ATTRA - Voices from the Field

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field Podcast, NCAT Senior Manager Tammy Howard visits with Elliot Smith, co-founder of Kitchen Sync Strategies (KSS). KSS started in 2019 to help connect more people to nourishing, impactful food and connect more big buyers with local producers. KSS has been an important partner in NCAT’s Bringing the Farm to School through New Connections project, which...

In this episode of ATTRA's Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Rex Dufour leads a lively discussion with Helen Atthowe, a long-time organic farmer who has farmed in Montana, California, and Oregon. Helen and her late husband, Carl Rosato, co-owned and operated a certified organic orchard in California where they pioneered methods for raising tree fruits without the...

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voice from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Darron Gaus interviews Dr. Dirk Philipp, an associate professor at the University of Arkansas. Dirk’s expertise in agronomy and tropical agriculture shapes his understanding of why restoring native prairies matters to agricultural producers. Darron and Dirk discuss how producers can seed prairie grasses for su...

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater talks with Sneha Haridas, a 4th year PhD candidate and Graduate Research Assistant at West Virginia University about her research on dung beetles. Dung beetles are important for nutrient cycling and improving soil, pasture, and livestock health, but in some regions their populations have declined. Sneha has b...

Mushrooms are one of the most unique agricultural enterprises available to farmers and entrepreneurs. Unlike traditional crops, mushrooms are fungi that thrive on organic materials such as hardwood pellets, sawdust, straw, and agricultural byproducts, transforming low-value resources into nutritious food and profitable products. In this episode, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Ve...

 In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Rex Dufour, Audrey Kolde, and Nina Prater talk about the principles of farmscaping - a practice of integrating native and diverse plants into agricultural spaces. Rex has been championing farmscaping for decades as a way to enhance biological control of pests. Audrey and Nina convene with Rex to learn from the master.  Please...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell is joined by Alsie Parks, C0-Executive Director of SAAFON and Lindsey Richards, Texas Gulf Coast Outreach and Education Specialist with American Farmland Trust. Alsie and Lindsey share their different yet complimentary perspectives of the importance of planning for farmland succession through estate planning or land...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell begins a new series highlighting successful women in agriculture. Felicia kicks of the series by interviewing Marguerite Green, Statewide Director of the Louisiana Food Policy Council. Marguerite shares what inspired her to begin farming and what led her to a career in agriculture advocacy and education. Please comp...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell continues her series on successful women in Agriculture. Felicia talks with Gwen Cannon of Cannon Family Farm, located just outside of Brandon, Mississippi. Gwen shares about what led her to living a life of farming with her spouse, and how the lessons she has learned along the way have helped her serve her communit...

In this episode of ATTRA's Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde hosts Garver Akers of Green Akers Consulting. Garver shares the soil health improvements he has seen from using vermicompost tea in medium- to large-scale agriculture production. Drawing from his experience as regenerative farmer, ecological horticulturist, and organic farm and garden consultant, Garver...

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde continues her investigation into sustainable and organic farming practices by learning more about the Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) project. Audrey speaks with STAR project director, Jake Deutmeyer, to learn how this national, non-profit organization established and expanded the STAR framewo...

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Tammy Howard speaks with participants from her USDA‑funded project, Bringing the Farm to School. The project is designed to help agricultural producers build the skills and capacity needed to sell their products directly to schools. Alongside this training, NCAT and the National Farm to School Network have also hosted fa...

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Danielle Duni and Darron Gaus speak with Jeremiah Eubank, a rancher in Canyon Lake, Texas.  Jeremiah and his wife Maggie operate Pure Pastures, a family-owned multi-species grazing operation. The Eubanks have been ranching since 2015, using trial and error to perfect their rotational grazing practices. They strive to pr...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Nina Prater, Darron Gaus, and Lee Rinehart continue their exploration of plant nutrients. In previous episodes, they covered nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, and in this episode they dive into the pungent world of sulfur. They discuss the history of sulfur, how sulfur is related to air quality, how sulfur works in...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde sits down with colleagues Ann Baier and Andrew Coggins to discuss the initial steps in obtaining organic certification in farming. Before coming to NCAT, Audrey worked as a manager of vegetable production on a certified organic farm, and she brings that experience to this conversation. In addition to her role as an...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Lee Rinehart is joined by Mike Miezianka, co-founder of Toasted Oysters, a 3 1/2-acre aquaculture farm on Great South Bay off of Long Island. Mike and his business partner Ray Smith cultivate authentic Blue Point Oysters which they sell to distributors and restaurants on Long Island and beyond. In this conversation, Lee and Mike...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT agriculture specialist Eric Fuchs-Stengel sits with Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson, the couple behind Many Hands Organic Farm and co-authors of the book Many Hands Make A Farm. The farm has been selling to the public since 1985, and specializes in certified organic produce, meat and eggs in Barre, Massachusetts. In this conversation, Jack and Julie s...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT agriculture specialist Audrey Kolde dives into irrigation with Dr. Stacia Congers, an associate professor and statewide irrigation specialist and engineer at the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center.  Audrey and Dr. Congers talk about all things water: floods, droughts, as well as interesting research projects that may yield promising advance...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT agriculture specialists Lee Rhinehart and Eric Fuchs-Stengel have a lively discussion on the topic of beekeeping. Lee and Eric talk about the best and worst conditions for keeping bees, common mistakes for beginners, bee anatomy, and honey production. Eric also shares his own experiences in raising bees and provides many practical suggestions who to s...

In this episode of Voices from the Field NCAT agriculture specialists and colleagues, Maura Henn and Tammy Howard, reflect on their journey helping Montana farmers markets build capacity and sustain success. Maura and Tammy also talk about new resources they have developed including Harvest of the Month at Farmers Market toolkit and a suite of Farmers Market Vendor Success videos.  ATTRA Resources...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT agriculture specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez sits down with Asha Walker, founder and powerhouse behind Health in the Hood , a Miami-based nonprofit tackling food insecurity and health disparities by transforming vacant lots into thriving community gardens.  Gabriella and Asha dive into the origin story of Health in the Hood, unpack how today’s food lan...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT agriculture specialist Nina Prater is joined by Tim Hammer, co-owner of Homegrown Native Foods, LLC. Tim is an educator who teaches people about responsible and safe foraging of wild plants and mushrooms in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. In this conversation, they discuss the many qualities of native plants that make them desirable in the farmscape,...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT agriculture specialist Maura Henn is joined by Blake Lineweaver, Co-op Development Program Manager at Mission West Community Development Partners. Maura and Blake talk about how farmers markets in Montana are using the cooperative business model to build resilience in their local food systems, as well as the steps to forming a cooperative farmers mark...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT agriculture specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez explores the principles and power of Syntropic Agriculture with Roger Gietzen and Mauro Rosito-Weber—two educators and practitioners deeply immersed in this regenerative agroforestry method. Together they discuss how syntropic agriculture differs from traditional agroforestry systems, long term benefits of t...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable agriculture specialist Nina Prater is joined by Dr. Faye Smith, a soil scientist with a focus on sustainable soil and landscape management. They talk about the importance of soil health, science-backed approaches to soil health, important benchmarks for measuring soil health, and more. ATTRA Resources: Soil Aggregate Assessment Managing So...