91: Love, Capital, & Regenerative Ag—with Dr. Philip Taylor of Mad Agriculture

“As we fall in love with the places we depend on, it forces us … to use virtue in all of our transactions, business and otherwise. And when we start building in love and empathy and compassion and reciprocity into every transaction that we make, the world will inevitably become a more beautiful place and things like climate change will go away.”

 

Dr. Phil Taylor is the Cofounder and Executive Director of Mad Agriculture, a venture that aims to restore our relationship with Earth through the story, community and the practice of good agriculture. Mad Ag works on-the-ground with producers to design Regenerative Farm Plans, heal mismanaged landscapes, and help farmers and ranchers thrive—ecologically and economically. Phil is also a fellow at the University of Colorado, where he teaches The Future of Food in the Masters of the Environment Food Systems program. 

 

Today, Phil joins Christophe and Alexsandra to explain climate change is a symptom of the deep disconnection between humans and our dependency on the Earth. He describes how Mad Agriculture was inspired by the poems of Wendell Berry, discussing the challenges the organization faces in calling for a radical reworking of the economy. Phil also offers insight into how the organization builds trust with growers and helps them break away from commodities markets. Listen in to understand how Mad Ag is catalyzing the transition to regenerative farming with a combination of capital and radical love.

 

Key Takeaways

 

[1:19] Phil’s path to reversing climate change

Desire to heal broken system (selves, land and relationships) Climate change = symptom of disconnection with Earth

 

[3:57] What inspired Phil to study soil science

Enthralled by Earth’s beauty, learn how it works Academic work not relevant to real world problems

 

[5:50] The origin of Mad Agriculture

Inspired by Mad Farmer poems of Wendell Berry Call to radical reworking of economy

 

[7:15] The greatest challenges facing Mad Agriculture

Global market forces drive destruction Hard to see system, takes courage to live outside

 

[11:43] What Mad Agriculture does

Help farmers thrive with regenerative ag (ecological + financial wealth) Holistic design optimizes carbon coming into system Provide access to community, money and markets

 

[18:13] How farmers can break away from commodities markets

Grow directly for brands Monetize ecosystem services

 

[21:29] How Mad Agriculture approaches growers

Build trust with farmers Understand every farm very different

 

[25:27] Why the transition to regenerative ag is slow

Difficult to break out of current system Culturally less apt to take risks

 

[28:23] How Phil thinks about catalyzing change

Offer examples of respected farmers (e.g.: Steve Tucker) Tour diversified land, innovative practices

 

[31:44] Mad Agriculture’s theory of change

Help people fall in love with their place Develop inherent sense of reciprocity Diversity leads to resilience (markets and climate)

 

[33:25] Phil’s insight around the grain revival

Staple crops that enrich earth rather than deplete Rising wave of re-regionalization of rural areas

 

[37:42] The new agrarian culture 

Hyperconscious of inescapable bond with Earth Understanding of dependence leads to affection

 

[39:39] What’s next for Mad Agriculture

Work with Boulder County farmers transition to regenerative Bring 12,500 acres to Nori marketplace Build Perennial Fund (capital for transition to organic)

 

Connect with Christophe & Alexsandra

 

Nori

Nori on Facebook 

Nori on Twitter

Nori on Medium

Nori on YouTube

Nori on GitHub

Nori Newsletter

Email hello@nori.com

Nori White Paper

Subscribe on iTunes

Carbon Removal Newsroom

 

Resources

 

Mad Agriculture

Email brandon@madagriculture.org or philip@madagriculture.org 

The Mad Farmer Poems by Wendell Berry

Carbon Cycle Institute

Fibershed

Marin Carbon Project

The Biggest Little Farm

Naturally Boulder

Gabe Brown

SoilHealthU

Regen Way Walk

Propagate Ventures

Steve Tucker

Green Cover Seed

The Land Institute

Robyn O’Brien

rePlant Capital

Hayden Flour Mills

Bluebird Grain Farms

Camas Country Mill

Anson Mills

GreenBiz

Circularity 19

Charles Eisenstein

It All Turns on Affection: The Jefferson Lecture and Other Essays by Wendell Berry

COMET-Farm