EP.15, Learning How to Farm Again, $1.5M in Worm Castings!?🪱+💩=💰

Welcome to the SoilCraft Regen Agronomy Podcast! In this powerful episode, Denver Black sits down with Craig Harding at Riverside Farm in Zambia to unpack what it really means to “learn how to farm again.”

After years of intensive input-based systems, Craig finds himself in a whole new world—where fungicides are gone, synthetic nitrogen is slashed, worms are working overtime, and fields are literally growing inches of new topsoil.

What caused this radical shift? A regenerative system rooted in biology, humility, and alignment with the Creator’s design.

🌾 IN THIS EPISODE:

✅ Craig’s journey from rigid crop programs to real-time field intuition

✅ Why his $1.2 million worth of worm castings may be more valuable than a fertilizer shed

✅ What it means when your drill sinks too deep—because your soil is too rich!

✅ How 32% wheat protein came with no basal fertilizer and half the nitrogen

✅ Why legumes may be holding your soil-building efforts back

✅ The difference between “available” and “soluble” nutrients—and why it matters

✅ Can dryland farmers do this too? YES—and maybe they must

🧠 BIG IDEAS:

• Regeneration isn’t just conservation—it’s a biological cascade
• No-till without biology = slow progress
• The real question isn’t can we eliminate fertilizer, but can we build soil so it eliminates the need itself
• Farming is no longer about “what to kill”—it’s about what to feed
• Legumes might not be the soil builders we think they are when grown alone

📊 NUTRIENT VALUE BREAKDOWN:

From just 2 inches of worm castings, Denver and Craig measure:

• 🧪 320 lbs/ac Nitrogen
• 🧪 1,000 lbs/ac P₂O₅
• 🧪 3,840 lbs/ac Calcium
• 🌿 All biologically available—not leaching, not burning, just there when the plant needs it

📣 TAKEAWAYS:

This isn’t theory. This is real change. Real savings. Real soil wealth.

“We’re not spraying 5 fungicides anymore. We’re spraying biology.”“I didn’t just have to relearn fertilizer—I had to relearn farming entirely.”“We used to plant in bricks. Now we’re planting on a worm farm.”

If you’re wondering what’s possible with regenerative agriculture—especially in arid, tropical, or high-value cropping systems—this is your episode.

👥 JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

We're not here to push a silver bullet. We're here to build a system. One that works where you are. So share your questions, challenges, and stories—we’re listening. 🙏

📍 Learn more or connect with us at SoilCraft.com

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