In this episode I speak to Chris Kerston, a holistic “beyond organic” farmer who now works with The Savory Institute promoting farming methods that can heal the land from the damage done by conventional farming practices.  These practices can help to undo the damage we’ve done that is leading to climate change.

You can also listen to it in iTunes.

In this episode we discuss:

• Chris’s background as a holistic farmer, and the techniques he used
• How farmers can save fuel costs by using grazing animals to “mow” orchards & remove weeds
• What life is like for animals on conventional farms
• How conventional farming is turns the land to desert (explained in detail!)
• How holistic farming undoes that damage
• Difficulties in spreading holistic farming as the new standard
• Strategies to overcome those difficulties
• How holistic farming can be applied in extreme climates like Canada
• Why we need farms to “mimic nature”, rather than fully restoring nature itself
• Resources to learn more

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

•  The Savory Institute
• Video: Allan Savory’s TED talk
• Video: Chris’s talk How Grassfed Beef Will Save The World
• Movie: Food Inc.
• Joel Salatin’s farm website
• Book: You Can Farm by Joel Salatin
• Video: Soil Carbon Cowboys
• Book: Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision Making by Allan Savory
• Ebook: The Grazing Revolution by Allan Savory with TED