ATTRA - Voices from the Field

This week’s episode of Voices from the Field is a conversation about Texas A&M University’s Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management, hosted by NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Darron Gaus.  The Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management is a coordinated, system-wide effort at Texas A&M aimed at safeguarding the ecologic and economic resiliency of grazing-land resources and ra...

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership with ATTRA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. To learn more about SARE’s library of practical information and available grants to fund projects that advance sustainable agriculture, visit sare.org . In this episode, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Guy Ames talks with Matthew Lebon, owner of Custom Foodscapi...

This episode of Voices from the Field is an inspiring conversation with a trailblazer in ecological agriculture. In it, Gabriella Soto-Velez, an NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist  in the Gulf States Region, sits down with Christopher Sacco, who needs no introduction for those familiar with sustainable agriculture practices. In 2009, Christopher laid the foundation for Groundswell Internation...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell talks with beginning farmer Violet Keys about the journey that took her from a career in the military to beginning Synergy in the Garden, a 6-acre urban agriculture operation in Jackson, Mississippi. Violet discusses overcoming her nervousness as she begins her farm – where she plans to grow medicinal h...

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership with ATTRA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. To learn more about SARE’s library of practical information and available grants to fund projects that advance sustainable agriculture, visit SARE.ORG.  In this episode, Maura Henn, an NCAT Local Food Systems Specialist, talks with Michal DeChellis of the Alt...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , urban farmer Pasha Angelle of Healing Den Farms in Houston, Texas, discusses how farming realities led her to shift gears and produce microgreens literally in-house rather than crops out in the field in the brutal Texas climate. This risk-management decision has expanded her experience and led her to a new customer base.   This podcast is produced by the...

Sheri Langford is a straight-talking Texas shepherd, dog trainer, and retired crime- scene investigator.    In this episode of Voices from the Field , Sheri talks with NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Linda Poole about raising Navajo-Churro sheep – which she calls “the mustangs of the sheep world”– with the help of her border collie, Anatolian, and Great Pyrenees guardian dogs. On her Red F...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Tracy Mumma talks with Jim Gronau, who uses oxen as draft animals on his farm in Ontario, Canada. Jim describes some of the environmental, economic, and marketing benefits of using oxen, and he provides pointers for getting started as a teamster and for starting a young team of oxen. Jim also explains what an ox is...

For centuries, draft animals were the premier power source for agriculture.  Although tractors eventually usurped draft animals on most farms, ranches, and forests, some teamsters have kept the traditions alive. With the upswing of modern homesteading and people striving for ecologically beneficial agricultural practices, it looks like draft power is making a comeback.   In this episode of Voices...

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership with ATTRA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. To learn more about SARE’s library of practical information and available grants to fund projects that advance sustainable agriculture, visit sare.org. In this episode, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Justin Duncan talks with Edmund Frost at the Twin...

This episode of Voices from the Field introduces one of NCAT’s newest staff members. Danielle Duni recently joined NCAT as a Carbon Farm Planner who will aid Wyoming shepherds as they build profitable businesses and healthy landscapes.    Danielle shares her winding career path working with livestock across the western U.S. and her vision for ranchers “finding that interface where we can all work...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , we meet one of NCAT’s impressive new staff members, Allison Cooley-Agee. Allison talks with NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey about her background and the interesting and varied experience she brings to her new position as a Carbon Farm Planner. Training cutting horses, milking goats on an organic dairy, raw milk, 4-H, and Nicole Masters all make the...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , Margo Hale, Director of NCAT’s ATTRA and Armed to Farm programs, visits with Dr. Adam Ingrao, a beekeeper and educator in Michigan. Adam, a military veteran, talks about his farming operation and the programs that have been beneficial to it.   He shares how his military service and farming experiences led him to beekeeping. He also discusses the Heroes to...

This episode of Voices from the Field is the first of a new podcast series, "Lessons Learned on a Southern Farm." In it, NCAT Gulf States Regional Coordinator Felicia Bell talks with Marguerite McClintock from Alchemy Farms and Plants in Huntsville, Alabama.    Marguerite discusses the lessons she has learned from operating her certified organic vegetable farm and from raising heritage a...

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership with ATTRA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. To learn more about SARE’s library of practical information and available grants to fund projects that advance sustainable agriculture, visit sare.org. In it, NCAT Sustainable Horticulture Specialist Guy Ames talks with Weston Lombard, who grows mulberries on...

We have only recently begun to understand the true nature of soil organic matter. In this episode of Voices from the Field , NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater is joined by Dr. Johannes Lehmann, a Cornell University professor with the School of Integrative Plant Science - Soil and Crop Sciences Section as well as the Department of Global Development. They talk about misconceptions...

This episode of Voices from the Field continues a discussion between Mickey Willenbring, a lifelong shepherd who raises Navajo-churro and Karakul sheep in Western Oregon, and NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Linda Poole. Mickey touches on the value of reading, the role of on-farm experiments, the need for a good veterinarian/client relationship, and learning from people we don't agree...

Raising sheep can be a hobby or a business, a joy or a trial. And with the right intent and actions, it can also be a powerful way to heal ourselves and our relationship with the Earth.  Listen as Mickey Willenbring, a lifelong shepherd who raises Navajo-Churro and Karakul sheep in Western Oregon, shares her shepherding journey and the wisdom she's gleaning along the way.  In the first of a t...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater and her husband, Jeremy Prater – a cattle and meat goat farmer – explore the science and history of potassium. Potassium fertilizer prices have increased 45 percent in the past few years, and finding ways to reduce  off-farm inputs of potassium can improve a farm’s bottom line. Nina and Jeremy discuss po...

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Omar Rodriguez talks with his NCAT colleague Local Foods Specialist Molly Kirkham. Molly, who also manages the Dillon Farmers’ Market in Dillon, Montana, gives us a glimpse into the work required to make a farmers market operate smoothly and function as a place where the community can connect. She also discusses seve...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , we get to know one of our newest NCAT employees, Tyler Jenkins. Tyler is joining the NCAT team as a Carbon Farm Planner and will be working on our “Building Soil, Building Equity” project, as well as contributing to the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater talks with Tyler about his work before coming...

This episode of Voices from the Field continues a conversation between NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Linda Poole and Dr. Kathy Soder, who runs 125 Dorset ewes on 96 acres in Pennsylvania with her husband Ken and son Nathan. They cover a variety of issues, including predators, parasites, and profits in the discussion, which is part of ATTRA’s ongoing podcast series “She’s Raising Sheep.”...

This episode of Voices from the Field continues ATTRA’s ongoing podcast series “She’s Raising Sheep.” In a conversation with NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Linda Poole, Dr. Kathy Soder discusses building a healthy, profitable flock of sheep no matter where you farm. Kathy, an animal scientist and ruminant nutritionist with decades of experience raising sheep in both Montana and Pennsylvan...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist and Montana Farmers Market Network Manager Tammy Howard talks with Erin Austin of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO) about its online Abundant Montana platform. Erin is the Director of Community Partners and Sales at AERO and Abundant Montana. She talks with Tammy about how new and existing farmers...

In this episode of Voices from the Field , Samantha O’Byrne, CEO of the O’Hara Commons & Sustainability Center farmers market in Hamilton, Montana, gives us a behind the scenes look at the role of a farmers market manager during a conversation with NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Omar Rodriguez.   Key to Samantha’s management philosophy is a dedication to local foods and the desire to...