Episode #78: Adam Chappell
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Adam Chappell is a regenerative grower and cover crop advocate from Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Adam started growing with his dad and brother on their 7,500 acre property in 2005, but by 2009 pigweed issues alone had nearly pushed them into bankruptcy. Knowing there had to be a better way, Adam began educating himself about the power of regenerative agriculture, implementing a cover cropping strategy that he claims saved the family farm. Today, Adam\\u2019s operation grows a variety of broadacre crops and continues to make strides in ecological health and crop performance.
Throughout their conversation, Adam and AEA Founder John Kempf discuss:
- Adam\\u2019s start in agriculture and how cover cropping brought the farm \\u201cfrom the brink of bankruptcy to a profitable enterprise.\\u201d
- \\xa0Adam\\u2019s current methodologies for crop rotation and cover cropping.
- How the adoption of regenerative practices has contributed to improved profitability.
- Adam\\u2019s background in entomology and ecology and the shifts in insect populations he has seen over time.
- Questioning the necessity of soil testing and becoming wary of \\u201csales tools.\\u201d
- Implementing Dr. Norman Lupo\\u2019s root intensification method and other row spacing strategies.
- \\xa0Livestock integration and the story of Adam\\u2019s first purchase of cattle.
- Why Adam\\u2019s goals for the future include \\u201cgetting smaller.\\u201d