Maria Rodale: Growing Up Organic and the Future of Regenerative Farming

In this episode of I Dig Your Story, Ellen sits down with Maria Rodale—author, organic advocate, and co-chair of the Rodale Institute board—to explore a lifetime spent growing alongside plants and the organic movement.    Maria shares what it was like growing up on the pioneering Rodale family farm, where Organic Gardening and Prevention magazines were born and where her father’s research helped prove that organic systems can outperform chemical agriculture while regenerating soil.    She explains the difference between organic and regenerative organic, why eliminating toxins is still the heart of the work, and how “regeneration” became part of the movement’s vocabulary.    With guest co-host Mike Betterly from Organic Mechanics Soil Company, the conversation turns to:  Why growing your own food—whether in a backyard, container, or windowsill—is empowering  Easy entry points for new gardeners  The joy of heirloom and culturally important seeds  Learning to see weeds, groundhogs and imperfections as part of a living ecosystem  And, maybe best of all, Maria gives us permission to not weed!  Find Maria Rodale on: Substack @Life.Unfiltered