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
Words of wisdom from a holistic veterinarian and regenerative dairy farmer
Dr. Hubert Karreman started out as a soil scientist and then fell in love with dairy cows. He became a veterinarian and a regenerative dairy farmer, following a path of respect and reverence for life.
Funneling federal ag money to the people who most need it
The Biden administration has made a great commitment to building sustainable and healthy food systems. But how to get that money to folks on the land who aren’t skilled bureaucrats? Dave Carter is part of the solution.
How to have family business meetings that are productive––and short
Joe and Jenn Wheeling talk about how to avoid the pitfalls of a family ranch business––ego, speechifying, wasted time––and arrive at consensus decisions with the full support of each family member.
Weathering global change on an Oregon sheep ranch
When wool processing suddenly moved overseas, Jeanne Carver and her family were left without a market for their products. Through determination and creativity, she turned a setback into a regenerative success story.
From mountaintops to farm fields: Landscape scale restoration
How do you restore an entire forest, or mountain, or watershed? Landscape planner Jan-Willem Jansens has been doing it for decades, and the key is…collaboration.
A food forest on an eighth of an acre
Roxanne Swentzell turned a small piece of bare, dry earth into a garden/forest that produced enough food and wood to maintain a family of four. She founded the Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, which teaches how to understand and live on the land and allow it to flourish.
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.
