Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good

Learn about Mike's family's farming heritage, which came to the US from Italy with his great-grandfather and how Mike grew up with a more diverse farm experience than most of us. Mike's early start in farming served him well as he studied environmental science in college and went on to do agricultural research and vegetable, dairy sheep and livestock farming.  Land access and farm business plannin...

Entomologist and farmer Ron Bittner talks pollinators and soil health This conversation with Ron Bittner will help you make the connection between crop pollination, water conservation and soil health in a way you probably haven't before. Learn about how Ron's interest in insects—specifically the alfalfa leafcutting bee—has taken him around the US and all the way to Australia.  Hear about the begin...

Cambodian agroecology educator Panha Suon talks with Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good podcast host Lisa Munniksma about farming in Cambodia, from climate to crops and the challenges that farmers are facing there. Listen to how Panha became involved in agroecology and why he's dedicated to educating others about the impact human activities have on the environment, particularly in a less-industria...

Lewis Hughes, land steward and local-food distribution pro Hear about Lewis Hughes's journey into farming, from conventional pig and corn farms to international agricultural research to organic farming and cooperative farming. His vast experience in the farming world set him up to be able to work with small-scale farmers in distributing their products to wider markets. Learn about the What Chefs W...

Small-scale farmer and entrepreneur Nasuha Lenuh — nicknamed R — talks about the tree crops grown in her region, the southern part of Thailand. Hear about her family's tree crops, from rubber to durian fruit, and how R has chosen her own path in developing Rganic Farm, including herbs, salad greens and edible flowers. R shares this journey, being honest about her family's and community's feelings...

Military service members and veterans farming program and aeroponic gardening with Melissa Stewart Listen to Melissa Stewart's story about the West Virginia National Guard's Patriot Guardens program — the only agricultural unit embedded in a National Guard unit — and how it grew from an educational program to what it has become in 7 years: an urban farm in Charleston, a flock of laying hens, farme...

Flexibility in farming, connecting with the natural world, and the Organic Association of Kentucky with Jenny Howard Owen In this episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good, listen to Jenny's story of her love of farming rooted in childhood. You might identify with her vivid childhood memories of digging potatoes, setting off with the family dogs through the woods and fields, and living a life...

The hazards of grants, letting vegetable plants go to seed and lessons in water rights with Robert Frew and Juan Carlos Arango   Robert and Juan Carlos practice permaculture and a culture of sharing at Sobremesa Farm, just outside Bloomington, Indiana. In this episode, Robert talks about taking the time to observe the land before jumping into farming and waiting one more year before putting any pr...

Sara Wittenberg on Pollinators and How to Build a Pollinator Garden Pollinator Week is June 17-23, 2024 .  Without pollinators, we wouldn't have food, making pollinators an essential link in the food system. You, as a gardener or farmer, have a role to play here. Gardener and biologist Sara Wittenberg talks with podcast host Lisa Munniksma about how and why we should be caring for our pollinators,...

Pattie Baker talks about WWOOFing — traveling to work on farms — gardening and finding hope. Hear about how 9/11 spurred Pattie on to start gardening, from zero interest to a need to plant a seed in the name of hope. She tells her story about how she went from growing food for her family to now traveling to learn about farming and to share her knowledge with others. In 2008, the city Pattie lived...

How to find your dream farm, with Bonnie Warndahl! If you are searching for your dream farm, this podcast episode with Bonnie Warndahl has you covered. Bonnie searched for years to find the property that is now her Winnowburrow Farm and Florals, in Colfax, Wisconsin. Listen to Bonnie's story about how she came to be interested in gardening and stewarding land. (Thanks, Barbara Kingsolver!) Follow...

In this podcast episode, Arkansas rancher Lauren Manning talks about responsible grazing, lessons learned from starting a grazing operation from scratch and financing to support a regenerative food system. Learn how CrossFit — the popular fitness and lifestyle program — helped shape the focus of Lauren's legal career, from civil litigation in California to agricultural law in Arkansas. An internsh...

Urban farmer and seed advocate Florentina Rodriguez talks seeds, seeds and, you guessed it, seeds. Hear about how Florentina started her Flora Seeds, all thanks to seeing the need for a community seed library in her village of Yellow Springs, Ohio. Her interest in seed education and in helping people save, share and grow seeds grew from there. As more people started becoming more aware of the vuln...

From Oregon, Michele Thorne talks with show host Lisa Munniksma about support and resources for livestock farmers and meat consumers from The Good Meat Project, the challenges of farming on rented land, the finding value in "failure" and more. Hear about all the ways that Thorne engages with the food system through what she refers to as "choice, trade and destiny." She talks all about The Good Mea...

Homesteader Hillarie Maddox talks about returning to the land, building community and mental health for farmers. Hear about Hillarie's upbringing visiting her family members' original homesteads in South Dakota and how her life came full circle, back to the land herself on Whidbey Island, in Washington. She talks about how she and her husband are balancing their differing interests in landscaping...

Kimberly Haire talks with Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good host Lisa Munniksma about what it's like to teach middle schoolers in Kentucky about growing food while she expands her own farming knowledge. Hear about how Kimberly uses the foundations of agriculture, local and global food systems, and hands-on work to get sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students excited about coming to class. In on...

Appalachian farmer Sara Martin asks us to put on our science hats and talks about farming at high elevation, running a truly diverse small farm, redistributing unsold produce and more. Hear about how Sara and her husband, Dustin Cornelison, became "accidental farmers," as their homesteading endeavor just kept growing. Sara talks about how their Two Trees Farm and Sustainabillies business support t...

The Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good podcast meets the Coffee with the Chicken Ladies podcast with this episode's guests, Holly Callahan-Kasmala and Chrisie DiCarlo. Learn about how these best friends of 40+ years started the Coffee with the Chicken Ladies podcast and why it's important to them to share their experience with and educate others about poultry.  Listen to the impressive list of her...

Cornell Small Farms Program director Anu Rangarajan talks about supporting farmers as whole people, making farming communities more welcoming spaces, life as a strawberry farmer and a game-changing reduced-tillage technique. Hear about how the Cornell University Small Farms Program free classes and resources can support your farming—whether your farm in New York or elsewhere—and how they differ fr...

Chyka Okarter talks about farming an Extension work in Nigeria, putting the lean farming concept into practice, and finding creative financing from within the food system. Hear about what agriculture looks like in Nigeria—a pursuit with huge potential that Chyka feels is not being met in this country that's slightly larger than Texas. He talks about growing up in a farming family and wanting to go...

Texas farmer Keisha Johnson talks career transitions, skill sharing, poultry keeping and more. Hear about Keisha's career transition from administration and logistics to farming, and her advice for how anyone can take pre-farming-career skills into farm life—"turning your lifestyle into your livelihood." Keisha talks about growing vegetables in Texas's hot, arid climate through summer and more mil...

Indiana farmer and The Lean Micro Farm author Ben Hartman talks about the logistics of downsizing.  Hear about the CSA Ben started while still in high school and how this set him up for a career in farming. Ben shares the statistics that, by the end of this century, we will lose half of the farms that we have now, and the farms that are left will be twice as large. Statistics like this make him be...

Taiwanese-American farmer Li Schmidt talks about growing Asian-heritage crops, growing crops for seeds, small-scale farming in Taiwan and preserving cultural foodways. Hear about how Li started her Cultural Roots Nursery, in Northern California, in 2020, as a result of the pandemic rather than in spite of it. Most of Li's customers are Asian American and have encouraged her to grow a broad range o...

Toronto orchardist Susan Poizner talks fruit-tree care, community orcharding and more with Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good podcast host Lisa Munniksma. Hear about the evolution of the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard in Toronto, now in its 15th year. Susan admits to knowing less than she should have about fruit-tree care when she undertook the development of a community orchard and shares he...

Reeba Daniel talks farm to school, land access, leadership in food systems and more on this episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good. Reeba talks about their business, Keep Growing Seeds, that allows them to create and manage school gardens, work with "learners" to grow and eat good food, and also examine culture and connection through food. They talk about the benefits and challenges of gard...