Regenerative by Design

Joni sits with Royd Carlson from Teffco to talk about what it takes to start growing a specialty crop like Teff.

Show Notes

The founding of Teff Co is a story that bridges rural Idaho to the horn of Africa. Teff Co was started by Idaho native, Wayne Carlson after a trip to Ethiopia. Wayne's sons, Royd and Gareth, are now the operators of Teffco and scaling the business to new levels.  A staple grain Ethiopia and Eritrea, Teff it is naturally gluten free and a hardy crop.  Teffco sells both Ivory and Dark Teff. 

Teff is a fine grain that is about the size of a poppy seed.  It is much smaller and glitter than traditional crops and milling it requires different techniques and he discusses the journey his family has taken in growing their milling operation. 

Teff does well with dryer condition that traditional US crops.  

Talked about smaller scale milling market opportunities and the benefit to add crop diversity.  Also the benefits of crop diversity with speciality crops that are also regenerative by nature.  Adding a specialty crops to a family farm using smaller mill options allow business growth.

To learn more about Teffco visit teffco.com.  You can find recipes and more information about the grain. 

What is Regenerative by Design?

Regenerative by Design Podcast where we get to the root of health, climate, economics and food.  Host, Joni Kindwall-Moore, is an RN, an Ethnobotanist and the founder of Snacktivist Foods. Join us on this journey as we explore the ideas, stories and personalities behind the regenerative food system movement including climate change, human health, economics and food as well as other deeply interconnected topics. 

In this podcast, we will be “going there” and leaning into topics that might make you squirm… just a little.  We want to challenge ourselves to think outside of the box and to discover the deeper side of our world’s problems so that we can better understand how to solve them. 

We aim to unpack some of the most dynamic issues of our day with some of the most inspiring minds who are pushing the boundaries of our current norms and thinking paradigms. 

We have seen incredibly disruptive events in the past few years like pandemics, climate events, disasters and war. These often trigger system changes that are reactionary and have short term gains. When these are practiced over the long term, they often have a degenerative effect on health and the environment.

Regenerative design thinking is the opposite, and is an intentional, premeditated process that involves a high level of observation, analysis, creativity, and looking beyond reductionistic principles while embracing systems thinking and additionality to create regenerative solutions.

Regenerative agriculture has become a powerful force for positive transformation and hope in todays world. And no discussion about agriculture is complete without a conversation about food. 

Food is the connection between people and the planet so grab a cup of coffee or your favorite running shoes and get ready to take a mental and philosophical leap into the future of food and our planet.