Down to Earth
Down to Earth is a podcast about regenerative agriculture. It’s about the place where food production and conservation come together, where the food we eat actually improves the health of land, water, people—and climate.
Above all, it’s a podcast about hope. We focus not on doom but instead on people who are developing practical, innovative solutions. We invite you to meet farmers, ranchers, scientists, land managers, writers, and many others on a mission to create a world in which the food we eat is healthy—for us, for wildlife, for the lives and livelihoods of the producers, and for the planet.
Recent Programs
Incentivizing healthy soils through sensible policy
Healthy soil is a win-win for everyone, but converting from conventional to regenerative agriculture is a process that needs to be incentivized. Land Core is an organization that’s doing just that. We talk to founders Aria McLauchlan and Harley Cross.
Zombie Agriculture
Industrial agriculture looks like it’s alive, but often the soil is dead, animals are living in excruciating conditions, and the food looks good but is not as nutritious as food grown from living soils in humane circumstances. Is it eating our brains?
Farming While Black
That’s the name of Leah Penniman‘s new book, and it’s a profound and wide-ranging exploration of everything from the practical details of how to start a farm, to the rich history of African-heritage farming.
Rounding up the evidence on Roundup
Is our weed killer killer killing us? Author Carey Gillam talks about her book Whitewash, the efforts to hold Monsanto accountable, and a vision for an agriculture that doesn’t rely on heavy chemical use.
The little rodent that could…
Ben Goldfarb is a “beaver believer.” In his new book, Eager, he writes about the historical role of beavers in North American ecosystems, how they were nearly wiped out, and why communities are brining them back—and with them lusher wetlands and healthier rivers.
Regeneration in the rockies
Glenn Elzinga is a forester turned rancher in Idaho, and he has developed a system called “inherding” — which means basically living with cattle on the range, training them to eat a varied and healthy diet, and managing them so that land, water, and wildlife are restored.
Our Roots
Down to Earth is produced by Mary-Charlotte Domandi, long-time public radio and podcast producer/host, in collaboration with the Quivira Coalition, a non-profit organization that promotes healthy agricultural lands and food systems across the West—and across the world.
We’re dedicated to the idea of the Radical Center, in which people from divergent political, cultural, and professional worlds leave their differences aside and come together to work on the things they believe in—healthy soil, landscapes, and food…clean water and air…wise use of science and technology…and flourishing rural communities.
