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The Peter Byck Show

Peter Byck

Peter Byck, director of "Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there" hosts in-depth and personal conversations withscientists, farmers, educators, artists, and intriguing individuals worldwide.

For the past two years, we’ve been traveling the world with Roots So Deep — and filming a brand-new podcast along the way.

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S1 · E15
September 17 · 1 hr 2 min
Regenerative Beef, Chicken, Eggs, Pigs, and Wine in South Africa
During a tour of regenerative grazers in South Africa, we met with inspiring farmers and ranchers working with nature to heal their soils and feed their communities. Farmers like today's guest: Angus McIntosh. Angus had a promising career as a stockbroker with Goldman Sachs in London that he left behind to take up farming and raise his family back home in South Africa. In 2008, he discovered regenerative agriculture when he read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and learned about the work Joel Salatin was doing over at Polyface Farms. He never looked back. Now, Angus manages “Farmer Angus” - 650 hectares , or over 1,600 acres for us Americans - dedicated to regenerative agriculture producing regenerative cattle, chickens, eggs, pigs, cured meat, carbon credits, and wine. We discuss what drove Angus to return to South Africa, the successes and challenges he’s faced over almost two decades of work on the farm, his concerns with industrialized vegan foods, and the bright future he sees as more and more farmers all across the world focus on soil health. "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E14
August 19 · 59 min
Can regenerative agriculture work in Australia? Dr. Terry McCosker says YES.
We're often asked if regenerative agriculture can work outside of the wet and warm Southeastern United States. The short answer is, it works all across the globe. During a tour of Australia, Peter had the honor of meeting regenerative ranchers restoring their soils in seriously dry conditions including our guest today, the one and only Terry McCosker - an Australian ranching teacher with decades of experience helping Ozzie graziers learn to work with nature. Over the decades, Terry has faced government persecution and professional isolation as he fought to educate Australian ranchers about the power of soil health, and the potential high intensity grazing has to transform landscapes and lives. Terry's story starts as a young boy on a dairy farm in Queensland, where he experienced how painfully entwined local farming can be with international trade. He'll share how his life led from working as a biologist and airplane pilot to a grazer and finally, to a leading voice in the Australian regenerative movement. Along the way, we'll learn about how regenerative agriculture arrived in Australia, the challenges he faced spreading the message over the decades, new breakthroughs in our understanding of the relationship between microbial life and living roots that feed the plants that feed the animals that feed us, and how AMP grazing fits into his world. "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
July 17 · 23 min
"camp AMP" a year later
Watch "camp AMP" - https://youtu.be/g8g6iwmjSLU Watch the carbon cowboys films - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9sL-T7FNhj1Qpo2ewfDV8rnex7dbKegU Stars of the eleventh carbon cowboys short film “camp AMP” have been hard at work the past year in their efforts to bring regenerative grazing practices to millions of acres of land surrounding our military bases. Watch the latest “drop in” episode of The Peter Byck Show now on Youtube to learn what they’ve been up to the past year, the impact of our film “camp AMP” on their efforts, and the important work they do with veterans leaving the service who are interested in transitioning to regenerative agriculture! "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E13
June 22 · 59 min
Can the Farm Bill Build Soil Health?
A year ago, we started The Peter Byck Show with Roots So Deep scientist, educator, and force of nature Dr. Allen Williams. In his first episode, Dr. Williams discussed the limitations of current agricultural research, the incredible impact working with nature can have, and what growing food on healthy soils means for our quality of life. In this week's episode, we continue the conversation by asking: How do we take things to the next level? During the conversation, Dr. Williams discusses the potential power of the Farm Bill, how crop insurance holds farmers back, the need for serious education, how working with nature supports national security, and the impact of mono-crops on a farmer's bottomline. We hope you enjoy this episode! Next month we go international! "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E12
May 7 · 39 min
Grassland Birds Need Grass with Mike McGraw
Do you miss the sounds of quail and other birds? Peter sits down with Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there) fan favorite bird specialist Mike McGraw for a wide-ranging conversation about their ten-year, ten-million-dollar research project to explore the impact of regenerative grazing practices on farmland in the Southeastern United States. As an ecologist and avid birder from Philadelphia, Mike found himself bonding with farmers throughout the Southeast as their passion for birds built common ground. Here in the US, more than half of all grassland birds have disappeared over the last 50 years, and every farmer we’ve talked to misses them. From bobwhite quail to bobolinks to meadowlarks, birds bring everyone together. Their presence, or absence, tells an important story about the overall health of any ecosystem. When farmers work with nature, they not only increase their profits and improve their quality of life, they build thriving habitats for native birds that everyone loves. From robust insect populations to feast on, to native grasses for nesting, diverse pastures create the conditions grassland birds need to thrive. We hope you enjoy this conversation about the power of grazing to restore our native bird populations, the way regenerative agriculture refills a farmer’s soil bank account, and why the science always came first while filming our four-part docuseries following maverick scientists and farmers working to improve their soils, lives, and communities! "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E11
April 10 · 51 min
Cattle Can Be Heroes, The Real Climate Warmer is Soil Erosion with Jason Rowntree
Meet Jason Rowntree, the "city boy from Houston raised by a dentist" who became a world-class cattle expert and groundbreaking research innovator. In this episode of The Peter Byck Show, Peter Byck dives deep with Jason, one of the key scientists from the Roots So Deep science team, on the science, economics, and nuance of regenerative grazing. Jason moves beyond a polarizing "grain versus grass" debate, emphasizing that great grass-finished beef marbling comes down to energy and management. As a serious scientist, Jason focuses on the nuance of the research behind Roots So Deep, and shares some of the very real challenges studying nature can pose. His massive new project tracks ecological function (carbon, water, and greenhouse gases) across a spectrum of 30 intensive sites across the US to better inform supply chains and ranchers. Like Peter, he believes solid data is key to driving real change. We hope you enjoy this wide ranging conversation that covers everything from nutrient density to water sequestration to fly fishing in the latest episode of The Peter Byck Show! "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E10
March 19 · 45 min
Ray Archuleta USDA Scientist Learned to Work with Nature
Ray Archuleta, featured in documentaries like Kiss The Ground and Common Ground, spent decades as a USDA employee working with farmers and ranchers. Despite his long career in the traditional system, which he describes as attempting to "manipulate, force, and control nature," Ray grew discouraged. He witnessed persistent soil erosion and struggling farmers. His perspective shifted dramatically when he encountered regenerative farmers such as Allen Williams, Gabe Brown, and Neil Dennis—the subjects of our short film soil carbon cowboys. This meeting was a revelation, providing the answers he had been seeking. Though convinced, he spent years at the USDA wishing his colleagues would recognize the potential of this new approach. Ray sat down with Peter to share his journey in regenerative agriculture, discuss the rapid soil improvement he has observed, and articulate his deep, spiritual belief in treating nature with respect. "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E9
February 23 · 45 min
The Bottlenecks for Regenerative Ag with Jon Lundgren
Peter sits down with Dr. Jon Lundgren, an ambitious scientist and a farmer who has been part of our team since 2013, when he worked with Peter to assemble the research team featured in the docuseries Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there). Dr. Lundgren is an agroecologist, Director of the ECDYSIS Foundation, and CEO for Blue Dasher Farm. He received his PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois in 2004, and was a top scientist with USDA-ARS for 11 years before resigning to focus on alternate agricultural practices. Jon’s work focuses on the alarming loss of biodiversity on farm land, including critical pollinators and other insect life. As he says “That system is collapsing, and what's replacing it is exactly what you're talking about. It's farming with a connection to the natural world. It's farming with a connection to family and to community in ways that the industrialized food system really pulled out. We're going to be able to offset all of our carbon emissions using our food system while increasing life on the planet,as well as reversing desertification and improving the resilience of our rural communities and human health problems.” Through the years, Jon taught Peter a lot. And there's one elemental thing he'll never forget. That farmers are the true scientists, and that the Roots So Deep science team was there only to measure what the farmers were doing and not get in their way. Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E8
February 23 · 37 min
Who funded us? Did it influence our results? with Marion Nestle
In this episode of The Peter Byck Show, Peter sits down with well known critic of Big Ag research Marion Nestle, a beacon of scrutiny when it comes to keeping a sharp eye on food industry funded research. Marion Nestle is Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University (NYU), and Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University. In 2019, Peter reached out to Marion to see what she would think about our AMP grazing research that you see in “Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there)”. We sought funding from big food, clothing, and even oil companies, figuring they should all help pay to get the carbon out of the air where it's become a problem, and into our soils, where it offers a ton of solutions. We knew that would invite pushback, which is why we worked with skeptics and critics from the beginning to ensure our methods - and our results - would stand up to the strictest scrutiny. In this episode, Peter and Marion discuss our goals, our funders, and our approach behind our $10 million research budget. You can read all of our funding history here: https://rootssodeep.org/amp-research/funding-sources-for-research-and-documentary Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
February 16 · 18 min
Drop-in #4: Can Regenerative Cheeseburgers Help the Climate?
We met regenerative rancher, consultant, and entrepreneur Silas Hedley-Lawrence after he found himself in an online debate with journalist George Monibiot - who believes animal agriculture must come to an end no matter how the cattle are raised. Our community knows cattle raised through AMP grazing are actually a benefit to the world, and Silas has seen the power of these regenerative practices first-hand on his farm and the farms of his clients. We hope you enjoy this conversation about the data of regenerative agriculture, Silas' experiences teaching these practices to farmers all over the world, and the development of the first regenerative Smash Burger! To learn more about Silas, check out the following sites: Grassfed Farmer: https://www.grassfedfarmer.com Cotswald Cattle Company: https://www.cotswoldcattle.com Old Salt Co-Op: https://www.oldsaltco-op.com Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E7
February 10 · 1 hr 2 min
Fred Provenza: Healthy Soils, Healthy Animals, Healthy People
Author, professor, and leader Fred Provenza has been studying how animals balance their own diets when given a choice. Over the course of 300 research papers, he has helped illustrate the fact that everything is connected - from the health of our soils to the health of plant life to the health of livestock to human health. He has authored three books, including “Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom”, “Foraging Behavior: Managing to Survive in a World of Change”, and “The Art & Science of Shepherding: Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders” - we encourage you to look them up! It is a joy to see the world the way Fred does. In this wide ranging conversation, Fred and Peter discuss the importance of soil health, the connection between the health of our foods and our own thriving, and the challenges facing a world that overlooks how interconnected things truly are. Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
February 2 · 8 min
Drop-in #3: Oil Well In Reverse - Closing the Carbon Cycle Using the Carbon Cycle with Russ Conser
In our third drop-in for The Peter Byck Show, Peter and Russ Conser discuss Russ’s epiphany around soil health after meeting Peter over a decade ago. As Russ said then, AMP grazing is like an oil well in reverse. Instead of extracting and burning carbon, regenerative grazers draw down carbon and incorporate it into the soil system. As Russ says “putting it back to work, investing it in the business of life.” After a long career in the oil and gas industry searching for carbon-rich “source rocks” that indicated rich deposits, Russ immediately saw the correlation between those ancient deposits and the carbon-rich soil of AMP grazers. As Russ says, “this is the way nature works!” Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E6
January 27 · 45 min
Happy Cows with Roots So Deep's Dr. Janice Swanson
We already know regenerative practices work all around the globe leading to healthier food, better farmer finances, stronger local communities, and a brighter future. But what about the animals? Are they better off? In this episode of The Peter Byck Show, Peter catches up with “Roots So Deep” science team member Dr. Janice Swanson. Dr. Swanson has provided scientific service to government, industry and scientific animal welfare advisory committees including: the United Egg Producers, McDonalds, Food Marketing Institute, Bob Evans, Darden, Leprino Foods and Tysons. She was co-chair of the scientific revision leading to the third edition of the Federation of Animal Science Societies Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching, chairs the taskforce charged with the annual review and revision of the Michigan Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices for the Care of Farm Animals administered under the Michigan Right to Farm Act, and recently served as the scientific co-director of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply Project. As a Co-Principal Investigator for our Roots So Deep research team, Janice observed the animal welfare on all five of our farm pairs - and discovered yet another benefit to AMP grazing: healthier, happier animals. When livestock are allowed to live lives in harmony with nature, we can all feel better about where our food is coming from. We’ve even heard from vegans that say this kind of animal agriculture is something they can support! Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E5
Sep 11, 2025 · 53 min
How CNN's Bill Weir Learned it's Not the Cow, it's the How
Way back in 2023, CNN's Bill Weir reported on the launch of the Hometown Roadshow. As the chief climate correspondent, Bill had heard lots of folks claim cows were "eco-villains." Luckily, he was open minded enough to listen to the most recent research. Over the years, Bill has been a consistent champion of regenerative agriculture - even including it in his book "Life As We Know It (Can Be)." We often hear the question "how do we make regenerative agriculture mainstream?" We think voices like Bill's, supported by serious science and storytelling, is a big part of that puzzle. Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E4
Aug 6, 2025 · 44 min
Love of Small Farmers Radicalized James Rebanks
James Rebanks loves small farmers, and the struggles they face break his heart. That’s why he wants every farmer to know the incredible benefits of AMP grazing. James' books "The Shepherd's Life", "English Pastoral", and "The Place of Tides" have encouraged farmers from all over the world to consider working with nature. But did you know he counts legends like Allen Williams, Greg Judy, and Gabe Brown as his mentors? As a multi-generational shepherd from the UK raising cattle and sheep on his ancestral land with new techniques, James has become a powerful champion of AMP grazing all over the world. During Peter's conversation, James shares his passion for rural communities, the challenges we face spreading our shared message of hope, and just how incredible life can be when you work with nature instead of fighting it. NOTE: We had a few production hiccups, so you may see a few jump cuts within the video version of this podcast. Thanks in advance for being forgiving! Enjoy this episode? Be sure to check out the rest of the series here on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9sL-T7FNhj0jVKYlwbbDidIIS0MzIEX4 Join our community on Discord! https://discord.com/invite/VWQHSzkJXS Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
Aug 6, 2025 · 9 min
Drop-in #2: Insets, Outsets, and the State of Carbon Markets with Russ Conser
In a noisy market, what will actually lead to farmer wealth and soil health? In our second drop-in with “Roots So Deep” science team member Russ Conser, Peter and Russ discuss the difference between outsets and insets in carbon markets as the world works to value and support better agricultural practices. You can learn more about Russ and the rest of the “Roots So Deep” science team on our website! https://rootssodeep.org/amp-research/science-team Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E3
Jul 18, 2025 · 57 min
Greg Judy, Regenerative Rancher: He’s Right - You Could Be Too.
Last Spring, Greg and his wife Jan invited Peter to screen “Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there)” near their home in Missouri, and Greg took the time to record a podcast all about Greg’s childhood growing up on the farm, his passion for new farmers making the leap to regenerative practices, and the stakes we face if we don’t improve our food systems. Peter met Greg over ten years ago at the Grassfed Exchange in 2014 during a field day on Green Pastures Farm - Greg and Jan Judy’s farm in Northern Missouri. As a disciple of Ian Mitchell-innes and early adopter of Teddy Gentry’s South Poll cattle breed, Greg has been working to educate farmers and ranchers about the benefits of working with nature all across the nation from his wildly successful Youtube channel. Through in-person field days and in-the-field instructional videos, Greg has inspired farmers and ranchers all around the world to step out of the debt trap of conventional agriculture and build successful businesses through healthy soils. We hope he inspires you too! Be sure to follow Greg on his YouTube channel if you aren’t already: https://www.youtube.com/@gregjudyregenerativerancher Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
Jun 26, 2025 · 11 min
Drop-in #1: How Soils Cycle Carbon with Russ Conser
Between longer episodes, we'll be sharing some shorter thoughts from great folks with interesting things to say. Our first drop-in is, as Peter says, "perfect because it's Russ Conser. Russ and I have known each other since March of 2013. If you've seen “Roots So Deep”, if you've seen the science in that, Russ is a key key key person in making that all happen. Russ is my science whisperer. " Here, Peter and Russ discuss the idea of carbon flow. As Russ says, "the people who think carbon is a pollutant, and other people who think carbon is plant food, they're both right. And so how do we bring that together?" You can learn more about Russ and the rest of the “Roots So Deep” science team on our website! https://rootssodeep.org/amp-research/science-team Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
S1 · E2
Jun 4, 2025 · 49 min
How I Met Gabe Brown, and What He's Doing Now
In Episode 2 of The Peter Byck Show, Peter sits down with Gabe Brown, the regenerative farming legend, co-founder of Understanding Ag, and star of “Kiss the Ground” and “Common Ground”, to discuss the need to regenerate - not just sustain - our soils, all over the world, at scale. Peter and Gabe first met when filming "soil carbon cowboys" in 2013 - the first of the original 10 carbon cowboys short films Peter made on AMP grazing. All 11 - including new short “camp AMP” - are now available free on YouTube on the carbon cowboys channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9sL-T7FNhj1Qpo2ewfDV8rnex7dbKegU As Gabe says in the interview, “’Soil carbon cowboys’ put me on a whole 'nother level... It really, for the first time, brought a number of us who are going down the same path, so to speak, together." Now, over a decade of friendship later, Peter met up with Gabe to discuss what he's now focused on, the state of our food systems, the importance of community, and the health implications of modern farming. Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."
May 2, 2025 · 17 min
Series Teaser: "Can Beef be a Health Food?" with Dr. Allen Williams
We've been traveling the world for the past two years sharing “Roots So Deep” - and filming a new podcast called The Peter Byck Show with incredible guests like Greg Judy, James Rebanks, Bill Weir, Gabe Brown, Dr. Allen Williams, and many more talking about all the ways soil health impacts our lives - and what we can do to heal our lands. Sign-up for our newsletter: https://rootssodeep.org/take-action/newsletter-sign-up Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carboncowboys/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carbon_cowboys "When you stand on healthy soil, there's a universe beneath your feet."

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