Growers Daily

Erin and Sam started Long Season Farm in Ulster County, NY, in 2014 as a winter-only operation, but have since expanded to year-round production and market the majority of their produce at two year-round farmers markets. With seven acres in production, they have four 30' x 96' unheated high-tunnels, plus a prop house, multiple cat/ tunnels, a moveable tunnel, and a large heated greenhouse that inc...

Jamila Norman of Patchwork City Farms in Atlanta, GA, is a first generation daughter to Caribbean parents whose history is rooted in agriculture. After a career in environmental engineering, she founded Patchwork City Farms in 2010, an acre+ urban farm with one 30'x96' high-tunnel and four caterpillar tunnels that supplies two farmers markets, a couple of local restaurants, and a farmstand. I reac...

In 2015, Amy Frye and Jacob Slosberg of Boldly Grown Farm in Bow, WA, started a one-acre farm at an incubator farm shortly after meeting and working on their university farm. Now, in their ninth season, they've purchased their own farm property and currently cultivate 30 acres of vegetables, a couple acres of grains, dry beans, seed crops, and flowers. Winter crops have always been the focus from...

Order The Ecological Farm: A Minimalist No-Till, No-Spray, Selective-Weeding, Grow-Your-Own-Fertilizer System for Organic Agriculture by Helen Atthowe Hey, Farmer Jesse here, and we've got a special treat for you today. We are re-releasing the interview I did with Helen Atthowe from back in 2020, some of you may have heard it, some may have not. There are a couple reasons for the re-release: First...

Jillian and Ross Mickens of Open Door Farm in Cedar Grove, NC, work collaboratively with previous podcast guests Vera and Gordon of Ten Mother Farm to fill CSA boxes with many of the land intensive crops like potatoes and winter squash. With 5 acres under cultivation, and eleven seasons under their belt, they recently made the transition to winter-only sales from mid-August to the end of March, wh...

Rebecca and her husband, Mark, started Moonshot Farm in East Windsor, NJ, in 2019 after relocating from New York City to begin their dream of growing year-round cut flowers in a northern climate. In just four short years, they have built their 3.5 acre flower farm to include four high-tunnels, two of which are heated by a geothermal heating system, and they sell at two year round farmers markets,...

Today my guest is John Dindia of Lakeview Hill Farm in Traverse City, MI. John and his partner Bailey designed and built their farm from the ground up beginning in 2017 on a 58-acre property with 10 acres of available farmland and a 35-acre woodlot. Now, with 2.5 acres in production, they have five 30' x 148' heated greenhouses, a dedicated propagation house connected to a production barn, and sev...

Two quick things: first, we are welcoming back another exciting season of the Winter Growers Podcast with Clara Coleman -- super cool--and second, you are going to notice there is a lot more activity on this feed than usual and the reason is from here on out all of the shows we produce are going to appear in this feed as The No-Till Growers Network… Welcome back to the Winter Growers Podcast! In t...

Hi again, it's Natalie, and this is my last episode, THE last episode, of the fifth season of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast! I want to thank Farmer Jesse and the whole crew of the podcast for giving me the mic and so much freedom. It's been fun, and if you've learned even a fraction of what I have then I'll call it a win. I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Tatiana Schreiber of the...

On today's episode of the podcast I, Alex Ball of  Old City Acres , sit down with Jonah Sloven of Sweet Hollow Organic Farm in Victor, Idaho, a small valley town of only 2,000 people with a thriving local food scene. Jonah operates his farm on land directly connected to a housing development forming an agrihood and increasing the connection between community members and where their food is produce...

Today I, Mimi , am speaking with my good good friend Abby Rose of Vidacycle , a farmer, physicist, and soil health advocate. She is the co-founder of Vidacycle Tech which makes easy to use web applications that support farmers on their regenerative path wherever they are. I've used these apps, spent a lot of time with her, think the world of her, and I feel this episode is part two of where we lef...

Buckle up for another NERDY episode of the podcast. For this one, I--Natalie--spoke with Andrea Jilling, an assistant professor of environmental soil chemistry at Oklahoma State University. It's just coincidence that this one follows so soon after Mimi's interview with Dr.  Cotrufo, as it's a nice continuation of that conversation about organic matter and carbon, but extending it to nitrogen, Andr...

Hey football fans, it's Mimi. And lest you be confused, today we're speaking with Jim Schultz of Red Shirt Farm --get it?--a 13 acre livestock + no-till veg farm in western Mass. He's been farming for more than a decade and came to farming later than he had originally planned (hence, Red Shirt). It's a long conversation, but the main reason I want you to stick it out is that not only has Jim done...

Hey everyone, Alex Ball of Old City Acres , and today we sit down with Mat & Nina Ladegaard of Ground Stone Farm and Squash Blossom Local Food, respectively. Mat is a highly skilled high-elevation vegetable grower. Ground Stone Farm is a flourishing farm situated in the high-desert region of Nambe, New Mexico. Over the years, Mathew has developed and refined farming techniques that are specificall...

  Christine Sprunger is a soil scientist and head of the  Soil Health and Ecosystem Ecology Lab at Michigan State University. With a deep-rooted passion for soil science, Christine's research doesn't shy away from the complexity of soil health and what it means for both the researcher and the farmer. Soil health is a laborious concept that requires a deep understanding of the ecosystem's overall f...

Deeply inspired by her work in ecology, Dr. Francesca Cotrufo defied the traditional view on litter decomposition and soil organic matter dynamics. An internationally recognized ecologist, she has made great strides in understanding soil organic matter and its underlying processes. With a diverse research background spanning forests, grasslands, the Arctic, and the Tropics, her work has led to pio...

Despite the risk of pivoting their business, Lindsay Steele of  Garden Fort in Dexter, Michigan (outside of Ann arbor), chose to switch from farmers markets to direct-to-retail sales and ended up reaping unexpected rewards - from more time with his family to increased profitability. In this episode, Alex Ball of Old City Acres and Lindsay dig deep into successfully shifting from farmers markets to...

We all know how important it is to start with a quality plant. With a degree and experience in applied industrial ecology, Kurstin of Purple Springs Nursery   discusses the transition from IPM to regenerative agriculture in the nursery space. Her work at Purple Springs allowed her to explore innovative ways to improve plant health and soil quality. Kurstin's dedication to sustainable practices and...

Hi everyone, it's Natalie again, and I am putting the ecologists back-to-back here on the podcast. This time with microbial ecologist Terry Bell of the Microbiome Manipulation Lab at the University of Toronto . He came highly recommended and did not disappoint. We talk about what is the soil microbiome, how can we manage or change it, whether soil microbial inoculants work, and why microbiome bree...

Hey everyone, it's Alex Ball , and today we sit down with Bill and Kathy of Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We dig deep into running a consignment-only grocery store, working with farmers in the community, and building food access. Mentioned in the show... The Retail Edge Consignment POS Check out the Argus Farm Stop Website Follow Argus Farm Stop on Instagram Folks who make the show possi...

Hey fellow passengers, it's Mimi . My most sincere hope is that, by now, I'm growing on you, not unlike a fungus. You know what they say, falling in love is like eating mushrooms, 'you never know if it's the real thing until it's too late.' Today, my guest is Dr. Michael Beug. If you don't know who he is, you may be familiar with some of his proteges, including Paul Stamets , and many others who s...

Hi everyone, it's Natalie. It's hard to believe this is my sixth episode for The No-Till Market Garden Podcast. It felt super intimidating to commit to finding and interviewing ten people, but it turns out to have been a lot of fun to talk with people I've admired from a distance and also some of my friends. For this episode, I talked with my friend and colleague, Sonja Birthisel . She is a weed e...

Hey everyone, it's Alex Ball , and on today's episode of the podcast we talk to Liana Glass who, along with her partner Duncan, run City Beet Farm on leased yards and lots in urban Vancouver. These first generation farmers are actually the third owners of this farm! We dig deep on buying & valuing their farm business, partnering with local organizations & businesses, & mobile wash/pack solutions....

You can grow seed on your farm. And it's easier than you think... Subscribe to The Seed Growers Podcast on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is the first of 5 mini-episodes to get ready for the season 2 of The Seed Growers Podcast. Today's episode is about getting into the mindset for your first seed crop. By starting small and taking your time, there is a greater chance t...

Oh hey, it's Mimi again. Gotcha two for the price of one today, because we're speaking with David Montgomery and Anne Biklé. I'm sure they don't need an introduction, because I know at least some of you all will have at least one of their books in your exhaustive libraries. If you haven't heard of them, David and Anne are married, live in Seattle, and are a pair of writers. To quote them, "Dave is...