Regenerative Agriculture Podcast

In this Podcast Extra, Brody Benton of Six B and John Kempf, founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, dig into why plants are shutting down weeks before black layer, what top dieback is actually telling you, and how nitrogen form, leaf temperature, and trace minerals decide whether a crop finishes strong or hollows out from the inside.
John explains why the fungi behind stalk rot and crown rot — fusarium, rhizoctonia, pythium — are saprophytes that navigate by electrical charge, and why they only attack cells the plant has already given up on. Brody brings the 2026 weather data: 43 nights above 68°F in Polk County, Iowa (vs. a 28–29 night average), 35+ in York County, Nebraska, and record dew points that opened the door for tar spot. Put those together and you get a plant burning protein for energy, converting rubisco and PEP carboxylase back to ammonium, robbing amino skeletons out of the leaves, and dismantling its own photosynthetic engine during grain fill.
From there the conversation goes well past stalk rot: front-loaded nitrogen and electrolyte overload, chloride and sodium from manure histories, herbicide and fungicide effects on fungal-to-bacterial ratios, the depletion of microbially active carbon under corn-on-corn and corn-soybean rotations, molybdenum and nitrate assimilation in soybeans, EDTA chelates that pull one nutrient out while adding another, plant sap pH targets, and how humic substances turned a manure pit into liquid gold.
Additional Resources
If you farm in the midwest and would like to get in touch with Brody, please reach out to him via email, brody.benton@gmail.com

To listen to the Podcast conversation with Mike Omeg, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/episode-188-eliminating-ground-applied-urea-with-mike-omeg/
About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com

Ed Baumgartner is a corn breeder and co-founder of Bass Hybrids in Olivia, Minnesota. His family has been in the seed corn business since the late 1930s, when his great uncles began producing hybrid seed as Troy Farms. Ed studied agronomy and plant genetics and spent 21 years and five mergers inside the commercial seed industry, much of it running winter nurseries in Puerto Rico and doing trait integration work for major companies.
At Bass Hybrids, Ed breeds non-GMO corn using a shuttle breeding model borrowed from Norman Borlaug, cycling material between Puerto Rico and Minnesota for three generations a year under deliberate heat, drought, and disease stress. Working in 18 identified genetic families rather than the industry's two, he has selected for native insect tolerance and broad stress resilience and found those selections also produced plants with unusually strong microbial association and markedly lower nitrogen requirements. His current work includes nitrogen rate trials across genetics, interseeded cover crop studies in three states, and a 148-acre discovery farm dedicated entirely to regenerative research.
In this episode, John and Ed discuss:
Why corn inbreds developed before heavy nitrogen fertilization still carry the genetics for nutrient efficiency
How some Bass hybrids produce 200 bushel corn on 50 pounds of applied nitrogen, and drop to 150 bushels when nitrogen is pushed above 200
Why Y-drop nitrogen placed too close to the stalk causes a yield hit on biologically responsive genetics
The plant characteristics that signal high biological receptivity, including pubescence, leathery leaves, multiple ears, and heavy pollen loads
Results from interseeding nine species of cover crops at V3, where the highest yielding treatment came with nitrogen cut by 25 percent
Why Bass asked its seed producers to apply AEA's Pinion this season in place of conventional fungicide
How AEA's fertility guidance gives growers an off-ramp from high nitrogen and an on-ramp for soil biology
What germinator trials revealed about fungicide-treated seed versus seed grown without fungicides
Additional Resources
To listen to John's first conversation with the BASS Hybrids team, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/podcast-extra-john-kempf-bass-hybrids-on-the-future-of-corn/
To read the University of Wisconsin research on nitrogen-fixing corn in Mexico, please visit: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2006352
To learn more about AEA's Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/
To find Charles Walters' book Eco-Farm, please visit: https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/eco-farm?srsltid=AU7gw4XfkT_GNsryakPAWEYC5avS6GxN3ikUv9nbqaG0cJXfyZIq3Y8_
To learn more about BASS Hybrids, please visit: https://www.basshybrids.com/
About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com

Mike Omeg is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up on a diverse family farm in Oregon, initially producing cherries, hay, cattle, apricots, apples, and wheat. Over time, he honed in on fresh cherry production. He is currently the Director of Orchard Operations at Orchard View Cherries. Drawing on decades of tree-fruit experience and driven by a vision to keep his operation thriving for the next 100 years, Mike has spent the last 13 years collaborating closely with Advancing Eco Agriculture to challenge the conventional .
Currently, Mike is implementing management practices to maintain high cherry yields while drastically reducing input costs . He has completely eliminated dry nitrogen ground applications, shifting toward targeted fertigation and carbon-based energy sources to optimize tree metabolism . By focusing on biological precision and custom blends, he is growing firmer, higher-quality fruit while successfully testing new methods to control severe powdery mildew pressure without relying on conventional fungicides .
In this episode, John and Mike discuss:
How eliminating dry nitrogen ground applications improved overall tree health and nutrition .

Boosting calcium absorption by 45% using Advancing Eco Agriculture custom blends .

Turning large cherry crops into high-yield, premium-sized fruit while lowering harvest labor costs .

Utilizing carbon and targeted sugars as energy sources to expand leaf size and drive tree vigor .

Testing AEA's Pinion to manage severe powdery mildew without applying conventional fungicides .

Maintaining a strict twenty-dollar-per-acre budget for foliar applications .

Supporting multi-year crop loads without sacrificing branch strength or tree vitality .

Additional Resources
To listen to the podcast episode featuring Jim Dunlop, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/episode-183-overcoming-the-ammonium-death-spiral-with-jim-dunlop/
About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com

Join us for a discussion led by Heather Poutre of Agronomy Diversified LLC, Jeff True of True Potential Ag Consulting, LLC, and John Kempf, founder of Advancing Eco Ag. With nitrogen management remaining a central topic amidst heightened focus on water quality, Heather, Jeff, and John will dive into practical agronomic strategies designed to balance environmental stewardship with farm profitability.
Topics in this webinar that are discussed include: 
Navigating evolving water quality focuses and proactive nitrogen management.
Building a practical fertility program designed to maximize nutrient efficiency and profitability.
Implementing management practices that address root causes rather than relying on bulk fertilizer top-ups.
Actionable strategies for cutting conventional commercial fertilizer dependence while maintaining yield.
Utilizing biology, humic and fulvic acids, and amino acids to improve nutrient uptake.
Maximizing Return on Investment (ROI) by lowering unit costs per bushel through smarter nutrient delivery.
Additional Resources
Click here to watch "How Excess Nitrogen Creates Yield Drag"
For Iowa/Midwest growers who want to reach out to Heather or Jeff, contact info is below:
Jeff True, True Potential Ag Consulting, LLC.
641-431-0436
Jeff serves the NW and SE corners of Iowa


Heather Poutre, Agronomy Diversified LLC
About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com

Brody Benton is an agronomist and no-till farmer in Guthrie County, Iowa, specializing in continuous corn rotations and hoop-barn hog manure management . Brody works with growers in Iowa and the midwest as an independent consultant through his company, Six B, using sap analysis and field trials to help growers reduce synthetic chemical dependency.
To forward regenerative agriculture, Brody focuses on restoring soil fungal communities, accelerating humification, and keeping living roots in the ground year-round through cover cropping . He advocates replacing synthetic fungicides with targeted trace mineral nutrition to resolve plant nutrient backlogs, boost photosynthesis, and rebuild natural crop immunity .
In this episode, John and Brody discuss:
The historical shift over the last 50 years from naturally maturing green corn to crops dependent on continuous synthetic inputs .

How late-season cover crops feed soil biology with exudates to increase organic matter and boost cash crop yields .

The severe impact of chemical herbicides on soil fungi and how proper planting depth protects biological inoculants .

How AEA ReBound trace minerals and PhotoMag clear nitrogen backlogs, lower plant nitrates, and reactivate photosynthesis .

The success of Pinion as a fungicide alternative that suppresses tar spot without harming soil biology .

How trace mineral nutrition prevents phantom yield loss by maintaining a reducing internal environment in the plant during grain fill .

About John Kempf
John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA's science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com