245. Alex Miller on the Business of Regenerative Farming

How do business acumen and regenerative farming practices shape tomorrow's agriculture?  On this episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, we’re joined by Alex Miller who is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Lick Skillet Farm in East Tennessee. Alex is a seventh-generation farmer and a chaired professor of Business at the University of Tennessee. Along with his children and grandchildren, he farms a 104-year old family farm using regenerative practices and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of farmers on business and sustainable agriculture.  Tune in to hear how Alex merges business lessons and his farming experience to mentor tomorrow's farmers. You’ll hear: About how their family farm got the name Lick Skillet 1:39 Alex’s unique farming journey 4:00 Why there is such a sustained loss of farms in the USA 6:23 About the products Lick Skillet Farm sells 16:07 How Alex sets up the different enterprises and crews on the farm 18:43 What Alex thinks are the most important parts of farming 33:47 If Alex could go back and change something about when he started in farming 44:20 What Alex’s favorite farming tool is 47:53 About the Guest: Alex Miller, PhD, is a seventh-generation farmer and a chaired professor of business at the University of Tennessee.  He farms a 104-yr old family farm with his children and grandchildren using regenerative practices and sells pasture-raised proteins direct to the public. If he’s not on the farm, he can usually be found at the University of Tennessee where he is a chaired professor in the Haslam College of Business. He holds degrees from Tennessee Tech, Dartmouth, and the University of Washington. He has been recognized as an outstanding conservationist and is a former Tennessee Cattleman of the Year.  Resources: Website - https://lickskillet.farm/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lickskilletfarm/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lickskilletfarmtn