This week on Modern Farming, we sit down with Zack Farr, Founder and CEO of Biotech Applied Research (BAR), to discuss how innovation is transforming agricultural and environmental challenges into opportunities.

As a third-generation citrus grower, Zack witnessed firsthand the struggles facing Florida agriculture and set out to create practical solutions. Through BAR, he is pioneering the use of biochar, a carbon-rich material produced from wood waste, to improve soil health, enhance water quality, sequester carbon, and support sustainable farming practices.

In this episode, Zack shares how one of the nation's first mobile biochar operations is bringing cutting-edge technology directly to farms and job sites, turning agricultural waste into valuable resources. He also discusses the importance of circular nutrient management, rural economic development, and creating "green collar" jobs that strengthen both local communities and the environment.

Join us for a conversation about the future of agriculture, the power of innovation, and how farmers can play a leading role in environmental stewardship.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Sonya Lee, president of Ag-Tronix, to talk about her work in agriculture and the new age of irrigation technology. From precision water management to fully automated irrigation systems, Sonya shares how innovation is transforming the agriculture industry and helping farmers use resources more efficiently. Tune in for an insightful conversation about sustainability, technology, and the future of farming.

What happens when mental health support looks less like a clinic and more like a thriving community? In this powerful episode of the Modern Farming Podcast, we sit down with Elizabeth Statzer, Director of Vincent House Pasco, to explore a unique and deeply impactful approach to mental health recovery through the internationally recognized Clubhouse Model. For more than 23 years, Vincent House Pasco has been serving adults ages 18 and older living with diagnosed mental illness, offering something many traditional settings struggle to provide: purpose, belonging, dignity, and meaningful connection. Located on a beautiful 10-acre campus in Pasco County, Vincent House is anything but clinical. Here, members choose how and when they participate, becoming active contributors in a community designed around empowerment rather than treatment alone. With just five staff members, the clubhouse depends on its members to help keep daily operations running, creating real opportunities to build confidence, responsibility, and job readiness. From preparing meals in the kitchen to helping care for the property, members are gaining practical life skills while forming friendships and finding renewed purpose. A standout part of the program is the greenhouse and garden, where growth happens in more ways than one. Elizabeth shares how gardening has become a transformative tool for healing, education, and connection. Members learn hands-on agricultural skills while also engaging in conversations about nutrition, food systems, and wellness. The harvest even helps shape the clubhouse menu, creating a meaningful farm-to-table experience that reinforces healthy habits and teamwork. In this episode, we discuss: • What the Clubhouse Model is and why it works • How purpose and peer connection support mental wellness • The role of job preparedness and life skills in recovery • How gardening creates healing, confidence, and community • Farm-to-table nutrition education in a mental health setting • Why non-clinical spaces can be life-changing for adults navigating mental illness This conversation is a meaningful reminder that agriculture can grow far more than food. It can grow confidence, community, and hope.

What if the secret to healthier plants, stronger yields, and more resilient growing systems starts with what’s happening beneath the surface? In this next installment of our Soil Health Series, Brad Turner of Sand to Soil Services returns to The Modern Farming Podcast to dig even deeper into the living world beneath our feet. This episode explores the biology that powers thriving growing systems and why healthy soil is far more than just dirt. Brad breaks down the role of compost, compost teas, beneficial microorganisms, inoculants, biostimulants, and even the surprising role fish can play in feeding healthy gardens. From using fish-based inputs as a natural nutrient source to feeding soil microbes with carbon-rich materials, this conversation connects the science of soil health to practical, real-world growing strategies that growers of all sizes can apply. Whether you're a farmer, gardener, educator, or simply curious about what makes plants truly thrive, this episode is packed with valuable insight. In This Episode, We Cover: • What makes a growing system truly thrive • The role of compost in building healthy soil biology • Compost teas and how they introduce beneficial life into the soil • Microorganisms and why they matter more than most growers realize • Biostimulants and the “food” that helps biology and plants perform • Inoculants and how targeted microbes support plant health • How fish-based fertilizers and inputs can naturally support garden growth • The connection between carbon, biology, and nutrient availability • Practical ways growers can improve soil function naturally Healthy plants start with healthy biology—and healthy biology starts in the soil.

In this week’s episode of The Modern Farming Podcast, we sit down with Mykaela Billingsworth, a University of Florida student on the path to becoming an agricultural educator. Mykaela shares how her early involvement in FFA programs sparked a lifelong passion for agriculture and inspired her commitment to teaching the next generation. She reflects on her experience raising and showing livestock, and how those hands-on skills translate into her work equipping students to participate in county fairs and agricultural competitions. Now serving as an intern at Bok Academy in Polk County and nearing the completion of her degree, Mykaela discusses the journey that brought her to this point and her vision for shaping the future of agricultural education.

In this episode of The Modern Farming Podcast, we sit down with Veronica Grannan, a Kindergarten teacher at Englewood Elementary who is planting seeds that go far beyond the classroom. With deep roots in her school community, Veronica is shaping young minds through hands-on learning, leadership development, and a strong focus on stewardship.

As the leader of the Everglades Club, she teaches students that “leaders always serve.” Her students don’t just hear that message, they live it. Through real-world experiences in water, land, and air conservation, these young learners are developing a deep respect for the environment and their role in protecting it.

From caring for bees to growing vegetables, Veronica is opening students’ eyes to where their food comes from and why it matters. But it doesn’t stop there. Her students are also gaining valuable life skills through entrepreneurship, learning how to take initiative, solve problems, and think beyond themselves.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that it’s never too early to start teaching responsibility, leadership, and a love for agriculture. Veronica is proving that even the youngest students are capable of meaningful, impactful work when given the opportunity.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• How the Everglades Club is building servant leaders at a young age

• Teaching conservation through hands-on experiences in water, land, and air

• Introducing agriculture early through bees, gardening, and food systems

• Helping students develop entrepreneurial and real-world life skills

• Why early exposure to agriculture and stewardship matters more than ever

Why This Episode Matters:

Veronica’s work highlights what is possible when education goes beyond textbooks. She is not just teaching Kindergarten, she is shaping future leaders who understand responsibility, service, and stewardship from the very beginning.

From Axolotls to Aquaculture: Building Hands-On Ag Education with Aaron Bokelmann

What happens when you take a marine science program and turn it into a full-scale agriculture pathway? Aaron Bokelmann is doing exactly that in Manatee County, and the results are something every ag educator should be paying attention to. In this episode of the Modern Farming Podcast, Aaron shares how he is transforming his classroom into a working aquaculture program where students are not just learning about aquatic life, they are raising it, managing it, and learning how to build a business around it. From axolotls to snook, this program covers it all. With more than 30 tanks and nearly 400 axolotls (and counting), students are immersed in real, hands-on learning every day. But it goes beyond caring for animals. Aaron is building a program that teaches students how to process, market, and operate a successful aquaculture business from the ground up. Looking ahead, the program will offer an aquaculture certificate, giving students a real credential and a real head start in one of agriculture’s fastest-growing industries. Aaron also shares how experiences like fossil hunting in the Badlands with the Toomey Foundation are helping keep students engaged, curious, and connected to the world around them. It is a reminder that the best learning does not happen behind a desk. In This Episode, We Cover: • Turning a marine science program into a hands-on agriculture pathway • Building an aquaculture program from the ground up • What it takes to offer an aquaculture certificate in high school • Raising everything from axolotls to snook in the classroom • Managing 30+ tanks and hundreds of aquatic species • Teaching students how to run and market an aquaculture business • Fossil hunting in the Badlands with the Toomey Foundation • Why hands-on learning is the key to student engagement Why This Matters: Programs like this are redefining what education can look like. When students are given the opportunity to work with their hands, solve real problems, and see the results of their efforts, learning sticks. This is the future of agriculture education, and it is already happening. Stay connected for more conversations highlighting the people and programs shaping the future of agriculture.

In this episode of the Modern Farming Podcast, we sit down with Bert Johnson, Applied Engineering and Technology teacher at Melbourne High School in Brevard County, Florida, who is redefining what education can look like. Mr. Johnson brings engineering to life through aquaponics, creating a dynamic learning environment where students are not just memorizing information but actively building, growing, and solving real problems. His classroom blends agriculture, engineering, biology, and sustainability into one hands-on experience that prepares students for far more than a test. Rather than teaching to standardized exams, Mr. Johnson focuses on teaching students how to think, how to troubleshoot, and how to apply what they learn in real-world situations. From designing systems to growing healthy food, his students gain practical skills that will serve them for a lifetime. A firm believer in lifelong learning, Mr. Johnson encourages students to take advantage of the resources around them and to stay curious long after they leave the classroom. His philosophy is simple but powerful: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” This episode is a thoughtful conversation about the importance of meaningful education, the value of hands-on learning, and how programs like aquaponics can shape confident, capable, and curious young people. Whether you are an educator, parent, student, or simply someone passionate about agriculture and innovation, this is an episode you will not want to miss.