift from what we're used to in ag I think.” - Emily, Agronomist in Alberta, Canada

Emily is an agronomist for a very large farming operation in Alberta, Canada. She’s been doing that for about five years and has an additional 15 years as agronomist, mostly working for a large french fry manufacturer. Emily recently traveled the world as a Nuffield Scholar studying regenerative agriculture practices in potato production systems.

Tara has been with Syngenta for a number of years in various capacities, but currently she is the Head of Technology Solutions in Sustainable Ag Function. So her team ensures that technology, including chemistry, biological crop input products, as well as digital ag solution technologies are market-ready and supported once they're in the market with farmer customers.

This Week on Soil Sense:

• Meet Emily, an agronomist in Alberta, and Tara McCaughey, Head of Technology Solutions in Sustainable Ag at Syngenta Canada

• Discover what’s working when it comes to implementing regenerative farming practices in potato cropping systems

• Consider why building soil health is a long term investment instead of a product that can offer clear and instant return on investment (ROI)

• Listen to how agronomists like Emily work with other stakeholders to find prudent ways to implement changes

The  Soil Sense podcast is for those that believe building healthier soils is not just a prescription, but rather a pursuit. On this show, we unpack the way farmers collaborate to build healthier soils and adapt systems to work on their farm for both sustainability and profitability.

Listen to the full season here: https://www.syngenta.com/agriculture/sustainable-agriculture/soil-health/soil-sense-podcast

Thank you to Syngenta for sponsoring this season of the Soil Sense podcast. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there!

In order for soil health to go from words and ideas to actions and outcomes, there needs to be support at the farm level - whether that’s a corn farmer in the U.S. or a peanut farmer in rural Northeast China. Today we talk to two farmers in China who are embracing new ideas for their farms, improving their soil, and helping their communities to see the value in building healthier soils.

 ” I do believe that soil health is an issue for the whole mankind, for the whole world. And thus when I came back home, I wanted to share with, my community about how we can handle the land and also soil better so that our after generations would also be able to enjoy these healthier soil.” - Xingjia, Chinese Peanut Farmer

Today we hear from two farmers, Chi and Xingjia, who farm in the Liaoning Province of northeast China. These two say they have had some big challenges with soil in their area, including erosion and lack of fertility. Xingjia and Chi got involved in a Syngenta program called Hope Soil Health, which provides training that they say they’ve been able to implement on their farms.

Fang Yao of Syngenta also joins the podcast to share more about that Hope program. All of today’s guests provided their answers through an interpreter.

This Week on Soil Sense:

• Meet farmers Xingjia and Chi, as well as Syngenta’s Fang Yao

• Understand some of the challenges and solutions farmers are working with in rural northeast China

• Discover the Hope Soil Health program and how it’s providing training for farmers

• Explore the impact of innovative farmers and well-researched training

The  Soil Sense podcast is for those that believe building healthier soils is not just a prescription, but rather a pursuit. On this show, we unpack the way farmers collaborate to build healthier soils and adapt systems to work on their farm for both sustainability and profitability.

Listen to the full season here: https://www.syngenta.com/agriculture/sustainable-agriculture/soil-health/soil-sense-podcast

Thank you to Syngenta for sponsoring this season of the Soil Sense podcast. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there!

Costa Rica is home to an incredible amount of natural biodiversity. But it’s also an ideal spot to grow some of the world’s favorite crops, like coffee. How can farmers conserve biodiversity while still meeting global demand for coffee?

Today we hear Mariano, an agronomist and coffee producer from Costa Rica, and Javier Peris from Syngenta, about the dynamic relationship between agriculture and biodiversity.

 ”When you plant a coffee, you spend. 20, 25, 30 years or more with the coffee plant. So that allows you to be part of the ecosystem for all those years. So it's easy to think (in terms of) long term, relationships with the local ecosystems. For example, conservation soil techniques is one of the things that we are doing, and maybe is the main technique or strategy to increase biodiversity and resilience in the local ecosystem that you are producing coffee.” - Mariano, Costa Rican Coffee Farmer

Mariano is an agronomist whose family has grown coffee in Costa Rica for almost a hundred years. In the past decade, they’ve really focused on transitioning to more regenerative practices. He explains how they’ve moved from conventional coffee farming methods to more ecologically-conscious solutions, and what this means for his business and his soil health.

Alongside Mariano, you’ll hear from Javier Peris, a biologist at Syngenta. Javier has worked with Syngenta for the past ten years, mostly in research and development, but he has recently transition to a new role in sustainability where he is a nature specialist. He describes Syngenta’s “Living Grow” program which  promotes biodiversity and soil health in agricultural ecosystems while maintaining agricultural productivity.

This Week on Soil Sense:

• Meet Mariano and Javier Peris and learn about how coffee farms can embrace regenerative practices

• Discover the Living Grow program in Costa Rica and the collaboration taking place to help farmers boost productivity while conserving biodiversity

• Explore why Javier calls Mariano’s farm “like another world”

• Understand the connection between soil health and overall biodiversity

The  Soil Sense podcast is for those that believe building healthier soils is not just a prescription, but rather a pursuit. On this show, we unpack the way farmers collaborate to build healthier soils and adapt systems to work on their farm for both sustainability and profitability.

Thank you to Syngenta for sponsoring this season of the Soil Sense podcast. If you are interested in what soil health looks like in practice and on the farm, please subscribe and follow this show on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a rating and review while you’re there!