A 100-year review of Florida citrus production-what is causing this steep decline?

North America citrus production has seen a dramatic decrease over the last few decades-what is causing this steep decline?
In AEA's August webinar, we welcomed back Dr. Thomas Dykstra, Laboratory Director of Dykstra Labs & Scientific Advisor at AEA, for a deep dive into the last 100 years of citrus production-focusing primarily on Florida oranges.
Dr. Dykstra explains how modern agricultural practices are inadvertently inviting a succession of pests into citrus groves across the country and eventually, around the globe.
www.advancingecoag.com/
Interested in attending a live webinar? Sign up for the AEA newsletter and get monthly updates on our webinar schedule and more! www.advancingecoag.com/newsle...

[@marcusparrado6600]

I'm a certified pest control operator here in Florida and I can tell you that with the use of good slow release fertilizers, beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi, my use of insecticides and fungicides has roughly halfed. I talk to my customers about soil health ALL THE TIME.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Marcus, we love hearing about this emphasis on healthy soil. Thank you for sharing, particularly from your perspective! - The AEA Team

[@marcusparrado6600]

@@AdvancingEcoAgriculture Thank you guys for your good work and giving plant nerds like me a resource to learn, improve and gain perspective.

[@marcusparrado6600]

@Lorax Gardens I feel like you're the one poisoning the earth... With your existence...

[@truck6280]

I have been told that insects only go after plants that are unfit for human consumption. IE, dead, or possibly gmo. Now you let your mind wander on the company which makes money off of pesticides and nutrients. Monopoly.

[@marlan5470]

@Lorax Gardens Before the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides there were massive blights. What made those plants vulnerable then?

[@floridanaturalfarming3367]

As if living in Florida isn’t depressing enough you had to show us this. This truth resonates with Dr, Dykstras confidence. Who in there right mind would want to drink a glass of systemic insecticides with their Florida Orange Juice? Unfortunately the teachers of agronomy here can’t detach themselves from the easy Money provided to them by the South Florida Chemical Cartels. Thank you.

[@rustybolts8953]

Starting basically form scratch understanding Agriculture correctly. Bit soon to make a comment but I am yet again amazed at the intelligence intrinsic to nature. Especially that trees can detect a hurricane on the way and quickly transport their sugar to the roots. Cannot thank you all enough for these videos.

[@rkoontz24]

I have been listening to Elaine Ingham, a microbiologist that specializes in soil biology. This coincides great with what she talks about and she offers a lot of insight to getting your soil health up, specifically achieving balance in the beneficial bacteria/fungi/etc. allowing your plants to thrive and stave off pests, disease and competing weeds.

[@carollynne5943]

The Soil food web is a winner,I love Elaine Ingram too.

[@kurt.wilkinsongardendesign]

I got into a lot of what Elaine was discussing 6 or 7 years ago, but this area has moved on considerably since then and I feel this channel has much more to offer, so much more new information and better approaches have come about since.

[@AlexandreLollini]

There are two slightly different views or approach : one says there are enough of all the atomic table of elements in the soil, but not enough life in there to make it plant available ar nutrition. And the other says that there are not enough or X Y and Z elements for life to make it available to plants. But what I see in my soil is that it is too permeable and water goes right down, and I don't see any earth worm. So for soil to work there must also be STRUCTURE to it, not too sandy, not too clay, a STRUCTURE. and worms, bacteria fungi etc..

[@SillyAuthor]

Elaine is an awesome teacher. I actually took here entire program at the soil food web school. My plants in Florida have had no pests or diseases since I implemented these natural ways. Thank you

[@SillyAuthor]

@@AlexandreLollini yup. Took me 2 years to go from sand to great soil in my Florida backyard. I have noticed that the grass will attack my garden and fully cover it in 3 months, growing under, thru gap, and over the garden barrier. I have made a slurry of the soil and spread it on the grass in the front. It is now going wild!!! Life in soil is so awesome.

[@gabrieln3613]

Wow, this is so cool. I grew up in Sarasota, FL and some of the family dates back to 1822 farming in Florida. The earliest was up by Tallahassee, great grandfather grew watermelons there and later (1970+/-) Mangos down on Gulf Coast. Still have family there with 15,000 acres and part of that in citrus but cattle and some other crops too. I myself moved out west and have a group of 8-10 (myself 45 yrs experience and then Architect, 2 Permaculture farmers, Certified Food Producer, lady w/ master's in regenerative agriculture specializing in cattle/livestock management, another lady with masters in sustainable design, naturopathic doctor, etc.) and we design eco-communities, farms, greenhouses, homesteads, swimming pools and also ornamental landscapes too.....basically most type outdoor projects. I remember distinctly that 1962 freeze. In Sarasota, I believe at Christmas vacation and January, we left the sprinklers in front yard run overnight (on purpose) and next morning there were huge long icicles hanging off the palm trees and eaves so us kids could break off and play with them. Subscribed to your channel, thank you for such great information.

[@susanjordan2130]

Thank you. I'm just a back yard gardener and I learned a lot.

[@robertling9872]

Thank you Thomas for this very clear presentation. It shows that a healthy living soil and low intensity tree planting provides healthy trees, highest volumes and net profits.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed the video, Robert Ling! - The AEA Team

[@richardruss7481]

I am going to bet that some people involved in the orange industry in Florida are getting super rich. The chemical companies, the ones selling tree stock, the ones selling those screens, etc. etc. Bad information pays well year after year.

[@shortchanged.]

As a fla .born native I can tell you the issue is there are no orange trees left they are now apartment buildings .and parkinglots

[@permofit]

I just spent a week in Florida and it was awesome I shared this video with a few who live there and have citrus trees

[@nikolapopov7038]

Please make more vidios!!! So much to learn from you !!! We love you thanks

[@novampires223]

This was incredible, thank you both so much.

[@feralfpv3768]

Even in California most commercial oranges are garbage, not even worth buying. Great job guys🤦‍♂️

[@richardwichmann9441]

Thanks for the presentation. I am a South African Macadamia Nut Orchard Grower very aware of Plant Density, soil health and healthy plants. This season I have used very little herbicides, only mow grasses, with cover crops twice. I also use Bio Insecticides - Metarhizium , Trichoderma ,Fungal pest control( Beauvaria bassiana) etc. I notice my fellow growers compromising their Orchards by making excessive raised beds, that become compacted, no ground cover, continual pest spraying. I am forwarding the presentations to our senior CEO and Extension Staff. I wish them to listen to the presentations, and make the right decisions now, and change our industries Orchard health. Will you ask Dr. Dykstra to show us the Florida orange Orchards that are being converted to the right planting densities and the reduction of pesticides. What do they look like? There must be some converts! Thank You. Richard

[@sos9028]

Check out Turner Citrus /aka Sand to Soil Services in Lithia Fl.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Richard Wichmann, we're so glad to hear that you enjoyed the presentation and found value in the information here. We appreciate you sharing a bit about your background and will be sure to pass on your questions. - The AEA Team

[@cornekruger3937]

Hi Richard, I am also a macadamia grower in the lowveld, Mpumalanga, south Africa. Could we possibly meet up and have a discussion about your approach? So we have ridged but we we have THICK grass cover that we mow only in April before the harvest. Starting to plant diverse cover crop mixtures this coming season and starting to use Bavaria basianna and trichoderma for the first time now as well.

[@armandobambino]

wanderfull presentation. Congratulation again!

[@jorgecamachofitopatologo]

excelent presentation, and this situation is for all crops worldwide

[@rmutter]

I'm late to the topic, but boy howdy did I learn critical information. Thanks for a well-done presentation.

[@larofeticus]

Obviously, the number of acres planted is increasing over the entire time series. Why aren't the charts normalized for that? It would be much more convincing.

[@jeroenwatte2198]

Had the same question. How has the acreage evolved over time? If farmers started running out of business in the 1980s, what happened to their groves?

[@cornekruger3937]

This is an incredibly unscientific presentation. I 100% agree should have looked at acres planted and yield per acre. Even the 1200 oranges per tree (at 30 trees per acre is not that good when comparing 300kg per tree and 250 trees per acre)

[@cornekruger3937]

Also you tend to get Orange farmers that would plant easy peelers or other types of citrus later on as the price of oranges dropped and the price of naartjies etc goes up. So therefore less acres of citrus.

[@SEEDSRegenerativeEconomies]

I see it doing the opposite - the total number of acres have dramatically increased from 1940 until today, but we were producing more back then...

[@projectmalus]

A great part 2 even though I know nothing of citrus...no dwarfing root stocks? Much of this seems translatable to apple or other temperate tree crops, except for the freezing and rebound response diminishing...amazing that.

[@tonydeveyra4611]

43:50 in California those screens are deployed on mandarins during bloom to prevent pollination and to make seedless fruits. One of reasons high density was pushed at least here in CA was to keep the plant short so that labor doesn't have to use ladders to pick fruits. Lowers costs and liability.

[@feralfpv3768]

Tango ftw

[@AlexandreLollini]

You forgot to say that the modern oranges are big, tasteless, odourless, it's just repackaged water with some fiber. This could be completed by analysis of the fruit content in different vitamins and minerals, because all is in freefall. (seen in apples, tomatoes, should be the same in oranges ...)

[@bienen-dialoge5769]

Great!!! Thank you so much!!

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

You're welcome-we're glad you enjoyed this video! - The AEA Team

[@stephenball8555]

Love this , mind is buzzing

[@browpetj]

Wow! Another great presentation. This guy has very good verbal accuity. Tom would blow acuity and cohesion through the roof with addition of piracetam (or a similar -racetam nootropic) to his self improvement routine. Would complement his research skills in interconnection/metastudy too. Unbelievable presentation and Q&A skills! Congrats!

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

We're glad you enjoyed this webinar, Peter Brown. Thanks for sharing! - The AEA Team

[@matthewkheyfets1309]

It's crazy to think that the optimal growth for a Citrus tree is, at around 50 trees per acre, literally almost 900sqft/tree. ThTs 30ft x 30ft of room for one darn tree lmao. That's so much larger than I guess people would think a Citrus tree would need lmao

[@Nightowl5454]

I think the 1 exception that I know that feeds off plants that are healthy is the spotted lantern fly. They attack countless species of crops, trees and almost no birds eat them so they've started wrecking havoc and have the potential to do an ENORMOUS amount of damage to plants and trees. Look it up because it is quickly becoming a HUGE problem for many crops in the state of Pennsylvania and spreading out further every year.

[@martinsatyen7833]

Hey Brian, I've been tracking and researching SLF for 3 years as it slowly moves towards us - a vineyard- in NC. We are a Regenerative Ag operation, driven by a biological and soil food web approach. Our aim is to eventually hit Brix 12-14, as we trust what Dr. Dykstra, John and Dr. ELaine say about this warding off all pests and disease. We also had heard SLF attacks healthy plants but I've not seen evidence of this yet. Can you supply a reference for your comment. Plus it would be useful for you to define what you mean by 'healthy'. Have you seen Dr Ds other AEA presentation 'Why insects do not attack healthy plants'? In it he answered a question from me - at the end - and confirmed this also applies to SLF. Time will tell, but my faith in these guys is complete. Look forward to hearing back Best Martin

[@Nightowl5454]

@@martinsatyen7833 yes, I've seen many of both of their videos. Most of my research for the spotted lantern fly has been through watching KZbin videos about it. Seems like 1 easy way to reduce your vulnerability to them is a trap that some little girl came up with. It's kind of like a skirt around the tree or plant trunk that keeps them from crawling up and traps them. I heard scientists are working on pheromones to help with combating them, like people do with Japanese beetles. The biggest problems with them is not much will eat them and they're not species specific for what they attack so everything is on the menu for them which really sucks.

[@martinsatyen7833]

@@Nightowl5454 well we will find out soon enough here, Bryan. It's now landed as an infestation in Carroll County on the Va/NC border...right above NCs 'Napa' - Yadkin Valley. 40+ vineyards near there. Not aware any are Regen Ag so I expect them to be hard hit and need to chemically napalm their vines. As I stated, that's not an option for us so my Aim is Brix 14...or at least Brix 7-9 which is where SLF falls as a sucking insect, according to Dr. D. Also looking at mycocides - fungal bioinsecticides - which have been successful in trials up in Pennsylvania, carried out by Cornell. Your end comment made me smile... "...so everything is on the menu, which really SUCKS" SLF being a sucking insect! 😉

[@Nightowl5454]

1 option is also that new thing that you spray on bugs and a fungus in the spray naturally eats into the bugs. Only thing is it's not species specific so many good bugs would likely die too.

[@VideoconferencingUSA]

Nice job.

[@silentsandwind]

isn't high density of the same tree type making it easier to any existing disease to spread? And what if something kills all the trees of this type? Any backup plans at all?

[@tarquinbristow]

Hugely informative. Have AEA developed a citrus programme? Also, do you export any products or consult internationally?

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Tarquin Bristow, we're glad you enjoyed this video. At this time we are concentrating on our product sales and consulting services in the United States and Canada. To satisfy your own curiosity, however, you can take a look at our Standard Citrus Program here: www.advancingecoag.com/regenerative-agriculture-citrus Enjoy :) - The AEA Team

[@pondholloworchards]

Smart man keep the info coming, do blueberries and blackberries next😉

[@sripadgarodia]

Yes please!!

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Plant Family! Thanks for the recommendation! We will absolutely add it to our list for future content. - The AEA Team

[@pondholloworchards]

@@AdvancingEcoAgriculture thank you so much, I will stay tuned 😉

[@pondholloworchards]

But let me ask this, is 3feet apart too close for high Bush blueberries with me feeding it a high nutrient base plan

[@ahmadzeb3597]

I think high density is not a problem but use of chemicals is responsible for lack of health of plants.

[@MarinaJBoyd]

For 20+ years, I have been complained of my disappointment in fruit, and how tasteless it has all become. I can't find anything that taste like I remember for the couple of years I lived in Texas as a child and went to the highway fruit stands. I would assume the same domino affect has inflicted growers across the country, as they fix one problem, by unwittingly creating a new problem.

[@derekkellogg8414]

First, let me say that your videos are inspirational and have greatly helped me in recovering a nutritionally depleted butterfly exhibit. I cannot thank this channel enough for helping me to understand the transitions as I reform this exhibit to a more healthy system. As a person with a graduate degree that applies to my work, I would say that I can think of one group of examples that goes against what you have mentioned: insects that co-opt their host's defenses for their own. While I do not have information on the Brix numbers, there is a good documentation for the preference of Danaus plexippus for host plants with higher levels of secondary metabolites. In this situation, a healthy plant may actually be more susceptible to a chewing insect than an unhealthy plant. Of course, this consideration may not be as applicable to Rutaceae as it is to Apocynaceae or, the more economically more significant, Solanaceae. Still, it is, I think, an important consideration for obligate herbivores of otherwise highly toxic plants.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

We're so glad to hear that you've been able to learn from our content, Derek! This is a truly valuable contribution to the discussion-thank you! It would be interesting to ask about this at a future Ask Us Anything webinar.

[@RalfStephan]

Doesn't the chemical industry see it compromises its own longevity? Why are managers short-sighted? Why is short-term thinking rewarded despite being destructive to companies in the long term?

[@rabbitcreative]

> Why is short-term thinking rewarded despite being destructive to companies in the long term? The obvious-to-me answer is: destruction is their long-term goal.

[@lightdark00]

I would love to hear thoughts on corn borers and squash beetles.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi lightdark 00, thank you for your feedback. We'll add corn borers and squash beetles to our list for future content! - The AEA Team

[@wilecatrexy]

Pete Kanaris has a video of him talking about citrus growers struggling because their trees are dying and unproductive. Meanwhile Pete is outside in the forest in Florida, picking citrus fruit off of feral trees in the understory.

[@jefferytrapani9700]

Pete is my friend. Yeah- citrus in Florida naturally grows as an understory. I drove by an orange tree yesterday under an oak tree. Fruit looked perfect! Tree was healthy. It's not the tree- it's how it is grown and where it is grown. I hope to start experimenting soon om my citrus trees using fermented oak leaf sprays to mimic being under an oak tree. Studies show this may help fight greening as well.

[@ChristopherPisz]

Related to the previous question... When starting out on a piece of land, the soil is in poor shape, so the pests come. Should we tolerate the pests, just in attempts to grow enough organic matter to get compost and microbes going, in order to bring soil health up? Or should we keep tossing the plants that get infested when the pests are first noticed? Are there any plants that might be more resistant and produce organic matter to get compost going and kickstart a new plot of land?

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Christopher Pisz, thanks for all of your great questions! You may find our Plant Health Pyramid and associated information to be of interest :) Take a look here: www.advancingecoag.com/plant-health-pyramid - The AEA Team

[@dawoodmubarik4237]

What if to control plant size and root growth we limit water to certain are around plant thorigh drip irrigation and to hedging

[@SEEDSRegenerativeEconomies]

Epic wisdom share! Thank you 🙏 When we get up into the vertebrates eating from our food forests - myabe instead of scarecrows we consider reintroducing apex predators :)

[@joshuajones1021]

I'm curious what dwarf root stock would do to the brix numbers. I understand the point that intermingling and overcrowded roots of the Florida citrus industry has contributed to the detriment of the industry. Having said that, I am curious if you can keep healthy root stock ecosystems (with microbes intact) assuming you plant with the appropriate spacing of the choosen root stock. Would the citrus planted on it would maintain healthy brix levels (as one key indicator of health) or is that just another case of playing too much God, for lack of a better term. Is expecting that a different type of tree rootstock will fulfill all the needs nutritionally of a different type of tree a large hindsight? Have different rootstock been studied to show healthy brix levels or rather that the trees are just healthy enough to be "maitained" by industrial means? Is the dwarf root stock just unfit to sustain the desirable tree to the necessary brix levels? I know a lot of people suggest dwarf rootstock fruit trees as a means of getting the fruit you want without the danger of large ladders and the like. I'd love to see some studies to see if dwarf rootstock could help with planting density, while maintaining healthy trees that can fight their own battles just as forests do every day.

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Joshua Jones, thank you for your contribution to the discussion. We'll keep this topic in mind for future content pieces. - The AEA Team

[@lesliealexis674]

John, some of my tomatoes are showing signs of bacterial spot. What can help? I have fungicides that i can use but i also have a mix if zinc, manganese and copper in the chelated form. Do you think these micronutrients will help,?

[@carollynne5943]

Lookup Dr.Elaine Ingram on role of microbes in soil health..No need adding minerals in most cases.

[@seattleareatom]

How many boxes are lost to real estate development?

[@ChristopherPisz]

I'm just a backyard gardener, but I do wonder...If I see aphids attacking something I am growing, should I attempt to kill off the aphids, using organic means, manual removal, etc, or should I just toss the plant? Or in other words, is there a point of no return where the plant is just not worth saving? Or can they recover if given attention? I assume the presence of pests lowers the health, which in turn attracts more pests, and maybe the plant could increase its own health if the pests were removed.

[@zacklee-of3te]

The pest come because they since the tree is sick. More often then not it can be saved. Handpicking is always best for starters. Take of the soil so the tree can stay healthy enough to reists pests. One th8ng that worked for me in microbaterial tea

[@jacobfurnish7450]

Wow. This was sad. This is what happens when soil biology is killed. Not only are the pesticides killing the microbes, but even if there was an established set of microbial organisms that were aerobic and good for the trees, there is only one species of plant! The point of farming is to mimic nature not control it. Where in nature would you find such a lack of biodiversity and trees planted this close together??? (nowhere). Reason why is because the lack of fungi. If you have soil that has standing water, there is no doubt that it is contaminated with anaerobes. Anaerobic bacteria attack and kill beneficial saprophytic and endo/ecto mycorrhizal species of fungi. This leaves the root systems "naked" and completely susceptible to phytophthora, root eating nematodes, and other pathogens that make the tree so week that the insects are destroying them unchallenged. The fact that some people can still profit by replacing natural biology with synthetic chemical input, essentially defying nature, is mind boggling. If they take the Dr. Elaine Ingham approach, the trees would stand a much better chance to put it mildly.

[@floridanaturalfarming3367]

No it is the change in soil ph caused by the management which cause compaction that attract the wrong kind of plant disease causing microbes and nutrients that thrive in the wrong soil ph. I am certain, soil anaerobic microbes have never been studied in detail to actually know that they are classified as all bad for plants. I am certain the plant enabling endophytes growing in the plant can function as anaerobic microbiology. I also would assume that nitrogen fixing microorganisms have the capability to be anaerobic or are anaerobic microbes.

[@jacobfurnish7450]

@@floridanaturalfarming3367 Anaerobic microbes, especially if they are strict (

[@gmoac]

this vìdeo is great! i start a year ago silvopasture with cattle in the citrus plantation. beside the drought, the improvement of plant is visible! no more chemical. i will try to certificade organic produccion. will see. thanks

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

That's great, Guillermo Acosta! Thanks for sharing and good luck! - The AEA Team

[@paulbraga4460]

what an ugly sight - those trees in nets. this is how "experts", those in universities, are unable to "see" their work. step back, pause...blessings to all

[@johnroydelacruz1433]

Im waiting for another vid

[@arunbishnoi3]

I m from India and we have already started Natural Farming (Totally based on Indian Cow Dung and Urine). It has alot of microorganisms for soil. We have 4 principals- 1. Jeevaamrit (Liquid Microorganisms) 2. Ghanajeevaamrit (Dry form of microorganisms) 3. Fermented Grains (As a plant growth regulator) 4. Mulching End result is Humus ❤️🙏

[@zacklee-of3te]

How do you make the fermented grains?

[@stephaniebrady31]

Next Talk: how to improve your BRIX levels.

[@aadamstory]

Yep we need kt

[@pureprairie1]

Phosphorus and iron to increase photosynthesis, calcium and carbs.

[@b.l.a.c.k-shiva]

Poor trees 💔🙏🏼

[@AlexandreLollini]

So one tree every nine meter, but in between we can plant other things ?

[@garrettscott4094]

Does leaf Brix apply to turf grass?

[@garrettscott4094]

@Rad Ripley I guess if you ask a foolish question....

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Thanks for your question, Garrett. If you search online, you will find a variety of interesting videos and articles relating to Brix and how to measure it in grass. Good luck :) - The AEA Team

[@pureprairie1]

Yes. Phosphorus, iron, calcium and carbs to raise the brix.

[@sojourner_truth]

I would like a little better clarification from Tom D. about why he says that all insects will only attack unhealthy plants but he contradicts himself by saying that the grasshopper group will. There is a discrepancy here that warrants a better explanation. Does he mean that the grasshopper group will only attack the least healthy of the healthy plants? Or that because the plant is healthy they aren't much of a threat?

[@mattmccoy7364]

Listen to the first talk. It’s a scale. Yes, grasshoppers attack first as a plant drops in health. Eventually, the plant gets unhealthy enough that the grasshoppers loose interest and other insects move in.

[@nickangelovski4358]

👍

[@hughkelly9073]

Brevity please

[@ThePallidor]

Flip the script. The modern agri and healthcare paradigms are completely wrong.

[@audreybarnes6527]

If we can train a rat to clear mines, we can train birds to clear bugs. A house martin is a lovely bird. It's odd having insecticided everything to death the skies are now empty.

[@audreybarnes6527]

Wouldn't it be interesting to understand how all that bird poop generated by eating all those pests benefits the tree. Organic matter and a diverse range of microbiology fed to the soil below, not to mention all that insulation and the heating of tree branches the tree recieves from the roosting bird.

[@jackson8085]

@@audreybarnes6527 The problem could become the solution

[@AdvancingEcoAgriculture]

Hi Audrey, this is a great idea, but it's hard to predict how anything with its own mind will behave. If you make any advancements in these bug-hunting birds, please let us know :) - The AEA Team

[@gavinmatthews5618]

@@AdvancingEcoAgriculture this reply is fantastic!

[@audreybarnes6527]

Locally the attitude is quite simple. 'We (Farmers) were paid to take it (the natural world) all away, and now we're getting paid to put it all back'. So at some point we'll all need to find a way around the obsticle of this socially embedded attitude, because as you know, you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink; and your presentation - a great presentation, makes this point in spades. The thing about birds, they embrace good intention, so if you build habit, they stay, increase in numbers and work for free. I believe you have the tool (plant sap analysis) to monitor their interaction within an orchard and John is a master at bringing trees into production, injecting calcium in some format. I believe he has brought a cherry orchard from saplings to full production within three years - I'm guessing birds know something about trees and driving the calcium cycle, so there's a great match. Oh Gavin, the idea that we, the human population can be trusted to be retain the ethics of regenerative farming long term, is, if you'll excuses the pun, 'for the birds'. We might bump start the system, but I've yet to see it organically spill over into the neighbours field. A some point well need to find a way of handing it back to nature in a way that crosses boundaries and borders. You can tweet your reply 🙂

[@sos9028]

Check out Turner Citrus in Lithia Fl practicing regenerative ag with amazing results.

[@MicrobeMomma]

And who made all the money? Chemical companies!

[@b.l.a.c.k-shiva]

Poor poor ignorant 'capitalists'.......

[@joyceobeys6818]

Sin!...causes pest n diseases.

[@b.l.a.c.k-shiva]

Poor trees 💔🙏🏼

[@b.l.a.c.k-shiva]

Poor trees 💔🙏🏼