Restoration Agriculture, with Mark Shepard

Mark Shepard is my guest on Episode 142 of Inside Ideas with Marc Buckley.
Mark is the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises LLC, founder of Restoration Agriculture Development LLC, and award-winning author of the book, Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers. Mark has also been a farmer member of the Organic Valley cooperative, the world's largest Organic Farmer’s marketing co-op, since 1995. He is most widely known as the founder of New Forest Farm, the 106-acre perennial agricultural savanna considered by many to be one of the most ambitious sustainable agriculture projects in the United States.
New Forest Farm is a planned conversion of a typical row-crops grain farm into a commercial-scale, perennial agricultural ecosystem using oak savanna, successional brushland, and eastern woodlands as the ecological models. Trees, shrubs, vines, canes, perennial plants, and fungi are planted in association with one another to produce food (for humans and animals), fuel, medicines, and beauty. Hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, and various fruits are the primary woody crops. The farm is entirely solar and wind-powered and farm equipment is capable of being powered with locally produced biofuels.
Mark was certified as a Permaculture designer in 1993 and received his Diploma of Permaculture design from Bill Mollison, the founder of the international Permaculture movement. He teaches agroforestry and Permaculture worldwide.
Water for any Farm Applying Restoration Agriculture Water Methods on Your Farm
www.restorationag.com/
www.forestag.com/
newforestfarm.us/
/ restorationagriculture
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#restoration #organics #biodynamics #restorationag #waterforanyfarm #agriculture #farming #Perennials #agroforestry
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00:00 - Restoration Agriculture
00:36 - Introduction Inside Ideas guest Mark Shepard on Episode 142 with Marc Buckley
04:45 - Restoration Agriculture and Permaculture
09:55 - The Wump World book
11:00 - Restoration Agriculture describing a process
13:58 - Challenge with animals and how to co-exist
21:10 - The Organic industry and trends
22:34 - Dairy farms
25:40 - Marks history
30:14 - How did you start this path?
34:34 - Permaculture
39:11 - Showed the world that it works and wrote Restoration Agriculture
40:55 - Permaculture course
44:08 - Help other farmers to make the transition and the infrastructure model
50:00 - Water methods
1:01:15 - Flooding
1:02:36 - Numbers for the insurance company
1:03:33 - Permaculture at scale
1:04:20 - Economic model - apple tree example
1:08:44 - Why high-density planting
1:12:13 - Nursery
1:14:56 - COP26 Glasgow
1:16:58 - Bioneers conference 2021: conference.bioneers.org/
1:18:28 - Paul Hawken’s book Regeneration - a proof of concept
1:19:35 - Investing in nature
1:20:35 - The burning question; WTF - What is the Future?
1:23:29 - What does a world that works for everyone look like for you?
1:24:44 - Wisdom from Rudolf Steiner
1:26:00 - National organic regulations
1:26:45 - Miss understanding Regenerative
1:30:50 - Sustainable Takeaway
1:32:58 - Message for the younger generation
1:35:28 - What I wish I knew from the start

[@samueljohnson8244]

Thank you.

[@ZeljkoSerdar]

“We must begin making long-term, permanent change in a world of short-term thinking. In a world impatient for a quick fix we must continue to make the long, steady progress needed toward a rich, green, abundant world, started by planting one tree at a time and repeated over and over around the world.”
― Mark Shepard

[@hhwippedcream]

I imagine that the decay rate, composition, chemical/thermal/hydro context, and "organic half-life" of various roots, the way they impede or progress seed progress through the subsoil, etc. is just as complex as the above-ground cellulotic/woody structures/canopy strata. Mastering the manipulation of edge effect subsoil would be the foothold to the next step in the holistic management of sunlight+mineral=energy resources. Wonderful talk, thank you for sharing your expertise, insight, and experiences.

[@gaynellbowie8379]

I love what Mark Shepherd is talking about, but what I'd like to know is if I can do it myself in my (City lot backyard)?!? Are there any books that I can buy that help me in this endeavor?!?

[@gaynellbowie8379]

I also would like to know if I could do it with container gardening?!?

[@InsideIdeas]

@@gaynellbowie8379 container gardening is absolutly not restoration Ag which is what Mark does. Contanier anything is resilience or subsistence at best and then very much dependent on what type of system you are using.

[@InsideIdeas]

@@gaynellbowie8379 You can sustain and produce a good amount of food and also make super starts to turn your garden or lot into a food forest with little space.