Join Justin Wylie and Amy Rial for an insightful conversation about Justin’s focus on soil health in his transition to sustainable, regenerative farming practices on his pistachio orchards.
“Whether you're conventional,
organic, or regenerative,
you need to know your own soil.”
You’ll Discover How To
Avoid setbacks when modifying your growing practices
Reduce dependences on inputs, including nitrogen
Increase the microbial abundance in your soil
Save water while decreasing tree stress
“Filling up your soil with microbial abundance will help with the transition from conventional to a diverse microbial system. If we could inoculate our soils with microalgae, this would jumpstart all of the other microbial growth in the soils”
Key Takeaways:
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Justin Wylie’s journey to improve the soil health on his family farm
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The vital importance of soil health in pistachio growing
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Practical solutions to common challenges with sustainable approaches
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Biological approaches to soil health
- Microalgae's role as the basis of the soil food web
- The importance of microbial abundance in the soil to build the soil food web and improve nutrient cycling and availability
- Downfalls of bottled “bugs in a jug”
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Justin’s experience with flooding and his trees’ phenomenal recovery from phytophthora
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Water savings and decreased tree stress from improved soil health and function
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The shift in mentality from optimum production to profitability
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The power of soil health in building resilience to weather events and pests
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A younger generation’s return to farming with biological practices in mind
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The parallel between human health and the way we farm
Meet the Hosts
Justin Wylie
Regenerative Grower
Farm Manager
Justin is a fifth generation farmer and partner at Wiley Farms, a family business specializing in regenerative farm management of pistachios, almonds, and citrus. Justin also serves on the American Pistachio Growers sustainability committee.
Amy Rial
CCA, Agronomist
Senior Agriculture Researcher, MyLand
Amy is an agronomist and CCA with 10 years in the agricultural industry. At MyLand, Amy assists with research that showcases the success of our growers. She was recently honored on the Fruit & Vegetable 40 Under 40 list.
“The way we're going to thrive and survive in agriculture, especially in our industry in California, is going to be with regenerative agriculture.”