Holy Crop! It's Farmageddon

In this episode of Holy Crop! It’s Farmageddon , Norwegian-American permaculture grower and seed saver Andrew McMillion tells the story of leaving a decade in tech (Apple, Ireland and the US) to build a life in soil and seeds outside Oslo. We talk Norway’s seed sovereignty crisis, KVANN’s seed-saving network, why clover and canopy cover matter, and how small farms can become living “seed sanctuaries”. Read more about this episode on our website: www.jordfestival.com/blog & https://jordfestival.com/podcast/

Prof. Dr. Jens Dauber (Head of the Institute of Biodiversity at Germany’s Thünen Institute) joins Holy Crop! It’s Farmageddon to unpack what biodiversity-friendly farming really looks like in practice. We talk the surprising biodiversity impact of farmland abandonment, how no-till and permanent soil cover support soil life, why landscapes need 10–20% semi-natural habitat, and what living labs can teach us about collaboration between farmers and researchers. We also explore tech like AI laser weeders - and why technology alone won’t change agriculture without a shift in incentives and mindset.Read more on our website at www.jordfestival.com/blog and follow us on social media ‪@JordFestival‬

Soil health educator and Soil Health Academy co-founder Doug Voss joins Holy Crop! It’s Farmageddon from Minnesota to argue that soil health is less a technical problem than a mindset problem. We talk why carbon is the currency, what you can learn with a shovel test, how integrating animals changes everything, and why the first step is often to stop doing what isn’t working - before buying something to fix it.Doug Voss is a regenerative agriculture educator and consultant based in Minnesota, and the co-founder of the Soil Health Academy. He works with farmers to rebuild soil function through biology-first principles, practical observation, and systems thinking. Read more on our website at www.jordfestival.com/blog and follow us on social media ‪@JordFestival‬ Sources mentioned in this episode: - Soil Health Academy (n.d.) Home - Soil Health Academy. Available at: https://soilhealthacademy.org/. - U.S. Drought Monitor (n.d.) Data Tables | U.S. Drought Monitor. Available at: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataTables.aspx?state,mn. - Trading Economics (n.d.) Eggs US - Price - Chart - Historical Data - News. Available at: https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/eggs-us.

Andrew Millison is a permaculture educator, documentary filmmaker, and professor at Oregon State University, where he has taught permaculture since 2009. His work documents regenerative agriculture and ecosystem restoration projects around the world, and his YouTube channel has reached 100 million+ views. Andrew also runs the philanthropic Earth Repair Fund, supporting land restoration through storytelling and crowdfunding. Permaculture educator and documentary filmmaker Andrew Millison joins Holy Crop! It’s Farmageddon from Oregon to break down what permaculture actually is - and why it matters right now for farmers in Norway and beyond. We talk regenerative land design, fertiliser and diesel dependency, water harvesting that rebuilds aquifers, resilience through diversity, and what it means to “create a good ruin” that benefits the landscape for generations. We also get into heritage seeds, why Andrew is cautious about GMOs, and how community-driven projects (and even village competitions) can restore ecosystems at scale. More information can be found on our website: www.jordfestival.com/blog

Daniel and Michael (co-founders of JordFestival) talk about some of the issues with the Norwegian food system and the trend of farms closing. How does the economics work, and what is the LM3 model?And what about security? With Norway relying so heavily on imported food... Complete episode coming soon!