The Regrarians Platform and Regenerative Agriculture across Climates, with Darren Doherty
Here we have our first Australian on the Plant The Trees Podcast.I first met Darren Doherty at a Keyline agroforestry course in Iowa City in 2014. Back then we sometimes called it permaculture, but you could say that sphere was starving for pragmatism. How could we add financial realism to a socially-inclined ecological agriculture? There are so many things we can do on a landscape, but where do we start? And what goals and ends do we have? The Regrarians platform gives extremely thorough, but flexible guidelines for how to plan landscapes for regenerative agriculture. It’s a must-have in the toolkit if you’re going to make agroforestry happen.In 2014, At 23 years old and fresh out of an undergraduate degree in International Business, I was looking for a way to finance trees and to link investment capital with regenerative agriculture. And 11 years later, we’re making it happen. Darren is an advisor to Propagate. We have a great relationship, and I’m thoroughly enthused to have him on the Plant The Trees Podcast.Join us as we peruse Australia’s climates, holistic management, and The Regrarians Platform.
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Silvanus Forestry Shares Decades of Insights
When we try to transform the world’s distressed or abandoned farmland, we'll come across a massive leverage point. That can be a new technology. Or it can be a tree species. Today we’re going to the country of Hungary to focus on a very unique tree. It grows fast, fixes nitrogen, and produces timber that rivals tropical hardwoods in strength and durability. In Hungary, it’s a species that’s woven into songs, poetry, and everyday life — but in parts of Europe and even its native landscape, it’s been labeled “invasive.” But invasive to when and to what conditions? Today, we meet the people who’ve spent decades unlocking the potential of Robinia pseudoacacia. Silvanus Forestry has bred Black locust that grow straighter, faster, and thrives in places many farmers have dismissed or ignored. From honey to industrial lumber, from the Hungarian plains to the New York, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, this is the story of how one tree species has shaped landscapes, livelihoods, and rural economies.
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Black Locust in Hungary
I’ve traveled to Hungary on five separate occasions, to learn more about black locust silviculture. Hungary grows 1 million acres of locust dominant forest and forest plantations, so it’s the right place for Robinia immersion.
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36 years of Silvopasture Intel, with Brett Chedzoy
The key to healthier livestock, resilient farms, and strong rural economies is found where trees and livestock intersect.Today’s guest has spent over 30 year making the case, in real life, that silvopasture isn’t just a concept you see in a textbook — and that it’s a relevant part of a multifaceted agricultural economy. From planting black walnut and black locust on a New York hayfield in the 1980s, to regenerating degraded rangelands in Argentina into thriving silvopastures that feed cattle and communities, Brett has learned what it takes to make trees and grazing work, and he is here to tell you all about it.From “bale bombs” that turn thickets into productive biomass and dry matter, to the different ways to create silvopasture, we’re about to understand why the best silvopasture plans keeping pay off. We’ll hear about 40 years of trials, tribulations, wins — and why playing the long game is so durable.This is a conversation with a calm and decisive visionary. It’s about patience, and the art and practice of growing trees, grass, and livestock all on the same farm. Please welcome Brett Chedzoy.
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All About Black Locust, An Introduction
Black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, is extremely unique. It’s the only fast-growing rot-resistant hardwood, native to the eastern United States. In this episode we’ll dive into how it grows, what the wood is used for, and the culture surrounding this phenomenal tree.
New Zealand