FoA 306: Reintegrating Livestock and Row Crops with Zack Smith of StockCropper

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Merck Animal Health Ventures! <a href= "https://www.merck-animal-health.com/animal-health-ventures/">https://www.merck-animal-health.com/animal-health-ventures/</a> <p>StockCropper website: <a href= "https://thestockcropper.com/">https://thestockcropper.com/</a></p> <p>StockCropper YouTube: <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/c/TheStockCropper">https://www.youtube.com/c/TheStockCropper</a></p> <p>Zack Smith Twitter: <a href= "https://twitter.com/zebulousprime">https://twitter.com/zebulousprime</a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today’s episode really speaks to the core of what this podcast is all about. We look at the current trajectory of where agriculture is headed, identify some of the negative outcomes associated with that trajectory, and explore how people and technology can play a role in creating a better future. I’m excited to share with you today’s conversation with farmer and Stockcropper co-founder Zack Smith.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’ve listened to the episode with Joe Bassett, or the recent episode with Paul Greive of Pasturebird, or if you spend any time on ag twitter or ag youtube, you probably have an idea of what the StockCropper is all about. But today’s episode goes deeper into why these types of innovations are important. We talk about consolidation in ag and its impact on rural communities. Zack shares about his journey into soil health and how that’s changed his operation and led him to the point that he felt it was critical that he find a way to incorporate animals onto his crop land. And we talk about these two diverging paths of being the low cost producer vs being a value added producer. A lot of great stuff in today’s episode. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It used to be common practice for farmers to raise a diverse mix of animals and crops in a somewhat integrated system. Over the years through technological and policy changes, most farmers became more specialized, and today the majority of our crops