In this episode of Field Notes from the Farm, we welcome Nora D’Antuono from the Ecdysis Foundation. She joined us at EBB Farms in western Kentucky, her team’s first chestnut orchard sampling site in the 1,000 Farms Initiative. Here, chestnut orchard regenerative agriculture shows up in real trees, real soil, and real farmer decisions.
First, Nora shares why she and the Ecdysis team are traveling the country to collect regenerative agriculture data. She explains why listening to farmers matters as much as measuring soil health, insects, birds, and biodiversity.
Next, Nora describes her first time in a chestnut orchard. She quickly saw how this perennial, low-input tree can support the future of food, farming, and climate resilience. She also shows what regenerative farming looks like in practice and why Ecdysis chose EBB Farms as a study site.
Meanwhile, Ecdysis, based at Blue Dasher Farm in South Dakota, leads one of the most ambitious regenerative studies yet. The team is sampling over 1,000 farms to help build a food system that works better for farmers, soil, ecosystems, and communities. In addition, Nora digs into chestnuts as a climate-smart, soil-building tree crop and what their data can unlock for agroforestry growers.
By the end of this episode, you will see how chestnut orchards, regenerative science, and farmer voices can move the next generation of agriculture.