American Family Farmer

9/11/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Kyle Elliot; Director, Weather Information Center at Millersville University ( millersville.edu ). With a B.S. in Meteorology from Millersville University and an M.S. in Meteorology from Penn State University, Kyle previously worked at AccuWeathe as an operational forecaster before joining MIllersville M...

9/4/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to a family farm inspired by a sunset. Ashley and Jesse Fields of Fields Fields Blueberries ( fieldsfieldsblueberries.com ) are successful second generation family farmers, growing organic wild blueberries, in Maine. They farm while keeping the berries and their surroundings in their most natural state. The...

8/28/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Rocky Goodnow with Forest Economic Advisors (FEA). As the Vice President of Timber, Rocky leads the development of FEA’s timber econometric models, which are used in the analysis of future demand on wood fiber resources, regional timber supplies and timber values. Headquartered in Littleton, MA (with off...

8/21/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Jackson Madnick, inventor and CEO of Pearl’s Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed, a company inspired and named after Jackson’s mom. What sets Pearl’s Premium apart from other lawn seeds is that, rather than mowing on a weekly basis, the grass doesn’t need mowed for 4-6 weeks. Chemical-free and a solu...

8/14/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan  www.eastleighfarm.com welcomes back Jennifer Fahy, Communications Director with Farm Aid, to discuss the annual event and ongoing efforts to assist family farmers in our beautiful country. Farm Aid was started in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp during the height of the farm crisis in an effort to bring people together a...

8/7/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Shane Kanneberg of Vine and Virtue Farm ( vineandvirtuefarm.com ) in Wisconsin, a family farm expanding and trying new things with a focus on fresh veggie, chicken, and eggs the way nature intended to nourish your family and soul. Vine and Virtue Farm doesn’t use heavy tillage, herbicides or chemical fert...

7/31/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Mike DellaGalla, Co-Founder & CEO of Solar Collective ( solarcollective.energy ). The conversation includes: Agri-solar/Agrivoltaics, the idea of collocating solar equipment on active farmland that remains farmable.  By using solar as an ag product, Solar Collective can help farmers generate long-ter...

7/24/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Ben Brown, a Senior Research Associate with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI). Ben’s love of farming and passion for teaching comes as no surprise when you realize he grew up in a family of teachers and farmers, and blending the two together paves new roads in farming’s future....

7/17/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Marshall Berg, a Hatch Chile expert and President and Founder of Best in the West. According to 2024 market research, consumers are increasingly seeking products that add overall flavor, cultural experience, and a little bit of heat to their meals. Until now, fresh Hatch chiles have been hard to ship, bu...

7/10/24 - Do you know how to protect your livestock when severe weather strikes? With NOAA predicting 17-25 named storms and 8-13 hurricanes, we have a conversation to help you better prepare. Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan  www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Dr. Sandra Faeh, chief veterinary officer for National Veterinary Associates and President of the American Veterinary Med...

7/3/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan  www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Kristen Worthington of Worthington Pecan Farms, located in New Mexico ( worthingtonpecanfarm.com ).  Pecan oil is quickly becoming the go-to oil for health conscious consumers. Pecans are starting to play a big role in not only the food industry, but the beauty industry as well. They’re naturally high in...

6/26/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan  www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Tom Hanson, from Hanson’s Farm in Framingham, MA, is a third generation farmer and longtime friend of Doug and joins the American Family Farmer program to discuss his family farm, the You-Pick strawberry season, and the hardships of getting started. Growing strawberries is more labor intensive that othe...

6/19/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan  www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to horse handler Helena Peterson started off in her youth as an equestrian, when she realized how many horses need rescued and started her own equine sanctuary. Doug and Helena take us on an educational journey on horse nutrition, who are herbivores, and the additives and fillers in store-bought horse feed...

6/12/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan  www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Stephanie Shepard Barnett and Steve Barnett of The Strawberry Patch at Shepard Farms, a family farm known for their delicious strawberries. Recently, The Strawberry Patch at Shepard Farms partnered with Robertson County Schools (near Nashville) to provide local produce to students. The Robertson County...

6/5/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan ( www.eastleighfarm.com ) introduces us to Stephanie Shepler-Harren of Chosen Weeds Farm, maker of 100% Goat Milk Soaps (TheChosenWeeds.com). Chosen Weeds farm was born out of a desire to create a place of sustainability and service to the community. Stephanie wanted to fashion a place where people were free to see how animals and plants can b...

5/22/24 - Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan  www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Alexandria Ward, Farm Aid’s Farmer Services Network Manager, for a focus on Farm Aid’s Mental Health Hotline, aiming to provide aid to Farmers nationwide. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and mental health issues are a major concern for all types of workers in the farming and agriculture industry....

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Alexis Burnham, of Burnham Orchards. https://www.burnhamorchards.com The Burnham Family Farm dates back to the early 1800s when William and Eleanor Tillinghast received 160 acres of land in the Firelands of Ohio. From juicy apples to succulent peaches, they grow fruits that delight your taste buds directly to the...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Jake Carter, Owner & CEO, Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, Georgia, just south of Atlanta. https://www.southernbellefarm.com Southern Belle Farm is an 8-generation family owned 330-acre working farm, open seasonally for fresh produce, berry picking, peach picking, fall fun, Christmas trees, and much more! It'...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Jerry Apps, author of "On Farms and Rural Communities: An Agricultural Ethic for the Future." https://bookshop.org/p/books/on-farms-and-rural-communities-an-agricultural-ethic-for-the-future-jerry-apps/20186975 Jerry Apps is a former county extension agent and is now professor emeritus at the University of Wiscons...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Steve and Jesse McBee of McBee Farms. www.mcbeefarms.com Their new series on Peacock The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys, is a new reality series that takes viewers behind the scenes of the high-stakes world of farming and ranching in rural Missouri. McBee Farm and Cattle is on the brink of becoming a billion...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Warren Shaw, President of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF https://mfbf.net/ ), a non-profit farming advocacy organization representing almost 3,000 family members across the Commonwealth. In this capacity, he assesses the overall direction and strategy of MFBF. Warren is also the owner/operator of S...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Tami Purdue, from Sweet Peas Urban Gardens, LLC. www.sweetpeasurbangardens.com & www.triangleunitedgrowers.com Tami is a trained as an accountant, but her own “foodie” journey led her from rapt engagement with entertainment cooking, to organic gardening, to a profound fascination with all the ways food culture...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Lesley Sykes, founder, and CEO of Primary Beans. www.primarybeans.com Primary Beans is a new, direct-to consumer online dried bean company offering an array of single-origin beans from recent harvests, sourced across North America from climate-conscious farm partners. They believe that beans as the perfect food fr...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Dr. Chad E. Hart Professor, Iowa State University Department of Economics Area of Expertise: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics. Called "Dr. Doom" by some. Heading into 2024, he paints a somewhat more encouraging picture for grain prices than USDA does. When the Iowa State University Extension ag economis...

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com introduces us to Glenn Roberts founder of Anson Mills. www.ansonmills.com. Glenn grew up in San Diego, California, the son of a professional singer and photographer, and a former Southern belle from Edisto, South Carolina. Somewhere along the road Glenn’s overarching interests distilled into the study of architectural history and...