Bionutrient Food Association

Soil & Nutrition Conference Archive

The annual Soil & Nutrition Conference is the premier conference in the Northeast connecting the dots between healthy soils, healthy people, and a healthy planet, while fostering connectedness among conference attendees. Available below for are the selected recordings of the presenters, as well as other presentation materials where available.

2019 Soil & Nutrition Conference: Catalyzing a Regenerative Future

2018 Soil & Nutrition Conference: Regenerating Vitality: Realizing Nature's Potential

2017 Soil & Nutrition Conference: Growing the Movement Around Food Quality

2016 Soil & Nutrition Conference (December): Cultivating Synergy to Put Nutrition & Flavor Back on the Table

2016 Soil & Nutrition Conference (February): Nurturing Nature for Food Quality

Plenary Sessions

Opening Panel: Why Does Food Quality Demand Our Attention?audio

How can we increase quality in the food supply? Perspectives from a farmer, a chef, a food systems specialist, an ag extension specialist and a produce supply chain expert will frame our conference dialog.

Panelists: Derek Christianson, Chef Peter Davis, Marydale DeBor, Matthew Kleinhenz, and Todd Drickel
Facilitator: Todd Oppenheimer

Morning Plenary Session: 
The Pre-Harvest Quality Equationaudio

This 3-part session illuminates how crop genetics, agronomic practices and environmental factors all influence food quality, and will highlight approaches that hold promise to restore nutrition and flavor.
Plant Breeding To Improve Both Quality and Yield – the Impossible Dream?

Phil Simon, PhD, USDA-ARS, University of Wisconsin

Soil Health is the Foundation of Agriculture

Jill Clapperton, PhD, Principal Scientist & Co-founder, Rhizoterra

Food Quality & the Environment: How Is Climate Change Creating Food Quality Concerns In the U.S. Food System?

Laura Lengnick, PhD, Author of "Resilient Agriculture"

Morning Plenary Session: 
An Exploration of Phytochemicals and the Gut Microbiome audio|video1|video2 (ppts)|video3 (questions)|video4 (questions)

A Phytochemical Primer: What They Are, Why They Matter, and the Role of Agriculture

Joe Scheerens, PhD, Ohio State University

Thriving vs. Surviving: Phytonutrients as Currency for Human Health

Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

Optimizing Health Through Cultivation of the Gut Microbiome

Kathie Swift, MS, RD, LDN, FAND

Keynote: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavoraudio|video

Mark Schatzker, Author of "The Dorito Effect"

Afternoon Plenary: The Farmer as Healer: Local, High Quality Food as a Game Changer in Healthcareaudio|video

Marydale DeBor, CEO, Fresh Advantage, Founder, Plow to Plate

Closing Plenary: Biological Management for Food Qualityaudio|video1|video2

Dan Kittredge, Farmer, Founder & Exec Director, Bionutrient Food Association
Workshops

New Times, New Tools: Cultivating Climate Resilience on Your Farmaudio|video

Laura Lengnick, PhD, Author of "Resilient Agriculture"

Assessing Quality Throughout the Season: Brix & Other Metricsaudio

Matt Kleinhenz, PhD, Ohio State University

Maximize Fruit and Seed Quality and Vigor for Better Yieldsaudio

John Kempf, Founder & CEO, Advancing Eco Agriculture

Strategies for No-Till and Low-Till Vegetable Productionaudio

Dan Kittredge, Farmer, Founder & Exec Director, BFA

Eco-Efficiency: Building and Maintaining Soil Tilth From Withinaudio

Will Bonsall, Farmer & Author

Be Your Own Soil Balancing Consultant: Soil Tests & Mineral Mathaudio

David Forster, Agronomy Consultant, BFA

Epigenetics and the Science of Nutrition and Lifestyle Changeaudio|video

Mark C. Pettus, MD, FACP, Director of Medical Education, Wellness and Population Health, Berkshire Health Systems

Prompting Plant Quality Changes Through Soil Inoculationaudio|video

Kevin Panke-Buisse, PhD, Cornell University

Advanced Seed Saving: Biennialism and Pollination Controlaudio

Will Bonsall, Farmer & Author

A Natural Approach to the New England Apple Orchardaudio|video

Linda Hoffman, Orchardist, Artist and Author

Maximizing Small-Area Production: Intensive Beds, Companions and 3-D Spacingaudio

Will Bonsall, Farmer & Author

Encouraging Pollinatorsaudio|video

Charlotte Trim, Beekeeper, Orchardist, Soil Consultant

Mid-Season Corrections: A Guide to Foliar Spray Selection & Applicationaudio|video

Derek Christianson, Brix Bounty Farm, Dartmouth, MA

Integrating Permaculture & Biological Farming for Small Acreage Productivityaudio|video

Jonathan Bates, Food Forest Farm, "Paradise Lot" co-author, and David Forster

2015 Soil & Nutrition Conference: Farm as Ecosystem
with John Slack, Derek Christianson, Mark Fulford, Bryan O'Hara and Dan Kittredge

Presenters this year are John Slack of Boreal Agrominerals, Inc., Ontario, Canada, Derek Christianson of Brix Bounty Farm, Mark Fulford of Teltane Farm, Monroe, ME, Bryan O'Hara of Tobacco Road Farm, Lebanon, CT, and Dan Kittredge of Bionutrient Food Association.

This year's conference is filled with valuable, useful, and time tested information for growers and consultants seeking to expand their growing skills with proven strategies, invaluable guidelines to improve production and profitability on your farm, improve your health and vitality, and increase your likelihood of achieving continued success and viability during a period of time of increased extreme weather conditions, from droughts to high rain fall amounts.

Audio (.mp3): Accompanying slide presentations (.pdf):

2014 Soil & Nutrition Conference
with Graeme Sait and Joel Williams

Featuring Graeme Sait, author of “Nutrition Rules”, and founder of Nutri-Tech Solutions – a world leader in biological agriculture, and Joel Williams, a talented young agronomist and international consultant who co-presents at many of Graeme's seminars around the world.

This year's conference aims to grow the movement for enhancing soil fertility as a basis for the long-term ecological and economic sustainability of farming, the environment, and society as a whole. For growers and consultants seeking to expand their growing skills with cutting edge strategies, to learn about building healthy, disease-free soils and resilient, problem-free crops.

Audio (.mp3): Accompanying slide presentations (.pdf):

2013 Soil & Nutrition Conference: Putting Principles into Practice
with John Kempf, Dan Kittredge and Derek Christianson

Featured presenters are John Kempf of Advancing Eco-Agriculture, Dan Kittredge and Derek Christianson of Brix Bounty Farm.

Our second annual conference aims to grow the movement for enhancing soil fertility as a basis for the long-term ecological and economic sustainability of farming, the environment, and society as a whole. The focus of this year’s conference is applying practical management strategies on the farm from principles of biological soil fertility. Below are audio recordings of the event, and accompanying slide presentation materials.

Audio (.mp3): Accompanying slide presentations (.pdf):

2012 Soil & Nutrition Conference: An Education and Coalition-Building Conference
with John Kempf, Jack Lazor, Doug Flack, Bryan O'Hara, Derek Christianson, Dan Kittredge & friends

The first annual Soil & Nutrition conference, featuring speakers Dan Kittredge, John Kempf, Jack Lazor of Butterworks Farm, VT, Dan Holmes, Doug Flack, Bryan O'Hara, Stephen Storch, Derek Christianson and Julie Rawson.