032. Dr. David Montgomery on soil, civilizations, geology, biology, and regenerative ag systems.

In this wide-ranging episode, we take an inspiring soil journey through the eyes of Dr. David Montgomery, telling us his story of exploring how soils shaped human civilizations. That exploration resulted in his book “Dirt, The Erosion of Civilizations” and lead to more learning as he investigated the connections between the geology and biology of the soil. Dr. Montgomery delves into the messy nature of nature and how we’ve come to understand the connections between microbial ecology and the health of crops. Key discoveries of how plants get their nutrition and tee up their defense systems have given us a greater understanding of plant and microbial partnerships. Those partnerships go even further as we understand the nutrients and compounds from plants that serve to benefit human health. Not only that but in the midst of a pandemic, we’re learning how farmers, who are like-minded in their practices, are working together to provide food that nutrient-dense food directly from farms to consumers. And there’s more work to be done as we traverse the world of federal programs, current commodity channels, and other old models, looking for solutions that strengthen our new paradigm. We’ve heard a lot about the “unintended consequences” of our farming practices but today we put a finer point on it as we discuss the “unintended benefits” of the work being done in regenerative agriculture. There’s more at play here than simply soil health. David R. Montgomery is a MacArthur Fellow and professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington. He is an internationally recognized geologist who studies landscape evolution and the effects of geological processes on ecological systems and human societies. He has authored more than 200 scientific papers and 5 popular-science books, and has been featured in documentary films, network and cable news, and on a wide variety of TV and radio programs. When not writing or doing geology, he plays in the band Big Dirt. Connect with him at www.dig2grow.com or follow him on Twitter (@dig2grow). Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge 2021 stage or on the podcast? Send your questions or suggestions to [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!