Regenerative farming & (re)discovering your heritage—w/ Ethan Soloviev of High Falls Farm

Most of us think of regenerative agriculture as a way to restore biodiversity and store carbon in the soil. But regenerative agriculture can also be about restoring our awareness of ancestral and spiritual traditions—and then using those practices to inform our farming techniques.  

 

Ethan Soloviev is the coauthor of Regenerative Enterprise and Levels of Regenerative Agriculture and co-owner of High Falls Farm,  a multi-enterprise farm in the Hudson Valley of New York that aims toward regenerative principles and practices. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Ethan joins Ross to introduce us to the Jewish idea of shmita, explaining its religious significance and sharing his take on the ancient traditions of harvesting in the wild that might inform the practice, but the show soon heads into Irish/Celtic and indigenous North American traditions as well.

 

Ethan discusses why he’s not a fan of dichotomies, challenging us to see beyond one ‘right’ way of doing things and explore regenerative agriculture as an opportunity to look into the past but make it work now. Listen in for insight on how Ethan draws his farming techniques from both his own ancestral lineage and the traditions of the place where he is growing and learn what YOU can do to learn more about your own heritage—and what your ancestors ate!

 

Key Takeaways

 

[1:14] An overview of Ethan’s diversified farm

Spans 30 acres in Upstate New York Aiming toward regenerative agriculture

 

[2:56] How Ethan thinks about the value of language

Words we choose point to way of seeing world Supply chain = mechanical, regenerative = living system

 

[4:09] Why Ethan is not a fan of dichotomies 

Suggests one true God, one right way of doing things His way not ‘better’ but has different effects in world

 

[8:50] The Jewish idea of shmita

Happens every seven years in agricultural system Do not cultivate land (take year off from usual practice)

 

[10:18] Ethan’s take on what’s behind shmita

Religious significance of sacred time every seven units Historic memory of ancient way of harvesting in wild

 

[14:21] The Jewish concept of the year of Jubilee 

Forgiveness of all debts every 49 years Tool against separation, income inequality

 

[19:19] The farming techniques Ethan draws from

Irish ancestry (e.g.: acorns, hazelnuts) Jewish teachings of corners, harvest fruit in third year Tradition + history of place where farming

 

[27:09] How to start engaging in our own heritage

Talk to oldest living relative about food Study where from, what grows there Find ancestral seeds, grow until can share meal

 

Connect with Ross

 

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Resources

 

High Falls Farm

High Falls on Instagram

Ethan’s Website

Regenerative Enterprise: Optimizing for Multi-Capital Abundance by Ethan Roland Soloviev and Gregory Landua

Levels of Regenerative Agriculture by Ethan Roland Soloviev and Gregory Landua

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt

Carol Sanford

Martin Prechtel

Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence

The Unlikely Peace at Cuchumacquic: The Parallel Lives of People as Plants—Keeping the Seeds Alive by Martin Prechtel

The Tangled Tree: A Radical History of New Life by David Quammen