ATTRA - Voices from the Field

In this episode, Kara Kroeger, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, talks with soil specialist Lance Gunderson about the PLFA soil test. The conversation is the second of two that Kara and Lance have had on ATTRA: Voices from the Field concerning soil tests – last week's podcast featured Lance's take on the Haney test. You can find...

In this episode, Kara Kroeger, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, talks with soil specialist Lance Gunderson about the Haney soil test. They discuss the history of the Haney test, how it's scored, its effectiveness on both cropland and pasture and range land; the management practices it can suggest, and more. The conversation is the fi...

Today's episode explores community gardening and its relationship to sustainable agriculture. Daniel Prial, sustainable agriculture specialist from NCAT's Northeast Regional Office in Keene, New Hampshire, has a conversation with folks from Antioch University New England's Community Gardens Connections program. This episode looks at the importance of community gardening as part of t...

In this episode, Martin Guerena, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, has a conversation with Tom Willey, one of the pioneers of organic agriculture in the Central Valley of California. Martin works out of the NCAT Western Regional Office in Davis, California. Tom – "farmer emeritus" at T and D Willey Farms, the operation he co-foun...

Today's episode – Part 4 of our "Direct Marketing Meat" series – features a question-and-answer session with Dave and Jenny Scott. Linda Coffey asks questions submitted by listeners, and Dave and Jenny provide great answers. You will hear some innovative marketing ideas, as well as more information about production practices and nutrition. Dave and Linda are livestock specialists wi...

In this episode – part 3 of our "Direct Marketing Meat" series – Dave Scott and his wife, Jenny, join Linda Coffey to talk about aspects of working with customers, planning pricing, assessing profitability, and deciding on the scale of the enterprise. Dave and Linda are livestock specialists with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program. Dave works out of NCAT's headquarter...

In this episode, we feature a conversation with Kurt Myllymaki, a Montana farmer and rancher who, with his family, raises crops and beef cattle on 10,000 acres of leased and deeded land in north central Montana near the town of Stanford. He talks about the profound changes the operation is making, including diversifying cash crops raised on the farm and adding cover crops to reduce the use of summ...

In this episode, Nina Prater, an agriculture specialist in NCAT's Southeast Regional Office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, talks with Jay Randolph about prairie restoration. Jay is the Ben Geren Golf Course Superintendent and Sebastian County Park Administrator in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They discuss the prairie restoration work Jay has undertaken at the golf course since 2016. The conversation cov...

In this episode, Felicia Bell, sustainable agricultural specialist at NCAT's Gulf States Office in Jackson, Mississippi, interviews Wendell Paris about the history of food cooperatives in the South and his involvement in this movement, specifically in the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. Mr. Paris is the Chairman of the Board for Panola Land Buyers Association and has been involved in the...

This episode is the second of two featuring a conversation between Kara Kroeger, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, and Fred Provenza. Fred is a well-known author and expert on animal health, human health, plant health, and how they are related – as well as their role in the care of ecosystems. Kara works out of NCAT's Southwest Region...

This episode is the first of two featuring a conversation between Kara Kroeger, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, and Fred Provenza. Fred is a well-known author and expert on animal health, human health, plant health, and how they are related – as well as their role in the care of ecosystems. Kara works out of NCAT's Southwest Regiona...

In this podcast, Jeff Schahczenski, agricultural and natural resource specialist with NCAT, has a conversation with Marty Mesh of Mesh and Associates of Gainesville, Florida about the current and future development of organic production in the South. While certified organic farming and ranching has been expanding nationwide, its growth in the southern United States has been much slower. In this ep...

oday's episode is the second in an ATTRA: Voices from the Field ongoing series on Direct Marketing Meat. Linda Coffey, a livestock specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, follows up on a listener's question by interviewing fellow NCAT ATTRA livestock specialist Dave Scott and his wife, Jenny, about their direct-marketing meat business, Montana Highland Lamb. Li...

ATTRA: Voices from the Field is taking a bit of a holiday break this week to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. We sincerely hope that everyone has a terrific holiday. Next week, we'll be back with the second in the Direct Marketing Meat series. In it, Linda Coffey and Dave Scott, both livestock specialists with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, along with Dave&a...

This episode is the first of an occasional ATTRA: Voices from the Field series on Direct Marketing Meat. Linda Coffey, a livestock specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, follows up on a listener's question by interviewing fellow NCAT ATTRA livestock specialist Dave Scott and his wife, Jenny, about their direct-marketing meat business, Montana Highland Lamb. Linda w...

In this episode, Lee Rinehart, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, talks with world renowned rancher and grazing educator Allen Williams. Lee, who works out of NCAT's Northeast Regional Office in Keene, N.H., and Allen talk about what Allen calls adaptive stewardship management grazing and how it could increase the supply of livestock o...

In this episode, Margo Hale, director of NCAT's Southeast Regional Office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, interviews Lauren Stine, a beginning farmer in Northwest Arkansas. Lauren shares how she went from being a lawyer in California to raising goats in Arkansas. She talks about the keys to her success, obstacles she has faced, and the resources that have helped her. Lauren also explains the ways...

This podcast is part of a Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education project for integrating livestock with crops. In this episode, Dave Scott, livestock specialist at NCAT's Rocky Mountain West Office in Butte, Montana, has a conversation with Roy Benjamin, a farmer of nearly 20,000 acres in Devon, Montana. For the past few years, Roy has been integrating livestock with his crops...

In this episode, Andrew Coggins, NCAT's Rocky Mountain West Regional Director and a specialist based in Butte, Montana, with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, talks with Alexis Bonogofsky, Northern Coordinator of the Quivira Coalition's New Agrarian program. Alexis discusses the New Agrarian program, which supports apprenticeships and mentors in agriculture. The Quivira...

In this episode of "Scaling Up," an occasional series at ATTRA, Rockiell Woods, director of NCAT's Gulf States Regional Office in Jackson, Mississippi, talks with Dr. Bill Evans, Director of Horticulture at Up in Farms Food Hub in Jackson, Mississippi. Rockiell and Bill discuss land and water considerations when scaling up a farm. You'll hear about how to determine the best use...

In this episode, we introduce Texas Sized Sustainable Pasture Operations, a new occasional series on ATTRA: Voices from the Field. Colin Mitchell, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, hosts Cameron Molberg, owner and operator of a larger-scale organic and pastured chicken operation, Greener Pastures Chicken, located in Elgin, Texas. Colin wor...

In this podcast, Justin Duncan, agriculture specialist at NCAT's Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, has a conversation with Lois Kim, Vice President of Public Relations and On-Farm Research Coordinator for Plantation Produce Company (PPC) Farms in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. In this episode, you'll hear how PPC Farms is transitioning its 1,500-acre operation from...

In this episode from NCAT's Southeast Regional Office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Regional Director Margo Hale and Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey talk about Linda's recent trip to attend an international meeting about internal parasite management, and some of the lessons she learned there. They then discuss what's happening on their farms in the fall: breeding season, and consider...

In this podcast, Al Kurki, agriculture specialist at NCAT's Rocky Mountain West Regional Office in Butte, Montana, has a conversation with Rachel Jones, Executive Director of Farm to School of Park County. With a USDA Farm to School grant, Rachel turned one of the school's greenhouses into an aquaponics laboratory. Middle- and high-school students of Park County now raise trout and veget...

In this podcast Nina Prater, agriculture specialist at NCAT's Southeast Regional office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has a conversation with her NCAT colleague Guy Ames, horticulture specialist and owner-operator of Ames Orchard and Nursery in Elkins, Arkansas. Guy has been farming in Arkansas since 1971, but became interested in heirloom apples in 1980. In this episode, discover things you mig...