The Regenerative Journey with Charlie Arnott

In this episode Charlie chats to the American grazier & educator Jim Gerrish. Jim takes us on his regenerative journey and recalls the moment, when he realised that the aroma of freshly turned/ ploughed ground he had always liked growing up  was in fact the smell of the earth dying...this proved to be the turning point in his life. Jim's  journey is a captivating one which touches on human health & diet, food definitions, changing farm practices and a whole lot more.  To start a dialogue and converse more about topics raised in this podcast, please visit The Regenerative Journey podcast facebook group.  Episode Takeaways  We don’t need feedlots. We just need people who have grazing management skills to take a pasture and turn it into delightful beef | In research we don’t call it  a cow pie/cow pat, it’s a SEE...a Single Excretory Event! | We don’t need new knowledge, we need to be applying what we already know | The whole idea that beef cattle are destroying the environment is only tied to feedlot phase of it | The methane thing is a real red herring with grazing cattle, feedlots it’s a problem. It's the production model not the ruminant animals that are the problem | Grass feeds the grass, grass feeds the soil, then grass can feed the livestock| Human health is instrincically linked to soil health.  Links Jim Gerrish - American Grazing Lands LLC   Maia Grazing - Grazing management tool  Dr. James Anderson - Scottish agriculturist in 1700’s Diana Rodgers - Sustainable Dish Sacred Cow - Film project led by Diana Rodgers 

In this episode Charlie chats to the Environmental Cowboy Khory Hancock. Khory talks candidly about his regenerative journey thus far & how the environmental cowboy persona came to be, including who & what inspires him. We delve into the psychology of change,  the importance of learning more about Australia's indigenous roots as we look to safeguard our environment for generations to come & the role regenerative agriculture has to play in this. Episode Takeaways Regenerative agriculture is really a journey of self discovery. Our beliefs and values have come from Traditional Australian practices which has been Primarily  about dominating nature. Regenerative farming is less about ego, less about domination and more about being aligned with nature | We have gone from culture to culture to generation to generation with the same beliefs and values and people don’t like change. But change is happening whether we like it or not  | We are at a point in history where we need to come together rather than divide | One person on their own cannot make significant difference but 7 billion acting together as one can make a big difference | When we talk about country. We talked about country as a thing. The indigenous when they talk about country, it’s so much deeper | It’s quite fearful for me to put myself out there like that. It’s nerve wracking! | Before I started the Environmental Cowboy I was definitely not free. I was afraid of people's judgement. I was afraid of failing. I was scared of rejection, but I faced those fears...but now I feel free. Links  Khory Hancock / The Environmental Cowboy - website  The Environmental Cowboy - IG & FB  The Environmental Cowboy - You Tube National Regenerative Agriculture day - 14th Feb annually David Ward - agronomist Charles Massy - author of ‘The Call of the Reed Warbler’ Shane Fitzsimmons - Former NSW RFS Commissioner  Celeste Barber - comedian  David Marsh -  regenerative agriculture farmer Tony Robbins - life & business strategist  Al Gore - US politician & environmentalist Bruce Lee - Chinese american actor, martial artist & philosopher Ben Brooksby   - the Naked Farmer  Derek & Kirilly Blomfield - The Conscious Farmer Building Bridges to Boorowa - Boorowa Comunity Landcare Group project Holly Richmond - writer  Byron Bay Grass Fed -  beef producer  Matthew Hussey - relationships coach 

Charlie chats with Sara Schmude, who's 15 year relationship with the Landcare movement played a pivital role in inspiring her interest in regenerative farming & the educating of children and adults alike. She launched the 'Regenerative Agriculture Group' facebook page in late 2018 and now boasts a global membership. Sara talks natural capital, and the definition of regenerative agriculture before delving deeper into the catalysts and kick starts that made up her regenerative journey. Episode Takeaways Growing up on the land in the 70’s & 80’s being a female. Not recognised as someone who would be a land manager. Took it for granted that she wasn't going to be on the land. Continued to ask questions - mustering became my second name | The calibre of people who are in this space is exceptional. Have got to a point in their life that they want to change. Their approach is really refreshing | A tribute to the boom in my garden is the Biodynamic compost. I feel connected with my garden. It feeds me every day, nurtures my soul. It’s integral | Good general advice-Manage for what you want. Not for what you don't want | I just think it's a boom time for agriculture | Working with nature. You start to find these rhythms , things start to function, mineral and water cycles. Really important. When we talk about adapting to our climate, we have to adapt these systems, we have to adapt our minds | If you raise your  soil carbon content by 1% you are drawing down 122 tonne per Ha of CO2 into your soils. So that has the potential to generate 122 ACCU per hectare | The government would be very wise to get as many people on board the carbon sequestration train, through education and empowering them to leverage their natural capital by drawing down the carbon in the soil | Regen ag is just open. It’s inclusive and easy to access.  Links Regenerative Agriculture  - facebook page    Impact Ag - Sara’s natural capital interest   Introduction to Biodynamics Workshop - Biodynamics2024 & Charlie    Thalgarrah education centre, Armidale NSW   Frog Dreaming     Inside Out Management - Brian Whelberg   Hand For the Land - Graeme Hand   Soil C Quest - Guy Webb   KLR Marketing - Graham Rees   Regenerative Agriculture book - Richard Perkins   A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopold   The Rodale Book of Composting - Rodale Institute   Amazing Carbon - Dr. Christine Jones   Maia Grazing Day and Grazing Systems   Biocast - Vermicast bio stimulant product   Regen Ag definition    Call of the Reed Warbler - Charles Massy   Rachel Ward documentary ( being filmed)    Grazing for Profit - RCS    Regenerative Agriculture Podcast - John Kempf 99% invisible podcast - Roman Mars  

In this episode Charlie chats to award winning film director & change maker Damon Gameau. He delves into his own Regenerative Journey, from his early career as an actor, and the pivotal moments that were the catalyst for his change in direction. They talk Covid-19 and the opportunities the pandemic is providing to reshape redundant mindsets, including the role of regenenerative agriculture has to play in a new paradigm. No chat with Damon is complete without of course, delving into his 2040 film as we learn more about Damon's inspirational fact based dreaming approach.   Episode Takeaways | It felt like a noble job to be playing another human being.. but then, you have to juxtapose that with paying the bills | At the time I had really spent a lot of effort cultivating this persona of myself, of this rollie smoking, velvet jacket wearing actor.. who just loved the first 3 months of relationship, who just then ran for the hills | People who are genuinely doing amazing things.. like trying to help the planet, we just don’t have any accolades or awards ceremonies for those people.. this has always been baffling to me | We are so controlled by the story that we tell ourselves | With Covid-19 all those illusionary forms and structures have suddenly dissolved and we have seen how fragile our system is | Off the back of 2040, there has been so much travel with that…I just burnt myself out, traveling every week. It’s been quite a revelation to stop…to be at home | This is a moment - a rare moment, that the door is slightly a jar…This is the moment that we have been waiting for. Suddenly we have pressed stop on the system. In this pause moment, it's the chrysalis, it's the caterpillar going into the cocoon | All these key different elements of our biodiversity, they are so under the pump right now. Going back to normal (post Covid), is a suicide mission | We cant be outsourcing everything overseas anymore, the current system is not robust. It's a 20th century model that's trying to deal with 21st century problems. We have to adapt | Regenerative agriculture is absolutely the most exciting 'bio tech' that is emerging this century | All the magic is under our feet - it's just waiting patiently, calmly | Be kind - don’t over think this, as a race we do actually get on. We do care about each other.  Links Whats your 2040 ? - website for Damon's 2040 film (released 2019) Kate Raworth - Uk economist  Charles Massy - author of 'Call of the Reed Warbler'  Regen Ag course - Southern Cross University Martin Royds - Jillamatong, Braidwood Impossible foods - plant based food co. Sustainable Dish - Diane Rogers.   Polyface farms - Joel Salatin Raymond Williams - quote  The Intrepid Foundation - improving livelihoods through sustainable travel experiences Tim Flannery - Australian palaeontologist The Living Mountain - book by Nan Shepherd  The Future we Choose - book by  Christiana Figueres Fantastic Fungi - film The Tim Ferriss show  - podcast  Landmark Worldwide- transformation course / personal development           

In this episode Charlie interviews American farmer and leading regenerative agriculture advocate Joel Salatin. Joel recounts his Regenerative Journey from his formative years as the son of a chicken farming accountant in Venezuela through the rehabilitation of his family farm in Swoope, Virginia, to the prolific supplier of fresh food to his customers and legendary public speaker. He talks about the importance of communication, authenticity and also about how highly he regards Australia within the regenerative agriculture space. Episode Takeaways We moved forward in faith not in fear | If you stop fighting nature, and you see nature as a partner. Hand in hand going in the same direction, it costs a lot less financially and ecologically | Communication is typically not taught in 'Farming 101' | Farmers have to be experts in lots of things. There is a lot of talent within the farming community but a lot of time this isn’t leveraged. There are many number of things that farmers can do. It is a tragedy, a societal indictment, that we have created this mystic of the peasant farmer | My sense is that Australia is a very fragile landscape but it's also a very wealthy country. As such the world's eyes are on Australia to wear the responsibility seriously and continue to lead the world in regenerative practices. Links Polyface Farm - Joel’s farm Joel Salatin Nutrisoil ‘Sustainable abundance’ conference – 21/22nd May 2019, Victoria, AUS ‘Polyfaces’ documentary (2015) – filmed over 4 years by Darren Docherty and Lisa Heenan. The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing – Bronrie Ware Sex begins in the kitchen – Kevin Leman Albert Einstein -  Einstein said  definition of insanity ‘doing the same thing and hoping for a different result'.  Steven Covey – Circles of influence  BEEP (Boorowa Education Excursion Program) -  Boorowa Community Landcare Group   See you at the top – Zig Ziglar    Alan Savoury – Zim ecologist (Alan Savory Institute)    The lean farm – Ben Hartman  

In the first episode Charlie delves into his very own regenerative journey and provides listeners with an insight into his early farming years, the defining moments that finally propelled him to a new way of thinking and some of the key milestones that Charlie has reached on the way. Episode Takeaways   We were not running the farm with an entire view of the business or the impact we were having on the environment. The farm was a basket of resources that we could use…there was water, there was grass, there was soil, air, there was sunshine...and we essentially mined it…We were farming as we always had, we were doing as our neighbours did and we were farming in a way that we thought was appropriate | I had a cheque book in one hand and my 'how to' agronomic hand book in the other. We went pretty hard, burnt a lot diesel...Really every morning I was waking up and I was killing stuff. That was what one did. If one was farming one was unwittingly battling nature | I needed to bust paradigms.. I needed to change the paddock between my ears so that I could actually do things differently on the ground…I needed to change my attitude and to do that I was needing to ask myself better questions | Starting to use Biodynamics...That alone gave me some structure. It really resonated with me. It helped me understand my new relationship with nature and the context of that in farming, in business and in our lives | In farming, the practices and principals of farming are so entwined with oneself, ones personality ones purpose. If we are doing things in a way that is effective and productive and purposeful then we are also  building ourselves and defining and refining who we are in this world, not just in the agricultural space, and in the world of being a person, our role in mankind in humanity. Links  Profiting from drought - 1 day Course  run by RCS ( Resource Consulting Services)  RCS – Grazing for Profit Holistic Management - Land to Market Australia is a program run by the Australian Holistic Management Cooperative Limited. Uniquely, this project is being driven by producers and farmers themselves. Biodynamics – what is Biodynamics Biodynamics workshops - new website w/ info on workshops launching soon!