Regenerative Growth with Evan Harrison
Josh Wilder: [00:00:00] Where do you start with somebody who, you run into that doesn’t know what you’re doing now and you say, Oh, I’m working with regenerative agriculture. And they’re like, we were, we, what?
Evan Harrison: It’s taken me a couple of years to get some of my closest friends. to really engage in conversation about what I do now. And I don’t start with soil health because that’s usually too much in the beginning of the conversation.
We did research right when I joined two and a half years ago. And what we found was 96 percent of the U S adult population was unaware of the term regenerative agriculture as a viable solution for our wellness and really the role that soil plays. Where I tend to start is with with wellness, because what we found was 50 percent of the adult population in the U. S. was aware of climate crisis. They didn’t feel it was theirs to solve. Yet. 70 percent [00:01:00] responded that they’re willing. to learn more about where their food comes from to make informed decisions that will benefit their health. So I tend to start with wellness and I’ll bring that back to your question about soil health.
We’ve gone from the way things used to be done, more than 50 years ago, in harmony with nature, where you have multiple crops, you have animals as part of the integrated into the process we then, for all the right intentions at the time in the, with the industrial revolution, we focus on monocrop.
So how could we have larger fields? All dedicated to corn. And then over time there were chemicals really thrown at some of the issues that came up from farming this way. So now we find ourselves in a position where we are consuming. Less nutrient dense [00:02:00] food. And on the more extreme side, we’re ingesting foods that are laced with harmful chemicals that are very bad for health.
So if you think about that double whammy, we are eating foods that don’t have the nutrients we need. To a pretty alarming degree and add on top of that, all of the chemicals that we’re ingesting, given the way our food system is working today.
Josh Wilder: Welcome to the Mother Earth News and Friends podcast. At Mother Earth News, for 50 years and counting, we’ve been dedicated to conserving the planet’s natural resources, while helping you conserve your financial resources in this podcast. We host conversations with experts in the fields of sustainability, homesteading, natural health, and more to share all about how you can live well, wherever you are, in a way that values both people and our Mother Earth.
Regenerative Agriculture Education and Engagement
Josh Wilder: Hello. Welcome to this interview with Evan Harrison, CEO of Kiss the Ground. [00:03:00] Appreciate your time today, Evan. You’ve done some excellent work over your last couple of years with the organization. I’m excited to talk to you about the next phase of what you’re doing today.
Evan Harrison: Thanks for having me, Josh.
And I’m excited to have the conversation.
Josh Wilder: Absolutely. So I’m the content director here with Mother Earth News, and our audience is doing different DIY projects or sustainability in general, and our folks are talking about moving a lot of acreage over to regenerative agriculture or doing what you can in your own backyard.
That said, can you speak to that specific audience about what they can do spread some of the awareness that Kiss the Ground does also about some of the education that Kiss the Ground also takes part in.
Evan Harrison: Josh, you hit on something really important right out of the gate.
The movement needs more who just want to learn how they can contribute and how they can do more for our health and [00:04:00] for planetary health. So Kiss the Ground was formed in 2013. And really the name came from a Rumi quote that there are “hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
And that really goes to what you’re talking about, which is some people will want tips in gardening in their backyard. Some will want to become advocates. Some will want to watch a 90 second clip of getting to know a farmer better. And really offer at Kiss the Ground an opportunity for everybody to get involved and meet them where they’re at.
Some of the content we create while still educational is more on the entertaining side with just a little bit of education. And in some instances we go deep. We’re just now rolling out. A 90-minute regenerative agriculture essentials course, where Finian Makepeace, one of our co-founders leads through the various principles of regenerative agriculture and really talks about how soil health plays into the [00:05:00] solution for our wellness, climate and water crisis.
Josh Wilder: Absolutely. And I can speak to specifically our region.
So I’m out of Topeka, Kansas, and I went down to Gail Fuller’s farm, who’s a regenerative farmer. Down near Emporia, Kansas, and he puts on a Fuller Field School every year. And he’s had guests it’s about a hundred folks that come down, different ranchers and farmers from the area. Gail transitioned from conventional farming a few years ago.
And and frankly, one of his, one of his main points in the talk is it’s not just healing the land, you’re healing the farmer. The transition from conventional regen regenerative agriculture, that, that changes so much. It changes your outlook on what you’re doing. It changes your soil, but it also changes the person and it makes, it gives you more purpose.
It gives you, but it also, it gives you your health back.
Evan Harrison: Josh, listen, it’s [00:06:00] everybody wants to do the right thing when given the opportunity. Farmers like every every other business need to make money. And when presented with the opportunity to do good, so to remove chemicals and to grow more nutrient dense foods and to have cover crops, covering the barren soil, because it’s going to improve soil health.
And then when a rain event occurs. The soil will absorb, three times more water and wow, wait a minute. So we’re already spending less money because we’re not buying all of the inputs or the chemicals, and we’re letting nature do its own thing. So we automatically have less money outlay and then the production that comes back is year round because you have a more varied offering in crops and less reliance on that one harvest. And you have [00:07:00] soil doing what soil does. And because of the decrease in expenditures right out of the gate, You’re able to make more money. That’s what’s really, I think, giving a lot of farmers a skip in their step.
It’s a process, it’s a journey, but we’re seeing a lot of farms of various sizes start with a little trial, seeing how it goes and then expanding that as they get success.
Challenges and Opportunities for Scaling Regenerative Agriculture
Josh Wilder: That’s great. Yeah. And obviously, the financial concerns, not a lot of people choose farming for. It’s luxury, it’s obviously really hard work and, not only any conventional farmer and what they have to do, but making that transition is difficult.
And but to know that there’s, reasons behind it that are going to give you not only that purpose and give it back to the land, but also have that savings, have that financial, Bounce back [00:08:00] beyond the financial concern. What are some of the, what are some of the biggest challenges facing the adoption?
What sort of opportunities are there to scale regenerative agriculture?
Evan Harrison: The movement has really just started to gain speed. We’re very focused at Kiss the Ground on bringing in more people to get the awareness level to that tipping point around 10 12 percent awareness. I mentioned we’re at about 4 percent awareness now.
The challenges are plentiful in that only 40 percent of the U. S. population has met a farmer. And in our follow up survey. We’re gonna, we’re gonna pull to see how many people truly think about the food they purchase and where it’s coming from and above and beyond reading the ingredients of where it’s actually grown, how it’s grown and then where it shipped from.
So awareness is the first major hurdle and we’re [00:09:00] really solving that issue with a very inclusive approach of awareness. Yeah, I mentioned some of our content is much more on the educational side. And then some is more on the entertainment side. We have younger audiences now that consume, 70 something percent of 15 to 24 year olds are consuming reels and watching short form videos.
We are, we have a series called five with a farmer where we ask a farmer five questions. It’s 90 seconds. So that’s bringing in new audiences. And then we’ve got many documentaries where we go a little deeper with the farmer and really tell that story in that journey, which in turn not only inspires people to have that deeper connection with where their food is grown and how it’s grown, but inspires other farmers when they hear the trials and tribulations and you know why that farmer is, trying what they’re trying and starting on that journey.
So really, the first major [00:10:00] challenge is just simply awareness. And I believe as consumers become more aware and more focused on their health. the benefit of regenerative agriculture will be felt in so on so many levels because people will be connecting with the farm and then supporting more local produce and then from their education kicks in a very important part of regenerative.
Some folks will take that soil training, the courses that we discussed earlier and really become big advocates and eventually advocacy and policy will really catch up because the, the understanding. that we’re all sick at alarming rates and that our soil is degraded and depleted.
And we only have a finite number of harvests left the way we’re doing things change is coming and it’s really starting to gain [00:11:00] some positive momentum. So it’s an exciting time to be talking about regenerative agriculture. And, back to the first question, we just have to find a way to engage meeting people where they’re at in their health journey.
In their caring about the wellness of our planet and in partnership with companies as well. I think is a very meaningful resource because you have employers now having to answer the question for any anybody that’s really under the age of 35 is asking their employer. What’s your stance on sustainability?
What are you doing to help solve? What are we doing to help solve some of these major crises that That we’re facing.
Talking about Soil Health to Families and Friends over Coffee
Josh Wilder: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that kind of, that really goes into what you’ve been rolling out over the next, this part of the year is the coffee that put together. Can you talk a little bit about how you see the coffee and also it’s been maybe the beer that you’re distributing in Southern California and how [00:12:00] those pieces work with your strategy to advocate for regenerative practices.
Evan Harrison: It’s a very natural fit, Josh. We have we have a supporter named Gali Meyer who moved to Costa Rica from the U S a little while back and said, coffee is laced with chemicals. I want to find a way. to create coffee that is farmed regeneratively. And she started Buena Vida specialty coffee with relationships with a couple of farms up in the hills in Costa Rica.
And what she found was a couple of farms that have been doing things the right way and refusing chemical inputs for quite some time. And she got in contact with with with Gabe Brown, who’s a leader in the regenerative movement, and he has a division of organization called Regenified, which is a certifier of regenerative practices.
And they certified a [00:13:00] handful of the farms that Gali works with. And that was the moment when we said, you know what, let’s roll out a Kiss the Ground brandy coffee. With a farm that is certified regenerative in Costa Rica. And we will offer that to our audience directly through a subscription service.
And we we tested, we tested the process. We want to work out the operations to make sure the coffee that was sourced and then roasted locally could reach audiences in the United States seamlessly within less than two weeks of roasting. And really. Be that premium clean coffee.
And we did a couple of tests and it was pretty funny. I was in Costa Rica. I visit a little surf town called Nassara regularly, and I’ve got my favorite coffee shop and my favorite barista there. And they’d heard about what Ali and her [00:14:00] company are doing and they had a lot of respect for. So I kinda, I, I just waited till kiss the coffee was ready and they had some said to me in this beach town in Mr. R and I ran up a hill to a resort where I had it shipped to and I rode my bike, my favorite coffee up, and I had the barista break it down for me. I wanted to see what kind of notes he got as a coffee expert of which I am not. And it was just incredibly impressive all around hearing him talk about the quality of this coffee and how clearly from his end, they’re definitely doing things the right way.
And everybody who I’ve offered the coffee to has had a positive experience. So we all got very comfortable with it. We got very excited about it. Importantly, we disclose with a QR code right on the coffee bag the whole process of what form it comes from, and then how it makes its way into the [00:15:00] United States through our subscription service.
So it’s pretty exciting. It was just a natural extension of a relationship we had and a new way to tell stories. So creating media. From, the film Kiss the Ground with our partners at big picture ranch, who are amazing filmmakers, documentaries are an amazing way to really spread the message as our 92nd short form content, but offering coffee is opening up so many new conversations.
It’s really blown my mind has so many people who I’ve worked with in media and music really weren’t engaging with What I’ve been doing at Kiss the Ground, no matter what angle I came from, to talk to them about our wellness and our relationship with our agricultural system. But when I asked them if I could send them coffee, all of a sudden there was a new level of engagement.
We know the vast majority of adults in the U. S. Coffee daily. [00:16:00] And we also know that majority are about health. So what a great way to engage in the conversation of regenerative agriculture by sourcing a coffee from a small family farm in Costa Rica that is doing it the right way. It tastes amazing and brings the consumer into the conversation about regenerative practices and what that means.
Josh Wilder: For sure. Yeah, that obviously it makes a lot of sense. Just meeting someone for coffee, like that’s commonly a way to, to start a conversation, right? It’s a way to to begin dialogue about any number of topics, but when the coffee itself can bridge the gap between someone’s experience and what’s happening on that farm with those beans, that’s, that’s, Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
Evan Harrison: You asked the question about the health of farmers. We [00:17:00] know not only is work hard in general, not only very hard to make money in general, but also exposure to the chemicals that fight off that fight off all of the challenges are harsh and damaging. So to be exposed to those chemicals. Really it’s a major threat to farming and when you have farmers that know they’re able to help generate a product that is clean and not laced with chemicals, with healthy soil, that’s just a win all the way around.
Josh Wilder: On the topic of, the farm being in Costa Rica and a lot of the partnerships you’re working with to, develop regenerative farmland, how much of that farmland is, stateside and how much of it has around the world?
Evan Harrison: So Kiss the Ground, as I mentioned was created in 2013.
[00:18:00] And as you can imagine, even the topic back then of climate change was it was highly debated. So imagine what having the conversation about healthy soil was in the U. S. Back in 2013. So a lot of work had to be done at laying the foundation. The big the big react, the big first reaction came when the film named Kiss the Ground came out on Netflix with Woody Harrelson and that really engaged a lot of people in the conversations and our company then rolled out some education courses for those who want to advocate and learn more.
As you move forward to now, the second film, Coming Ground, has been in theaters and will go on a streaming network at some point early next year. And when you look at the transition of land in the United States in that time, [00:19:00] understanding agriculture, Gary Brown’s company managed the transition currently of 34 million acres in the U. S. It’s really hard to have account for all of the acreage in the world level in the U. S. that has started or transitioned to regenerative practices. Early days the 34 million is also a pretty big number in the U. S. We have a network of a couple hundred farmers that we work with in a host of different ways in the United States, and we follow the path of the first film, Kiss the Ground, and then The second film, which went to different parts of the United States and our network of farmers and and supporters has really filled in across the United States.
We’ve focused, I’d say a good 90 percent of our energy. locally here in the United States first purposefully. And then our focus will shift as we get into, I’d say the [00:20:00] back half of 2025 worldwide. And the Costa Rica coffee experiment, I think is the first of what you’ll see a lot more of moving forward.
Josh Wilder: That’s great. Yeah. And I can see the need to obviously, get the story out in the U. S. and do a lot of work stateside because obviously, getting that advocacy and getting that groundswell is really going to be, getting that four percent to the 10 to 12 where it’s really going to get to start making moves going back to the backyard gardener and our folks that, most of our audience, they do know what soil health is and they’re passionate about it.
When you talk to those folks how do you suggest they, maybe we’re talking to a grandma or grandpa or, talk to, how do they talk to their grandkids about soil health and how do they, maybe it’s through wellness, maybe it’s through food, maybe it’s through, how do you suggest they talk to their, families and friends?
Evan Harrison: [00:21:00] It depends on the family. What I would say is my kids are now older and they’ve been asking questions, it starts off with mom and dad are annoying because, they talk about only cooking food or bringing home food that was grown the right way or produced the right way.
And when kids are younger and their friends are eating junk food and their parents aren’t talking about now. You shouldn’t be drinking soda. You have to watch your sugar intake. That’s annoying. But after time, they start to really form their own opinions. And right now, I would say Everybody needs to find a story that really hits home.
So I’ll give you a specific example. My my mom who’s 82 now and a yoga instructor in Florida, she She’s been living on the water in a town called Longboat Key for quite some time. And, as the [00:22:00] storms are always, coming through the west coast of Florida, they always assumed at some point they, they could have some damage to their home.
In the last storm, there was three feet of water in their home and her home’s being bulldozed now. How many people in America have been affected by super storm after super storm. That’s the new norm now. Climate change is a great place to start for those who have been adversely affected by a massive storm that has something to do with either sea level rise, the warming ocean, or just the power of these hurricanes that’s been coming through.
For others, there’s a cancer in the family that is highly linked to chemicals that we’ve been ingesting from our foods. And as we know in the U S there is more in our foods here that has been outlawed. and is no longer in the food cycle [00:23:00] in other countries here in the U. S. So we have reason to be suspect for our health because of our consumption habits.
And we all know somebody, on the extreme who’s had a cancer that’s related to their food intake and chemicals or, at the very lightest level of metabolic challenge.
Josh Wilder: Like you mentioned, going back to wellness is key. People can feel in their bodies the way good food affects them compared to heavy, hyper palatable food. And frankly, what’s interesting is it’s a lot of times, you could obviously still get pushback and it’s understandable not to, agree on different terminology.
I’m sure you’ve heard all the arguments against but how do you combat some of those,
Evan Harrison: it’s really inspirational to me is. Most conversations, after I’ve shared a video, or I’ve shared an article that we published, or I send them the [00:24:00] coffee and I say one, there’s one thing I’m asking you to do, and I send you this bag of coffee. Scan the QR code and read about the coffee’s journey what I hear back.
And as a matter of fact, we just had a We had a big dinner in upstate New York for new supporters companies we work with and some supporters who have been with us for a while and I purposely invited people through the coffee that started conversation so they could come and learn more. And the number one thing I hear after any of those touches that I just mentioned is that just makes sense.
And, of course, there’s gonna be pushback on some of the strategies. On some of the principles and that doesn’t work for me because of my place in space has these unique differentiators and that’s true. Context makes each situation a little different for regenerative [00:25:00] practices, but the truth of the matter is that the.
The common response I get is that just makes a lot of sense doing things in tandem with nature instead of utilizing chemicals and trying to work against nature and the soil has spoken, we’ve eroded and degraded. So much healthy soil. And obviously with a global sea rise in warming, we’ve upset the balance.
So going back to the way things were originally intended to be, just seems to make sense to to most people we talk to.
Josh Wilder: We’ve been going against nature against our better nature for so long. Folks have gotten into the routine of making those strides, but once, you can see how things were, meant to be, in, in habitats that are untouched or that have been rewilded or preserved it’s hard to argue [00:26:00] with.
Evan Harrison: Yes, it’s no surprise that most people that are early in the space. Earlier in the space are either, I got into it because I’m a surfer and I learned. I learned to respect the nature and the way the ocean works. And hikers people in snow sports, people in all nature sports really have this deep, profound respect for nature.
You also hit the nail on the head with a reaction to food, what feels good and it doesn’t feel good. So yeah, I think I think that we have a big opportunity to reach a new audience from so many different angles and it’s just a sensible conversation that needs to be happening.
The Power of Collaboration and Movement Building
Josh Wilder: Absolutely. Yeah. I really appreciate your perspective on things because obviously you’re what you’re doing to Kiss the Ground is very, it’s very life changing in a lot of different ways. And, [00:27:00] taking me that, doubling the amount of people that under, more than doubling the amount of people that understand regenerative agriculture is I can only imagine what that could do, just in an understanding of products like the coffee or different, consumables and.
And it only brings the conversation, makes it richer and frankly, like what you’re talking about the different folks that, those practices might not work in my context, it, the more people that know about this, and it’s what I’ve learned over during my time here at Mother Earth News is all the contributors that we’ve worked with.
There’s so many great ideas from different, different backgrounds, different viewpoints, different regions that, it’s a conglomeration of those viewpoints that really bring a rich answer to the problem.
Evan Harrison: It’s inspirational. I’ve always been a big fan of collaboration probably because I played team sports at a young age and played in bands at a young age.
I really learned to feed off one another’s ideas and [00:28:00] energy. And, the word movement is used loosely. I really think there’s no better way to describe what’s going on right now. Because you have really smart academia types, really innovative, smart farmers, you’ve got we’re, I’d say one of our superpowers is really we create content and distribute it.
We’re a media education company. You have the best on the ground trainers in understanding and they’re health academy. You’ve just got so in. So many companies that are showing up and how we responsibly talk to our consumers about how we’re starting to look at our supply chain and changes we’re making to support generation.
So it’s a really exciting time.
Josh Wilder: Yeah, I agree. I see that the potential for especially as I think the younger generations [00:29:00] and the way that they you know, grab onto movements and the passion that they have for making a difference, especially in the space, I think is, especially as they began, the more of the dominant generation, it’s going to be really like inspiring to see them come into their own.
They’re already doing amazing things and I’m, I feel like part of my career path is to get out of their way as much as possible sometimes.
Evan Harrison: To pave the way so they can,
that’s really what I talk about is, this is a new chapter for me. It’s an exciting one.
And we have a staff that ranges from 20 years old to, I’m in my fifties and we’re primarily a younger, and they’re new to business and they’re new to this work. So I believe it’s our responsibility to set up the systems, the process and some momentum. And they’re the ones who are going to see this through.[00:30:00]
Josh Wilder: Certainly. Speaking from a, Mother Earth News brand, we’ve been in print since 1970 talking about not just, soil health, but really all the back to the land skills, whether it’s, building your own homes, or we have an article on, building your own boats or, any sort of do it yourself skills.
And it’s really great to see the evolution of teaching the skills and sharing the stories of what is happening out there, but also what could happen. And that inspiration is really key. And so I’m really glad to to talk to you today and it’s been a pleasure seeing your vision of what of what some of these initiatives can do and what’s possible when we work together.
Evan Harrison: I’m honored to be speaking with you, Josh. You guys do amazing work. I Was on the board of surf rider for a host of years. I am newer to this space and as a absolute outdoor [00:31:00] enthusiast and nature lover since. I was born in 1970.
It sounds like you guys started talking about this kind of thing in 1970. So I have the utmost respect for those who have been talking about, doing things with a lot of mindfulness way before we had a crisis. And now the work that we’re all doing collectively is at a point where it’s imperative.
And it’s fun to be able to really share this inspiration and these messages in an upbeat way, as opposed to a doom and gloom way. And I’m seeing a lot more of that, which is really exciting.
Josh Wilder: Absolutely. I’ll close with just the fact that I appreciate I got some of the coffee and is delicious.
It makes for a great conversation centerpiece for sure. Let’s see. It’s a great idea and I think, I hope it does everything that you’re hoping it does. I think
Evan Harrison: Mother Earth [00:32:00] News and this should help hopefully set off a, a great opportunity. And that’s what I really go back to is I, we have to engage people where they’re at and most people appreciate meeting somebody for a coffee and to have a coffee and to be learning about something that can really change the world.
while enjoying a great coffee is certainly an exciting place to be. So everybody can play a role. And I appreciate you helping us spread the word. Absolutely. Thanks so much for your time.
Josh Wilder: Thank you.
Credits
Thanks for joining us for this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends. To listen to more podcasts and get connected on our social media, visit www. motherearthenews.com slash podcast. You can also email us at podcast at Ogden pubs. com with any questions or suggestions. Our podcast production team [00:33:00] includes Kenny Coogan, Alyssa Warner, and myself, Josh Wilder.
Music for this episode is the song Hustle by Kevin MacLeod. The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast is a production of Ogden Publications.
Until next time, don’t forget to love your Mother.
