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Recombination Nation

Shane Simonsen
Sustainable Agriculture
Chestnut Breeding
Zero Input Agriculture
Daylilies
Genetics
Crop Breeding
Epigenetics
Seeing Like a State
Disease Resistance
Genetic Diversity
Environmental Stress
Low Input Farming
Bioregional Agroforestry Suitability Analysis
Community Involvement In Agriculture
Permaculture
Thurston County
Culinary Applications
Vitamin C
Rural Communities
James C. Scott

Explore the intersection of evolution, ecology and civilisation with crop and livestock breeders, low input farmers, social engineers and a dazzling array of deep thinkers.

Read more of Shane Simonsen's work at the Recombination Nation substack.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes71Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Life SciencesLeisureHome & GardenScience

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Artwork for Recombination Nation

Latest Episodes

Okan learnt two of the most successful constructed languages- the sprawling, romantic Esperanto and cute minimalist Toki Pona.

After covering the history of these languages we delve deeper into the dynamics of experimental language communities, the ... more

YouTube

Malcolm Collins is an unclassifiable frontiersman for the coming century of chaos, a hardened fighter from the trenches of the culture wars, and a pronatalist who put his own blood line on the line by having a gaggle of embryo selected children with ... more

YouTube

Chuck Chan is an accomplished amateur crop breeder from the humid cloud forests of California, adapting plants to his little pocket of Andean climate. He has made the most of his challenges by breeding a host of rare crops which struggle in other pla... more

YouTube

Gail Tverberg was a star during the 2000s oil crisis, producing data rich reports on the TheOilDrum.com in a way that only a trained actuary could pull off. She has continued to impress me in subsequent years with her uncommon knack for digging into ... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Malcolm Collins
Guest, author and podcaster known for provocative discussions on genetics, fertility and civilization
Episode: Technopuritanism for the Next New World with Malcolm Collins
Chuck Chan
Amateur plant breeder focused on wide hybridizing in a cloud forest environment
Northern California community/breeding network
Episode: Breeding Mashua, Babaco and Passionfruit with Chuck Chan
Gail Tverberg
Actuary turned energy economist and writer
Our Finite World
Episode: Gail Tverberg- My Favourite Data Wrangling Grandma at the End of the Oil Age
James Howard Kunstler
Author and commentator known for urban design critique and The Long Emergency
Clusterfuck Nation (blog) / Author
Episode: The Dynamic of Declining Civilisation with James Howard Kunstler
Sean Dembrosky
Owner/operator of Edible Acres permaculture nursery
Edible Acres
Episode: In the Permaculture Nursery with Sean Demobrosky from Edible Acres
Fred Pearce
Environmental science journalist and author
Episode: The Front Lines of Ecological Journalism with Fred Pearce
Bunya Halasz
Member of Growing Roots Permaculture, expert in agroforestry techniques
Growing Roots Permaculture
Episode: Recombining Crop Selection and Production with Bunya Halasz
Nate Kleinman
Co-founder of the Experimental Farm Network and lifelong activist focused on sustainable agriculture.
Experimental Farm Network
Episode: Building the Experimental Farm Network with Nate Kleinman
Dusty Hins
Co-founder of the Experimental Farm Network.
Experimental Farm Network
Episode: Building the Experimental Farm Network with Nate Kleinman

Host

Shane Simonsen
Host of Recombination Nation, with a focus on sustainable agriculture and the intersections of ecology and society.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 38 ratings
  • Just keeps getting better!

    Have been listening and reading for years and it just keeps getting better!

    So may topics and in depth discussions with actual in depth information not just superficial fluff

    Topics and ideas that just make you think about things in new ways and consider things you never thought possible

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Courtstev
    Australia11 days ago
  • Original ideas you might need

    Shane's a scholar-turned-do-er, plodding forward with *solutions* to the environmental and resource issues we're now seeing bite worldwide.

    Are you a veggie gardener? Have you ever thought about growing high calorie-yielding crops on a small scale as well?

    You'll hear stories, experiments, and ideas that will light a fire under you to stop doom scrolling and get to work helping yourself and your community in the "interesting" times we've got coming.

    Shane brings a rare combination of rigour... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    gbellinoz
    Australia21 days ago
  • Knowledge seeker

    A few of these episodes have already influenced me beyond the listen- from trial farming tomato varieties to writing about science and climate change, the podcast goes beyond the normal egotism of hosts wanting things to be about them and actually dives into diverse subject matter. Staying on my rotation for sure, thanks Shane for the diverse, knowledgeable, and passionate guests!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    unknowna1
    United Statesa month ago
  • Excellent, bringen a lot of New insights!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Rathwiesergut
    a year ago

Chart Rankings

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Breeding Mashua, Babaco and Passionfruit with Chuck Chan
Q: What sustainable practices help reduce inputs in your breeding work?
The guest describes growing many seeds in full sun to identify survivors, keeping only about 10% of offspring, and relying on minimal fertilization for most crops while selectively fertilizing certain blueberry relatives and Passiflora to encourage robust growth.
Breeding Mashua, Babaco and Passionfruit with Chuck Chan
Q: How do you decide which material to share with the broader community?
The host notes that sharing can be rewarding but often yields little feedback; the guest emphasizes building trust with select collaborators and spacing out material transfers until the lines are reasonably uniform and promising.
Breeding Mashua, Babaco and Passionfruit with Chuck Chan
Q: What are the main practical challenges you face when crossing two very different groups of Babaco or Mashua?
Timing and pollen availability are critical; some crosses fail due to asynchronous flowering, while others require bringing plants indoors to synchronize flowering and sometimes doing back-crossing to stabilize traits.
Breeding Mashua, Babaco and Passionfruit with Chuck Chan
Q: How did you start as a plant person and transition into more ambitious breeding?
The guest explains that early gardening and selecting for plants that survived the local conditions led to a systematic breeding approach around 2010, driven by the need to adapt crops to a cool, mid-elevation climate and improve eating quality over time.
Building the Experimental Farm Network with Nate Kleinman
Q: Does the fate of the GRIN seed bank in the future keep you up at night?
It is an incredibly precious resource that is suffering from underfunding and is at risk of being lost.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Recombination Nation

What is Recombination Nation about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A wide array of innovative topics surrounding agriculture, ecology, and societal evolution unfold throughout episodes, engaging knowledgeable guests like microbiologists, agriculture experts, and geopolitical analysts. Key discussions include sustainable agricultural practices, the importance of crop and livestock biodiversity, and the intricate connections between our environment and societal narratives. Unique insights into how historical perspectives and innovations can shape agricultural practices underscore the importance of community and resilience in the face of modern challenges, aiming to inspire listeners to rethink their connections to food and sustainability.

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How many episodes of Recombination Nation are there?

Recombination Nation launched a year ago and published 71 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Recombination Nation?

Recent guests on Recombination Nation include:

1. Malcolm Collins
2. Chuck Chan
3. Gail Tverberg
4. James Howard Kunstler
5. Sean Dembrosky
6. Fred Pearce
7. Bunya Halasz
8. Nate Kleinman

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