Myth Busting Regen Farming | Monte and Chuck Challenge the Norm
The biggest myth about regenerative agriculture? That it automatically tanks yields. Chuck Schembre breaks down why that assumption falls apart - especially in specialty crops - and what actually has to happen if you want soil health practices to work in the real world.
Chuck pushes past the buzzwords and gets into the messy truth: context matters, agronomy matters, and "regenerative" is not a magic switch. If you've heard the promise that healthier soil will instantly fix nutrient cycling, disease pressure, and insects, this conversation will challenge that oversimplified story.
You'll hear:
-Why the yield-loss fear keeps coming up in regenerative transitions
-Where the argument is different for specialty crops versus row crops like corn, wheat, and soy.
-Why getting the agronomy right is the real unlock
-The dangerous assumption that soil health alone will solve every pest and nutrient problem
-How to think about regenerative farming without falling for the hype
-Monte guides the conversation by pressing on the myths that keep growers, advisors, and consumers talking past each other. Chuck answers with a practical lens shaped by on-the-ground experience, making this especially valuable if you're a farmer, agronomist, ag advisor, or anyone trying to separate regenerative reality from regenerative marketing.
If you want a clearer, less romanticized view of what regenerative organic can and can't do, this episode delivers the nuance most conversations skip. Essential listening if you're trying to make better decisions in the transition, not just better claims about it.
Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/bnXj2VR9Cnc
You'll hear how buyer relationships shape adoption, why the first one or two meetings are usually the hardest, and what has made certain growers - especially apple growers in Michigan using a heavy fungicide program - more open to change than many people assume.
If you're interested in regenerative farming, grower adoption, or how real supply chain change actually happens, this conversation gets to the heart of the challenge: not just what to change, but how to get people willing to change in the first place.
Chuck Schembre is owner of High Desert Harvest Farm, a small diversified regenerative farm in Washoe Valley of Northern Nevada, and owner and founder of EcoSoil Solutions a soil health and regenerative agronomy consulting company.
He's also a Certified Professional Soil Scientist and agronomist with two decades of experience farming organically and regeneratively, while interpreting soil and plant health metrics and linking them directly to practical farm management. His expertise bridges advanced soil and crop science with practical hands-on farming – from managing small-scale organic vegetable systems to large orchard and vineyard operations. He holds a B.S degree in Earth and Soil Science from Cal Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo.
Find Chuck online: https://ecosoilsolutions.com
