Brad Johnson – Building Trust and Soil Health

Brad Johnson is the Senior Regenerative Agriculture Advisor for The Nature Conservancy, where he helps farmers across Idaho and beyond explore new ways of working the land that build healthier soils, stronger operations, and more resilient communities. Brad’s path into this work is deeply personal—he grew up on a multi-generational farm in northern Idaho, where as a teenager he saw firsthand how no-till practices could dramatically reduce erosion on the steep, fertile hills of his family’s farm. That early “aha moment” set him on a winding path through farming, ranching, research, and even a stint in agricultural sales, before eventually joining TNC in 2019.

In this conversation, Brad and I dig into the practical realities of regenerative agriculture—what it looks like on the ground, why it’s both promising and challenging to scale, and how trust and relationships are every bit as important as science and technology. He shares stories from TNC’s demonstration farms, where producers are experimenting with new biological practices that reduce reliance on fungicides and pesticides, and from high school programs where the next generation of Idaho farmers are already putting regenerative methods into practice.

Brad’s perspective is grounded in lived experience and a genuine respect for the farmers he works with. Whether you’re deep in the ag world or simply curious about how food systems can adapt to a changing climate, this episode offers a clear, hopeful look at what’s possible when conservation and agriculture work hand in hand.

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• Brad Johnson
• Regenerative Farming at TNC
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/brad-johnson/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:47 - Intro, 100 years in Idaho
• 4:52 - Bluegrass sod and Idaho’s land
• 6:53 - No-till drill
• 9:43 - Buying into no-till
• 10:54 - From no-till to regenerative
• 11:40 - Brad’s farmer life pre-TNC
• 14:45 - The TNC introduction
• 18:46 - Roadblocks to switching to regenerative
• 20:52 - Examples of regenerative farms
• 22:54 - Spray to no-spray
• 28:05 - Another regeneration demonstration farm
• 31:04 - Success stories
• 33:27 - Working with a high school
• 36:34 - Scalability
• 39:32 - Building trust
• 41:09 - Looking forward and first steps
• 43:57 - Podcast recs
• 45:43 - Wrapping up

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