Episode 142: Harnessing Technology for Regenerative Grazing with Jason Rowntree
Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
AEA Marketing
4.7 • 548 Ratings
🗓️ 30 January 2025
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Jason Rowntree is a professor of Animal Science at Michigan State University, where he has spent the last 16 years studying regenerative grazing systems and their impact on soil health, ecosystems, and beef nutrient density. Jason currently leads a $19 million research project across 60 U.S. ranches, using remote sensing and on-ground monitoring to measure carbon sequestration, water cycles, and biodiversity. His goal is to create economic incentives that support farmers and ranchers in adopting regenerative practices.
In this discussion, John and Jason discuss:
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How nutrient density in beef can be significantly altered in the last 30–60 days of finishing
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Variations in nutrient profiles, with some "grass-fed" samples showing high omega-6 levels comparable to grain-fed beef.
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Unique markers that can authenticate truly grass-fed beef, offering the potential for more transparent labeling.
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Carbon sequestration through managed grazing
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How planting diverse pasture mixes creates greater nutrient density in beef
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
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, friends. Welcome to the regenerative agriculture podcast where we have all kinds of fun conversations |
| 0:04.8 | related to regenerating soil health, regenerating public health, and everything that's in between those two things. |
| 0:10.7 | Nutrition management, nutrient density, improving plant health, better agronomy management, better soil health, |
| 0:17.3 | and you can imagine the spectrum. So today, I'm here with Jason Roundtree from Michigan. |
| 0:23.4 | Jason, someone I've wanted to have here for quite some time, and it's taken some time to put |
| 0:27.7 | together to make it happen. Jason, you've been doing some work that I'm very intrigued in |
| 0:33.2 | in the nutrient density space and producing with a particular focus and emphasis on producing |
| 0:40.6 | healthier, higher quality food. |
| 0:42.0 | You know, for the last, this is a topic I've been passionate about for almost 20 years. |
| 0:47.7 | And I've seen lots of people talking and doing some things, particularly in the fruit and vegetable space, |
| 0:56.2 | that clearly produce better quality fruit, better flavor, better aroma. But one of the things |
| 1:03.3 | that hasn't happened a lot, we haven't had a lot of people doing a lot of measuring and actually |
| 1:08.3 | measuring what the improvements are, what's actually happening, |
| 1:11.6 | what's really going on. And it's my understanding that this has been, there's been a recent |
| 1:17.3 | resurgence where there's quite a number of new people coming into the space who are actually |
| 1:22.8 | measuring, who are doing things. But it's my understanding, you've been doing this for quite |
| 1:26.0 | some time. Tell us a little bit about your story, your history, your background, the journey you've |
| 1:31.5 | been on and the scope of the work that you're working on. You bet. Thanks for having me, John. |
| 1:36.2 | It's good. I think we met in Chicago and we were like kindred spirits and it's just |
| 1:42.2 | taking a while to get get back together almost a year |
| 1:45.5 | honestly yeah yeah man i um i was trained traditionally uh i got a phd in animal science nutrition |
| 1:52.3 | um and uh did it at michigan state in the late 90s early 2000s and then i um my the job closest to home in Texas was at LSU. |
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