Episode 140: Generations of Regeneration with Benina Burroughs

Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

AEA Marketing

Science, Natural Sciences, Earth Sciences

4.7 • 548 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Benina Burroughs began farming almonds with her father in 2002. Now, as CEO and co-owner of Burroughs Family Farms, she has innovated ecological practices in nut growing. She transitioned the entire farm to organic 2015 and has received dual regenerative certifications from the Regenerative Organic Alliance and Regenified. Benina has led efforts to diversify operations, adding organic olives, walnuts, and pasture-raised poultry, and continues to advance sustainable practices.

Burroughs Family Farms is located in California's Merced County, and has been family-operated since 1906, evolving from dairy to a diverse organic operation. Benina's parents, Ward and Rose Marie Burroughs, introduced organic methods, rotational grazing, and biodiversity initiatives, laying the groundwork for the farm's sustainable tfransformation and inspiring Benina to continue the legacy of innovation and stewardship.

In this episode, Benina and John discuss:

The Burroughs family shifting from dairy to organic almond and walnut farming
Keeping the soil covered to enhance health and water retention
How sheep grazing helps manage orchard vegetation and reduces mowing needs
Cover crops and their impact on the soil and farm
The importance of increasing nutrient density in food
Innovative marketing strategies that support the farm's growth

Additional Resources:
To learn more about Burroughs Family Farm, please visit: https://burroughsfamilyfarms.com/

To sign up for the field day on January 22nd, please visit: https://burroughsfamilyfarms.com/pages/regenerative-almond-field-day

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

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, friends. Welcome to the Region of Agriculture Podcast, where we have all kinds of fun conversations.
0:06.0	Today, we're going to have a fun conversation with an almond grower from Central California and walnut grower and community leader and an inspiration and lots of things, a lot of people.
0:16.8	Benina Montez. Benina, thanks for being here.
0:19.2	Thank you so much for having me on. So I'm actually with Benina in person in Arizona at the Green Cover Seed Regenerative Agriculture
0:27.5	Nexus event.
0:28.6	We've had a lot of fun the last couple of days.
0:30.6	Benina, you've been doing a lot of inspirational work and you've been a pioneer in regenerative almond production
0:40.9	and thinking about cover crops in these very challenging environment of the Central Valley.
0:45.2	Tell us a little bit about your background and story.
0:47.3	What got you to go into and start looking at, start going down the direction that you are with cover crops,
0:56.7	some of the things that you're working on.
0:58.3	So our family's been farming in California for 100 plus years.
1:03.1	We started as dairy farmers delivering milk, you know, in glass bottles.
1:09.2	And eventually there was a family split on that.
1:13.8	We went and moved to the Central Valley.
1:16.2	We're in Merced County in the rolling hills between San Francisco and Yosemite and Sacramento
1:21.7	and Fresno.
1:23.1	And giving a little too much background, but just for context so that you understand where we're coming from.
1:30.3	Continue to be dairy farmers.
1:32.3	And in the late 80s, as technology for irrigation improved, we planted the first almonds.
1:38.7	And I always wanted to come back to the farm.
1:42.0	I didn't necessarily know in what context, but I really enjoyed where we grew up.
	...

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