EPISODE · Mar 4, 2026 · 46 MIN
Paradigm Busting: The Truth About Regenerative Farming, Part 1
from EcoFarm Aotearoa · host Ewan Campbell with co-host Stephen Brunton
In this episode, Stephen and Ewan move beyond “math busting” and into something even deeper: paradigm busting. What if the biggest barrier to regenerative farming isn’t nitrogen rates or phosphate targets, but the mental models farmers have inherited for generations?From no-till myths to spray-first thinking, they unpack how industry narratives shape decisions long before a paddock is ever walked. The conversation challenges assumptions around cultivation, cover crops, soil disturbance, and diversity, revealing how some widely accepted “regenerative” practices may still be missing the biological foundation entirely.At the heart of the episode is a simple but confronting truth: systems regenerate when biology regenerates. And biology doesn’t respond to labels like conventional, organic, or regenerative, it responds to mineral balance, carbon pathways, electrical charge, and living roots.We discuss:• Why regenerative farming is a system, not a label• The myth that tillage destroys soil (and what actually does)• Why spraying before cover cropping may undermine the whole goal• How soil carbon really builds (and why sugar alone isn’t enough)• The cobalt–B12 link and what a farm cat can teach us about deficienciesOur FREE E-Book!https://www.ecofarmaotearoa.nz/download-our-ebook/Listen To An EcoFarmer’s Discovery:https://open.spotify.com/show/3wIgUUghlsKIje76E5tjBA?si=b4aa009579a34ac1
What this episode covers
In this episode, Stephen and Ewan move beyond “math busting” and into something even deeper: paradigm busting. What if the biggest barrier to regenerative farming isn’t nitrogen rates or phosphate targets, but the mental models farmers have inherited for generations?From no-till myths to spray-first thinking, they unpack how industry narratives shape decisions long before a paddock is ever walked. The conversation challenges assumptions around cultivation, cover crops, soil disturbance, and diversity, revealing how some widely accepted “regenerative” practices may still be missing the biological foundation entirely.At the heart of the episode is a simple but confronting truth: systems regenerate when biology regenerates. And biology doesn’t respond to labels like conventional, organic, or regenerative, it responds to mineral balance, carbon pathways, electrical charge, and living roots.We discuss:• Why regenerative farming is a system, not a label• The myth that tillage destroys soil (and what actually does)• Why spraying before cover cropping may undermine the whole goal• How soil carbon really builds (and why sugar alone isn’t enough)• The cobalt–B12 link and what a farm cat can teach us about deficienciesOur FREE E-Book!https://www.ecofarmaotearoa.nz/download-our-ebook/Listen To An EcoFarmer’s Discovery:https://open.spotify.com/show/3wIgUUghlsKIje76E5tjBA?si=b4aa009579a34ac1
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Paradigm Busting: The Truth About Regenerative Farming, Part 1
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