Simeon Kleinsasser is a young soil scientist with a background in engineering who is passionate about helping farmers, ranchers and greens keepers transition their land to regenerative practices utilizing the 6 principles of regenerative farming. He specializes in providing on-the-farm solutions to help the grower produce their own fertility onsite instead of subscribing to yearly applications from other sources. After graduating high school, where he won two national awards for innovative compost heat extraction systems, he went on to start an engineering training in New York. Simultaneously he started the Soil Food Web program and eventually transferred out of engineering to pursue a degree in plant science. This combination of engineering and plant science background helped him work with Hiwassee Products on developing their Bio-Extractor. Simeon has used the equipment he helped developed to help growers and turf professionals transform their management practices to reduce or eliminate the need for chemical inputs by promoting a healthy soil which is therefore able to resist adverse conditions and diseases. His favorite quote is from Rick Clark because it provides the context that is needed to switch from the safety net of conventional agriculture to the new world of regenerative. “If you are not uncomfortable with what you are doing, then you are not trying hard enough to change.”

Workshop Time: Tuesday, Feb 6, 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Workshop Title: Regenerative Farming, Composting, Teas, Vermicomposting, and DNA Sequencing

Workshop Description: This workshop will explain the complementary nature of composting, lawn care and regeneratve farming. We will share our experience with the application of compost and extracts on regeneratve farms, including how to use vermicompost to enhance the microbial content of other composts. We will explain why microbes are important to agriculture, and how to evaluate them with microscopes and hand-held DNA sequencers. Hands-on demonstrations will include a continuous flow vermi-composter, compost extractor, microscope, and DNA sequencer. We will include case studies of small/midsize-scale compost/extract/vermicompost production in regenerative farming and lawn care.