Interview – Josh Payne

It's no secret that conventional farming is wreaking havoc on America's farmland, but is it really possible to convert conventional row crop farms to a regenerative approach? And how can the concept of an agrarian help foster stronger ties between rural farming communities and the cities they feed?

In this first episode, we dig into the answer with someone who's done it: Josh Payne of Rusted Plowshare Farm shares the story of how he and his sister Larin transformed their grandfather's corn and soy row crop operation into regenerative pastureland complete with sheep and cattle, microgreens, and over 30 acres of chestnuts.

In this episode, we cover:

- What it means to be an Agrarian

- How they transformed their farm from conventional row crops to regenerative

- Caring for each other through disagreement

- The concept of the "hinterland," and how to create stronger ties between urban and farming communities

- Keys to establishing regenerative pastureland

- And much more...

Learn more about Josh, Larin, and their farm here.

Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song.