Welcome to the SoilCraft Regen Agronomy Podcast! In this powerful episode, Denver Black sits down with Craig Harding at Riverside Farm in Zambia to unpack what it really means to ālearn how to farm again.ā
After years of intensive input-based systems, Craig finds himself in a whole new worldāwhere fungicides are gone, synthetic nitrogen is slashed, worms are working overtime, and fields are literally growing inches of new topsoil.
What caused this radical shift? A regenerative system rooted in biology, humility, and alignment with the Creatorās design.
š¾ IN THIS EPISODE:
ā Craigās journey from rigid crop programs to real-time field intuition
ā Why his $1.2 million worth of worm castings may be more valuable than a fertilizer shed
ā What it means when your drill sinks too deepābecause your soil is too rich!
ā How 32% wheat protein came with no basal fertilizer and half the nitrogen
ā Why legumes may be holding your soil-building efforts back
ā The difference between āavailableā and āsolubleā nutrientsāand why it matters
ā Can dryland farmers do this too? YESāand maybe they must
š§ BIG IDEAS:
- Regeneration isnāt just conservationāitās a biological cascade
- No-till without biology = slow progress
- The real question isnāt can we eliminate fertilizer, but can we build soil so it eliminates the need itself
- Farming is no longer about āwhat to killāāitās about what to feed
- Legumes might not be the soil builders we think they are when grown alone
š NUTRIENT VALUE BREAKDOWN:
From just 2 inches of worm castings, Denver and Craig measure:
- š§Ŗ 320 lbs/ac Nitrogen
- š§Ŗ 1,000 lbs/ac PāOā
- š§Ŗ 3,840 lbs/ac Calcium
- šæ All biologically availableānot leaching, not burning, just there when the plant needs it
š£ TAKEAWAYS:
This isnāt theory. This is real change. Real savings. Real soil wealth.
āWeāre not spraying 5 fungicides anymore. Weāre spraying biology.ā
āI didnāt just have to relearn fertilizerāI had to relearn farming entirely.ā
āWe used to plant in bricks. Now weāre planting on a worm farm.ā
If youāre wondering whatās possible with regenerative agricultureāespecially in arid, tropical, or high-value cropping systemsāthis is your episode.
š„ JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
We're not here to push a silver bullet. We're here to build a system. One that works where you are. So share your questions, challenges, and storiesāweāre listening. š
š Learn more or connect with us at SoilCraft.com
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#SoilCraft #RegenerativeAgriculture #LearningToFarmAgain #WormCastings #OrganicMatter #SoilBiology #NoTill #FertilizerReduction #FaithAndFarming #RegenAgPodcast #ZambiaAgriculture

