agri-Culture

Send us Fan Mail Dugan Tillman-Brown and Firefly Farm in North Stonington, Connecticut.  Our second Holstein Dilemma film interview ever, and the moment Elara fell in love.   There were so many things we talked about on that lovely day in July, standing in that sunny and grassy pasture with a herd of amazingly picturesque Randall Cattle.  Birds chirped in the trees and the insects lazily buzzed ab...

Send us Fan Mail We can’t seem to escape news of the latest disease outbreak, no matter which decade we’re inhabiting.  MERS, SARS, Covid-19, Spanish Flu, Zika, plague, typhoid, or leprosy for humans.  In poultry parlance, we have Marek’s, Newcastle, Avian Pox…and the list goes on.  There’s always something floating around that affects both humans and non-human animals, and sometimes it’s kind of...

Send us Fan Mail Estimate to date , 2016-2020.  Over… 50-75,000 ground miles 40 air trips 12 festivals, conferences and events 125 interviews CA, NY, NC, VA, OR, CO, FL, CT, RI, WA, MT, WY, UT, ID, NH, NM, AZ, OK, AR, KS, DE, PA, KY, MD, MN, MA, NV, MO, NE, VT, WI, WV.  I’m sure we missed a couple here on the list, but we’ve seen them all. We’re exhausted and happy, and will continue on that path...

Send us Fan Mail We continue the second half of our food adventure in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Cherie Montoya, owner of the Farm & Table restaurant.  Her life and career path supporting the importance of local, healthy, community-based food might be genetic, or it could be environmental.  There’s no way of knowing which, in this instance, as both influences could factor heavily.      Her...

Send us Fan Mail Whether or not you’ve heard, Albuquerque, New Mexico is one of the foodie centers in the U.S., and we can attest to that fact after our visit.  You may think the balloon festival is the big draw, but really, you need to stay for the vittles.  Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm sits on 25 acres in the historic city of Albuquerque, and encapsulates the concept of sustainable...

Send us Fan Mail We often talk about animals, and we talk about food, but very rarely do we actually discuss the middle part – how one turns into the other.  Before you run screaming in a panic, don’t worry, we’re not going to discuss the nitty gritty in detail here, either.  We are, however, going to bring you a conversation with one of the rock stars in the world of butchery.   Camas Davis is a...

Send us Fan Mail All of us can get focused on our preconceptions as representative of the whole, and since Scotland has some serious personality and history behind it, that country has generated its fair share of stereotypes.  That’s applicable to geography, history, personality and the like.  Think of how quickly our mental picture encapsulates our preconceived ideas of all things Scotland, and i...

Send us Fan Mail    “Squirrel!”  If you’ve seen Disney’s animated film, “Up,” then you realize the world of meaning behind what seems like a simple noun.  It’s that tendency to get distracted by something that looks or smells or tastes so fascinating that you immediately stop mid-sentence and go screaming off down the rabbit hole in a different mental direction.  And your dear host has that charac...

Send us Fan Mail We’re continuing the adventures in Colorado agriculture science with the USDA’s ARS, NAGP*.  Confused?  Don’t be.  Dr. Phil Purdy, Physiologist extraordinaire, decodes any confusion that the acronyms might cause into something practical and meaningful with on-the-ground common sense in the field of assisted reproductive technology and fertility studies.  Part of his job is to coll...

Send us Fan Mail Eggs and sperm and seeds and hair They’ll take ‘em all, collect with care They might be used when earth goes south Or critters die from hoof and mouth Or climate change or scary bugs Cuz not all things respond to drugs A backup place is just plain smart For when we need to hit restart But even if it’s just for breeding And better stock is what you’re needing Corrective genes are r...

Send us Fan Mail It’s that time of year again – off to Colorado for the annual National Western Stock Show.  Every January, the streets of downtown Denver ring with the shouts of cowboys and cowgirls, the jangle of harnesses, the creak of wagons, the roar of classic tractors, and the clop, clop, clop of both shod and unshod hooves.  There are usually some excited kids yelling, “Look at the llamas,...

Send us Fan Mail I've got me a hankerin’ that may be irrational I'm wanting to go back again to the National Western that is, and we've been there now twice But two times it seems aren't enough to suffice. There's cowboys and cowgirls and rodeo riders The food court last year had these great little sliders The animal auctions are quite a big deal In nationwide coverage the...

Send us Fan Mail It’s almost that time of year.  Chilly air, crackling fire, and the holiday roast goose is on the table.  Well, maybe up until the Cratchit dinner in Dickens, but not so much anymore here in the U.S.  And why is that?  We don’t know, to be honest, as this is said to be one of the tastiest birds used for human consumption.   And even better, the goose is a multipurpose animal.  It...

Send us Fan Mail We hope that our podcast you click in. As we talk of some cute little chickens. In Colonial times (Are you sick of these rhymes?) It’s Nankins this week that we’re pickin’.     Join us this week, as we talk all things colonial (okay, maybe just the livestock) at Colonial Williamsburg.  Elaine Shirley, the manager of the Rare Breeds Program, walks us through on a wonderful tour of...

Send us Fan Mail  Well, it’s that time again - the 60’s and 70’s are back.  Yes, bell bottoms have been in and out again six times now, but that’s not what we mean.  We’re referring to the fact that people in this generation are becoming active and vocal participants in their future.  Some of us might get up and cheer, some of us might roll our eyes, but you have to admire that they’re doing somet...

Send us Fan Mail (To the tune of “My Prayer,” by The Platters) When the Summer has gone,  and the weather is changing When the sunshine has gone,  I head straight to my hearth  And here at the hearth, I will sit.  While you knit. My prayer is some knitwear from you  To keep me warm through the day  with a pattern divine My prayer is a sweater in blue  with some cables dark gray  And a hip length w...

Send us Fan Mail      It’s that time of year again.  The Day before Black Friday.  Football.  The beginning of a week off from school.  The big day to be in a room with all the relatives for more than 20 minutes, then recover from the experience.  And I think there’s something in there about being grateful for something or other, too.         Okay, we’ll be serious now.  It’s Thanksgiving here in...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Francisco Javier Navas Gonzalez, DVM, PhD, Professor at the University of Cordoba in Spain.  You would think that all of those letters behind his name would cause him to be less than approachable, but that’s definitely not the case.  He was one of the people at the Donkey Welfare Symposium that was pretty hard to separate from the 42 fans constantly wanting to talk to him, and...

Send us Fan Mail       Dirt or soil.  No matter what you call it, it’s the one thing that in many ways is the beginning and ending of life for all of us.  It’s beautiful, rich, and generous.  It moves and breathes, gives us untold wealth, and is the place we look to keep us fed and alive.  Usually.  Unless it loses its balance.      One of our favorite childhood books starts out with a only mild i...

Send us Fan Mail The Akhal-Teke horse.  The interviews with these animals (and the people who raise them) are still in the top-ten list of things that make us smile.  Not that they are funny-looking, because words like “majestic,” “graceful” and “exotic” don’t begin to cover it.  Words that describe them include:  Move like a cat.  Some glow like a lightbulb.  Smart as a fox.  Fleet as the wind. ...

Send us Fan Mail   The New York State Sheep & Wool Festival, held annually in Rhinebeck, New York.  One episode is not quite enough.  Twelve episodes wouldn’t cover it either, but two is all we’re giving you.     We continue the adventure with Amy Corey, who has managed to develop the most gorgeous charcoal colored sheep ever.  Okay, so maybe the Gotland sheep breed has been around in Sweden f...

Send us Fan Mail      The New York State Sheep & Wool Festival, or Rhinebeck Fiber Fest, or The Dutchess County Fiber Fair, or NY Wool Fest, or...it goes on forever.  Whatever you call it, it's pretty much a bucket list item for anyone who does anything with fiber.   We don't know if the most impressive thing is that 50,000 people show up every year, or that 16 volunteers run the who...

Send us Fan Mail      Unless it adds to context, we're not usually name droppers.  Okay, maybe sometimes when we're really excited about an interview (Temple Grandin) or person (Isabella Rossellini) that has used his or her power for good (Phillip Sponenberg), or maybe someone (Harvey Blackburn) that has done great things in their field of study (Cary Fowler) for the planet as a whole (O...

Send us Fan Mail      The free exotic chick.  Well, doesn't that sound racy and exciting.  It's actually one of our favorite live gameshows that you can play at home, brought to us by the people at Murray McMurray.        In this snippet from our Heirloom Expo 2019 run in Santa Rosa last month, we have an impromptu conversation with Tom Watkins, VP of Murray McMurray.  The podcast can&ap...

Send us Fan Mail      It has been a year now since we went to Farm Aid 2018 in Hartford, Connecticut, and our feet are just now recovering.        For those of you who have wondered what it may have been like, we thought we would give you a snippet of the experience.  Our interviews, recorded live and uncut (somewhat uncut - it went ALL DAY LONG).  We are giving you the introduction of the founder...