Regenerative Skills

This is honestly one of my favorite interviews that I've yet done and I'll tell you why. In this interview I got to talk with one of my heroes in the regenerative farming world, Richard Perkins. Many of you probably already know Richard and Ridgedale farm from all of the amazingly informative videos and seminars he's put out on YouTube. I came across Richard about 8 months ago and nearly binge watched all of his material online. In just a few short seasons, Richard and a small team have taken a severely degraded small farm in northern Sweden at 59 degrees north from mediocre mono-crop production into a profitable diverse and regenerative permaculture site that produces veggies, eggs, broiler hens, and much more, with longer term plans of food forests and perennial systems beginning to mature. Now I almost never go over an hour in my interviews unless the subject matter is really good, so the fact that this one is just over an hour and 20 should tell you something. Richard starts by explaining why it's so important to bring back small mixed production farms all over the world and then jumps right into practical and actionable information by going over the 7 tenants of regenerative agriculture that he's outlined as the most important aspects to aim for. We also talked at length about how to solve the farm cash flow problem by finding alternative models and markets to sell to, how to intensify rather than merely grow your farm enterprises, how to holistically develop key ecosystems on the farm by building soil, and a whole lot more. This is definitely an interview you'll want to listen to with a notebook on hand, and don't forget to check out the links to some of the projects we mention in the interview in the show notes on the website. For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: Ridgedale Permaculture Farm Alan Savory's holistic land management The Pleistocene Project

I have an unusual interview for ya'll today since I actually wont be the one conducting the interview. Instead, Neal Hegarty, one of the lead designers and team members here at Abundant Edge will be taking the reigns since he's actually known Alex Kronick of Caoba farms in Antigua Guatemala for years and is good friends with him. Now I call Alex, the most impressive permaculturalist you've never heard of because he likes to keep a low profile, but to his credit, his farm and enterprises are truly impressive. He co-manages an incredibly diverse biointensive market garden within the town that also has a farm to table restaurant, farmers market and organic local goods store. Around the periferies of the farm he raises many varieties of animals, fruit trees, perrenial crops and bokashi composting. He's raises snails and has an exoitic plant nursery and seed saving operation. It's the most complete and functional permaculture operation that I've seen anywhere in the world. For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: https://youtu.be/IRFc-OajjAk Caoba Farms Link to the book Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm: Beyond the Doors of Perception into the Dreaming of Earth Neal Hegarty's Interview

I've gotten a lot of requests over the last few months from people asking if I can do more on woodworking and especially timber framing, so today's episode is for you good folks. Today I'll be speaking with Skip Dewhirst, who has been a professional wood worker for more than 30 years and has taught over 100 classes in furniture making, woodworking, timber framing and natural building at places like Rocky Mountain Workshops, Dartmouth College, Rancho Mastatal, Bona Fide, and Mao Organic Farm in Hawaii. In this interview Skip talks about the differences between the main styles of timber framing around the world, box framing, cruck framing and aisled framing, the many types of joints and tools used in the trade, and even gives practical advice for owner-builders and novices starting out. We go deep into different infill materials and techniques for the wall systems and the different considerations to take into account if you're building in a cold or hot climate. There are a lot of technical terms in this episode and a lot of explanations of techniques that are might not make sense unless you see pictures, so I've put a whole list of resources and visual aids in the show notes on the website to make it easier to follow along, so just go to abundantedge.com and click on the podcast tab in the navigation bar to find this and all previous episodes. links to different tools, reviews and pictures Diagrams of different joints and terms For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: yestermorrow design/build school Rancho Mastatal timber frame HQ the timber framer's guild hawaii timber frame course

I'm really excited for today's episode because I get to talk to a close friend of mine, Jeremy Fellows. Now Jeremy has been studying and working in permaculture for ten years and has tons of experience in botany, horticulture and soil science. He and I actually first met when we were hired to collaborate on a project for a client here in Guatemala and we've been friends ever since and have continued to work on lots of other projects. All this has lead up to the collaboration that he and I have with another team member of ours, Neal Hegarty, on a small regenerative demonstration farm that we just broke ground on recently. In this interview Jeremy and I talk a lot about how the farm was designed to prioritize water and soil management as well as biodiversity while making a much better than average profit when compared to other small-holding farms in the region. I also let Jeremy geek out on aquatic food systems, climate resilience, land conservation vs regenerative management and tons more. He even talks in detail about how he designed much of the incredible landscape at the Yoga Forest, a retreat center located in a really challenging location. Before I turn things over to Jeremy I just want to give a heads up that there will be more information on the first ever Abundant Edge complete Permaculture Design Course starting in January so stick around for that at the end and check out the links in the show notes when you're done. For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: Jeremy's Profile The Yoga Forest

Our guest today is Lydia Doleman, an accomplished natural builder and educator as well as the founder of “flying hammer,” a natural building company based in southern oregon. The company focuses on pushing the boundaries of affordable and energy efficient housing, training people and communities in various building skills, and infusing the dreary urban fabric with structures that reflect beauty, sustainability and community. Lydia is also the author of “Light Straw Clay,” one of the volumes in the sustainable building essentials series which will be the focus of this interview. In this episode we go in depth about the world of light straw clay and it's wide range of applications and the nuts and bolts of the building technique. We talk about permanent and temporary form work, larsen trusses and split stud framing, different options of plastering and sheathing the walls, and the advantages and challenges of building with clay straw. I would highly recommend this interview for anyone looking to build a hybrid structure or to renovate an existing conventional building because of how easy it is to use these techniques in traditional homes. For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: theflyinghammer.com

We're really excited about today's guest Robert Pavlis. Robert is a master gardener who has designed and cultivated his own world class private botanical garden on his property in Ontario, Canada and is the author of both gardening myths and building natural ponds. In today's episode we'll be focusing on natural ponds, and Robert's successes and learning experience in mimicking nature to bring all the benefits of a pond into his garden environment. In this interview Robert talks in detail about the increased biodiversity both in the water and along the shores that a pond attracts. We go into pond lining options, simple diagnostics for water quality, design considerations and much more. Now some of you permies and regenerative landscaping folks might find that this interview is a bit heavy on the residential and gardening perspective, and you'd be right, so I would challenge you to leave comments on the abundant edge facebook page or in the comments sections under this episode on the website if you'd like to challenge any of the information in this interview or offer a different perspective on pond construction. But honestly, I think just about anyone will find a gold mine of information in here and Robert does a fantastic job of breaking down the design and installation into really easy to follow steps that we know will empower you to build a pond of your own, and if that's the case then stay tuned at the end of the interview to see how you can win your very own copy of the book, Building Natural Ponds.  For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources:gardenmyths.com/ robertpavlis.com/

My guest today is Matt Powers, the inspirational author of The Permaculture Student, both 1 and 2. He's also the creator of three successful kickstarter campaigns building advanced courses for permaculture designers as well as educators for many different age levels on a broad range of topics including regenerative landscape management, vegetable gardening, forest farming, and much more. In this interview Matt talks at length about the family emergency that caused him to change his priorities and the way he interacts with his food systems and landscape. He also gives invaluable advice on the most effective steps anyone can take to make sure that their efforts and money are going to support ecosystem regeneration and divert it away from the destructive practices of industrial farming. We also talk about is upcoming advanced online permaculture course with a huge roster of the best instructors and change-makers working today For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: The kickstarter project http://www.thepermaculturestudent.com/

Today I have a guest with a truly remarkable story and journey into natural building. Atulya Bingham is the author of “Mud Ball” and Mud Mountain, both of which cover her incredible experiences moving to the countryside in Turkey and learning to build her own home with earth bags. She has also written numerous educational manuals on earth bag building, clay plasters and much more as well as blogging about her experiences. In this interview Atulya talks about how she first moved onto her bare land in rural Turkey after some economic struggles and learned to do without the comforts that she'd grown accustomed to. We also go into detail about tons of natural building techniques including earth bag construction, applications of limecrete, pros and cons of earth bags when compared to other earthen building techniques and much more. Atulya also talks a lot about her process and journey that many of you who are making, or have already made transitions in your lifestyle will certainly relate to. I also caught up with her as she travels around northern Spain and talks a lot about this new transition of her own. For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: themudhome.com

This week's interview is with a good personal friend of mine who is an awesome farmer and experimenter with plants, especially trees. I first met Brock Barker through some mutual friends when he came down here to Lake Atitlan to co-teach on a PDC with some colleagues of mine. Now Brock is the founder and owner of “The Brockoli Patch,” a permaculture farm and orchard outside of Lafayete, Louisiana on which manages an incredibly diverse and productive landscape. In this interview Brock talks about how taking a permaculture course with the Bullock brothers in Washington state and seeing a mature permaculture system for the first time changed his perspective and way of doing things on his own farm which was originally a market gardening operation. He goes into detail about the fruit tree guilds that keep his perennials strong and healthy, and shares some wisdom from his experiences, trials and errors over the years. This is a really relate-able conversation with tons of great tips for people who are just getting started For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability. Resources: The Brockoli Patch on FB Profile of the farm

This is gonna be a pretty special episode in that I'll actually be interviewing a man who has seen an incredible transformation in “conventional” farming during his lifetime. My guest is Roland James, but to me he's my Grandpa. Now Roland grew up in a small farming community in the midlands of England near the southern border of Wales. He well remembers the very first tractors coming onto his family's farm in the early 1940s. Before then all of the fields were plowed with horses or oxen. As he grew up he took over the family farm and adapted to the rapidly changing industry just as the rest of the farmers around him were doing. The stories and perspectives that my Grandpa has are a great reminder of how recent the technological ways of farming really are. As he often tells me, he's seen the first mechanization of simple tasks on the land all the way to fully automated machinery that communicates with satellites to gauge the amount of fertilizer that it spreads on different parts of the farm. All this in one person's lifetime. This interview is a remarkable look into just how much our food supply systems have changed in such a short time and why many “conventional” farmers struggle to break out of the cycle of debt that keeps them buying industrial chemicals to mitigate the damage being done to their ecosystem. I hope you find as much value in this perspective as I do and that it will help you better understand how we got into the modern farming systems that we now have. For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability.