Welcome to the Six Inches of Soil Podcast
Have you watched Six Inches of Soil the Documentary?
We’re digging deep—literally and figuratively—into the real stories behind the soil, livestock, plants, and people working to fight climate change and restore our planet. This isn’t just about farming; it’s about producing truly nourishing food, rebuilding our rural communities, and showing that it is possible to grow in a way that gives back. It’s simpler than you might think, fully traceable, and 100% verified.
Through our film and now this podcast, we’re starting conversations, building community, and sharing the healing power of regenerative agriculture. We’d love for you to be part of it.
So… who is Richard Tufton?
We’re thrilled to introduce Richard Tufton as the host of the Six Inches of Soil Podcast. Richard has been championing the project since day one and has helped us explore some of the trickier questions around food and farming.
With a background in agriculture from Newcastle University and over two decades of experience in the food industry—starting in the UK and now based in Austin, Texas—Richard brings a global perspective and a deep-rooted commitment to doing good. His journey has led him to regenerative farming, and is part of Regenified (founded by Gabe Brown), helping shape the future of truly sustainable food systems.
From his unique vantage point across the Atlantic, Richard will be bringing in voices from both the UK and the US—connecting dots across the food supply chain and sparking conversations that just might challenge what you think you know.
We’d love to hear what you think too. Join the conversation over on Instagram @sixinchesofsoil, and let’s grow something better together.
Tune in. Dig deep. Let’s get our hands in the soil.
Supported by:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the Six Inches of Soil Podcast
Have you watched Six Inches of Soil the Documentary?
We’re digging deep—literally and figuratively—into the real stories behind the soil, livestock, plants, and people working to fight climate change and restore our planet. This isn’t just about farming; it’s about producing truly nourishing food, rebuilding our rural communities, and showing that it is possible to grow in a way that gives back. It’s simpler than you might think, fully traceable, and 100% verified.
Through our film and now this podcast, we’re starting conversations, building community, and sharing the healing power of regenerative agriculture. We’d love for you to be part of it.
So… who is Richard Tufton?
We’re thrilled to introduce Richard Tufton as the host of the Six Inches of Soil Podcast. Richard has been championing the project since day one and has helped us explore some of the trickier questions around food and farming.
With a background in agriculture from Newcastle University and over two decades of experience in the food industry—starting in the UK and now based in Austin, Texas—Richard brings a global perspective and a deep-rooted commitment to doing good. His journey has led him to regenerative farming, and is part of Regenified (founded by Gabe Brown), helping shape the future of truly sustainable food systems.
From his unique vantage point across the Atlantic, Richard will be bringing in voices from both the UK and the US—connecting dots across the food supply chain and sparking conversations that just might challenge what you think you know.
We’d love to hear what you think too. Join the conversation over on Instagram @sixinchesofsoil, and let’s grow something better together.
Tune in. Dig deep. Let’s get our hands in the soil.
Supported by:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Host, producer: Richard Tufton
Co-host, producer: Claire Mackenzie
Editor: Meg Chatham
Six Inches of Soil:
Website: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/
Book: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sixinchesofsoil/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/six-inches-of-soil-b75059234/
Dr Grandin and Gabe Brown explore how uniting animal welfare with regenerative agriculture and combining soil practices with Temple’s farming solutions, you have nature and nurture working together as one big metaphorical “hug machine”. This offers a communal hug, if you will, by enveloping the animal’s life with a safe, healthy, happy and tranquil environment, which we know will undoubtedly provide a better life for them. Their conversation explores integrating livestock with crops, consumer expectations, youth involvement, climate change, and the role of innovation and visual thinking in food production.
Dr. Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is a leading scientist, author, and speaker whose autism experience shaped her groundbreaking work on reducing stress for humans and animals. Now a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, she also consults on livestock handling and welfare.
Her life has been highlighted by NPR (National Public Radio), the BBC film "The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow" and HBO’s Emmy-winning Temple Grandin. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
Websites:
https://www.templegrandin.com/
https://agsci.colostate.edu/ag_stories/temple-grandin/
Gabe Brown is a pioneer of the soil health movement. With his family, he transformed Brown’s Ranch, a 5,000-acre North Dakota farm, by working in nature’s image. Now run by his son Paul and wife Jazmin, the ranch reflects his legacy. Author of Dirt to Soil, Gabe is a Regenified board member, founding partner of Understanding Ag, and co-founder of the Soil Health Academy, which trains farmers worldwide in ecosystem-based practices.
Websites:
https://brownsranch.us/
https://regenified.com/about-us/
https://understandingag.com/partners/gabe-brown/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brownsranch/?hl=en
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of Six Inches of Soil, Tom McGrath, founder of Family Farmstead Dairy, discusses the journey of transforming a conventional dairy farm into a certified regenerative and organic operation. He highlights the importance of nutrient density in dairy products, the impact of pasteurization on milk quality, and the significance of A2 milk for consumer health. Tom shares insights into the challenges faced by small family farms in the dairy industry, the mission-driven approach of his business, and the importance of animal welfare and sustainable practices. He emphasizes the need for consumer education and the role of informed purchasing decisions in supporting regenerative agriculture.
Website: https://www.familyfarmsteaddairy.com/
Insta: @familyfarmsteaddairy
Certified with:
https://organicfarmersassociation.org/
https://www.usda.gov/farming-and-ranching/organic-farming
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
EPISODE 7 PART 1
UNCURDLED
This is the first time we have featured the dairy industry. We decided to start with two family farms in the UK, one producing for their local community and the other running a highly successful yoghurt business. They both have a deep connection to their soils and are caring for their land and communities.
James Robinson:
James farms at Strickley Farm, a 300-acre organic dairy farm that has been free from artificial fertilisers or pesticides for the past 16 years. James’ approach to supporting nature includes planting woodland, leaving areas of grassland ungrazed, maintaining sensitive hedgerow management and fencing off watercourses to improve water quality, so there is less silt and soil from his cattle on the banks. His farm’s hedgerows are seven miles long, some 20-22ft tall.
Website: https://www.strickleydairy.co.uk/
Instagram:
L’in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-robinson-7a2816273/
Tim Mead:
Tim was born into a dairy-farming family in 1963. He lives with his wife Sarah on the original farm in the Yeo Valley on the edge of Blagdon Lake, Somerset. After qualifying as a chartered accountant in London, Tim joined the Yeo Valley business in 1987, Yeo Valley Organic is the UK’s largest organic brand and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024.The business is still family controlled, with 20% held by an employee benefit trust. In 2017 after 30 years as a yogurt maker, Tim turned his attention to the farming side of the business and is still learning…..
Website: https://www.yeovalley.co.uk/
Instagram:
Sponsored by Fielden:
The discount code is SOIL10 and gives 10% off all whisky on fielden.com.
Six Inches of Soil film - find links here to watch it: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/
Six Inches of Soil book: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/book
Finally if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast please do rate it - many thanks!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 6 - Unearthed
Host, producer: Richard Tufton
Co-host, producer: Claire Mackenzie
Editor: Meg Chatham
In the episode we are finally bringing us all back down to earth
ANDY NEAL :
Andy is a Soil Microbiologist at Rothamsted Research. He is interested in understanding the feedback between plant primary productivity, soil structure and soil microbial metabolism
Twitter @microbass1
Research papers:
ANDIE MARSH is a soil health specialist, science communicator, and founder of Rhizos LLC - a Soil Food Web certified lab. More than that, she is a human building relationship with land in a suburban context.
Website:
https://www.rhizos.science/
@soilissexy insta
Soil is Sexy is the newsletter Carefully crafted accounts of the wonders beneath our feet, plus insights from a woman building a career in soil health - that’s me, Andie!
RAY ARCHULETA - Ray’s mission is to teach a framework of ecological and spiritual renewal
Ray the soil Guy
Film: https://kissthegroundmovie.com/
KAREN JOHNSON is a professor in the Department of Engineering, University of Durham
She is all about rebuilding soils for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Resources/Papers:
Royal Society Rosalind Franklin lecture on soil health and the Embracing our wastes video. Xiao, K-Q, et al. (2023) Introducing the soil mineral carbon pump. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. You can also watch our animations about soil exploring the links between soil degradation and flooding +links between soil health (SDG15) and climate change (SDG13)
A nation that rebuilds its soils rebuilds itself - an engineer's perspective and watch our COP26 video https://vimeo.com/639855822
Sponsored by Fielden:
The discount code is SOIL10 and gives 10% off all whisky on fielden.com.
Six Inches of Soil film - find links here to watch it: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/
Six Inches of Soil book: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/book
Finally if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast please do rate it - many thanks!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Host, producer: Richard Tufton
Co-host, producer: Claire Mackenzie
Editor: Meg Chatham
Episode 5 - Unbred - Heritage Grains - this episode takes us back to the arable fields, this time we are focussing on crops that are closely related to the first-ever cultivated grasses. Our guests are working with these varieties to bring them to our plates and glasses, “these fields full of life” benefit our soil, health, and the planet.
Guests:
Luke Jones, Impact Family Farms, Illinois
Luke and his family operate a diverse livestock and cropping operation in western Illinois. He now values diversity and bringing life back to the acres he manages along with making a profit.
https://www.facebook.com/share/12Mn7pBnpCS/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://understandingag.com/team/luke-jones/
Dave Smith, Fielden Whisky
Dave Smith is Fielden’s CEO. With over thirty years of experience, Dave has worked internationally with both mature and challenger brands.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-smith-69120513?originalSubdomain=uk
Samuel Taylor, Longtable Pancakes
Samuel Taylor is the founder of Long Table Pancakes, a company dedicated to creating artisan pancake mixes that celebrate local and sustainably sourced ingredients.
http://linkedin.com/in/pancakesamuel
https://longtablepancakes.com/pages/about
Fred Price, Gothelney Farm, Somerset
Fred is a farmer reimagining his practices and place within our food system. He’s a passionate advocate for agroecology, working with UK Grain Lab and the South West Grain Network to reimagine our food system.
Instagram: @gotheleyfarmer @fieldbakery @swgrainnetwork @uk_grain_lab
Websites: https://www.gothelneyfarmer.co.uk/
https://www.southwestgrainnetwork.co.uk/
Sponsored by Fielden:
The discount code is SOIL10 and gives 10% off all whisky on fielden.com.
Finally, if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast please rate it - many thanks!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
EPISODE 4 PART 2
SHOW NOTES:
Host, producer: Richard Tufton
Co-host, producer: Claire Mackenzie
Editor: Meg Chatham
Unground Part 2 - World of Coffee, in Part 2 we meet Marcus McCombe who is the Director of Routes Coffee who aims to: 🌍 Building a Better Coffee Industry, One Roast and One Cup at a Time
Guest:
Marcus McCombe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-mccombe/
Director at Routes Coffee
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/routescoffee/
As the Director of Routes Coffee, they are committed to reshaping the way specialty coffee is sourced, roasted, and experienced. Their mission goes beyond exceptional coffee—they strive to regenerate coffee farms, nurture soil health, and enhance biodiversity, ensuring that every step in their supply chain contributes to sustainability and long-term prosperity for farmers.
Sponsored by Fielden:
Most grains in whisky are grown industrially, with chemicals: same grain, same height, same flavour. Not on our farms. We’re regenerating England’s fields with heritage grains, grown in clover (we never, ever use chemicals). It’s a more sustainable way of farming that’s better for the soil, the grain, and the wildlife. And it makes a whisky full of flavour.
The discount code is SOIL10 and gives 10% off all whisky on fielden.com
Six Inches of Soil The Documentary
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Host, producer: Richard Tufton
Co-host, producer: Claire Mackenzie
Editor: Meg Chatham
Unground - World of Coffee, in this episode we are diving into something many of us enjoy every day—coffee. But how often do we stop to think about where it comes from? What impact does coffee have on the soil, the farmers who grow it, and the ecosystems that sustain it?
Guests:
Gally Mayer of Buena Vida Specialty Coffee, who works directly with farmers to bring regenerative coffee to consumers.
Roberto Mata from Costa Rica, who is growing coffee regeneratively and can share what that looks like on the ground.
Heather Terry, founder of Good Sam, a company committed to transparent, regenerative supply chains.
Roberto Mata
https://www.caferobertomata.com/
https://www.instagram.com/laslajascafe/
Gally Mayer
https://buenavida.coffee/pages/our-story
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gally-mayer/
Heather Terry
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-k-terry-44b81828/
Sponsored by Fielden:
Most grains in whisky are grown industrially, with chemicals: same grain, same height, same flavour. Not on our farms. We’re regenerating England’s fields with heritage grains, grown in clover (we never, ever use chemicals). It’s a more sustainable way of farming that’s better for the soil, the grain and the wildlife. And it makes a whisky full of flavour.
The discount code is SOIL10 and gives 10% off all whisky on fielden.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode is called: Uncultivated: Veggie Vibes! We are going to dig deep—literally—into the world of vegetables, soil, and flavour with incredible people who make it all happen. Joining us for this vibrant conversation are some truly inspiring global voices from across the vegetable supply chain
Massive thanks to Tilly and Oscar Tufton and Apple Hammond for submitting questions.
For the intro/outro was:
Claire Mackenzie - @clai.remackenzie producer of Six Inches of Soil documentary & Podcast
Colin Ramsey www.dragonlightfilms.com @dragonlightfilms - director of Six Inches of Soil documentary
Richard Tufton, podcast host @rtufton
Editing by George Adey @ Dragon Light
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Intro:
Richard Tufton, podcast host, and Claire Mackenzie, producer.
Featuring:
Anna Jackson, star of the film Six Inches of Soil, farmer in N Lincs, UK: https://www.pinkpigfarm.co.uk/
Tim Parton, farmer, consultant, and co-founder of Green Farm Collective, based in Staffordshire, UK:
http://timpartonfarming.com https://www.greenfarmcollective.com/ and look out for his book in 2025 via https://unbreaking.eco/
Rick Clark, Rick is a 5th generation farmer who resides in Warren County, Indiana https://www.farmgreen.land/
Bertie Matthews, miller running the family company, Matthews Cotswold Flour:
Valerie Netherton, Director of Sustainability, Higher Purpose, Partnerships at Makers Mark
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Richard Tufton meets:
Gabe Brown (rancher & regen ag expert)
Ben Thomas (farmer)
Jacob Summer (Chipotle restauranteur)
Chris Hogg (butcher)
Claire Mackenzie (producer SIOS)
Salar Shemirani
Adriennne Gordon at Sweetpea Marketgarden
Six Inches of Soil The Podcast is produced by Richard Tufton, Claire Mackenzie & C.Ramsay/Dragonlight films.
Richard has vast experience working in the food sector for more than 20 years, initially in the UK, then for the last 9 years in the United States.
Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice.
Is a British documentary feature film. It is the inspiring story of British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming how they produce food - to heal the soil, benefit our health and provide for local communities.
The film can be viewed online in the UK via:
Or Organise a screening via Kinema globally (except Australasia) or Screen it in a cinema.
Finally, to dig deeper into the subject there is now a Six Inches of Soil book.
If you enjoyed this episode we’d love you to subscribe to the show and leave us a review wherever you are listening. Please also share our podcast with friends and family.
Follow us on social media
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Have you watched Six Inches of Soil? Have you ever felt that there were not enough podcasts in your life?! Do you wish there was a place to engage in further discussion around the documentary?
Well, wish no more and get ready for Season 1. This will be a place for the community built around the film to gather and dig deeper into Regenerative Agriculture in the UK and the USA.
We have unearthed a global network of experts to have more in-depth discussions, packed with learnings and inspirations for you. We hope to keep the film's momentum growing to enable real change in how we grow our food and treat our soil. Hosted by Richard Tufton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.