The Pest Is the Symptom, Not the Problem

In 2004 John Kempf rented a neighbouring field that had never carried the pesticide load his own ground had. He planted cantaloupe across the boundary. At harvest, the old side had eighty percent powdery mildew. The new side had none. Not less. None. The plants were touching.That observation is where his whole practice starts. Kempf grew up Amish on a fruit and vegetable farm in the cloudiest corner of Ohio, left school at fourteen, and spent a decade spraying fungicides on a five to seven day interval before losing seventy percent of three consecutive crops anyway. What he found afterward is that plants have immune systems, and that the pest showing up in a field is usually reporting a nutritional problem rather than causing one.What's Inside- The field boundary in 2004 that made him stop treating symptoms, and what the two sides of it had in common- Why a seed treatment that changes plant biochemistry works differently from one that kills the insect- His argument that agriculture incentivised what could be patented, and what that left undeveloped- The Law of the Maximum, and why the biggest yield response sometimes comes from applying less- Why he insists every recommendation pay back in the same growing season rather than in five years- What a longevity study running since 1938 has to do with how he builds a teamBuy Johns Book here: https://www.qualityagriculture.comJohn’s thoughts on agriculture in 2050: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeJ2IEslH4E&t=5sRegenerative Agriculture Podcast:http://regenerativeagriculturepodcast.comAdvancing Eco Agriculture: https://www.advancingecoag.com Connect with John: Website: https://johnkempf.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/realJohnKempfLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kempf-6b59a450/ Connect with Growing the FutureWebsite: growingthefuture.caYouTube: Growing the FutureInstagram: @growingthefuturepodcastLinkedIn: Growing the FutureSubscribe to the Growing the Future Podcast wherever you listen, and register for Convergence Conference 2027 at convergence.ag. Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.