The Force of Nature Podcast

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, host Conan interviews John Niezen, an expert in dairy farming and agricultural research. John shares his extensive background, including his experiences in various countries and the importance of understanding farmer insights in agricultural practices. The conversation delves into his research and the challenges of parasite management in sheep, the role of pasture species, and the significance of soil health. John also shares his extensive experience in dairy farming across various countries, discussing the challenges and innovations in the industry and offers insights into improving dairy nutrition and animal welfare. To connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-niezen-9736b753/  Email: johnhniezen@gmail.com 

In this episode of the Force of Nature podcast, Conan speaks with Greg Mumm, a first-generation farmer from Kangaroo Valley, Australia. Greg shares his journey from a professional rugby coaching to pursuing his dream of farming at the age of 40. He discusses the challenges and learning experiences of running a regenerative farm, the importance of community and family values, and the innovative approach he is taking with dairy beef. To follow Greg and his family's journey: https://www.facebook.com/RosewoodFarmKV/  https://www.rosewoodfarmstay.com.au/

Siobhan Griffin has managed and owned farms for 30 years in New York State and Vermont where she delved into organic and holistic regenerative management of dairy cattle and finishing beef. With the goal of producing healthy food for families, she built a solar powered cheese plant on her farm and learned quickly that healthy cows on healthy, diverse grassland supported the best tasting cheese and meat.  She relocated to New Zealand in 2017 and now lives at Ridgepark Farm with her partner and 4200 ewes on 400 hectares. She plans to spend the next chapter of her life keeping pastoral farmers on the land by helping them be more profitable and teaching them how to use their livestock to heal the land and build carbon in the soil as grazing coach. https://www.nextlevelgrazing.com/

In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with two of the founders of Verdi, Nic Conland and Jason Cruise. Verdi provides New Zealand farmers the opportunity to improve soil health and earn income through soil carbon credits. We cover the importance of soil carbon, their verification process, the opportunity for NZ farmers and the country and a whole lot more. https://verdi.nz/

Andrew Savage is today's guest on the podcast who has created Savage Rural Consulting to help agribusinesses simplify and optimise their business and goals. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including farming experiences, agribusiness consulting, NLP, money mindset, and the challenges faced by farmers. We discussed the impact of values, beliefs, and biases on decision-making and the importance of recognizing and addressing these factors. https://savageruralbusiness.com/ 

For episode 10, I decided to celebrate my first year in business by recording a podcast sharing a bit of insight into what I have learnt or aim learning as a business owner and how that applies to agricultural businesses.  I discuss the importance of making decisions, embracing failure as a learning opportunity, responding rather than reacting to situations, and investing in personal development.  

In this episode I talk to the creator of the Miti Beef Bar and founder of Alps to Ocean Foods, Daniel Carson. Daniel explains the concept behind Alps to Ocean Foods, which focuses on utilizing young dairy beef to create a low-carbon, high-value meat snack and protein bar. He highlights the opportunities for scale and innovation in the manufacturing beef market and the potential benefits for farmers and the environment and the potential for New Zealand to capture more value in the meat snacks market. Contact Daniel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-carson-1670451aa/  https://miti.nz/ 

In episode 8 I speak with Tim Gieseke EcoCommerce company in Minnesota, USA.  Tim discusses the concept of eco-commerce and the Natural Capital Unit (NCU) as a way to account for ecosystem services in agriculture. He emphasizes the need for a singular accounting system that allows farmers to govern their own data and integrate it with market demands. Giesicki proposes the NCU as a geospatial bushel basket for the 21st century, providing a standardized unit for measuring natural capital. He also highlights the importance of including all landscapes, including oceans and parking lots, in the accounting system. The biggest challenge in the agricultural industry is the lack of a coherent and accountable accounting system. The conversation explores the need for an accounting system that encompasses all aspects of the ecosystem, not just carbon. The Natural Capital Unit (NCU) is proposed as a solution to account for the value of different natural resources and ecosystem services. The NCU can be used to create markets that incentivize sustainable practices and reward farmers for their environmental stewardship. The conversation also touches on the importance of governance in implementing such a system and the potential for cryptocurrencies to play a role in the future of the agricultural industry.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-gieseke-215392239/

In episode 7 I speak with John King from Succession. John is a certified Holistic Management® educator who travels throughout New Zealand to talk with and teach groups and individuals to manage holistically and tap into regenerative farming techniques.  John has also written a book "Curiosity" about real experiences of farmers confronted and confused by outcomes of their actions and decisions and what they did to bring things back on track while challenging conventional beliefs about farming, business and resource management. https://succession.co.nz/?file=home-page    Johns Book: https://www.facebook.com/people/Curiosity-Farmers-Discovering-What-Works/100090138104100/   

In episode 6 I speak with Sarah Robb from Spring with Sarah. Sarah is a certified coach, NLP Master Practitioner, speaker and author. She helps her clients retrain the brain and breakthrough beliefs and patterns that keep them stuck. https://springwithsarah.com/   https://www.instagram.com/springwithsarah/ 

In episode 5 I speak with Dr Woody Lane a livestock nutritionist, a forage and grazing specialist, and an author of books From the Feed Trough, Capturing Sunlight 1 and 2. We discuss his experiences, different types of grazing, the 5 day rule, dinosaur grazing and his books.   ⁠https://www.woodylane.com/⁠

In episode 4 I speak to Silas Hedley Lawrence also known as Grassfed Farmer on Instagram. Silas is FAI’s Farm Manager, overseeing the commercial farming enterprise and coordinating the farm with its research obligations near Oxford.  Silas’ has eight years of experience managing farms regeneratively, with an emphasis on organic year-round grazing systems. With ties to New Zealand through his family dairy farm and kiwi fruit orchards, he maintains an emphasis on lean, profitable farming systems that also deliver on increasing biodiversity and soil health gains. ⁠https://www.instagram.com/grassfed_farmer/?hl=en 

In episode 3 I talk with Pablo Gregorini about his research on designing future grazing systems and browsing systems for grasslands and human health as well as dietary variety as opposed to diversity and monotony. Pablo is the Professor of Livestock Production & Agricultural Systems at Lincoln University, as well as the director of the Lincoln University Pastoral Livestock Production Lab’ and Head of the Lincoln University Centre of Excellence for Designing Future Productive Landscapes. To contact Pablo directly follow this link: https://researchers.lincoln.ac.nz/pablo.gregorini⁠ 

In episode 2 we pick up the second half of our chat with Jim Elizondo from Real Wealth Ranching to learn about his Total Grazing Program and what he has observed over his career.   ⁠https://www.rwranching.com/

In this first episode I interview Jaime (Jim) Elizondo from Real Wealth Ranching based in Texas to hear about his background and learn more about his Total Grazing Program. My interview with Jaime has been broken into two episodes as he had so much knowledge and value to share.  ⁠https://www.rwranching.com/ 

A short episode to introduce The Force of Nature Podcast, who I am and what it is all about.