Dr. Hatfield is the laboratory director for the USDA’s National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment. He has also served on the faculty of the University of California-Davis and is a Past President of the American Society of Agronomy.
In this short but very powerful episode, Jerry and I discuss the mechanics of improving plant efficiency in capturing water, nutrients, and light and put that into productivity. We talk about the role that the soil-plant continuum plays in not only developing the productivity but also the quality of the products that plant is harvested for. Jerry and I discuss the fundamental functions of the soil aggregate structure and the value of gas exchange and water infiltration.
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Episode 10 - Jerry Hatfield - Highlights
3:10 - What have been some of the highlights that have lead Jerry to where he is today?
5:30 - Why should we care about soil health?
11:10 - How does soil quality improve so many various characteristics of plants
13:00 - How do we regenerate and improve soil health?
18:30 - How fast can we regenerate and improve soil health?
20:30 - What has Jerry observed regarding a diverse number of plants producing soil changes?
27:45 - Are we just regenerating soil, or also the thought processes and models around agriculture?
29:00 - Increasing water use efficiency and nutrient efficiency
33:10 - What does Jerry believe to be true about modern agriculture that many others don’t believe to be true?
35:20 - What is the opportunity for improved yield and quality? What does this mean for growers in terms of profitability?
38:10 - What action should farmers take right now?
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