The Urban Farm Podcast Private feed for Members

Guarding forests as a valuable part of the agriculture system. In This Podcast: Being a farmer in these days of changing climate can be challenging, so when a severe drought threatened the livelihood of sheep farmer Steve Gabriel, he resorted to using previously ignored wooded areas. Examining the forest near his home he realized the bounty that he had been overlooking, and sought out more informa...

Actively teaching through growing food at school. IN THIS PODCAST: With a strong desire to share her love of planting,  Lanita Perry  has brought a Garden Based Education program to her elementary school. Starting with her pre-k kids and all the way up the grade ladder, the students at her school can participate in the planting, growing, harvesting and eating of truly local vegetabl...

Having the perspective and impact of younger generations on growing food. In This Podcast: Early childhood impressions of environmental pollution led Matthew Kozuch to seek out solutions, and while at UC Berkley he worked on several projects with Engineers for a Sustainable World.  After graduation he continued with them and became the National Build Day Coordinator. This is the first of hope...

Bringing permaculture education to city dwellers. In This Podcast: After realizing teaching was not her passion, Amy Stross was looking for something to excite her and fill her need for a purpose. She found both of these when she started growing food and writing about her journey. Embracing permaculture into her gardening and her life, she realized how the techniques could benefit others, so of co...

Bringing gardening experts together in one event. In This Podcast:  Sharing is caring, growing, empowering, and a natural part of the food growing community and Stacey Murphy brings several amazing members of the food growing community together in one online summit about Gardening! She explains what the Garden Hack Summit is and why you need to be a part of it this year.  Stacey has help...

Finding bounties of flavor hidden in plain sight. In This Podcast: It was more mostly just to keep herself busy that Sar Bir went to culinary school, and afterward she still found herself trying lots of new things. So it is not a surprise to hear that she stumbled upon fruit trees in the wild and learned she had an interest in foraging. She shares some of the important things to think about when f...

Enjoying a good meal cooked with great food. In This Podcast: When you are passionate about getting a good meal from locally grown farms into your home, you have some technology experience, and you are community minded, it is likely that you’d create your own app to make this happen for others. After you are done, why not make short films about some of these experiences? Roza Ferdowsmakan has deve...

Finding healing through farming and growing healthy food. In This Podcast: Coming home from deployment is hard enough without adding a significant disease to the mix, yet this is what propelled Stepheni Norton and her husband to make substantial changes in what they ate.  From there, they started growing their own healthier food on a portion of their new property and then started offering it...

Bonus Episode 18: Seed Saving Class May 2018.  A chat with a seed expert about Why is Our Gut Messed Up. In This Bonus Podcast: Belly hurt? Have gut problems? Bill McDorman and Greg Peterson unpack one of the reasons you could be ailing and share the market explosion of heritage grains that are changing the way we eat and bake. And of course you will find out where to...

Experimenting with bacteria and beverages. In This Podcast: Having first come across this drink at a cousin’s house and thinking there was something wrong with the odd beverage, it was not until much later - and with an appreciation for fermented foods - that Alex Lewin gave kombucha a real chance.  Now he has a real understanding of the process and teaches others how to make their own. We le...

Digging up the story of a slow-food pioneer. In This Podcast:  It must have been one well written obituary, because it stuck with Adam Federman and then after he found her book on his parents' shelves he wanted to know more about an almost forgotten culinary star. Ten years later and a treasure trove of writings uncovered, he released his biography of Patience Gray and brings her hidden histo...

Building local food systems through community markets. In This Podcast: She was not planning to be a Farmers Market Manager, but that where Sara Matlin ended up and she is passionate about her community. She tells about the Phoenix Public Market and how it has grown to over 100 vendors.  We also cover how growers can become vendors with their own booths and how they are supported by the marke...

Composting with nature's own army. In This Podcast: It was a common tilapia being released into the wild that had a profound effect on Keiran Olivares Whitaker. He realization on how ecosystems were being devastated by man’s actions prompted him to try and make a difference.  He’s also highly aware of the cost of food miles so he’s been working on a solution that helps in many ways and a meth...

Trekking around the world to learn about organic farms. In This Podcast: Starting a new adventure with a minimalist lifestyle and travel to foreign countries is not something readily understood by most people. Yet when faced with life changes and an opportunity to start anew, that is exactly what Jake Mace is going to do. Having sold most of their possessions they are off on a world-wide WWOOFing...

Transforming food with healthy microbes. In This Podcast: Wanting to know more about healthy eating after his father got sick, Alex Lewin did lots of reading, studying, and research. He narrowed his focus to real foods and transforming food with healthy microbes.  Eventually he was quite skilled at fermentation and has enjoyed helping others get excited about this preservation process. He sha...

Making the most of discarded plots for farming and community gardens. In This Podcast: He did not finish college, but that has not stopped Jourdain Beltran from pursuing knowledge and growing healthy food. He found a great business partner and together they are improving access to healthy food in local food deserts. They are also tackling the problem of healthy eating by teaching the youth in thes...

Becoming the next generation of urban farmers. In This Podcast: Raised by two farmers, Sowan Thai wanted to do anything else with his life. Yet pursuing a degree in science led him back to his roots and now he's proud to call himself a farmer. A post-college stint in a medical marijuana science lab, steered him into growing food with a new friend and partner. As new farmers, they participated in a...

Empowering a community's strength and resilience through gardening. In This Podcast: If you just can’t help yourself and tend to get involved in your community, then you might be just like James Ross.  He has a natural drive to help others and that often involves community gardens. James shares the story of the first garden he helped build which became quite long after everyone participa...

Bonus Episode 17: Seed Saving Class April, 2018.  A chat with an expert on Seeds. In This Bonus Podcast: There is always a bounty of information available in conversations with Bill McDorman. This is the April 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - Bill calls in from Cornville, AZ to talk about wild seeds, native seeds, noxious weeds, and so much more based on listener questions. Join the...

Bringing a simple food source closer to the table. In This Podcast:  After moving to a rural life, and googling crazy business ideas, Phil and Jenn Tompkins started a business helping people rent their chickens. This idea has taken off greatly and now as Homestead Phil and Jenn they help others start their own business with a supportive affiliate process.  They are eggscited to share the...

Bonus Episode 16: Seed Saving Class March 2018. A chat with an expert on Seeds.  In This Bonus Podcast: There is always a bounty of information available in conversations with Bill McDorman. This is the March 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - Bill calls in from Cornville, Arizona to talk about seed sourcing, hybrids, sharing seeds, testing root crops, and so much more. Join the class...

Improving polyculture growing techniques. In This Podcast: When one of his farmer clients was seeking answers for their aging avocado farm, Scott Murray encouraged a solution that allowed for polyculture farming of coffee on the coastal side of some Southern California mountains.  The micro-climate conditions they were able to create is producing results, and the preventative techniques he em...

Growing florals for a farming business. In This Podcast:  She married her husband for all the right reasons of course and everything was going well.  Then later Lisa Ziegler realized also got the bonus of the land and equipment she needed for the dream career she did not know she wanted.  Now Lisa is a flower farmer on a small farm in the middle of a city and loves it so much she te...

Helping students have better access to healthier foods. In This Podcast: After earning his PhD, an academic career was not going to work for him, so Andrew Nowak pivoted his passions and experience into improving the lives of his kids. This eventually led him to take on changing the protocols and processes of helping school cafeterias source food from school gardens and local farms. This broke gro...

Building healthy bodies and minds through good nutrition. In This Podcast: After getting a card from her youngest child and he said that he loved her but not her cooking, Jennifer Johnson set out to change that. She eventually became a Chef and now focuses on cooking healthy and nutritious food, as well as teaching others how to make those selections for their own dishes.  She shares some of...