Regenerative Agriculture Club

Lauren Abda is the Founder and CEO of Branchfood, the largest community of food entrepreneurs and startups in New England, and Co-founder at Branch Venture Group, an angel network for investment in early-stage food startups. Prior to Branchfood, Lauren consulted for foodtech businesses in Boston and San Francisco, worked as an analyst for Salt Venture Partners LLC, a venture capital firm, focused on food startups, targeting content, commerce, and technology, and wrote reports on international food safety development initiatives on behalf of the Agriculture and Commodities division at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. She has a Masters in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Vermont.

Please support this podcast by checking out Steward: https://gosteward.com/

EPISODE LINKS

Branchfood Website: https://www.branchfood.com/

Branch Venture Group Website: https://www.branchventuregroup.com/

PODCAST INFO

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/regenerative-agriculture-club/id1589813038

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NcUjBj2OIXjjcQBV0rPv2?si=ruFlImdlTvK9NBkTh1ptOQ

RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1847147.rss

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEOn-dUAkZxJzkzuRfs8yg

OUTLINE:

0:00 Introduction

1:14 Origin story and Lauren’s family background

4:41 What is Branchfood?

14:31 Origin story of Branch Venture Group

18:10 Geographic footprint of the Branch Venture Group

23:40 Are there unique challenges in the Food Tech space?

25:14 Advice to upcoming next generation of food and ag tech founders

28:07 Solo founder vs multi person founding team

29:46 Was there a moment that made you realized that this business would pop?

31:18 What's next for Branchfood and Branch Venture Group?

GET IN TOUCH

If you would like to connect, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at [email protected]

PODCAST SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/regenerativeagricultureclub/

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donpdavidson/

Riley Gordon graduated with honors from Brandon University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics (Mathematics minor) in the spring of 2014. Then, in 2017 he completed a degree program at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities, obtaining a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering with Environmental Emphasis in water related topics. Coinciding with his time at the U of M, Riley interned with a Civil Engineering consulting firm, working in both Intelligent Transportation Systems and Water Resources groups.

As an engineer, Riley will be applying the skills he gained through both his education and related industry experience to assist in AURI’s broad range of projects and initiatives. He primarily works out of the Co-products lab in Waseca, MN, but will also apply his skillsets by delving into projects related to all four of the focus areas that encompass AURI’s work.

Riley is originally from Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

Please support this podcast by checking out:

• Steward: https://gosteward.com/

EPISODE LINKS

AURI Website: https://auri.org/

PODCAST INFO

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/regenerative-agriculture-club/id1589813038

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NcUjBj2OIXjjcQBV0rPv2?si=ruFlImdlTvK9NBkTh1ptOQ

RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1847147.rss

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEOn-dUAkZxJzkzuRfs8yg

OUTLINE:

0:00 Introduction

4:33 AURI’s geographic footprint

5:56 Main focus areas

10:48 What's the path when clients first engage with the Institute?

12:17 North America major ag trends

15:28 Changes since the 2018 farm bill

22:58 Interacting with larger companies who are testing the waters in the hemp space

24:51 Production and processing

29:11 Supporting Native Communities

32:45 What's your advice to young people who are considering a career in agriculture?

35:29 How can people get in touch with you?

GET IN TOUCH

If you would like to connect, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at [email protected]

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/regenerativeagricultureclub/

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donpdavidson/

Jenny Quiner is the founder of Dogpatch Urban Gardens (https://www.dogpatchurbangardens.com/), an urban farm in Des Moines, IA producing vegetable crops using organic principles and sustainable methods.
Please support this podcast by checking out Steward:
https://gosteward.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Dogpatch Urban Gardens Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DogpatchUrbanGardens
Dogpatch Urban Gardens Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogpatch_urban_gardens/
Regenerative Agriculture Club Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/regenerativeagricultureclub/
OUTLINE:
00:05:00 Introduction

00:48:21 Aha Moment

02:00:02 When did it all start?

02:14:09 Were you the first producers in your area?

02:43:12 What were you growing?

05:03:11 Compliance, Zoning Laws and other Local Jurisdictions

08:38:07 Sales Distribution and Market Research process

10:56:00 When did you have the confidence to go all in or not?

12:43:27 Agri-tourism Movement

13:45:07 Were kids part of the mix in your world?

14:56:06 High Tunnels
16:31:12Permaculture system

18:21:28 Do you have a favorite crop?
19:50:25 Is there a crop you wish to grow?
20:41:22 What are your biggest pest pressure experience?

21:22:05 Mitigating Aphids
22:24:28 Essential Go-to tools

23:36:24 Soil health

25:11:19 Adding compost on soil

26:27:22 Systems implemented and the DUG team
28:25:09 Where are your products available now?

31:23:06 Go-to learning resources

33:08:07 Adapting the business with Covid
34:33:01 Advice on people planning to pursue regenerative agriculture

36:10:25 Where can you see the business in 3-5 years?

37:57:01 Sensory tour of Jenny’s farm

Jesse McDougall is a regenerative farmer at Studio Hill. He is an Accredited Professional with the Savory Institute, serves on the advisory board for Soil4Climate, and was the author of the first regenerative agriculture legislation.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Don’s Introduction

5:57 First critical years of farming

10:11 About Studio Hill Farm

13:34 Alternate ways of land management and food production

19:19 Jesse’s message to regenerative farming’s next generation

24:35 What's coming next in the next 1-3 years at Studio Hill

EPISODE LINKS

Studio Hill Website: https://studiohill.farm/

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

Regenerative Food Network: https://regenfood.net/

Did you enjoy this episode? If so, give us a rating and review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/regenerativeagricultureclub

PODCAST INFO

Website: www.raclub.co

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEOn-dUAkZxJzkzuRfs8yg

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/regenerative-agriculture-club/id1589813038

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NcUjBj2OIXjjcQBV0rPv2?si=ruFlImdlTvK9NBkTh1ptOQ

PODCAST SOCIAL MEDIA

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/regenerative-agriculture-club

Email: [email protected]

Vicki Hird is Head of the Sustainable Farming Campaign for Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming, and she also runs an independent consultancy. An experienced and award-winning environmental campaigner, researcher, writer and strategist working mainly in the food, farming and environmental policy arenas, Vicki has worked on government policy for many years and is the author of Perfectly Safe to Eat?: The Facts on Food.

Vicki’s passion is insects. The first pets she gave her children were a family of stick insects, and she received a giraffe-necked weevil tattoo for her 50th birthday. Vicki has a masters in pest management and is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES).

Please support this podcast by checking out Steward: https://gosteward.com/

EPISODE LINKS

Rebugging the Planet: https://rebuggingtheplanet.org/

Vicki Hird Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickihird

Vicki Hird Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickihird/

PODCAST INFO

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/regenerative-agriculture-club/id1589813038

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NcUjBj2OIXjjcQBV0rPv2?si=ruFlImdlTvK9NBkTh1ptOQ

RSS Feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1847147.rss

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEOn-dUAkZxJzkzuRfs8yg

OUTLINE:

0:00 Introduction

3:06 Being conscious about rebugging the planet

5:16 Teaching children

6:53 Life under the soil

8:11 What's your advice on starters who want to rebug their own farm?

10:08 Advice to parks and other recreational areas19:20 Food and agriculture supply chains

21:23 What does a rebugged planet look like in your world view?

PODCAST SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/regenerativeagricultureclub/

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donpdavidson/