Podcast Short #10: Breaking Away from Traditional Agronomy with Jeff Kleypas
Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
AEA Marketing
4.7 • 548 Ratings
🗓️ 22 October 2024
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, John Kempf interviews Jeff Kleypas, a consultant with Advancing Eco Agriculture. Jeff's pivotal moment came when he was exposed to the harmful impacts of pesticides during his work as a field agronomy scout. This experience, combined with observations of improved outcomes using biological methods, fueled his shift towards a more sustainable approach.
John and Jeff discuss the challenges of shifting from conventional to regenerative agriculture, highlighting the difficulties in reducing nitrogen applications despite clear data supporting the change, and the broader health implications of conventional agricultural practices. Jeff shares insights on how he helps growers navigate these challenges, emphasizing the importance of an open mind and continuous learning in the evolving field of regenerative agriculture.
Additional Resources
To learn more about AEA, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/
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. We have all kinds of fun conversations here, and you're about to hear a real gem. I'm here with Jeff Klapas, who is a part of the AEA team. |
| 0:11.4 | Jeff, about two years ago, on a webinar, a guest asked me the question, what is my perspective or opinion on the fact that so few AEA |
| 0:22.7 | consultants have a professional background or have formal education in agronomy? And my response was, |
| 0:32.4 | I think that's one of our biggest strengths because I've actually observed a lot of challenges from people who |
| 0:39.6 | have to unlearn all the things that they've learned in mainstream agronomy with this very |
| 0:44.7 | different approach, this biological-centric approach to agriculture. But that hasn't been the case |
| 0:49.7 | for you. You have made the transition and you bring a lot of innovative perspectives to the work that we're doing at AE8. |
| 0:56.9 | What inspire you to make that shift? |
| 0:59.3 | What's your story and your background that got you going in this direction? |
| 1:02.9 | Yeah, John, that's an excellent question. |
| 1:05.5 | You know, I've definitely went to traditional route through college, getting a bachelor's of agronomy at Texas Tech, |
| 1:12.6 | was going to get my master's as well, but my advisor decided he was going to retire, |
| 1:17.7 | and I wasn't really looking at the time to get outside of the cotton industry. |
| 1:22.8 | So I decided just to go ahead and make the jump into industry at that time. |
| 1:27.7 | I'd already been in college for five years. |
| 1:30.2 | Getting my ag ed certification as well, |
| 1:33.6 | just as something to kind of fall back on in case the ag industry did take a turn |
| 1:38.6 | and also just enjoyed my years in FFA when I was in the high school. |
| 1:44.5 | But, you know, I did the certified crop advisor certificate to all the right things that, you know, |
| 1:51.4 | an agronomist in the conventional ag world is supposed to do. |
| 1:54.8 | And, you know, I don't regret any of that for sure. |
| 1:58.8 | Definitely still learn from that side of the industry but i think |
... |
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