Episode 98: Growing For Nutrition Through Color and Flavor with Bob Jones

Bob Jones is co-owner and chief executive officer of The Chef’s Garden, a family-owned farm in Huron, Ohio, committed to growing exceptional vegetables. Bob leads the farm’s cutting-edge food safety and food quality programs, helping develop the most reliably healthy and nutritionally dense fresh vegetables. The direction of the farm changed in the 1980s from growing conventional vegetables when his brother, Lee Jones, had an encounter with a chef who asked him if their farm could grow squash blossoms for her restaurant. After that meeting, the family decided to take their farm in a new direction by focusing on the needs and desires of chefs, emphasizing flavor, sustainable farming practices, and quality over quantity. They have worked with chefs for over 40 years and ship produce to all 50 states and 17 countries. They also ship directly to homes in all 50 states and run an on-site retail store.
The Chef’s Garden grows a tremendous variety of vegetables, including microgreens, heirloom vegetables, microgreen herbs, specialty lettuces, and edible flowers.
In this episode, Bob and John discuss:
The importance of having multiple revenue streams
Understanding what the marketplace is asking of you
“Better is better before bigger is better.”
Food as health
The importance of soil and sap testing
Regenerative practices implemented on his farm
Applying observation and knowledge to field production
The nutrition of today’s food
Additional Resources To learn more about Bob and Chef’s Garden, please visit www.farmerjonesfarm.com.
About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.​
Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition - a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture.
AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA’s science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.
AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.
Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.
Learn more about AEA’s regenerative programs and products: www.advancingecoag.com/
~
VIDEO: To learn more from John Kempf about regenerative agriculture, watch this conversation between John and three AEA grower partners about how regenerative agriculture is changing lives and conventional farming: • How regenerative agric...
#johnkempf #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #sustainablefarming #sustainableagriculture #soilhealth #planthealth #advancingecoagriculture

[@drpattersonstarkdcfaslm2283]

Oh hell, yes you’ve got this so right! Lifestyle medicine doctor for 40 years - cancer, survivor and so lovely to hear your story. Thank you

[@rodneygraham2447]

I’m 70 years old, certified organic for 26 years and wish I had another 50 to do this! The Lord has better plans!

[@janetcardinal5575]

Real dense food for my brain to listen to these two articulate gentleman promoting the joy and benefits of regen ag .

[@danlefever6254]

Phenomenal content, many concepts I have known for 40+ years but Bob has integrated and proven it all, in his growing system. You are to be highly commended, Bob

[@novampires223]

I have to thank you twice John, once for putting me to sleep at night with your very calm voice. And secondly for the learning I get the second time I listen to your show during the day when I am awake..😅 As I said before these are the people who will save humanity, these farmers who think and act upon the ideas they come across instead of doing things the way their parents or teachers did. ❤

[@henrykuyvenhoven2542]

Thanks John. I sincerely want to give further the inspiration and insights that you two managed to get into this recording.

[@RKOuttathebox]

Thank you for a great conversation here. I have a love for growing high quality plants for over two decades now, on a very small scale. In my experience, raising the brix level of plants through higher calcium, phosphorus and seaweed, while keeping nitrogen to a minimum, makes for much denser, colorful and nutritionally dense plant. In the last few years, adding volcanic rock dust has even taken it to a higher level, with plants taste that is pungent and delicious and noticeable in health by higher energy levels and just feeling good. Unfarmed land has had volcanic ash slowly build on it and recycled for millennia, but once farmed, probably has those wide array of micronutrients taken away in the food that is harvested and it takes such a long time to build back up again, that these elements are depleted for lifetimes.

[@leonieshanahan6439]

I remember when I did the edible school gardens program (in Australia)and primary school students each week would be waiting for me to tell them when they could eat this magnificent huge organic broccoli they grew (and many other foods) and we had to divide it into 27 pieces coz all kids wanted a piece - straight from the garden and THEY LOVED IT. Nutrient dense food taste sweet and kids love it ❤ loved this talk..excites me to hear farmers being wonderful role models. Much gratitude to you John 🙏👨‍🌾

[@yvonneteofilova3582]

Absolutely fantastic and priceless! Thank you! 💚

[@christopherburman3340]

Great talk. I'm in South Africa and I also find winter spinach & chard tastes better than summer harvests of the same.

[@Gordonfan6]

That was a great conversation, however I left with more questions than answers. It would be great if you could have him back on a couple of times to focus on different aspects of the operation. One episode just on their lab research, one on soil health/fertility, etc.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Phenomenal conversation and info here, thanks!🤠

[@xx7101]

Im a chef who has attended thousands of farmers markets. Ive never seen a nutrition density analysis there. Ive never spoken w a farmer that was interested in supplying this information

[@AlSwearengen4]

John, we need you to do another few hours with him. Thanks!

[@rochrich1223]

I saw a study of increased CO2 on ferns. Results were basically increased bio-mass but decreased protein. Looking at the plants in the pictures, I saw plants suffering from classic Mg deficiency. I expect few studies ever considered the effects of airborne acid on base nutrient uptake. May sap analysis be part of every future study!

[@johnboykin3128]

Merry Christmas John Bob and everyone else ❤

[@MrBiofuelmoz]

INSPIRING

[@user-kv2pt4lu9y]

You mention "generational improvement" which i believe is what Allen Williams calls "epigenetics".

[@lkphnx]

🙏

[@mikemitchell3949]

William A Albrecht : Other side of the fence.

[@danlefever6254]

This is a film made and narrated by Albrecht almost 3/4 of a century ago, mid 50s. We have not assimilated the knowledge and only made most agriculture much worse since then. The film can be found on KZbin. There is a copy introduced by Charles Walters the founder of AcresUSA. It ends abruptly about 3 mins from finish. The remaining content is on a second KZbin.

[@danlefever6254]

Bob mentioned that USDA says produce looses 10% of nutritional value every day. I assume this is not 10% of the original 100% every day but 10% loss from the remaining nutrient each day. 100%- 10%= 90%- 9%= 81%-8.1% etc. After 14 days it is down to 25% of original nutrient content, calculated this way.

[@sharnie528]

❤