Episode 105: Moving From Organic to Regenerative Management with Steven Cardoza

Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

AEA Marketing

Science, Natural Sciences, Earth Sciences

4.7 • 548 Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2024

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Steven Cardoza is a second-generation organic raisin grape grower. His 400-acre farm is south of Fresno, California. His father transitioned from conventional to organic growing in 1998 after discovering some of the inputs he was using were making him ill. Steven took over the business in 2017 with a massive jumpstart on the pathway to regenerative agriculture. Since moving from an organic to a regenerative approach, Steven has changed his management methods to enact many exciting results such as increased soil organic matter, increased yields and quality, and the elimination of pesticide use.

In this episode, John and Steve discuss:

Tillage reduction
Spider mite challenges
Nutrition management on organic vs regenerative systems
Cover crop management
Water percolation in sandy soil
AEA products and applications

Additional Resources
To hear more about Steven's regenerative journey, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItT3FLaAZ6g

The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast with Greg Pennyroyal: https://regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com/episodes/microbial-influences-on-crop-quality-with-greg-pennyroyal-2/

The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast with Mike Omeg: https://regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com/episodes/the-regenerative-orchard-cherry-success-with-mike-omeg-2/

About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.

Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.

AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.

AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.

Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com

VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: https://youtu.be/n9U6GwbYPDk

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi friends, this is John and this is the regenerative agriculture podcast. Welcome back. Here's the fun spot where we talk about all types of agronomic science and cultural management practices that can regenerate plant health and soil health. And that can produce really quality food so that we can have a conversation about growing food as medicine. I've really been looking forward to this conversation. My guest for today is
0:21.6	Stephen Cardoza, who we've had the privilege of working with the last couple of years in our work at advancing eco-agriculture,
0:28.6	and I got to meet on one of my recent trips out to California. Steven, thanks for being here. I've really been looking forward to having you share
0:38.7	some of the things that you have experienced
0:41.0	and that you've been working on.
0:42.7	Tell us a little bit about your history
0:45.8	and your journey, your pathway,
0:47.3	and what it is that you're doing today.
0:50.0	Hey, John, thanks for having me.
0:51.3	I will just want to start by saying that your work, your company
0:57.0	AEA have been, and this podcast has been massively influential on myself, my family, my business,
1:07.5	and has nearly reconstructed of what we do here on a daily basis and has certainly
1:14.9	influenced the company's viability going forward. So yeah, I just want to thank you for that.
1:21.7	I'm a second generation grower. We farm organic raisin grapes just south of Fresno, California.
1:30.0	I grow for a company you may have heard of called Newman's Own.
1:35.3	So all of our raisins go in a Newman's Zone organic box.
1:39.9	Well, not all, but we provide those.
1:42.2	And we also grow for Sunmade and one other packer.
1:45.7	My dad transitioned to organic in 1998.
1:50.8	He did so solely because the pesticides that he was using
1:56.3	was more physically making him ill.
1:59.0	And he would be, he's never sick.
	...

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