The Business of Soil Health

We have a conversation with former FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux on courage, capital, and how he’s trying to rewrite the rules of ag finance.

A multi-generational producer himself, Zach recently launched The Fifth C—a new lending venture challenging the short-termism baked into agricultural finance and offering a path toward long-term, relational capital.

Drawing from his experience both on the land and inside federal policy, Z...

We’re back with a new season—and a new co-host.

In this episode kicking off Season 2, Patrick Smith is joined by new co-host Sami Tellatin, co-founder of FarmRaise and a longtime advocate for financing solutions that support producers during their soil health transition.

• Sami shares her background, and then Patrick and Sami reflect on:
• Why the financial side of soil health matters now more than ever
• How macro shifts—like inter...

In this episode I talk with independent agronomist Jerel Kratt who works in the southern Central Valley of California. He unpacks why many have become skeptical of regenerative agriculture in California:

🌪️ Visible failures in early implementations of regen practices

📉 Market realities, from the almond market collapse to the lack of a premium for regenerative crops

⚖️ Political and regulatory pressures, especially California’s Su...

In this conversation, Emma Fuller, co-founder of Fractal.ag, discusses their novel farmland investment model, which makes minority equity investments in farmland while incentivizing soil health practices. 

Fractal is the first widely available farmland equity product, unlocking capital for farmers while they maintain ownership and control. Emma talks in detail about:

• Fractal’s ownership model and...

In this episode, Patrick Smith interviews Matt Nicoletti, Director of Business Development at Penny Newman Grain—a California grain trader founded in 1878 that has grown into a global leader in bulk commodity logistics. 

We dive into how Penny Newman is both advancing soil health through innovative inputs, and working to transform their legacy business.

Their unconventional approach challenges some of the received wisdom in regener...

Mitchell is a 7th-generation Iowa farmer and the Founder/CEO of Continuum Ag, a soil health data intelligence company. He’s one of the leading evangelists for scoring crops according to their Carbon Intensity as a measure of climate impact that’s strongly aligned with how producers operate.

Mitchell shares his journey into regenerative agriculture, starting from his seventh-generation family farm in Iowa and discussing how early mi...

Matt Rohlik is the Managing Director of Sales and Strategic Partnerships at ARVA Intelligence. 

ARVA plays a key role in the “insetting market” – the market for ecosystem assets *inside* companies’ supply chains. This is a crucial tool for ag-dependent companies to decarbonize their supply chains, which make up a significant amount of their total emissions – in most cases, more than 50%.

Matt has a deeply informed insider’s per...

We kick off the podcast with a fantastic overview of the interlocking pieces of the puzzle of financing soil health transition.

We delve into how farmers, lenders, insurers, and companies across the ag value chain are adjusting to regenerative practices, and the systemic challenges they face in transitioning to climate-smart practices.

Maggie Monast is the Senior Director of Climate-Smart Agriculture at the Environmental ...