The First Presentation will focus on the new regenerative microbial systems that are successfully being applied to sustainable agriculture. As a nonprofit professional support service, the Living Earth Foundation will be providing trained specialists working directly onsite with conventional farmers & ranchers offering guidance on how to best apply regenerative principles and practices, which includes: a) quickly cleansing and detoxifying contaminated topsoils in order to qualify for organic certification; b) restoring the health & resilience of the soil’s dynamic food web; c) increasing the fungal-to-bacterial ratios to steadily improve the soil’s fertility and profitability; d) improving the soil absorbency for dramatic water savings; and e) offering the fastest and most cost-effective means for sequestering airborne carbons back into the soil.
The Second Presentation will be offered by the CEO of Agromin, one of the largest compost
recycling companies in the nation. Bill Camarillo will be speaking on the importance of creating high-quality composting systems by turning green wastes into valuable organic fertilizers that are thriving with beneficial microbes and bioavailable nutrients. The most important component to regenerative agriculture is the ability to produce fungal-rich composts in high volumes that will quickly cleanse the soil of contaminants and assist in rebuilding the soil’s dynamic food web. As the fungal-to-bacterial ratios steadily increase, the health and fertility of the soil will progressively increase the yield volumes and profitability.
The Third Presentation will be provided by the owner of one of the best-known farms in the US – the “Biggest Little Farm” located on the foothills of Apricot Lane near Moorpark, CA. John Chester will share his visions, hopes, challenges, harsh realities, and sequential successes over the last 11 years in learning how to live and farm in harmony with nature. He will review how to restore the health and resiliency of the soil and create a biodiverse environment for producing the highest quality foods possible. By applying the core principles of regenerative organic and biodynamic agriculture, John will share how their farm is entering into new territory where the learning curve has been steadily going up in discovering what biodiverse systems work the best.
Speakers
James McMath, President, Living Earth Foundation
James McMath earned an MBA from the University of Oregon in Public Administration with a minor in International Studies. He went on to become the youngest administrator with the City of Portland working for the highly acclaimed Downtown Redevelopment Project. James worked on numerous health and revitalization programs during his administrative tenure with the city. When learning about beneficial microbes being used to clean up polluted environments, he quickly changed careers and began working in the field of regenerative organics over 20 years ago. Most recently, James created the nonprofit Living Earth Foundation offering professional support services working directly onsite with conventional farmers and ranchers providing step-by-step guidance on how to quickly and profitably transition to organic certification.
Bill Camarillo, CEO, Agromin
Bill Camarillo is the CEO of one of the largest compost recycling services in the nation. Over 30 years ago, Bill and his wife Darlene decided to make a career change and purchased Agromin, a small recycling company based in Oxnard. Understanding the importance of turning wastes into valuable renewable resources, they set out to create a premium model for biodegradable resource management. Combined with steady hard work, quality controls, and reasonable pricing, their primary focus has been to create “living soil” that is thriving with beneficial microbes that help to nourish the plants, conserve water usage, prevent soil depletion, decrease chemical usage, and reduce greenhouse gasses.
John Chester, Farmer & Filmmaker
John Chester is an accomplished filmmaker who has won 5 Emmy Awards for his documentary works. In 2011, John and his wife Mollie decided to buy an abandoned farm that was badly contaminated from excessive agrochemical applications. Their goal was to create a thriving biodiverse haven that worked in close partnership with all of nature’s handyworks, but they soon learned that these interlinking complexities weren’t always so easy to understand or implement. In 2018, John produced the highly acclaimed documentary film “The Biggest Little Farm” about the challenges, hardships, and successes of fulfilling their dream. John will share new insights after 11 years of painstakingly learning how to grow premium organic foods that replenish the earth.