December 2022 - 19

He has certainly embraced the value of
regenerative agriculture and husbandry of
the soil using the principles outlined above.
He has taken it a step beyond just saying
that his soil is healthier, and is seeking to
prove it is more nutrient-dense and thus
healthier for the consumer. " Nutrient
density " is a general term encompassing
many components, from minerals to
vitamins to organic compounds.
The problem as Groff sees it is that
current measurement methods are labbased,
expensive and time-consuming,
and measure a single or a small number of
nutrients. In a recent conversation, Groff
told me that he is continuing to work
with the Bionutrient Food Association to
produce a device capable of measuring
nutrient levels in produce just by scanning
fruits and vegetables with an instrument or
maybe via a smartphone. He also prefers
" nutrient richness " instead of " nutrient
density. " Groff envisions a fast, inexpensive,
field-based device - the Bionutrient Meter
- to measure a broad range of nutrients of
interest in crops.
Another big proponent of regenerative
agriculture is Bob Jones Jr., who with his
brother and family run Farmer Jones Farm
at The Chef's Garden, in Northern Ohio.
The family has been involved in agriculture
for six generations, focusing on vegetable
production for more than 40 years with four
generations of the Jones family currently
working on the farm. Jones said " that we
had a hunch, even back then, that if we were
to increase flavor by rebuilding the soil, we'd
also be increasing the density of nutrients. "
Now both the research in their own
agricultural lab and independent research
has shown this to be true, he said.
Jones related how he is applying the
principles of regenerative agriculture
coupled with measuring nutrient density of
his vegetables as the future of his farming
operation. Jones, like Groff, believes that
documenting the nutrient density of his
vegetables is an excellent indicator of the
efforts of his regenerative farming through
cover cropping and minimal tillage and
he believes in the future to be able to
command a premium for his vegetables.
As we said, there is no instrument
available to quickly measure nutrient
density of vegetables, so Jones has set up a
sophisticated lab on his farm to measure
the nutrient density of his vegetables and is
comparing it to USDA's figures, which tend
to be low. Jones said that he has 400 acres
but only 125 acres are in veggies. He allows
two years of cover cropping and then
plants vegetables. This way he is also tying
up carbon in the soil. Jones has gone even
further down the road in viewing " food
as medicine " and has hired a nutritionist/
pharmacist to work with him.
In speaking with my own doctor, I
know that more medical schools are finally
embracing the concept of food as medicine
and teaching more in-depth courses to
their medical students. Jones and Dr. Amy
Sapola, director of Farmacy, at the farm,
are taking the information generated in
their lab and extensively reviewing the
medical and related nutritional literature
knowing that certain minerals or elements
are beneficial for helping cure certain
diseases such as high blood pressure,
heart disease and diabetes. Taking this
knowledge, Jones and Sapola are preparing
baskets of vegetables supplying these
nutrients to consumers to help fight these
diseases. He can ship them out directly to
the consumer via
UPS or FedEx.
Using the
principles of
regenerative
agriculture, Jones
looks forward to
documenting the
increased nutrient
density/richness
of his veggies due
to regenerative
husbandry soil and
use of intensive cover cropping, etc. He
firmly believes " that you are what your
plants eat. "
BOB
JONES JR.
Jeff Moyer, CEO of the Rodale Institute,
is another longtime proponent of
regenerative organic agriculture practices.
Moyer takes a broader view of regenerative
agriculture systems that offer societal,
economic and environmental benefits
such as increased farming productivity,
improved soil health and fertility, increased
production of nutrient-dense foods
and increasing the land's ability to filter
and retain water. Other factors include
decreased soil, water and air pollution
caused by current agricultural practices,
improving habitat and biodiversity in
wildlife and plants, diminishing the effects
of climate change, and decreasing the
amount of carbon in the air.
Moyer said that it is an exciting time
that we live in with a major transition
of farm ownership in the next decades
as older farmers retire and a younger
generation takes over - one that is more
open to embracing new technology
coupled with regenerative agriculture
principles to improve soil health and
ultimately increase the nutrient value of
the products they sell.
My final thought is that regenerative
agriculture is primarily about bringing
back the health of our soils on which we
grow our crops and soil health is linked
to the total health of our food system and
our well-being. To me, a grower's soil can
be thought of as a bank account where the
grower constantly makes deposits through
good management practices (regenerative)
so the crop can then make withdrawals,
even growing the account over time. VGN
~ Quality Seed Since 1881 ~
Stokes Seeds Product Highlights
Researching the best for our
customers since 1881.
Denotes a Gourmet Sweet Brand variety.
COYOTE
65 days. Produces pods that resist
breaking and bruising in machine
harvest. Widely adaptable and
consistent high yield potential
across most bean growing
regions. Upright bush style
variety with concentrated pod
set for harvest efficiency.
VALOR
79 days. Early maturing
14-17 lb fruit with mediumdark
green rind with pixelated,
dark green stripes and firm
deep red flesh. Produces
mostly 36 and 45 count.
CRAVE
SUMMERLICIOUS
78 days. Bicolor Glacial type.
Strong husk package, large ear
and plentiful flags. High-quality
eating experience with robust,
sweet flavor and tender-bite.
Widely adapted.
89 days. A uniform seedless
variety featuring improved
fruit holding ability in the field.
High percentage of 36 and
45-count fruit. Firm flesh, nice
internal color.
Sarah Christ
Western NY
Contact Your Area
Territory Manager:
585-794-8937
Tom Dauria
NJ, VA, PA
908-489-4896
Randy Demay
Western NY
585-747-3379
John Hoffman
OH, IN, IL, MO
419-388-6731
Jason Detzel
NY, VT, ME, RI, CT, MA, NH
845-707-5631
Tom Jacobs
MI, OH, IN
616-307-4322
Tom Pagels
NJ, MD, DE, PA
609-247-7140
Tim Clark
WI, MN, IA, NE, IL
608-609-5884
- Quality Seed Since 1881 -
800-962-4999 │www.stokeseeds.com │ 13031 Reflections Dr Holland MI 49424
All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission. ©2023 Syngenta. Some or all of the varieties may be protected under one or more of
the following: Plant Variety Protection, United States Plant Patents and/or Utility Patents and may not be propagated or reproduced without authorization.
The Syngenta logo is a trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.
VGN | DECEMBER 2022 | 19
Bryan Hannigan
NJ, DE, MD
609-440-3685
Grayson Lambert
VA, WV, MD
804-650-0847
NEW

http://www.stokeseeds.com

December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2022