Mike Biltonen's guest appearances

Mike Biltonen

The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Organic Wine Podcast

OwlTail

This is the second part of the special in-person, on-site conversation that I had in June of 2023  with Mike Biltonen of Know Your Roots. Please check out part 1 for Mike’s full bio, and for a fantastic episode about holistic orchard culture within a biodynamic context. On this episode we leave Mike’s Apostrophe Orchard and enter the forest that surrounds it. We leave the realm of the known, the controlled, the cultivated, and enter the realm of questions, of curiosity, of the unexplored. The pace changes, the energy shifts, and the conversation evolves. I invite you to take this walk with us, but I have this suggestion: Don’t enter the forest. Become it. The forest is the source of the orchard, the source of the vines and vineyard. It is also our source. Our bodies and lives, our cultures, grow out of nature, out of the wild. When I speak of developing a more ecological wine culture, I’m essentially talking about ecomimicry, biomimicry, or just emulating the forest ecosystem more closely with our cultures. Along this walk we discover amazing wild vines and talk of wineforests and vitiforestry. We speak of the need for further research into plant communication and energetics. We observe the values that the forest manifests in its multiple diverse and interconnected forms, and how these differ from and could be better incorporated into our production-oriented farming. We ask how to embrace beauty in our viticulture and pomiculture, along with ecological integration and economic viability. At a time when we now see the effect that the industrial food and beverage production system has, not just on what we eat and drink, but on the human psyche, and on gaia, Mike asks us to begin to consider the integration of secular and esoteric science. While he affirms the importance of data and statistics, he asks how we can marry those with our observations of nature that often give us better intuitive insights. Mike suggests that the more time we spend in nature, on our farms, in our vineyards and orchards, without the intentions of productivity and economic extraction, the better our observations become and the better our science becomes. Enjoy! https://knowyouroots.com/index.html Support this episode by subscribing via patreon. Sponsors: Centralas Wine

This is the second part of the special in-person, on-site conversation that I had in June of 2023  with Mike Biltonen of Know Your Roots. Please check out part 1 for Mike’s full bio, and for a fantastic episode about holistic orchard culture within a biodynamic context. On this episode we leave Mike’s Apostrophe Orchard and enter the forest that surrounds it. We leave the realm of the known, the controlled, the cultivated, and enter the realm of questions, of curiosity, of the unexplored. The pace changes, the energy shifts, and the conversation evolves. I invite you to take this walk with us, but I have this suggestion: Don’t enter the forest. Become it. The forest is the source of the orchard, the source of the vines and vineyard. It is also our source. Our bodies and lives, our cultures, grow out of nature, out of the wild. When I speak of developing a more ecological wine culture, I’m essentially talking about ecomimicry, biomimicry, or just emulating the forest ecosystem more closely with our cultures. Along this walk we discover amazing wild vines and talk of wineforests and vitiforestry. We speak of the need for further research into plant communication and energetics. We observe the values that the forest manifests in its multiple diverse and interconnected forms, and how these differ from and could be better incorporated into our production-oriented farming. We ask how to embrace beauty in our viticulture and pomiculture, along with ecological integration and economic viability. At a time when we now see the effect that the industrial food and beverage production system has, not just on what we eat and drink, but on the human psyche, and on gaia, Mike asks us to begin to consider the integration of secular and esoteric science. While he affirms the importance of data and statistics, he asks how we can marry those with our observations of nature that often give us better intuitive insights. Mike suggests that the more time we spend in nature, on our farms, in our vineyards and orchards, without the intentions of productivity and economic extraction, the better our observations become and the better our science becomes. Enjoy! <a href="https://knowyouroots.com/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://knowyouroots.com/index.html</a> Support this episode by <a href="https://www.patreon.com/organicwinepodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribing via patreon</a>. Sponsors: <a href="https://www.centralaswine.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Centralas Wine</a>

Don’t Enter The Forest. Become It. Mike Biltonen - Part 2

My guest for this episode is Mike Biltonen. Mike is the co-owner, with his wife, of Know Your Roots, an orchard and vineyard consultation and management business in the Northeast US. Mike has spent almost 40 years working with orchards, vineyards, and other specialty crops. He’s farmed in Virginia, Minnesota, Vermont, California, and New York. Over the past 20 years his passion for sustainable agriculture has evolved into a profound dedication to the principles and practices of ecologically focused, biodynamic agricultural. He serves as the president of the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics. For the last 15 years Mike has consulted for orchardists and farmers while also operating his own biodynamically enlivened orchard and mushroom operation in central New York. He keeps alive the legacy of his friend, the late Michael Phillips, and helps maintain Phillips’ Holistic Orchard Network. This was a very special conversation for me for many reasons, not the least of which was because it was the first in-person interview I’ve done on location. Mike was gracious enough to spend a morning guiding me through his newly established Apostrophe Orchard. As we walk through the trees and other plants, Mike gives us an incredible tour of an orchard established and maintained ecologically with the principles and practices of biodynamics, and a permaculture perspective. You’ll hear the sounds of birds and orchard life all around us in the background as we talk. Since this happened within the context of the freeze event that left no fruit on the trees of Apostrophe Orchard, we discuss what the future of pomiculture and agriculture might look like from both a big perspective and a technical holistic orchard care perspective. The conversation culminates in a discussion of “high frequency beverages” and how human energy has a vital impact on the farm environment and its products. And this is just part one! In part two, to be released soon, we leave the orchard and walk into the forest… and the conversation becomes influenced by things more ancient, primal, mystical, and even magical by the end… So stay tuned, and … Enjoy! https://knowyouroots.com/index.html Support this episode by subscribing via patreon. Sponsors: Centralas Wine Catavino Tours Oom - recycled bottles for wine VT Vineyards Let them know you heard about them through the Organic Wine Podcast.

My guest for this episode is Mike Biltonen. Mike is the co-owner, with his wife, of Know Your Roots, an orchard and vineyard consultation and management business in the Northeast US. Mike has spent almost 40 years working with orchards, vineyards, and other specialty crops. He’s farmed in Virginia, Minnesota, Vermont, California, and New York. Over the past 20 years his passion for sustainable agriculture has evolved into a profound dedication to the principles and practices of ecologically focused, biodynamic agricultural. He serves as the president of the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics. For the last 15 years Mike has consulted for orchardists and farmers while also operating his own biodynamically enlivened orchard and mushroom operation in central New York. He keeps alive the legacy of his friend, the late Michael Phillips, and helps maintain Phillips’ Holistic Orchard Network. This was a very special conversation for me for many reasons, not the least of which was because it was the first in-person interview I’ve done on location. Mike was gracious enough to spend a morning guiding me through his newly established Apostrophe Orchard. As we walk through the trees and other plants, Mike gives us an incredible tour of an orchard established and maintained ecologically with the principles and practices of biodynamics, and a permaculture perspective. You’ll hear the sounds of birds and orchard life all around us in the background as we talk. Since this happened within the context of the freeze event that left no fruit on the trees of Apostrophe Orchard, we discuss what the future of pomiculture and agriculture might look like from both a big perspective and a technical holistic orchard care perspective. The conversation culminates in a discussion of “high frequency beverages” and how human energy has a vital impact on the farm environment and its products. And this is just part one! In part two, to be released soon, we leave the orchard and walk into the forest… and the conversation becomes influenced by things more ancient, primal, mystical, and even magical by the end… So stay tuned, and … Enjoy! <a href="https://knowyouroots.com/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://knowyouroots.com/index.html</a> Support this episode by <a href="https://www.patreon.com/organicwinepodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribing via patreon</a>. Sponsors: <a href="https://www.centralaswine.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Centralas Wine</a> <a href="https://catavinotours.com/owp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Catavino Tours</a> <a href="https://www.oom.earth/owp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oom</a> - recycled bottles for wine <a href="https://www.vtvineyards.com/owp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VT Vineyards</a> Let them know you heard about them through the Organic Wine Podcast.

Walking Through Biodynamic Apostrophe Orchard with Mike Biltonen of Know Your Roots

Growing Fruit Trees WhileAdapting to Changing Climates.In This Podcast:Mike Biltonen explains how he applies pre-industrial farming principles to help food farmers plan for the unpredictable weather that affects their crops.  He remains a positive voice in the often negative conversation surrounding climate change, and advocates for quality of nutrition over quantity of production, focusing on the soil to accomplish that goal.  Don’t miss Mike’s tip for an easy soil test you can do right now!Mike Biltonen has spent nearly 40 years in agriculture –working mostly with orchards, vineyards, and specialty veg and fruit crops. An early passion for sustainable agriculture evolved into a profound dedication to the principles and practices of ecologically focused, biodynamically-driven farming. For the last fifteen years Mike has worked as a consultant to novice and seasoned farmers and orchardists on all aspects of managing regenerative and integrated farmscapes. Mike conducts workshops, seminars, and webinars, and has a free newsletter for the truly dedicated. He co-owns Know Your Roots, a novel and innovative family-owned company, with his wife Debbie, where they are synchronously using farming and herbalism practices to heal the Earth.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/02/11/658-mike-biltonen/ for show notes and links.Regenerative Orcharding with Climate Change.

Growing Fruit Trees WhileAdapting to Changing Climates.In This Podcast:Mike Biltonen explains how he applies pre-industrial farming principles to help food farmers plan for the unpredictable weather that affects their crops.  He remains a positive voice in the often negative conversation surrounding climate change, and advocates for quality of nutrition over quantity of production, focusing on the soil to accomplish that goal.  Don’t miss Mike’s tip for an easy soil test you can do right now!Mike Biltonen has spent nearly 40 years in agriculture –working mostly with orchards, vineyards, and specialty veg and fruit crops. An early passion for sustainable agriculture evolved into a profound dedication to the principles and practices of ecologically focused, biodynamically-driven farming. For the last fifteen years Mike has worked as a consultant to novice and seasoned farmers and orchardists on all aspects of managing regenerative and integrated farmscapes. Mike conducts workshops, seminars, and webinars, and has a free newsletter for the truly dedicated. He co-owns Know Your Roots, a novel and innovative family-owned company, with his wife Debbie, where they are synchronously using farming and herbalism practices to heal the Earth.Visit <a href="https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/02/11/658-mike-biltonen/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.urbanfarm.org/2022/02/11/658-mike-biltonen/</a> for show notes and links.Regenerative Orcharding with Climate Change.