Mark Shepard - A Different Kind Of Farmer

[@midwestribeye7820]

Fantastic video!

[@davidhuttner275]

For 71 years, I studied only one animal. Finished that. Now I'm learning from Mark Shepard, Joel Salatin, Geoff Lawton and others, on KZbin, about the plants and other animals. It's much easier and more enjoyable. We're able to be honest about the others, and there's NO censorship!

[@showmemotion]

i got to see his farm. loved it.

[@GardensforLife]

Rewilding existing monocropped lands is a noble goal! Fair play Mark! ... long time follower! :D

[@THEROOTMATTERS]

Mark Shepard, hello and thank you. Listen to your books often, never gets old only gets more implanted in my thoughts.

[@IronJohn755]

Great interview. IMHO Mr. Shepard is the best possible example of what a farmer should be. Practical, efficient, scientific, business-minded, but all expressed through a lens of ecological improvement and sustainability. Key words: AT SCALE. I have what most people would consider a huge backyard garden with all kinds of permaculture principles at play, but am under no illusions that it's sufficient. An average-sized person needs at least 1/4 acre of high quality earth devoted to intensive production of high-calorie foods like potatoes and chickens to meet their caloric needs. This is not happening in the average suburban backyard, let alone the average rooftop deck. We need real farmers following these principles to survive in the future.

[@SugarCreekOffGrid]

My property was a clear cut when we purchased it. We let it sit and grow back wild. In many ways it's been amazing to watch nature heal itself. Part of that healing process includes some plants that are not so easy to live with in a farm setting like the greenbrier. So we started learning about all these plants! Greenbrier salad is a favorite of mine!! Those yummy sprouts are some of the first to pop out in spring. Had I taken the approach he's proposing my progress would be much more advanced. Great info. Love our little farm.

[@Powerful9315]

this was complete GOLD! the GOAT! I've learned so much from this video, thanks fam

[@jeshurunfarm]

I really enjoy watching Mark's work. Respect from Africa 🇿🇦

[@bethgarrison1879]

Yes! I’ve been talking about using nature as a model for over 3 decades. It’s great to more happening than a few of us raving about intertwined crops and whole environments. I love the idea of being able to farm the land without making it barren.

[@Eco-No-Mads]

very interesting conversation. thanks for your efforts

[@spoolsandbobbins]

GREAT interview Josh!!!

[@carladelagnomes]

Thank you for having this interview. Mark Shepard espouses all the ideas and actuals that I follow. Very nice to see someone motivated to bring nature back to farming. And he uses common sense in his processes! There is hope for the land and future farming!

[@davidorsini3818]

I love Marks logic, i have really found him inspiring. My current goal is to be growing veg for farmers market as a means of funding the purchase of my own property to do regenerative agriculture on and also try and incorporate it onto the property i currently have access to. So glad you had this interview with him Josh. Great work :)

[@bevfitzsimmonds3382]

Brilliant. So good to hear his comments on permaculture, and sticking to the original concepts, adapting them to each region and to personal circumstances, to produce food, fuel medicine and fibre to sustain ourselves, workinb with nature Where We Are. Good, solid teaching. Thankyou SO much! From Bev, in Australia. 🙂🦘🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🍏🍎🍐🍒🫐🍊🍋🍇

[@christopherfisher128]

I really appreciate that Mark spells out the Human aspect of these problem solving systems. I have noticed, that over the last few decades, a lot of people who use the label "Permaculture" leave Humans entirely out of the equation. They seem to focus, either on a very specific technology, or express a desire to bring the world back to what they think it was in the Precambrian era but have no interest in finding a balance and a way forward for humanity to coexist in the natural world that we are a part of.

[@paulplantu]

I’m so glad you made this video! This guy is the real deal. I’m definitely going to start growing trees from scratch. It’ll take time but definitely will be worth it. Inspiring stuff

[@modsa8901]

This is mind blowingly inspiring. So much hope for Humanity and a harmonious, peaceful and abundant future. Mega gratitude from a follower in South Africa. This needs to be seen, heard, absorbed and applied by millions Globally. We hope and pray - from our lips to Gods ears ..

[@gwengottlieb8501]

Omg, thank you so much for this interview. It blew my mind. I’m sending this to everyone. So much knowledge.

[@mrmacgregorshomestead233]

Great content! Thank u! I have some chestnuts im sending to Leaf and Limb. This chestnut 🌰 tree has survived the blight in this area and I'm told it is one of the oldest trees that did. Love the idea that it will help the cause

[@nodigBKMiche]

You Are Awesome💛👍🏼🙏🏼

[@Leaflimb]

Thanks again!!!

[@chelseahartweg2938]

One of my absolute favorites in the field and a huge inspiration for me. Thank you, Mark for all you've done! Also, I live in Raleigh, so I'm super excited to see this project grow! Than you, Josh, for sharing this!

[@49testsamiam49]

great one Mark Shephard really got it didn't he? seeing that transformation back to the native ecosystem must be the most satisfying thing ever

[@ZeljkoSerdar]

Very nice surprise, New Forest Farm with Mark Shepard.

[@fiendeng]

LOVE this man's passion and conviction to do what's right for our Earth 👍👍

[@shadytreez]

I stumbled upon the oak savanna layering of trees and plants a few years ago. I grew a red oak from seed, followed by plums and peaches from seed. I then lace the seedless grapes through it all. The grapes had no mildew because of all the air and sun it got. This is how the wild grapes grow and it worked wonderfully. It is so logical!!!

[@jameskniskern2261]

All ya'll are my kinda wacko! But I've been feeding my family and friends for over 16 years now following those permaculture principles. It just works. Thanks for the early morning pep talk. P.S. The outtakes were funny...

[@BLHomestead]

Thank you so much Josh for this absolute rich in value information. He said my state.......I don't want to be rich, I want to be sustainable in my path and just have enough to keep certain worries at bay. I love this. I will be looking into this to see if I can participate!

[@quraibawentzel4143]

Mark is a wise man.

[@brandonvaccaro]

Excellent. Mark Shepard has changed my life. Great guest.

[@eEverydayAlchemy]

Earth care ; People care ; Future care ; Thank you both for planning and planting a beautiful Future you have shared a gift that will keep given for generations to come. You have moved me to get 20 acres in a forest setting and do this with my children

[@eEverydayAlchemy]

@Wilbur Gold i understand thank you; untouched soil is the only nontoxic soil in Tennessee

[@eEverydayAlchemy]

@Wilbur Gold i am Australian lived in 3 different countries this is my 4 th and Tennessee is the most toxic place i seen till now . 1 in 15 in this town have some sort of physical / mental problems; I been testing the water and its not good news the majority of the ingredients in roundUP glyphosate

[@rogerexposito8815]

legend. nice interview thanks

[@connyalbers6032]

Years ago I found his book and it changed my life 🥰

[@tmd7859]

Wow! Something I have obviously not put much thought into....but it makes perfect sense. Very eye opening. Nice work!

[@TroubleNow]

Thank you Josh! Really love what Mark does, and that he is grounded with Common sense.

[@markfraser7238]

That was great to listen to. Here man thank you for the information its such inspiration.

[@SWCnetworkdr]

I LIKE this guy! Looks like I have to add another subscription to my online education. Thanks, Josh.

[@terrinegron]

Wow.. very cool. Thanks for sharing this.

[@julian5883]

Fascinating...and cool intro/outro Hammond Jazz

[@nodigBKMiche]

Thanks Raleigh! I live in T.O. Canada & listen to "That" station. Love what your Whole Community is doing! Great interview, I own Marks' Reg. arg. Book! & totally Love his approach to eating👍🏼. Mark has been doing this for 26 yrs after a full course. I need a 10 yr condensed course, for Dummies! Help! Pls add more videos about planning, previous history, natural inhabitants, & More❣️❤️🙏🏼 Again, TY💛😊

[@nubiansoaps]

Terrific interview. Thanks, Josh.

[@karenmccleary7616]

THANK YOU!

[@seanmcbridelewis]

Are you going to release the full, unedited convo?? This was fantastic!

[@JoshSattinFarming]

This was pretty much the entire thing. We had to squeeze the interview in between the workshop stuff.

[@andrewstacey4868]

Thanks josh. Anyone throwing shade at Joel Salatin, is strong in his convictions. Great content.

[@Ajaxxgopw]

Its funny, as soon as I read your comment, Shepherd gave his no-name-mentioned zinger. And it was at that moment, I realized Shepherd is a pompous asshole, albeit a very success permaculture expert. Interestingly, he blasts Joel for inheriting a nonproducing farm from his father, but has no problem strutting about NOT reminding people that he got his farm when two of his partners walked away and gave him the whole shebang (for nothing, Mark????) Joel is the face of transparent people-friendly bio-mimicry and healthy food producing permaculture. In any given year, Joel has done more for the food integrity and soil rejuvenation movement then this Mr. Pompous has done in 26. Having said all that, thanks Josh, for your commitment on passing on truthful principles in farming. Your videos are excellent teaching tools!

[@coollonglegs]

As someone who literally just started a hugel with some berry bushes in my backyard I'm slightly offended 😂. In all seriousness, great interview! I'm just starting to explore permaculture (and gardening in general) and it's so hard to know sometimes what is useful for my situation and what isn't. I consider my backyard my playground and laboratory, there's no better way to learn what is useful than just trying and failing in my opinion. But there were a lot of valuable remarks in Mark's story that I'll take with me when I eventually embark on larger endeavours!

[@ck-4203]

Me too. Dont be discouraged. Transformation if urban/suburban turf lawns to food forests or small production gardens can feed a lot of people and greatly improve the planet from an ecosystem perspective.

[@vita2200]

Great, follow up with this guy for sure.

[@whitneyparchman6339]

Great interview Josh. Thanks to Mark Shepard for reiterating the importance of context and reality-based solutions. Now I'm so curious what grew in our area before European settlers arrived! Do you know how to go about investigating that?

[@ajb.822]

I would just add to that thought, to also see what is doing well there now. Not that I was super concerned about either post European era plants etc. or "invasives" prior to this, but Geoff Lawton's insights and knowledge really opened my eyes to the opposing viewpoints on those subjects. Very useful and really worthwhile, imo, to go check out what he has to say on the subject. Can be found spread across a few Q&A on somewhat related subjects, and a vlog by Curtis Stone w a friend ( I'll try to find it and link here ) who'd been at Geoff's farm in NSW AU once when subject of cane frogs came up & Geoff has them ( supposedly a horrible invasive who kill off other frogs ) living with other frogs just fine on his place. So, there's a lot more to the story of the context apparently of why newcomers or invasives are being, or seem to be, a major problem. The principles of Work with nature & Observe, along with those insights from Geoff, open my eyes to seeing what I can do with what's already there, what wants to grow there, along with yes, bringing in things I also want which like my climate & etc. .

[@Leaflimb]

Awesome video, per usual - well done and thank you Josh!

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

This was very interesting. I was very interested in the apple trees. I just planted an orchard and have been studying why people always grow apple trees from rootstock and graft. It is interesting that he raises them from seed as I was led to believe that you could possibly get a crab apple by planting a tree. Like you mentioned though, I am interested in Permaculture.

[@Kryse13]

I am so happy to look at the book links and see I already own this book as it has been recommended to me while taking agriculture in university by my prof.

[@jessicah2345]

Wow that's kind of unusual... What country are you studying ag in?

[@Kryse13]

@@jessicah2345 Canada

[@roccofiori]

hat tip to all the indigenous peoples that were and continue to be the foundation for permaculture

[@llvolkman]

These white guys think they invented this stuff. Give it a fancy name and make money off of it. At the very least he could have given credit where credit is due.

[@-_8809]

@@llvolkman he mentions indigenous Americans (and elsewhere) throughout his book

[@patniemczyk8860]

That was awesome Josh

[@thedelightfulcottage343]

Love it! Now to find land to do this! Is there any permaculture farms near Augusta GA?

[@emilytrosper8792]

Never met a cow that would not tear off fruit tree branches and given any chance destroy those trees. I’d love to see how they actually manage large livestock in that situation.

[@JacksonFarmsProduce]

Exactly! Not to mention stomping the mushrooms and daffodils.

[@feydrautha_]

I watched another material about him. He doesn't manage them. Let them run through and graze on the lower branches. It naturall keeps the mold from infecting the trees. Nature will find its way. Just Let it be .such a great philosophy

[@TabAtl]

If you haven’t seen it, check out The Biggest Little Farm from 2018. It’s a lot like what he’s talking about. Pretty amazing.

[@robertadzeima5132]

Phenomenal!

[@notquiteanonymous9365]

Sattin and Shepard?! E P I C

[@whowereweagain]

Thats more of an open woodland than an oak savannah, real deal savannah is a grassland with a few trees here and there. oak savannah is basically a tallgrass prarie with a few big trees spaced far apart the kind of communities mark is describing would only be found on the edges of oak savannah and marginal areas that arent prone to burning. Oak savannah was dominated by an immense variety of grasses/grass like plants and perennial forbs. The community is being described with layers of trees and shrubs and brambles is basically what replaced oak savannah when fire, megaherbivores, indigenous peoples, etc were excluded. What Mark is doing is totally great but we really do need to work on restoration agriculture for our endangered, beautiful, grasslands and their incredible soils.

[@christiensgarden3325]

Awesome video

[@jct8165]

Thanks for sharing

[@yvonnehyatt8353]

Send to all groups.

[@joefization]

I love it!

[@mithall4198]

Oh my. Was he taking shots at Salatin?

[@patrickshaw6874]

Thank goodness this man is in permaculture and thankfully I found him before the belly button permie people kept me away. His response at 26 minutes is the correct answer.

[@bluebluedogbooks]

Thanks.

[@ChrisPBacon-yz6nk]

A few years back, the lottery got up to $1 billion. I was hunting duck and pheasant at a friend’s farm in SD. We were all sitting around one evening and a lady asked my old farmer friend what he would do if he won the lottery. He thought for a minute then said, “ Well, I guess I’d just keep farming until it was all gone.” 😂😂 Farming is a tough business and can be an expensive hobby.

[@uros805]

Very true.

[@modsa8901]

Farming - "until it was all gone" What? $1 billion gone ..?? Doing something very, very WRONG - obviously

[@jasonhatfield4747]

His method sounds very doable for an individual or family to make a living, BUT NOT if that family lives a typical American lifestyle (consumer debt, new cars, big mortgage, fancy phone, etc, etc). His method, if you want to live off of it, requires a simplification of your life. You have to make cuts to your consumer lifestyle. I'm all for it, but it's very tough to pull off if you've never lived any other way.

[@-_8809]

I think that American/Canadian people will start coming around as food uncertainty (both: perceived and real scarcity) grows. You’re right though so few people people here (currently) will accept/decide this lifestyle for themselves. So it’s not having enough of an effect on business as usual (BUA) Im born early 2000s so I think BUA will end in my lifetime. By BUA I mean globalized civilizations’ dependence on fossil fuel will finally come to bite us in the ass. How this will look, I don’t know.

[@jjuniper274]

I consume Organic Valley all the time, I didnt know this is how it started.

[@terrymacleod6882]

fire resistant pine. whats that.

[@VanillaAttila]

LEGEND

[@dash1bravo24]

Good stuff

[@lvs6775]

I’m curious how this type of permaculture can be applied to a suburban back yard. I’ve seen plenty of market gardens but that seems to be kind of the opposite of what Mark’s talking about.

[@scottbaruth6386]

Remember most of us can have a garden but HOA will not allow a cow in your backyard. Hit the horse stables, local city ran leaf and wood chip piles. Bring that stuff in. Grow to the scale of what ground you have is still better than buying imported food at the grocery store.

[@allanturpin2023]

@@nedhill1242- both parties are responsible for our corrupt crony capitalist system, and neither party supports permaculture, let alone ethical behavior generally. It is foolish to pretend othewise.

[@alexpalaciossantos4940]

when i buy some land, im definitely reaching out to rad

[@SorenHume]

This guy. Thiiis guy. Yes.

[@hebrewhomesteadupdatewalee8303]

LOL @ THE COB AND DIRTY BUSH 🤣 💀 😂 😅 🤪

[@bellal4406]

Hello i need a work your country please give me

[@mourlyvold7655]

Hahaha! "I didn't even have to genetically engineer scorpion venom to put in it" Brilliant, and funny!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Email me buddy...I'm only an hour from ya! Sustainable regenerative farming in Rockingham County

[@srantoniomatos]

If "Faster to grow and reproduce, and pest and desease resistente" are the way to go...why no to go with the "invasives" in that site, instead of reset and try to impose a "new old type" of forestry?

[@commentarytalk1446]

It is a good question if a bit vague precisely what you suggesting as alternative. To think about it, the main reason to go with the indigenous is that their evolution/genetics/ecology are all already adapted to the environment but equally to the COMMUNITY that forms around them from soil microbiology or fungae up to the animal associations around the plants. The idea of chains of positive interactions leading to new niche commodities is the idea I think? With invasives they may not actually create that complexity of interaction? It depends on what plants you're suggesting however. Invasives are successful because so much of the ecology of nations is disrupted. If you have stable systems they would not necessarily penetrate so well is another factor (not always applicable). Same with weed species thriving: They're the 1st succession species afterall. As to the breeding program it's articifial-natural-selection in micro towards improved variants and it hits an equilibrium with disease that is passable. Fundamentally it's moving away from monoculture. With that said it depends on what invasives you mean. I mean other nut crops that inhabit similar temperate conditions might be fine and integrate? But again less questions as the Indians apparently were living this way before Europeans, if that is known then using that would appear to lead to the necesary ecological variety that Shepherd says is what keeps on going. So it's not ideological driven (some ideal), it's not even imitation either. The diversity of genetics and adaptation to local conditions is an ultimate goal also for resiliance too. Fundamentally how do humans make the world a better place? With knowledge applied we can leave such ecologies to our future humans and they will start from a higher place than we did not a lower place.

[@agdayem]

I can see a permaculturist like Mark Shepherd is motivated by what I call a poor farmer thinking where the primary motivation is not yield but rather to curb costs probably at the cost of long term success and yield... Its admirable for someone who doesn't have the investment to make but its not for everyone. Does anyone agree/disagree? Interested in others points of views. (P.S I am not a permaculturist and would never like to be labaled as one because I feel its a dangeorus ideology)

[@aw5832]

The primary thinking is making money. You don't have to have huge yields if your input cost is low and you will make money without degrading soil, destroying natural ecosystems. Over time the yields go up with less input making more money with less time energy and expense I.e long term success. If spraying poison herbicide, chemical fertilizer, and fungicide and tilling soil which destroy soil structure, fertility and causes compaction and soil erosion just to grow corn so you can collect government subsidies is success then we have different definitions of success. conventional agriculture degrades soil and is the number one culprit of putting carbon in the atmosphere mostly through tillage. It also produces poison laden low nutrient high calorie food that makes people fat and sick so chemical producing corporations get rich not the farmer. how is that not the dangerous ideology?

[@travisbumgardner4556]

Wonder why he took a dig at joel salatin?

[@aw5832]

Missed it what did he say?

[@tudofett]

Gentleman farming is quaint

[@brandtprince4230]

You lost me when you took a jab at the Salatins

[@brandtprince4230]

Why can’t you just teach what you are doing. I was enjoying this.

[@aw5832]

I missed it. What did he say?

[@hhwippedcream]

Asparagus is the best!

[@hhwippedcream]

People are stuck on an annual economic schedule - value per acre per successional stage of design is much more valuable a measure of land use and would take into account the needs and desires of several generations.

[@hhwippedcream]

animals are only a liability if the land has no ability to carry them.

[@pinkponyofprey1965]

It's jiujitsu farming haha. Use the farm, Luke! :D

[@LtColDaddy71]

I LOVE IT! He’s realistic, but the fruit that I grow for human consumption, if they find animal droppings in the area, the whole orchard gets condemned for that year. So I have areas that are designed to support livestock, and areas designed to feed people. You’ll pay $120-170 per hundred for a 500 pound steer, but at later stages, you get maybe $110-120. Your going to lose $. We take a highly unique set of prize genetics from birth to slaughter, and we reform culls. We grow many thousands of acres of grains, but we also produce tons of forage per acre on the same land. No bare dirt here! We did reform 900 acres of every unhealthy timber into healthy woodland, silvopasture. and pasture. Doing the layered effect you speak of, and it’s profitable. “People eating for status”… that’s a pet peeve for me. If I can’t do this on scale and most people be able to afford it, then I don’t want to do it at all. But the status eaters were all I had for a long time, and being 100 miles outside of the Chicago area, and even closer to Bloomington IL, Peoria IL saved my butt! The locals are dollar menu Wal-Mart people. You wouldn’t think it being as rural as we are. They are also as a whole, in very poor health. If you can spend a little more for double the nutrition, we’ll be a good fit. We had always set production at double what it takes to fulfill our CSA, and sold the overage on farm. We added 100 spots to the CSA, and bumped up capacity. We’re getting more locals than ever. If you spent $1k or more with us over the past 12 mo, you get 40% off. But I’ll be damned if I’m cutting my margins that thin for someone who views us as a novelty a few visits per year. Next year, we’re going to have special periods during which non CSA and Rewards customer’s can shop, and make it a special thing. When the pumpkin patch /corn maze, Christmas lights and tree sales are going on. Great video, I really loved it!

[@yvonnehyatt8353]

Send to the billionaires-this Will help the people planet and humans life. They could help.🧐 public schools and schools could teach this too.

[@JacksonFarmsProduce]

Sounds great and I see the vision but how many times in 26 years has he had the cows stomp the mushrooms and the daffodils. Pull the apples off the bottom branches and when the apples are gone they'll take the whole branch. This is one of those "Looks good on paper" moments.

[@garettwatson8468]

People run silvopasture operations all the time. Plus cattle grazing the bottom branches of apple trees is a good thing. Breaks up the pest and disease cycle, especially apple scab