About this episode

Jim Dunlop discusses overcoming the ammonium death spiral in agriculture through innovative nutrient management techniques.

Jim Dunlop is a senior agronomist with Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) whose journey into agriculture began after serving in the Marine Corps. He used the GI Bill to study biology and chemistry at CSU Stanislaus. While there, he started a CSA farm in the Yosemite foothills, which grew significantly as he collaborated with organic growers. Jim later managed a pasture livestock operation on California's Central Coast and spent a year traveling the country in an RV to visit diverse farms. He eventually settled in Oregon's Columbia Gorge, transitioning from a compost facility to managing orchards for Mike Omeg, where he first discovered AEA. Today, Jim is working to build the AEA business in the Pacific Northwest. He works with conventional and organic growers across a variety of crops, including tree fruit, berries, vegetables, and livestock pasture. In his role, Jim uses his years of experience, sap analysis and AI to pinpoint plant metabolic bottlenecks, helping growers overcome environmental stress and unlock peak crop performance. In this episode, John and Jim discuss: How adding small amounts of sugar to foliar sprays stops a destructive "ammonium death spiral" by balancing…

People in this episode

Host: John Kempf

Guest: Jim Dunlop

Topics covered

• agriculture
• plant health
• nutrient management
• sugar application
• environmental stress
• crop performance

Keywords

• ammonium death spiral
• foliar sprays
• sugar
• plant metabolic bottlenecks
• nutrient blends
• calcium movement
• agronomy
• organic farming

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Advancing Eco Agriculture

Places: California, Oregon, Yosemite, Columbia Gorge, Central Coast, CSU Stanislaus

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• Episode 185: Pioneering Solubilized Urea and Foliar Nutrition with the Fabian Family · July 16, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Episode 184: The Crisis of Blandness in Agriculture with Mark Schatzker · July 9, 2026 · 52 min
• Podcast Extra: Ask Me Anything with John Kempf - June 4, 2026 · June 18, 2026 · 57 min
• Episode 182: Reclaiming Independence from Corporate Meat with Cole Mannix · June 12, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Episode 181: Plant Immunity Through Custom Foliars and Targeted Nutrition with Peter Henry · June 5, 2026 · 1h 11m
• Episode 180: Shifting Management Logistics to Build a Better Lifestyle with Tom Cotter · May 28, 2026 · 1h 6m

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