In this episode of "The Whole Farm Podcast," Michael Pisciotta and Les Riley sit down with Russell Hedrick, a first-generation farmer from Hickory, North Carolina, and one of the most progressive young farmers in the country. Russell farms JRH Grain Farms, LLC, where he has built a reputation for challenging conventional assumptions about yield, soil health, nutrient management, and profitability. His operation includes corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, pasture-raised beef and pork, and several value-added ventures, including Regen Mills, Heritage Ground, Soil Regen, LLC, Revolution Drones, and a partnership with Foothills Distillery to produce the first bourbon in North Carolina since Prohibition. Russell shares how he got started with no-till and cover crops, how he began setting biological baselines on his farm in 2013, and how those practices eventually helped him set a North Carolina soybean record in 2021 and a dryland corn record in 2022 with more than 459 bushels per acre. The conversation covers what Russell has learned from more than a decade of testing, trying, failing, adjusting, and refining practices on his own acres. He explains why he believes the future of agronomy has to move beyond standard NPK recommendations and into better timing, better testing, and a deeper understanding of soil biology. Russell also breaks down how he uses tissue testing, nutrient demand curves, foliar feeding, potassium acetate, micronutrients, biologicals, and drones to make more efficient decisions in-season. He explains why timing matters, especially during key windows like VE to V4, V6 to V10, and R2 to R5, and why small, targeted foliar passes can deliver a strong return on investment when used correctly. The episode also explores the business side of farming. Russell talks about building markets for non-GMO and open-pollinated corn, turning grain into higher-value products like grits, flour, cornmeal, whiskey, and bourbon, and why improving soil health and crop quality can help farmers move beyond commodity pricing. For growers who are “regen curious,” Russell offers practical advice: start small, test on your own farm, use a portion of your acres to experiment, compare results across your best and worst ground, and only scale what earns its place. About Russell Hedrick: Russell Hedrick is a first-generation farmer in the foothills of Hickory, North Carolina, where he farms JRH Grain Farms, LLC. He has been featured in Top Producer Magazine, Furrow Magazine, RFD-TV, Ag PhD, and National No-Till Farmer for profitably farming by reducing fertilizer inputs and using soil health practices on cash crops. In 2017, he won the North Carolina Corn Yield Contest, becoming the first person in the state to win using regenerative practices. Connect with Russell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-hedrick-a9a323b0/ Listen to the full episode to hear how Russell is using soil health, technology, foliar nutrition, and value-added marketing to build a more profitable farm system. Resources: https://www.agsoilregen.com/ https://www.regenmills.com/ https://revolutiondronesusa.com/ To learn more about CHONEX, explore additional resources, and receive future episodes to your inbox, visit chonex.ag. If you found this episode valuable, subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone in your network.
