The Urban Farm Podcast Private feed for Members

Knowing the secret to building healthy soil. In This Podcast: Joining farming through his wife’s family, Gabe Brown learned the standard, commercialized, industrialized way of farming. Then when disaster struck four times in a row, he reached out to the past for some inspiration. He learned the value of a healthy soil ecosystem, how it affects many of the issues we are facing today, and the best w...

Propelling organic produce from fringe to mainstream. In This Podcast:  The story of how organic produce and food became mainstream in our grocery stores is shared by Tonya Antle who was actively driving this change before most of us even knew we needed it.  She found her passion in the early stages of the organic movement and helped propel it across the nation.  Now there is a new...

Bonus Episode #21: Seed Saving Class September 2018. A chat with an expert on Seeds.  In This Bonus Podcast: We are harvesting even more seed information in this chat with Bill McDorman. This is the September 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - seed names, medicinal plants, plant knowledge, landrace, and so much more. Join the class! Register anytime for the next event. Register Here f...

Building urban food resiliency with more that just vegetables. In This Podcast: A fascination with jungles and forests began at an early age for Catherine Bukowski, and she has studied these ecosystems throughout her education.  Then narrowing her focus just on the food forest aspect, she found similar regenerative patterns that work. She brought this to her new book and shares some of what s...

Bringing together nature and theology. In This Podcast: Her background is in studying the connections of religion to many aspects of daily life and Professor Lena Roos is now focused on how religion and gardening are interwoven in our past and what that looks like in our present. She discusses several key religions of the world, the garden connections, and even how some myths built upon garde...

Healing forgotten children through gardening opportunities. In This Podcast:  The forgotten children who grow up in the foster care system often become young adults on the street with no help, no resources, and forced to make desperate choices to survive. Dawn Folsom was caught stealing food when she was hungry; now she is a major force behind several urban farming projects that teach, empowe...

Reinforcing local food and ag in the heartland of America.  IN THIS PODCAST:  There can be no doubt that Jess Mazour is dedicated to building a better food system – and she is doing it for those that grow food, those that eat it, and to protect the communities and environment that surround farms.  Her passion is strong and is a resource for families and farmers in Iowa as she helps...

Empowering the community by growing food together. In This Podcast:  It was his father’s inspiration and legacy that prompted Daniel Oladokun-Dybowski to start a community garden from scratch in a suburb of Phoenix.  The work on the soil has already started after several huge donated loads of wood chips. And with the help of others in the community, he’s going to build a food forest that...

Appreciating the histories of flowers. In This Podcast: A delightful interview with a Chris McLaughlin as she helps us understand more about flowers and what they offer to us as gardeners and more.  She even shares some tips on some of her favorites to grow. Chris is a Northern California writer and author who has had her hands in the soil for nearly 40 years. She's the author of seven books...

Bonus Episode 20: Seed Saving Class August 2018.  A chat with a seed expert about Sourcing Seeds In This Bonus Podcast: Finding good sources for seeds can be challenging especially if you are particular about their story or their genetics. This is the August 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - Bill McDorman discusses the process of sourcing seeds and selecting seeds that can help...

Assisting our food-growing veterans who feed their communities. In This Podcast: Rachel Petitt is part of a group that has the mission to help veterans who want to be farmers. This has translated into several grant and resource projects that are empowering veterans to build their farms. She tells about how she started and what the organization is offering veterans all across the country.  Rac...

Reducing food waste and feeding plants at the same time. In This Podcast:  He grew up on a farm, and as a teenager he thought he needed to do something more than just take care of the cows. Josh Krenz went to college, found his way into marketing, and was learning the business end of farming and multi-national distribution. Eventually he decided to refocus his priorities a little closer to ho...

Building history with six generations on the same homestead. In This Podcast: She and her husband bought his parents’ home and she thought it was just going to be temporary until she could get a place out in the country. Now Lynn McMahon is able to share her gratitude to her grandchildren and with us for the special connection to family and history on this homestead. Even the plants and trees help...

Witnessing the power of growing food for a community. In This Podcast: It was both a desire to share the gardening experience his grandfather gave him, and the lack of space in his home for anything that could produce enough food for his family that prompted Elias Martinez to start dreaming of a way to provide fresh greens to those who did not have easy access to garden space. His natural inclinat...

Studying microbiology in soil and its relationship to plant life. In This Podcast: There was no one person who set Derex Zellars on a path towards being a microbiologist, but through observing his environment that he developed his enthusiasm. He shares why soil microbiology is so fascinating to him, and why the expectations we have about using fertilizers are leading us away from the truth. ...

Stirring up a custom batch of planting mix. In This Podcast:  When asked what makes a healthy planting soil for trees and gardens in Arizona, Emily Rockey gets excited because this is truly a passion of hers.  As her nickname implies, she loves getting her hands in the dirt and making a medium that others can rely on. She explains how she and Farmer Greg developed their soil mix, why bui...

Following rabbit holes to new adventures and new veggies. In This Podcast: Sometimes it takes a person to reach a really low point in their life before they make the choice to change the way they think. Lee Rhodey had that realization and decided it was time to be look at life differently in order to find her life’s purpose. On that journey she found Market on the Move and discovered that it bring...

Bonus Episode 19: Seed Saving Class June 2018.  A chat with a seed expert about where our seeds come from In This Bonus Podcast: Seeds are grown all over the world and we don't always know where our seeds come from when we buy. This is the June 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - Bill McDorman discusses seed origination, land race seeds, finding unique seed varieties, and so much...

Bringing gardening knowledge to your fingertips. In This Podcast: It was a need to become more mindful and eat the healthier foods he needed that led Dale Spoonemore to the garden.  It did not take long for him to get hooked on the flavors of homegrown vegetables.  But a conversation in line waiting to vote alerted him for a need to make it easier to garden. This inspired him to teach hi...

Preparing school meals with gut health in mind. In This Podcast: After growing up believing the only healthy way to eat was “fat-free”, Hilary Boynton was not prepared for the fertility and health issues that plagued her family. Seeking the best for her children, she educated herself on “real-food”, the GAPS diet, and eventually wrote a cookbook with gut health in mind. This path led her to becomi...

Finding nature is an ally for waste disposal. In This Podcast: He is always on the lookout to find ways to have a better relationship with nature, so when Eddy Garcia noticed that some beetle larvae were eating the polystyrene cup he put them in, he jumped into experiments to learn more.  Using a surfboard in a science experiment, his achieved some exciting and astonishing results. All of thi...

Digging into the vast world of invisible life in our soils. In This Podcast: It takes a real love of science and soil ecosystems to be as comfortable with microbes as Anthony Dominguez is such that he rattles off names of bacteria species like he is sharing the guest list for a party.  This passion translates into a true dedication to making life supporting products for the soil microbiome. W...

Seeking out answers about food labeling. In This Podcast: Returning from a trip to Europe it became clear to Aube Giroux, that food labeling in North America was controlled by a very different set of rules and she sought to learn why. Documenting the process on video, she and her mother set out to learn about the labeling of genetically modified food ingredients, a journey that took a turn when he...

Building simple, cost-effective solutions for conserving water resources. In This Podcast:  When looking into how water was being cycled in her community, and then looking at other desert-like cities in other states and countries, Brook Sarson was intrigued. California was in a drought and she realized there was a lot of potential ideas and processes implemented elsewhere that could help her...

Documenting the first town-wide pesticide-free ordinance in the world. In This Podcast: On a trip overseas, a professor of Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems stumbled onto a story worth telling about the first community in the world to ban pesticides. Philip Ackerman-Leist was able to document this endeavor from almost the very beginning and he shares the reasons why anyone who cares about...