Crystal: [00:00:00] Hi, Jennifer. Thank you so much for joining me on forces for nature. It’s so great to

Jennifer: [00:00:03] have you. Thanks crystal. It’s wonderful to be on as well. So let’s just dive

Crystal: [00:00:09] right in. What is the problem with conventional agriculture?

Jennifer: [00:00:15] Well, I think the biggest issue we’re having in the U S is the degradation of our soils.

So in the U S we used to be at about 11% soil organic matter. We’re now down to about 1%, which means we’re really close to dirt. And the reason why that’s a problem is that’s where all of our soil microbiome thrives. I like to explain it as it’s like a sponge and that’s what retains water. So every 1% of solar organic matter that you increase, you can retain about [00:00:45] 170,000 gallons of water per acre.

So if we’ve gone from 11 down to one, it’s not a surprise. We have a lot of desertification happening, especially on the West coast, a little bit of the Southwest. Um, and , that creates a major problem , um, for , having , um, farmland that we can actually grow food on.

Um, and the other issue is it doesn’t allow that matrix for the soil microbiome to thrive. So you lose some of your biodiversity. You lose a lot of your carbon sequestration capability, which when we do regenerative farming, or we do farming where we’re adding organic matter. We actually are sequestering carbon from the atmosphere into the soil.

It’s one of the biggest leavers that we could start to reverse climate change. So modern agriculture , um, through tillage, through use of a lot of chemicals is [00:01:30] really breaking that down. And , um, starting to really have an impact, not just on water usage and , um, carbon sequestration, but also even the nutrients in our food.

And even how difficult it is to grow crops.

Um, we’re not using the farmland in the best way, and we’re not being stewards of the land to really grow that organic matter and actually bring it back to life.

 

Crystal: [00:01:53] so in the beginning, , you  mentioned soil going to dirt. Um,  some people would just call what’s outside dirt anyway. , what would

Jennifer: [00:02:02] be the difference? Yeah, so, I mean, I think for me, , it’s the life that brings , um, something to become soil and  , um, you have a soil microbiome that is , um, literally billions of different organisms [00:02:15] that support the plant.

Um, when you have a really healthy soil microbiome or. Um, there’s different organisms that reside, especially around the root system of the plant, it’s called the rhizosphere microbiome. And that’s where a lot of your bacteria and , funky , um, congregate.   if you’re tilling too much and you’re doing these things, you start to lose.

The soil over time. And what happens is once you lose  those top layers of soil, , your top soil , um, , all you have is dirt We don’t have all these organisms that are supporting the plants. We don’t have water retention, we don’t have soil structure. Um, and there is a big difference.

And the ability to grow crops in dirt is, is essentially impossible. It really has to have some what we call fertility or organic matter or structure for a plant to be able to thrive [00:03:00] or, or even not thrive, but just survive. Um, So, if you take all that stuff away, , you can’t support a plant’s immune system and all of its exchange of nutrients.

, um, even if it does survive, it will be a very unhealthy plan.

Crystal: [00:03:12] , when you see images of conventional agriculture or industrial agriculture, for that matter, you see fields and fields of plants. Um, so how are they able to get.

They output they do. , when they’re essentially almost working with the dirt that you described.

.

Jennifer: [00:03:29] Where you go and you see farmland, it’s not at that point yet. it’s a process. It takes time So where you see still lush green crops, we’re putting a lot of band-aids on it.   we , um, can just spray nitrogen fertilizers on it. And that gives us temporary fertility , um, and nutrients. [00:03:45] And , um, we can use crops that have been genetically modified to resist certain diseases or drought conditions and things like that.

But it’s not really fixing , uh,  the underlying issue and creating that symbiotic relationship between the organisms in the soil and the water retention and the plant. It’s just putting a lot of band-aids on top.  Like even I’m in New Jersey, the garden state, and we’re having this issue in New Jersey , um, which should have ample soil organic matter.

There’s lots of water. There should be a lot of plush green everywhere, but , the more you move into some of the high farming areas, , you talk to the farmers and they’re not even able to grow corn, which is actually a pretty low resource crop. And they’re having to go to just the very lowest, which is typically cotton or soybeans.

. So you look at these different [00:04:30] areas that have now been limited in the crops figure and grow , um, which just further limits the biodiversity as well. , yeah, it’s not a new dynamic. It’s just getting worse and worse and worse to the point where even the chemicals aren’t enough anymore.

And we’re, we’re hitting a point where. ,  it’s really hard to reverse it. Like once you hit that dirt, you basically have to bring everything in all over again, like manure and compost and start from scratch. If you start reversing it now, , it’s still like a three-year process, but you can start to slowly get it back in place, but it takes time.

It takes resource. It takes a conscious effort and we’re just, we’re not there yet. And things like carbon credits , um, , where [00:05:15] companies are, people can sponsor farms essentially to convert and move over those types of things. We’ll make big changes to enable this to happen. Because if you,  understand farmers in the U S , most of them are not making a lot of money.

Most of them are  barely scraping by. I think the last stat I saw was , um, the average farmers, $2 million in debt. . They’re just trying to, to not lose their farm. Like that’s a lot of them, their number one priority.  It there’s a lot of risk associated with trying new practices and trying to go regenerative.

And so  there’s a huge risk adversity. Cause it’s not like farmers are these malicious folks trying to damage the land. They have a lot of pride in their land, but it’s just, this is what’s taught in all of our colleges and universities with agriculture. It’s more, agrochemical [00:06:00] focused then the regeneration.

So they’re learning it. That’s what their parents did their grandparents did for, for generations. And now it’s really hard to step out of that comfort zone, even though it’s not working. And most people know it’s not working very well. Um, so there’s policy change. There’s a lot of change that’s required to really get us over this hurdle of making that shift to , um, farming.

That’s really going to bring our soil back to life.

Crystal: [00:06:25]   I want to reiterate what you said in terms of everything that gets lost  with all these heavy chemical inputs  is that  you’re, killing the biodiversity in the soils, which results in the soil, not being able to be a sponge for water or carbon.

And , um, you, you can speak better to [00:06:45] this, but I know that soil has a tremendous ability to absorb carbon, right?

Jennifer: [00:06:50] Yeah. We’ve lost about two thirds of our carbon stores from the soil and the earth into the atmosphere , um, which is a big contributor to the situation we’re in , um, with, with climate change and.

That’s really no longer debated. Like everyone pretty much knows that , we’re , um, not in good shape there. And if you look at books like draw down, it’s the top a hundred things that we could do as a world, not just the us, but as a world to start reversing climate change. I, I really like that book because it gives practical solutions that everyone can implement, but also industrial solutions and, and larger scale. Um,

and if you look at 23 of the  [00:07:30] top 50, they’re all associated with farming. So it’s a huge lever and it’s considered the lowest cost most effective way that we can start reversing climate change very quickly. So it’s this huge carbon store that we just need to activate and to start pulling some of that carbon back. Out of the atmosphere into the earth where it naturally was for literally millions of years.  , um, that’s where things like, again, carbon credits, things that,  hopefully will , monetize that and put some value to it.

Cause we don’t in the U S we spend the least amount on food per capita of any country in the world, but it’s artificial. We don’t subsidize the right things and we don’t monetize the impact on the environment. Whereas carbon credits [00:08:15] start to actually monetize that and reward farmers or companies that are , um, doing things that are actually reversing climate change.

It’s going to be, become a much bigger topic over the next 10, 15, 20 years, because it has to be, we, we literally have to start reversing this now. I mean, 1% solar organic matter is really low. It’s not like , we have like a long time to get through this. We really have to start making changes now.

Crystal: [00:08:40] Um,

. So essentially what you’re saying is that if we can bring life back to the soil, we’re able to actually start to reverse the climate crisis that we are currently in because the soil has just such a huge impact on that.

Jennifer: [00:08:57] Absolutely. And . There’s so many [00:09:00] benefits that can come. If we start to, again, build up the soil organic matter, build that sponge backup.

So I mentioned the water , um, absorption or retention . You also have about 700 times less soil erosion. So if you look what happens on a lot of farms Part of the, the , um, conventional agriculture is there’s lots of tillage and there’s a lot of opened , um, Dirt or soil that you can see and it’s constantly exposed and there’s a lot of runoff. as you lose that top surface of the soil, it runs into rivers and lakes and streams and, and eventually into the ocean in some cases. And we create these large dead zones, mainly because of the nitrogen fertilizers that we use.

. So you have a big erosion problem as well. Um, , when you don’t use regenerative practices, which are keeping the ground [00:09:45] covered, keeping root mass in the ground and protecting the soil, , I, I talk about the soil, , like your skin, you got to protect it from UV light.

You got to protect it from wind and rain and soil is actually very similar. , it’s surprisingly very sensitive. So , um, if you look almost anywhere,  mother nature keeps the ground covered, and that’s something that we mimic with regenerative farming, and we do that because it helps with the erosion.

It helps with protecting that soil microbiome from all the different elements.     .

,  and then the other one is like, I talked about this nutrient exchange and this , um, the symbiotic relationship with the microorganisms associated with the soil when that’s working and it’s healthy. Um, what happens when the microorganisms in the soil help a plant cope with [00:10:30] stress is typically they’re creating phytonutrients, which are plant.

Um, derived chemicals and those are what create most of our superfoods.  So when you have really healthy soil, you have really good nutrient exchange. You have the stress coping mechanisms working. Um, you’re actually able to boost those phytonutrients in a lot of the foods. So you have also very nutrient dense foods, which can be a positive thing.

 , .

Crystal: Before getting into this line of work, you were in biotech and pharmaceuticals. You moved into regenerative farming and meal kitting because you saw the benefit and the necessity of healthy food – for people and for planet. But starting a regenerative farm is not always easy, nor cheap. Can you tell me what it entails?

 , um, The first three years are definitely a challenge because. Your  farm goes through a full transformation to get to a balanced because it, it goes from imbalance and then you’re trying to get it back balanced and in doing so you’re fighting different pests and , you’re committing to not doing that with pesticides, which is not easy.

I, my team like, yeah, we just [00:11:15] spray this with something I’m like, can spray it with garlic oil, but that’s about it. Um, and so you do have to fight that the first few years, which is why a lot of farmers, , it makes them very nervous. And as I mentioned, a lot of them are heavily in debt. They’re making the tiniest little margins.

There’s just, no, there’s no room for error. So that first three years can be really discouraging and challenging. And I’ve seen a lot of firms go out of business, trying to make that transition to organic or regenerative, or for us, we do both organic and regenerative because if you don’t really tightly manage it, it can, it can go haywire very quickly.

It’s a living system and it’s hard to try to control. A very complex living system. Um, so we put really tight practices in place. Um,

we’re not just growing the crops that [00:12:00] we’re , um, harvesting, we’re growing cover crops, all sorts of different crops that you have to manage. Um, so there is some complexity to that, and there’s a lot of change from just being able to spray and add nitrogen fertilizer and stuff like that. You have to come up with different inputs.

Um, but then after the third year, you really start seeing it come to life and then you’re actually better off than a conventional farm. You. Have almost no inputs that you need to have onto the farm. It gets into a natural cycle. It starts kind of working on its own.

Crystal: [00:12:30] And so those pests that you mentioned generally get taken care of on their own.

Jennifer: [00:12:35] So th because you start to see a balance, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any pests on your farm, but what happens is your, your natural organisms, [00:12:45] your natural pollinators, and , um, they start to find your farm. They start to come to life, the birds, the owls, the Hawks, all of nature that would normally work together to keep these things in balance.

So I may still have 30% of aphids on some of the plants, but the plants producing the right phytochemicals to fend them off. I have , um, butterflies and different , um, beneficial insects that are starting to balance it out. , like as an example, on our farm, the first year we grew tomatoes , um, we had tomato hornworms, which are these massive worms that just decimate your tomatoes.

And the second year we still had a few, but very few, and they were already covered in. Uh, predatory wasp eggs, which they,  actually , um, essentially kill the, [00:13:30] the caterpillars over time. , and that’s like incredible within a year. And we didn’t, it  farm with , um, these predatory wasps. They came on their own, which are, I know, it sounds like there’s some scary thing, but there are beneficial insects.

They found it on their own. So your need, you start to have even ladybugs. Like we have floods of ladybugs come in. . We don’t add them, but they start to find you and it’s not, it doesn’t just happen overnight. We also have pollinator head rows and we create these habitats for them to thrive above ground too.

We don’t just focus below ground. We focus above ground too, but you create the right habitats for the microorganisms to thrive for the beneficial insects to thrive. I mean, most people don’t realize we’ve lost 80% of our insect biomass. So above ground insects over the [00:14:15] last 30 years, that’s a massive loss of our insect biomass.

And so if we can create habitats that balance that back out, cause what’s scary for a farm is it’s lost balance. So you actually have more invasive species and those are the pests. Um, they’re the ones that aren’t in balance. They end up , um, overgrowing and overrunning your farm. So if you start to bring back those , um, native, beneficial insects, they start to balance it out naturally.

And that’s what takes about three years. That’s why like organic certification. , they make you wait three years and it’s it’s so you can achieve that balance before they, they certify you.  Um, and it’s not like at three years, everything’s perfect. , it’s a continued process, but it starts getting much, much easier at year three  um, if [00:15:00] you ever watched the movie little big farm, it kind of, it does a great job walking people through , um, that process.

Cause it can be really , um, difficult, like when you have this beautiful tomato crop and all of a sudden it just starts getting wiped out by tomato hornworms and you can’t just spray pay rethr and autumn, because , you’re trying to do everything without chemicals. So , um, , it’s a journey.

Um, it takes patience. It takes a lot of planning and organization and that’s where we need more institutions, , more universities. Focusing and prioritizing to educate on these practices because there is a method to it and there’s really successful ways to do it. And then there’s not such successful ways.

Um, we need more firms doing it that can become models for others to learn and to, to go to and [00:15:45] observe how amazing it can be. Because when people come on our farm, , they’re shocked how productive, like we actually have way more yield than a conventional farm.

But until people see it , um, it’s kind of hard to believe. Like I think even large farms kind of look at organic and regenerative like, Oh, you can never be successful with that. And , um, it’s important that we have models that show that that’s not true, that there’s incredible yields that can come off of these farms, that the food is not riddled with , um, bug holes and things like that, but it can also be beautiful, incredible crops , um, that people are excited to , uh, consume.

And our food tastes like even  , um, people that buy our meal kits, they’re like this food tastes so different. And again, it’s those rich phytonutrients that are in the food that , um, people taste for the [00:16:30] first time. Most of our, food system is set up for logistics. It’s actually not set up for nutrition as much as.

Having good logistics and that’s that’s necessary with the way we’ve set up our  massive farms in the U S that need to ship stuff across the country. Um, they picked tomatoes as an example, completely green, like hard as a rock so they can ship them. And then they gas them on location and they turn red, but they haven’t reached their prime from a nutrient profile.

And so that’s why a lot of tomatoes you buy, tastes like water. They don’t actually have much of the nutrients in them and you lose a lot of the flavors. So when you do eat a tomato or a carrot, even, even some of these basic crops , that are grown to maturity and they’re grown, using healthy soil, it’s just [00:17:15] completely different.

The flavor, the texture, the colors, everything are more vibrant. Um, So I think it’s something that’s really starting to gain some momentum. And I think we’re going to continue to see waves of this , um, over the next, you know, five, 10, 30 years , um, to start really bringing our farmland back to life.

Crystal: [00:17:34] That brings a memory to mind because , um, well, my grandfather used to be a farmer  Italy and when he came to the States, he had this little piece of land that he grew a garden on and he was always so proud of his tomatoes. Like he would come over and be like, come look at my tomatoes. And I remember, I mean, I never really cared.

[00:18:00] I mean, tomatoes are fine, you know, I didn’t care one way or another, but the tomatoes that he produced, which in retrospect were. Uh, like he didn’t use chemical inputs or anything like that. , I used to eat those tomatoes, like apples. They were so delicious. And you don’t do that with the tomatoes in the, in the grocery store.

So yeah, that, that just brings back memories in that regard. Um, so you were mentioning organic , um, I guess I, is there a difference between organic and regenerative regenerative

Jennifer: [00:18:35] um, there is , um, there doesn’t have to be, but in general, if you look at the bare bones of both, they are different. Regenerative looks at what can I do to protect the [00:18:45] soil as much as possible, but sometimes that’s including chemicals. Organic is no synthetic chemicals, but. They may not be focusing on the mechanism side of things, which is that disruption. So for us, we believe the best is to bring those together , um, avoid the synthetic chemicals, which includes herbicides.

Um, and then also try to avoid the, the mechanism, the tillage and things like that. And that’s where we believe the optimal , um, regeneration of the soil occurs. And that’s where we believe  regenerating that matrix that soil organic matter and getting it back up as quickly as possible.

Cause that’s our biggest measure that we focus on is , um, the soil organic matter. Cause I think it’s one of the best indications of , um, a thriving soil, microbiome and a thriving , um, kind of ecosystem [00:19:30] underground.  And we’ve gone from about a little over 1% to about 6%, which has been an incredible transformation over the last three years.

 

Crystal- Now, cattle get a bad rap because they are a huge source of methane, a greenhouse gas even stronger than carbon dioxide. However, if raised a certain way, cattle can actually be a benefit to your farm AND the climate. Can you explain?

we don’t, we don’t raise meat or anything on our farm, but it is a component of a lot of regenerative farms.

And if it’s done properly, it can actually be really beneficial to the soil. It can accelerate that regeneration having so kettle having, or it doesn’t have to be cattle, any kind of , um, Hovde grazing animal. Cause . There’s the mechanism of the actual punching of the hubs. There’s the manure.

It actually creates this natural aeration. That’s not an over airation. And so if you do it right, and it’s managed again, everything is about balance. Um, it can be a really [00:20:15] positive and productive thing. It’s just, if you look at how we raise most of our animals, they’re in these high concentration areas where they, they over stamp the ground and there’s too much manure and it’s concentrated and then nothing around it.

So it’s again about managing it. Um, and it’s really going back to these practices that worked for thousands of years before we started trying to mechanize it and control it in a way that , um, was destructive.

Crystal: [00:20:41] Um, so are these kinds of farms subsidized as much as conventional farms in the U

Jennifer: [00:20:46] S  um, No. So ,  most of the subsidies in the U S that go to specific crops are , um, your corn wheat, soy dairy, and part of the beef industry. So it’s a lot of cereal grains , um, that [00:21:00] are actually the majority of them are actually used to, to produce meat. So a really good proportion or share of subsidies in the U S actually go to meet production , um, which is kind of ironic because it’s considered the most environmentally destructive.

And it’s what we’re subsidizing the most. So , um, organic farms. Right now don’t get a lot of , um, subsidies.  , and it’s not even that organic would be that much more expensive, but the subsidies create this artificially low , um, cost of food.

Like it’s shocking to me that U S could afford higher food, but we spend the least amount on food per capita. We spend the most amount on healthcare per capita of any country in the world. So I kind of feel like we could shift that a little bit, focus a little bit more on the true value of [00:21:45] food, especially when it’s grown clean and has an environmental.

Factor added into it. And then hopefully we generate healthier people and our healthcare costs can start to come down. Um, cause that trend continues to go kind of in the wrong reverse relationship. Um, so I think that’s really necessary. And then things, like I said, carbon credits can really , um, help offset those costs.

Because , it’s really important that those first few years are supported for farms and this is happening. Some bigger companies are really stepping up. and they’re really looking at what they can do to start to subsidize this and , um, help these firms transition because they know the market is heading in this direction.

They know people are starting to care more. They’re becoming more conscious of this impact on the environment.  Just like organic. I mean, organic was [00:22:30] such a small, it’s still only 1% of farmland in the U S but it’s come a long way. And so if you look, consumers started kind of demanding organic and buying organic and it was selling out so more and more producers started going to organic.

And that’s , the similar thing with regenerative farming is it’ll be the next kind of momentum that people can have a voice as a consumer, because as a consumer, you’re the most powerful person. I think we forget this as consumers. Um, you have more of a say than anyone else. You don’t have to wait for government regulations or anyone else to change it.

You can start demanding these changes and asking for them.  I mean, . I don’t have a conversation with my produce manager at the store all the time, but I have asked for certain things and people would be shocked that , um, they usually [00:23:15] listen. So I’ve asked for certain kind of more rare vegetables and things like that.

And they will start like within a few weeks, I’ll see them stocked. And I’m probably the only crazy person buying some of these things. But , um, if they see a demand and a need and you specifically ask for it,  , um, they’re pretty responsive because , they want to keep people coming to the store.

So I think that’s an important thing that,  we need to realize is we have a say in this change and we don’t have to wait for other people to make that change. We can start doing it on our own.

Crystal: [00:23:43] . Um,

that’s so cool. , I’m learning a ton right now, and this just seems like such an interesting , um, Sorry, birds.

This just seems like such an interesting farm to be a part of and to be running. Um, can you tell me about a time? I mean, [00:24:00] everything that you’re doing is so cool, but can you tell me about a time where you said to yourself, this, this is why I do it

Jennifer: [00:24:08] yeah, I mean, almost any time that I go on the farm, it’s just , um, so tranquil here. So for me , um, when I can just go and even if I’m weeding or something, but I just look around and there’s birds and there’s , um, butterflies and there’s , um, bumblebees all around and you just see life around you and you go, wow, three years ago, this was just like a barren field.

And now it’s this thriving ecosystem. Um, to me that’s that just makes me so happy. Um, because ] , it makes it real, it shows that it’s real and it’s tangible and it’s doable on a pretty large scale. Um, and I think [00:24:45] that. Is really rewarding for me. And we’ve done a few really fun events

um And just to see people’s excitement and to connect with nature and their food system, which is so important , um, that’s, that’s one of the things I enjoy the most is just the education piece and showing people. This is real it’s possible. Um, you can ignore everything you say that we can’t feed the world this way because that’s complete nonsense.

Um, so that, yeah, that just to me, makes it all worthwhile and, and just tasting the food, like watching my kids go pick green beans or tomatoes , um, and just popping them right in their mouth. And knowing that they’re not Laden with chemicals and that they’re enjoying them because they have this incredible flavor and vibrant colors,  that’s just super rewarding.

And  I intend to have these farms all over the U S [00:25:30] because I think it’s , um, it’s a model that we’re really passionate about and we believe in, and, and people need to see it and learn about it and replicate it.

Crystal: [00:25:38] I do hope you’re able to get these farms all over the U S and , I do hope that this system really, it just takes off and, and grows.

Um, but we’re not there yet. And it’s a challenge to get to that point. What brings you hope that we can get there?

Jennifer: [00:25:57] , um, what brings me hope is there’s, there’s actually an incredible community of pioneers in this space. Um, and it’s not just farmers, it’s doctors, it’s , um, people in the area of health policy , um, that are starting to create real momentum behind this.

And they believe in it and they’re influential [00:26:15] people that can make a difference. , You know, when I talk to doctors , um,  it’s not much of a sell.

They, they actually understand their patients need a healthy nutrition and, and they understand the soil. Microbiome is similar to the gut microbiome of a human. So that’s an easy connection for most doctors to make. And so they believe in it and they understand it and they think it’s important. Um, so there’s a lot of pioneers in this space that are bringing it forward and I’m seeing momentum.

Crystal: [00:26:41] one of the things I love talking about it most is how the listener can get involved. and in this case, how they can support this kind of farming, the solution that you have found is your meal delivery service called nutrition for longevity. Can you tell me about that? Yeah,

Jennifer: [00:26:58] so , um, I always knew that I [00:27:00] wanted an outlet for the farm.

One of the hardest things for farms is to, I mean, it’s hard enough to grow the crops, let alone to then market them and have an outlet. And so  my vision was always to have a meal, could company be the outlet of that. So we had a consistent end to end business model.  Um,

um,  I personally have always been very into nutrition. Um, but I wanted our meal kit company to have , um, also a mission behind it and science behind it. That really , um, was what I believe is proper nutrition.

And so , we partner with Dr. Valter Longo. Um, he created the longevity diet, which is where he researched the longevity regions of the world where people live the longest healthiest lives, basically void of chronic illness. And so he, for 30 years really looked at their exact diet and how they lived. And what we did is we [00:27:45] then mimicked those diets and brought them to the U S so you can eat like somebody in Sardinia, Italy , um, and we even source a lot of our seeds from these regions.

So in some cases you’re getting even the exact crop that they would be eating locally because there are different nutrient profiles of , every different sub component of like a tomato   , um, we have a team of dieticians and chefs. Um, we recently onboarded and incredible Michelin star chef.

Um, we take this,  super ultra fresh food, literally our farm harvest. And it goes right to our warehouses, which is about five minutes away and they start processing it into meals. And basically one day later we ship it to a customer. So it’s a really tight supply chain and our dieticians and chefs, every ingredient, every meal is perfectly macro balanced to fit the longevity diet, [00:28:30]

so we get this healthy food and put that perfectly  balanced meal  delivered to their door.  Um,

Crystal: [00:28:34] I love it. And it sounds delicious. What, what geography do you deliver to.

 

Jennifer: [00:28:40] We actually deliver everywhere in the U S other than Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

Crystal: [00:28:45] At the risk of fixing one problem, but causing another, how do you address your single use packaging?

Jennifer: [00:28:51] . We actually started in a a hundred percent plant-based packaging , um, because you know, you’re trying to get something in , uh,  a serving for a person and we’ve tried pretty much every packaging out there,  um, we’ve tried sugar cane based corn based , um, seaweed based. I mean, there’s, there’s a lot of really awesome innovations, unfortunately , um, about. Maybe a year ago, we had to pivot away from it because the technology just wasn’t there yet.

So [00:29:15] we’re actually very close to switching back. Um, that’s how we’re prioritizing that focus because for me, I, I would like to have a completely , um, beyond zero footprint cause our, our farms do sequester carbon. So we want to  be a company that’s actually reversing climate change, not, not neutral.

Um, so taking it even to that next level. So that’s a huge priority for me. So for us, our biggest priority is to get all of our packaging to plant-based and we’re close. Um, and, but it’s, it’s really chasing down the technology and supporting companies to make more and more headway in that space. Um, so I’m excited in the next few months, we’re going to roll out , um, some pretty awesome new innovations in that area.

Crystal: [00:29:53] Excellent. I’m excited to hear it

No someone chooses not to buy the kits for one reason or another.

What [00:30:00] else can they do to support this kind of farming to bring it to scale?

Jennifer: [00:30:06] I think a few things you’re going to start seeing it more on actual product branding. There’s already a few brands out there starting to talk about that their food’s grown regenerative flea,  there’s even a certification. So , um, Rodale Institute, which is really , um, big of, kind of pioneer in the regenerative space, they’re starting a certification.

. So you’re going to start seeing a trickle into the market.

It’s worth checking. It’s worth asking , your produce manager, your store manager. Um, even if it’s not available, they’ll start looking for it, which is phenomenal. The other thing I just really encourage for people is , um, cause there’s a lot of things we can do to impact our agriculture, our food system.

You know, we waste on 65% of the food that’s [00:30:45] actually grown in the U S which is , uh, is a staggering amount.  Um,   I would tell people to do one thing, well, I guess I would tell them two things, but one around the plants is grow a tomato plant or an urban your window still like just try to grow something and try to do it organically. because it gives you a totally new appreciation of how hard it is.

Um, so you won’t waste as much food because I have friends that have grown tomatoes and they’re like, man, this is like, just keeping this plant alive is like, I feel like it’s taking care of a pet.

And, but they were like, I will never waste a tomato ever again, whereas before it was just like, sure, whatever.  It just, it helps with a lot of the,  problems in the environment right now, which is this waste of food is a big contributor. Um, people can immediately start impacting that. , and [00:31:30] then,  on the nutrition side, what I always encourage people to do, even if they don’t buy our meal kits is to start changing your mindset.

In the U S we are literally trained to go into a restaurant. An order, an entree, which is usually a huge slab of meat. And then you order a side dish, which is usually about a half a serving of fruits and vegetables. And in the us only one in 10 people get the needed fruits and vegetables, even though there’s tens of thousands of studies showing that it reduces the risk of some cancers, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, I mean all the chronic illnesses.

It can have a huge , um, not all of them, but most of them, it can have a huge, huge impact on , um, but only one in 10 people are actually doing that. So I tell people to flip that ratio, when you’re thinking of your entree, it should be like three Hardy servings of fruits and vegetables. And if you are going to eat [00:32:15] meat or , um, w you need protein.

So for sure, but if you’re going to eat meat, make it a really , um, small portion, , four to six ounces of really premium, naturally raised meat that, , then you’re consuming, but you’re getting all these fruits and vegetables and the impact of that shift on your health, but also the environment is.

Astounding like people have no idea how much that change alone could impact the environment. Because like I said, 80% of our farmland is going to producing meat and we eat these huge portions, which are actually impacting our health in a negative way, but also contributing to these environmental changes.

Crystal: [00:32:53] And earlier you mentioned carbon credits, which I always associated with projects that did [00:33:00] reforestation, but you’re saying that there are projects that focus on this kind of farming if you were to buy carbon credits. Absolutely.

Jennifer: [00:33:08] So there are a few , um, large-scale farms, I think , um, there’s a few in California doing it , um, that are receiving carbon credits for their regenerative farming practices.

. Like I said, there’s certification bodies starting to. Um, already start certifying farms. And I think once all that comes together , um, carbon credits will be a really key component of it.

Crystal: [00:33:27] . .  How can people get more information about you and your work, the farm nutrition for longevity, all of that.

Jennifer: [00:33:34] So , uh, the easiest way is you can go on nutrition for longevity.com. I know it’s a long name, so that’s all spelled out. Um, you can also find us on social media, Facebook, Instagram, [00:33:45] LinkedIn.

Um, we have some content on YouTube. Um, you might find us on Google searches, so we’re, we’re kind of broad spectrum, but our website probably has the best repository of a lot of this content and information and blogs and things like that. Um, and then just a little bit more about the food side of things.

Um, and what’s kind of special about that.

Crystal: [00:34:03] Excellent, Jennifer, thank you so much. This has been super informative. Thank you for all you’re doing. You’re making a difference. Thank you for

Jennifer: [00:34:12] having me.