Episode 170: Reviving Degraded Soils Through Biological Farming with Jake Neustadt  and Morgan Twain-Peterson

Episode 170: Reviving Degraded Soils Through Biological Farming with Jake Neustadt and Morgan Twain-Peterson

1:09:31 Oct 23, 2025
About this episode
Morgan Twain-Peterson founded Bedrock Wine Company in 2007, growing from humble beginnings in a small outbuilding into a respected winery. Jake Neustadt joined Morgan in 2015, bringing his expertise in transitioning old vineyards to regenerative practices. Together they are focused on enhancing soil health, producing uniquely Californian wines, and preserving California's historic vineyards, some of which date to the 19th Century. Morgan and Jake's work at Bedrock Wine Company shows how regenerative agriculture can restore degraded vineyard soils, significantly increasing soil organic matter and water retention and improving climate resilience. Their practices—including no-till, cover crops, and holistic grazing—not only improve vine health and wine quality but also set a model for sustainable viticulture, addressing the wine industry's need for differentiation amid declining consumption. In this episode, John, Morgan, and Jake discuss: Preserving historic vineyards with diverse varieties unique to California Transitioning from conventional tillage to no-till organic systems for soil health Using foliar applications to enhance vine resilience in dry-farmed vineyards Integrating holistic grazing with sheep to improve soil biology Planting mixed-variety vineyards to increase resilience and wine complexity Leveraging genetic diversity for heat tolerance Additional Resources To learn more about Bedrock Wine company, please visit: https://bedrockwineco.com/ To listen to the Bedrock Wine Conversations Podcast, please visit: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jAHhAOI9Xy8uKDJmyl5Xx About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it. Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology. Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help gr
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