NEWS

Frass—the excrement and exoskeletons of black soldier flies—are breathing carbon and life back into the world’s turmoiled soil.

The [Chapul Farms] well-funded pilot project about to go big is one of several symbiotic endeavors taking place at Tainable Regenerative Agricultural Laboratory, a nonprofit think-tank located on a certified-organic, 570-acre sheep and grass farm that has been in the same family since the Civil War.

Small, Garbage-Eating, Soil-Restoring Machines

Fifth-generation farmer Ramsey McPhillips and a motley crew of neighbors wage a quixotic battle to stop North America’s largest garbage company from growing even bigger in the heart of Oregon’s wine country.

We only have a decade to turn back the tide, and McMinnville is perfectly positioned to lead the way. If we all work to make this happen, many jobs will be created, many environmental problems will be solved, and many lives will be saved.

“We at Zero Waste McMinnville will work to use less.”

Meet the founder: Insect bar pioneer Pat Crowley, investor short-term thinking ‘is one of the most frustrating things in this business’

The New Face of Farming | Ramsey McPhillips, McMinnville, Oregon

“These larvae are remarkably efficient recyclers of nearly any organic material,” says Crowley. “At the larva stage, they are singularly focused on consuming as much material as possible. And they are very adaptive at this task. They aren’t picky eaters!”

“You may be thinking...wow, guys, that's a bold statement. Who ever could earn such a title? Well, we are about to introduce you to Ramsey McPhillips: The Most Interesting Man In McMinnville. We've been playing around with the idea of dedicating an entire episode to one guest so we can really dive into their story, and Ramsey couldn't be a better fit for this new format.”