Resource Positive Agriculture: Recent Episodes
Potato Sustainability Alliance
Resource Positive Agriculture describes what we all want: a system for producing food and fiber that responsibly uses the gifts provided by the natural world. In this podcast, host John Mesko explores how agriculture can be a force for good – on everything from the environment to the people.
In this podcast episode, host John Mesko interviews Jolyn Rasmussen, the global agronomy services senior manager for J.R. Simplot and chair of PSA’s board of directors. They discuss the importance of PSA as a pre-competitive alliance in the potato industry and how it helps facilitate conversations around sustainability. Jolyn emphasizes the need for the industry to work together on sustainability rather than competing with each other. They also discuss the importance of having diverse perspectives at the table, including processors, NGOs, and allied industries, to address regional issues and drive sustainability progress. Jolyn also addresses the future of sustainability in the potato industry, including reporting metrics, gaining credibility and visibility, and the potential for expanding PSA's impact.
Show Notes: https://potatosustainability.org/ep-18-sustainable-spuds-global-goals-jolyn-rasmussen
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Jolyn Rasmussen on LinkedIn
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, president and CEO of the Soil Health Institute. Because soil health is such an important part of a farm’s long-term sustainability, we asked Dr. Honeycutt to provide insights on how potato growers can contribute to the overall health of their soil. We discuss taking a systems-wide approach to sustainability and what that means for farmers growing potatoes, a crop that presents soil health challenges. We also learn about projects underway at the Soil Health Institute to help farmers measure and maintain soil health.
Show Notes: https://potatosustainability.org/ep-17-implementing-systems-wide-approach-soil-health-dr-wayne-honeycutt/
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Wayne Honeycutt on LinkedIn
- Soil Health Institute on Twitter
In this episode, we’re joined by Grant Morris, a potato farmer from Washington, who shares his first-hand experiences and valuable insights on sustainability in the potato industry. As the owner of Schneider Farms and the chair of the Washington State Potato Commission, Grant brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. We explore his motivations for active involvement in sustainability initiatives, the challenges faced by growers, and the exciting enhancements to the PSA Program that aim to streamline the use of existing market tools to define, benchmark, and advance sustainability.
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
Show Notes:https://potatosustainability.org/ep-16-introducing-psa-program-grant-morris/
John and Natalie are recapping the 2023 Summer Symposium in this episode! From the engaging discussions and networking opportunities to the working groups and sector breakouts, hear why the symposium served as a powerful platform for stakeholders, industry leaders, and members to connect and collaborate. Tune in as they unpack the highlights, discussions, and valuable takeaways gained from this event.
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
Show Notes:
https://potatosustainability.org/ep-15-highlights-2023-summer-symposium
In this podcast episode, host John Mesko is joined by Natalie Nesburg to discuss the book Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming by Liz Carlisle. They explain why they chose to read this book and delve into the history and origins of regenerative agriculture. They also highlight the importance of measuring sustainability beyond metrics, how language can impact our understanding of sustainable agriculture terminology, and discuss generational differences in how people connect to where their food comes from.
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
Show Notes:
https://potatosustainability.org/ep-14-books-broaden-sustainability-perspectives-natalie-nesburg/
In this podcast, host John Mesko talks to Debbie Lyons-Blythe, a Kansas cattle rancher and immediate past chairman of the board at the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Debbie discusses her family’s beef operation and how she personally became involved in conversations around sustainability. She shares how the Roundtable’s work includes all sectors along the value chain and the key indicators they use to measure sustainability. Debbie also gives a preview into the topics of the keynote she will present at the 2023 PSA Summer Symposium and shares her thoughts on why transitioning the next generation into farm management roles is fundamental to sustainability, but not exclusive to what being sustainable means.
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Debbie Lyons-Blythe on Facebook or Instagram
Show Notes: https://potatosustainability.org/ep-13-lessons-in-sustainable-farming-potato-value-chain/
In this episode, we focus on the importance of data collection for sustainability and how Syngenta is working to address this challenge with Liz Hunt, Head of Sustainable & Responsible Business, and Jeff Lail, Senior Technical Data Analyst.
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Liz Hunt on LinkedIn
- Jeff Lail on LinkedIn
This episode covers the Manitoba Water Stewardship Project, which is a collaborative effort between the province of Manitoba and potato growers in Western Canada. The project is designed to capture the stories of growers who are already implementing water stewardship practices on their farms. Brandy Wilson, Global Sustainability Director at J.R. Simplot Company, and Mike Nemeth, Senior Advisor of Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability at Nutrien, join host John Mesko to chat about why sustainability is an ongoing process and not just a checkbox metric.
Show Notes: https://potatosustainability.org/ep-11-exploring-how-tell-story-sustainability-brandy-wilson-mike-nemeth/
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Brandy Wilson on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Mike Nemeth on LinkedIn
Thank you to our sponsor Corteva! Corteva is dedicated to protecting your yield, your land and the world’s food supply. Connect with Corteva on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Soil health is essential to all commodities and growers. For a crop growing underground, soil health is especially important for potatoes. In this episode, we discuss the importance of soil health and sustainability in the potato industry and some of the new products Corteva Agriscience is developing to bring new tools to the potato farmer’s toolbox. Corteva’s Britt Beene, strategic account manager in Southern Idaho, and Kevin Cochrane, retail account manager in Columbia Basin of Washington/Oregon, join us in this episode.
Show Notes: https://potatosustainability.org/ep-10-soil-health-sustainability-britt-beene-kevin-cochrane/
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Britt Beene on LinkedIn or Twitter
- Kevin Cochrane on LinkedIn
Thank you to our sponsor Corteva! Corteva is dedicated to protecting your yield, your land, and the world’s food supply. Connect with Corteva on Twitter or LinkedIn.
John Mesko and Natalie Nesburg recap key events, discussions, and takeaways from the 2023 Potato Expo and the PSA Winter Board meeting.
Show Notes:https://potatosustainability.org/ep-9-meet-potatoes-john-mesko-natalie-nesburg/
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
Thank you to our sponsor Corteva!
We’re in one of the most challenging, rewarding and exciting times in agriculture, and with that, host John Mesko has a lot on his mind. In this episode, John is solo casting with thoughts and encouragement for the farmer-support community. As we approach the precipice of a growing population, the need for more quality food, and climate disruptions, coupled with the realization that farmers are being seen as a solution to these challenges, the human decision-making aspect of farmers is more important than ever.
Show Notes:
- https://potatosustainability.org/ep-8-todays-well-informed-farmers/
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Ep. 6: What It Takes to Approach Sustainability with a Producer-Centric Mindset featuring Amy Skoczlas Cole
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
The potato has long been recognized as a staple on the dinner plate in years past. But perceptions have changed over time. Even though the potato has long stood as a positive source of nutrients, we’re asking: Does the nutritional value of potatoes play a role in the world of resource positive agriculture? Are there missed associations between the environmental impact and human health impact of potatoes? In this episode, host John Mesko is joined by Potato USA’s Director of Nutrition and Industry Relations Bonnie Johnson, where they explore these questions and other crossovers between potato production and consumption.
Show Notes:
https://potatosustainability.org/ep-7-potatos-role-in-nutrition-environment
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Potato USA on Twitter or LinkedIn
It’s safe to say that terms like sustainable, regenerative and resilient are all terms that point agriculture in a positive direction. But what exactly does it take for producers to make a change in the way they operate to help fuel sustainable agriculture practices? And what does it mean to approach sustainability with a producer-centric mindset? In this episode, host John Mesko is joined by Amy Skoczlas Cole, Executive Vice President at Trust In Food, to explore these questions and share insights into farmers' shared hopes, fears and dreams.
Show Notes:https://potatosustainability.org/ep-6-producer-centric-sustainability/
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Amy Skoczlas Cole on LinkedIn
Sustainability strategist and newly appointed lead of PSA’s water sustainability team, Mike Nemeth, joins host John Mesko to talk about all things water sustainability. Nemeth shares his career experiences in environmental stewardship, explains the differences and importance of water sustainability approaches, and shares some of the challenges in measuring and accounting for good on-farm water stewardship practices.
Show Notes:
https://potatosustainability.org/ep-5-water-sustainability/
Connect with:
- Potato Sustainability Alliance on Twitter or LinkedIn
- John Mesko on Twitter or LinkedIn
- Mike Nemeth on LinkedIn
In Episode 4 of the Resource Positive Agriculture Podcast, host John Mesko talks with Potato Sustainability Alliance (PSA) Data Specialist, Natalie Nesburg. Throughout the episode, Natalie shares with listeners an overview of the information PSA collects, where data is collected from, what kind of analysis PSA is currently doing with this data, and how it can positively impact growers. With the collection of all this data, there is an opportunity to share stories about PSA members' dedication and commitment to sustainability. Full Show Notes from this episode are available on the Potato Sustainability Alliance’s website.
In episode 3 of the Resource Positive Agriculture Podcast, host John Mesko talks about a new industry event coming this July, the Potato Sustainability Alliance Summer Symposium. This Symposium will bring members, non-members, and working groups together to discuss the future of the PSA program and some of the changes that will be made to keep the work that PSA is doing at the forefront of sustainability. PSA Symposium sponsors, Jolyn Rasmussen from J.R. Simplot and Bill Orr from 1, 4Group discuss the importance of the Symposium and why they wanted to get involved. This episode's full show notes are available on the Potato Sustainability Alliance's website.
In episode 2 of the Resource Positive Agriculture podcast, host John Mesko sits down with Erika Wagner, Potato Crop Manager of Yara North America, and Brady Stover, Sales Agronomist of Yara North America. They share with us how the food chain continues to be under pressure to produce enough food for a growing population while also reducing its environmental footprint. Yara North America is taking on this challenge by working to develop an Incubator Farm Network, which helps farmers combat many of the challenges they face trying to keep up with demand. In addition, Yara is working toward growing a nature-positive food future by building solutions to decrease carbon footprint, improve water and nitrogen use efficiencies, regenerate soil sources, and more. Full Show Notes from this episode are available on the Potato Sustainability Alliance’s website.
In episode 1 of the Resource Positive Agriculture podcast, Potato Sustainability Alliance Executive Director John Mesko describes and shares the meaning behind resource positive agriculture. Words like sustainable, organic, and regenerative often have evolving or confusing meanings and more times than not people will interpret the definitions and purposes in different ways. Now is the time to keep focused on the long term goal: moving agriculture forward in a positive way. Resource positive agriculture describes what we all want, an agriculture system which makes full and responsible use of the natural world and honors the scientific, technological, and societal advances we've achieved. You can find the full show notes from episode 1 on the Potato Sustainability Alliance website.