Rethinking Plant Physiology and Absorption of Nutrients from the Soil with Gerald Pollack
Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
Release Date: 06/29/2018
Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
Join AEA founder John Kempf for Field Talks, a series of in-the-field conversations. This episode features Cole Neese, a corn and soybean grower in Indiana. Together, they explore real-time agronomic insights, crop progress, challenges, and success stories from the growing season. In this episode, John and Cole Neese, a farmer from West Central Indiana, discuss: Excessive Rainfall Challenges: Cole faced persistent wet conditions, saturating soils and delaying corn and soybean emergence. Success with Accelerate on Soybeans: Applying Accelerate at R2 increased soybean pod counts by 50-80%,...
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Grant Breitkreutz is a farmer from Minnesota who transitioned from conventional practices to a soil health–focused approach. Alongside his wife Dawn, he transformed their farm through no-till, diverse cover crops, adaptive grazing, and continual learning. He’s known for asking “why,” experimenting boldly, and sharing openly what’s worked and what hasn’t. Grant is a key voice in agriculture because he proves what’s possible when farmers take ownership of their decisions and data. His operation is profitable, resilient, and community-driven. He mentors others, helps lead the...
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Jonathan Lundgren is an agroecologist, farmer, rancher, and beekeeper, and founder and director of the Ecdysis Foundation and Blue Dasher Farm. Ecdysis Foundation is leading the Thousand Farms Initiative, providing data to validate regenerative agriculture’s impact on soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. His work challenges conventional farming by fostering farmer-scientist collaboration and advocating for sustainable practices that address global ecological issues. In this episode, John and Jonathan discuss: How fully regenerative farms can store carbon equivalent to seven...
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Robert Verkerk, Ph.D., is an environmental scientist and the founder of the Alliance for Natural Health, with over 40 years of experience studying the interplay between human health, agriculture, and ecosystems. His work focuses on promoting regenerative agricultural practices and natural health solutions, emphasizing the need to reconnect food production with ecological and human well-being through science-based advocacy and policy reform. His contributions to regenerative agriculture are vital because they bridge the gap between soil health, food quality, and human health, challenging...
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Ivo Jeramaz, a mechanical engineer turned vintner, immigrated from former Yugoslavia (now Croatia) to Napa Valley, where he rediscovered his ancestral connection to farming. Initially resentful of agriculture due to its demands in his youth, Ivo’s perspective shifted dramatically within weeks of arriving in Napa, where he embraced grape growing and winemaking as a fulfilling life’s work, now leading Grgich Hills Winery with a commitment to regenerative practices. Raised in a family that produced much of their own food and clothing, Ivo brings a deep-rooted appreciation for self-sufficiency...
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In this Podcast Extra episode, John Kempf joined an Earth Day conversation hosted by Farmer's Footprint, alongside Managing Director Alana Mooi and Founder Zach Bush, MD. Together, they explore the urgent need to regenerate our soil and food systems, emphasizing the deep connection between agriculture, human health, and the health of the planet. The discussion highlights how food systems must be understood as a web of relationships with the Earth, and how healing the land is inseparable from healing ourselves. They offer insights into why working with nature, rather than against it, is...
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This Podcast Extra episode is from John's Ask Me Anything webinar from April 14. Drawing from his extensive research and firsthand experience, John will provide insights and practical solutions to help growers achieve healthier, more resilient crops. In this discussion, the topics cover: Nutritional management with copper, nitrogen, potassium, and calcium prevents wheat and barley lodging better than PGRs. Soil aeration and oxygen flow enhance paramagnetism more effectively than paramagnetic rock powders. Side-dressing potassium, like potassium nitrate, benefits soil biology more than...
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Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska is a social scientist at the University of Oulu in Finland who studies how farmers and scientists can collaborate to foster regenerative agriculture. An expert on soil knowledge and values, with experience farming organically in Italy, Dr. Krzywoszynska examines the knowledge systems shaping food production. Currently, she’s investigating how to transform agricultural research to support local communities, including turning research stations into hubs for collaboration between farmers and scientists. Her projects aim to align scientific inquiry with local needs,...
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Mike Omeg is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up on a diverse family farm in Oregon, initially producing cherries, hay, cattle, apricots, apples, and wheat. Over time, he honed in on fresh cherry production. The scale of his operation leaped 10x—from 350 acres to 3,600 acres—when he became a partner with Orchard View Cherries, where he is now the director of orchard operations. Mike’s journey reflects a pragmatic approach to regenerative agriculture, balancing family farm traditions with the economic realities of modern agriculture. By affiliating with Orchard View Farms, he...
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Clay Conry is the host of the Working Cows Podcast. Clay’s journey into podcasting stems from a blend of personal experience growing up on a South Dakota ranch, a love for conversation, and a desire to capture the wisdom of ranchers, influenced by his background as a youth pastor and his participation in the High Plains Ranch Practicum. Over seven years, Clay has built a platform that delves into regenerative agriculture, emphasizing holistic management and the importance of human and environmental relationships. In this episode, John and Clay discuss: The importance of managing personnel...
info_outlineDr. Jerry Pollack is a pioneering water researcher whose work in structured water and cell biology has been described as being some of the most important research that will be conducted in the 21st century. His research creates a completely new paradigm of cell biology and nutrient absorption. He is recognized worldwide as a dynamic speaker and author, whose passion lies in plumbing the depths of natural truths.
Dr. Pollack received the 1st Emoto Peace Prize and is a recipient of the University of Washington's highest honor, the Annual Faculty Lecturer Award. He is founding Editor-in-Chief of the research journal WATER and Director of the Institute for Venture Science. Dr. Pollack's (award-winning) books include The Fourth Phase of Water (2013), and Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life (2001). Dr. Jerry Pollack maintains an active laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle.
In this episode, Jerry and I discuss
- How water moves to the top of a 100-yard tall redwood
- How nutrients are absorbed across cell membranes and plant roots
- The role of EZ water in moving nutrients through vascular tissue
- How plant roots can absorb complete compounds from the soil solution
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Resources
Cells, Gels and the Engines of Life
The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor
Episode 15 - Dr. Gerald H. Pollack - Highlights
4:50 - What is exclusion zone water? (EZ Water)
- We all learned water had 3 phases, but the idea that water could have a phase between liquid and solid has been around for some time
- EZ water is between solid and liquid. Gel-like, almost like raw egg whites
- EZ water has a negative charge, unlike ordinary water
- Energy comes from infrared light
- EZ water is also called fourth phase water, ordered water, or structured water
13:10 - John strongly recommends reading two of Gerald’s books:
13:40 - How are nutrients and water transported inside a plant? How are nutrients absorbed by root systems? How does EZ water relate?
- How a tube in water that allows water to continuously flow works in the same way that trees can transport water
- Energy is coming from light absorbed in the water will drive the flow of water
- How this same idea can apply to the cardiovascular system in the human body
27:45 - How is this related to nutrient mobility?
31:35 - Alternate mechanisms for nutrient absorption by cells
- The assumption that the cell membrane is impermeable is questionable
- Why the idea of thousands of pumps and channels in the membrane doesn’t work
- The cell gets its electrical potential from the negatively charged water
- If there is no impermeable barrier, then substances can be absorbed by the cell
42:40 - Simplicity is the essence of science
45:50 - What is the limitation of what cells can absorb?
- Substances could move in and out of the cell in transition areas of water to EZ water
49:25 - Water crisis in agricultural - soils that cannot hold water well anymore
- Soils need charge distributions just right to build EZ water
- Water holding capacity is diminished when the soil is destroyed, directly related to the ability to make EZ water
54:30 - What is the question Gerald wishes he was asked?
- The role of water in health - absolutely central. Cells cannot function properly unless properly hydrated
- The role of grounding in health and in its ability to convert water to EZ water
- Juicing to get EZ water from inside plants
Support For This Show & Helping You Grow
This show is brought to you by AEA, leaders in regenerative agriculture since 2006.
If you are a large-scale grower looking to increase crop revenue and quality, email [email protected] or call 800-495-6603 extension 344 to be connected with a dedicated AEA crop consultant.
Feedback & Booking
Please send your feedback, requests for topics or guests, or booking request have a Podcast episode recorded LIVE at your event -- to [email protected]. You can email John directly at [email protected].
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