73 episodes

The #1 podcast in Eco-Agriculture. From your friends at Acres U.S.A., the Voice of Eco-Agriculture since 1971, Tractor Time is a conversation between farmers, authors, advocates and legendary voices in the world of eco-agriculture. Hosted by Ben Trollinger, editor of Acres U.S.A. magazine. Since it started in 2017, this podcast has been downloaded more than 120,000 times around the world.

AcresUSA: Tractor Time Tractor Time by Acres U.S.A.

    • Science
    • 4.5 • 35 Ratings

The #1 podcast in Eco-Agriculture. From your friends at Acres U.S.A., the Voice of Eco-Agriculture since 1971, Tractor Time is a conversation between farmers, authors, advocates and legendary voices in the world of eco-agriculture. Hosted by Ben Trollinger, editor of Acres U.S.A. magazine. Since it started in 2017, this podcast has been downloaded more than 120,000 times around the world.

    Tractor Time Episode #70: Paicines Ranch’s Kelly Mulville on Vineyard Management

    Tractor Time Episode #70: Paicines Ranch’s Kelly Mulville on Vineyard Management

    On this episode, we speak with Kelly Mulville, Vineyard Director of Paicines Ranch. Kelly speaks about how his passion for holistic agriculture developed, the technics he employs at Paicines Ranch and the future of the industry.  
     
    For the past 25 years Kelly Mulville has managed and consulted with vineyards, farms and ranches throughout the western USA, Spain and Australia. His focus is on combining experience in farming and viticulture with holistic management in order to design and manage more ecologically, socially and economically sound farming practices. This usually involves a considerable amount of help from livestock.  Kelly has been vineyard director at Paicines Ranch since 2014 and does design/advising work for vineyards.
     
    Thank you for listening. You can learn more about Acres U.S.A. at www.AcresUSA.com.
     

    • 1 hr 5 min
    LEAF SAP ANALYSIS Ep.3: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Application

    LEAF SAP ANALYSIS Ep.3: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Application

    TRACTOR TIME #72: In this special episode #3 AcresUSA invites you to a special Podcast Series on Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications. Learn how to use precision lab analysis to optimize crop input selection, application and timing while minimizing budget.
    Presented by Apical Crop Science
    Thank you for listening.
    You can learn more about AcresUSA at www.AcresUSA.com

    • 20 min
    SOIL ANALYSIS Ep.2: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications

    SOIL ANALYSIS Ep.2: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications

    TRACTOR TIME #71: In this special episode #2 AcresUSA invites you to a special Podcast Series on Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications. Learn how to use precision lab analysis to optimize crop input selection, application and timing while minimizing budget.
    Presented by Apical Crop Science
    Thank you for listening.
    You can learn more about AcresUSA at www.AcresUSA.com

    • 22 min
    WATER ANALYSIS Ep.1: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications

    WATER ANALYSIS Ep.1: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications

    TRACTOR TIME #70: In this special episode #1 AcresUSA invites you to a special Podcast Series on Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications. Learn how to use precision lab analysis to optimize crop input selection, application and timing while minimizing budget.
    Presented by Apical Crop Science
    Thank you for listening.
    You can learn more about AcresUSA at www.AcresUSA.com

    • 19 min
    Tractor Time Episode #69: Croatan Institute’s Lauren Manning on Regenerative Finance

    Tractor Time Episode #69: Croatan Institute’s Lauren Manning on Regenerative Finance

    In this episode ... and this is quite the invitation … we’re going to make you a bit uncomfortable. We’re going to talk about a lot of things going on in eco-agriculture and regenerative agriculture, but we’re not going to talk about soil health. In fact, we’re going to talk about money. We’re going to talk about the challenges built into the booming interest in the regenerative ag industry, what pieces are missing, and how the investors lining up at the gate can help – or they can hurt.
    To explore these topics, we’ll be talking with Lauren Manning, the owner of Ozark Pasture Beef and senior associate at Croatan Institute, an independent, nonprofit research and action institute whose mission is to build social equity and ecological resilience by leveraging finance to create pathways to a just economy. She talked to us from her farm in Arkansas, where it had just snowed for a little November surprise – or shock – but she still found a moment to talk.
    Tractor Time is brought to you by Sea-90 Ocean Minerals!  Sea-90 offers complete nutrient support for today’s farm, homestead, and ranch. With more than 90 minerals and trace elements in nature’s perfect balance, Sea-90 re-mineralizes soil, increases nutrient density, and elevates the vitality of your animals.  
    Web:  www.Sea-90.com
    Email:  info@seaagri.com
    Phone:  (770) 361-6092
    Thank you for listening. You can learn more about Acres U.S.A. at www.AcresUSA.com.

    • 42 min
    Tractor Time Episode #68: Dr. James White, Jeff Lowenfels & Laura Decker on Soil Microbiology

    Tractor Time Episode #68: Dr. James White, Jeff Lowenfels & Laura Decker on Soil Microbiology

    On today’s episode of Acres U.S.A's Tractor Time sponsored by microBIOMETER, we’re going to live under the soil. We want to invite you too. Imagine a world where you could peek under your crops and see and hear what is going on. Where you could look into your flowerpot on your windowsill and see a whole universe of life. What you’d see would not only resemble Times Square, but Times Square Times Times Square times Times Square … or something like that. The cycle of life and the intelligence of nature is fully, and beautifully, at work.
    We are joined today by Laura Decker, the owner and operator of microBIOMETER, Dr. James White, a professor of plant biology at Rutgers, and Jeff Lowenfels, the author of several books, including a new one, Teaming with Bacteria. In our conversation, you will hear us try to establish why microbiology is an important topic for all farmers and ranchers today, and then go deep into what we know. How nutrients are brought to plants. How water can be stored. How nature resists some technology we are trying to force into it today. In the end, you’ll hear Jeff Lowenfels compare mycorrhizal fungi to the free love concept, we (unofficially) nominate Dr. James White for a Nobel Peace Prize, and Laura Decker talks about the future.
    Lowenfels is the author of the latest book, Teaming with Bacteria. You can find it, and all of his books, at AcresUSA.com. His entire collection is 30% off right now. Shop here" https://bookstore.acresusa.com/products/teaming-with-book-bundle
    Dr. White will be speaking in December at the Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show in Covington, Kentucky. Laura Decker will be there too. So will I. We’ll see you there as well. You can register at EcoAg.AcresUSA.com
    SPONSOR MESSAGE:
    Improving the health of your soil is essential to increasing your output, but how can you tell if you are making progress? Research shows that microbial biomass — fungi and bacteria — is the leading indicator of soil health. Living soil fixes nutrients, improves plant immunity, stores water more efficiently and builds soil structure, therefore, a healthy level of microbes increases productivity while reducing inputs. There are more microbes in a handful of living soil than there are humans on this planet. We are just now starting to understand how vital the symbiosis is between plants and these microorganisms. 
    microBIOMETER® is a low cost, fast, on-site soil test for microbial biomass and fungal to bacterial ratio that allows you to quickly determine the health of your soil.  Order direct at microBIOMETER.com. Frequent retesting provides you with the data necessary to assess your soil management practice.

    • 1 hr 11 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
35 Ratings

35 Ratings

CH555 ,

Thanks for Knowledge & Wisdom

Thank you for sharing the wisdom and knowledge from Biological/Ecological Farmers. Tractor Time, thanks for being the voice of Acres USA, which does a great job of sharing old and new information that contributes to an ongoing understanding and learning of how we can grow healthy quality food in alignment with the awesome power and dynamic qualities of nature. Thank you for standing up for a healthy quality life for people and a beautiful healthy natural environment.

Cats 82 ,

Rodale

Thanks for playing Jeff Moyer’s talk from the 2018 conference. That should be aired nationally during prime time on TV for everyone to hear!!

Joe Green Garden Acres ,

Great Subjects But Needs Some Improvement

Acres USA and its conference archives has an incredible wealth of ecological and sustainable agriculture knowledge! Some of which has been shared on this podcast. Cannot wait for the next broadcast.

Yet, the voice quality and volume has been at times sub-par. You control the volume in production and yet the introductions and wrap-ups can be low or too loud compared to the rest of the broadcast.

A suggestion ... given your vast archives why not offer a weekly "archives" podcast that would deal with some of the higher level agricultural science issues and concepts Acres is known for. Maybe call it "Acres Eco-Ag Archives." Plus, keep the "Tractor Time" podcast for timely interviews and more hands-on agriculture information.

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