2023 Events

We are hosting our first PVAA workshop with Eric Fuchs from Understanding Ag: https://understandingag.com/who-we-are/ founded by Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, and Allen Williams, world-renowned speakers on Regenerative Agriculture.

Eric will be in California lecturing and has agreed to come to Soul Food Farm for a one day workshop on agriculture's role in clean drinking water.  

Eric will discuss pending regulations and examples of challenges and the disconnect of rural and urban areas and our role in drinking water issues.  He will then discuss the solutions through regenerative grazing techniques that can help solve these issues while increasing profits.  

Even though we’re experiencing major rainfall, we have just lived through years of drought.  Water availability for farming enterprises is a conversation at the forefront of modern agriculture.

We hope you will join us on March 17th from 9:00am to 12:00pm. Eric’s talk will be from 9:00am to 11:00am with an additional hour for questions and to meet and discuss farming and regenerative agriculture with Eric.  

WHEN: 

March 17, 2023, 9:00am - 12:00pm

WHERE: 

Soul Food Farm, 6046 Pleasants Valley Road, Vacaville
 

The class will be open to 60 participants 

Price $45

Registration link coming soon.

Eric’s Bio:

Eric Fuchs lives in Southeast Missouri on a diversified livestock operation where he raises hair sheep and contract grazes all classes of cattle. He has been using Holistic Planned Grazing for over eight years and has had a managed grazing system on his operation for more than 20 years.

Eric also works in the water and wastewater industry as a source water protection technician. He works with small and large small communities and with agricultural producers to help ensure community water protection. His efforts help save millions of dollars in costly water treatment system upgrades while also negating the need for long-term regulations. He has seen firsthand the problems with agriculture land use and its effect on drinking water.

Eric’s journey into regenerative ag began on his own operation when he discovered how soil health focused practices could benefit water resources. He also realized that more regulation is never the answer but that the solutions for clean water are easily attainable by changing how we operate.

Graduating from the University of Missouri in 1994 with a degree in agronomy, Eric served in the U.S. Air Force for five years, during which time he received a master’s degree in human resource development.

I began my farming career as a conventional grazing and livestock owner, which I quickly realized was not profitable or sustainable for our environment. When I started my career in source water protection, I quickly realized the problems created by conventional agriculture were rampant. Most problems I saw with poor drinking water quality could be attributed to agriculture.

I had been using regenerative techniques on my own operation for many years but when I saw how these could also save our waterways and provide clean safe reliable drinking water, it became a passion of mine to let others know there were practical solutions to these problems. It was apparent that the same techniques used to make my own operation sustainable and profitable could be used on a large scale to clean up our drinking water. My passion now is to share with others the solutions to these problems. 

Through my experience as a regenerative farmer and source water specialist, I bring an understanding to a range of groups on the current and future scene of pending regulations. Additionally, I can work with communities, businesses and individuals to improve drinking water quality, AND save money and mitigate the need for additional burdensome regulations.