336 Kevin Wolz - Starting an agroforestry industry in the belly of the beast, the soy and corn monoculture heartland of the US Midwest

Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food

A conversation with Kevin Wolz, CEO of Canopy Farm Management and former founder of the Savanna Institute. Canopy provides tree planting and management services to farmers and landowners in the US Midwest. They establish perennial crops, timber plantings, conservation practices, and integrated agroforestry systems.

We have been talking about agroforestry systems and investing before (see link at the bottom of this page!): trees were the answer to whatever your question was. But how do you start an agroforestry industry right in the middle of the belly of the beast, the American Midwest, where corn and soy are everywhere, leases are 1 to 3 years, and there are no trees as far as the eye can see? And especially here, trees are needed, not as magical carbon sequestration tools but as climate adaptation, against erosion, wind breaks, to protect animals and crops, nutrient leaking into streams, and, of course, to produce a lot of food integrated into the fields. What does it take to build an agroforestry industry here? What about finance, equipment, planting, seedlings, tree nursery, harvesting, markets, and much more?

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The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.

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1. 336 Kevin Wolz - Starting an agroforestry industry in the belly of the beast, the soy and corn monoculture heartland of the US Midwest (00:00:00)

2. Why are you doing what you are doing? Why Soil? (00:02:30)

3. What should smart investors, who want to invest in reg ag and food look out for? (00:44:18)

4. What would you do if you were in charge of a 1B investment portfolio tomorrow morning? (00:47:37)

5. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing in the agriculture industry from a sustainability point of view, what would it be? (00:56:36)

6. What do you believe is true about regenerative agriculture that others don’t believe to be true? Inspired by John Kempf (01:02:20)