Attra - Sustainable Agriculture

In this episode, NCAT Livestock Specialist Dave Scott has a conversation with Caleb Pirc of Good Shepherd Farm in Meridian, Idaho, about integrated pest-management strategies for their sheep operations. Dave, who, among other duties, works with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program out of NCAT headquarters in Butte, Montana, is the co-owner of Montana Highland Lamb near Whitehall, Montana.Caleb, who also is the director of governmental affairs for the Idaho Wool Growers Association, raises registered Katahdin. He and Dave talk about reducing parasites in their flocks through grazing strategies, selective deworming, and selecting for genetic resistance in their animals, including the use of the National Sheep Improvement Program’s Estimated Breeding Values.We'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete a brief survey to let us know what you thought of the content we’ve presented here. For more information on this topic, you can contact Dave Scott directly at daves@ncat.org.Rela

Today's episode is about hydroponic systems NCAT has used at its Small-Scale Intensive Farm Training Program (SIFT) demonstration farm. Lilianna Bento, Energy Corps Intern at NCAT, interviews Andrew Coggins, Director of NCAT's Rocky Mountain West regional office in Butte, Montana, about innovations and simplifications made to their hydroponic system since 2016.For more information on this topic, you can contact Andrew Coggins directly at andrewc@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:SIFT 2018: Lessons from a Small-Scale Urban Intensive FarmSIFT 2019: Continuing Lessons from a Small-Scale Urban Intensive FarmSIFT Blogs:Hydroponics: Root Indicators By John Wallace, SIFT Farm ManagerSIFT Hydroponics SystemBy Westley Lund, SIFT InternSmall Hydroponics Experiment Comparing Two Systems By Andrew Coggins, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Project CoordinatorPlease call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you w

In this episode, Margo Hale, Director of NCAT's Southeast Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Linda Coffey, Livestock Specialist with NCAT also located in Fayetteville, discuss ruminant health: how to encourage health, prevent illness, work with a veterinarian, and manage so that your flock or herd is mostly trouble-free.They discuss tools and supplies they like to have on hand. They also share the contents of the first-aid kit of Dave and Jenny Scott, owners of Montana Highland Lamb. Dave is a Livestock Specialist in NCAT's Rocky Mountain West Regional office in Butte, Montana.For more information on this topic, you can contact Margo Hale directly at margoh@ncat.org or Linda Coffey at lindac@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Managed Grazing TutorialBlog 6. Adaptive Grazing: You Can Do ItTipsheet: Organic Approach to Animal HealthAn Illustrated Guide to Sheep and GoatsSheep and Goats: Frequently Asked QuestionsGrazing to Control ParasitesSheep: Sustainable and Organic ProductionGoats: Sustainable Pro

In this episode, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Colin Mitchell interviews Chad Ellis, CEO of the Texas Agriculture Land Trust (TALT) and a board member of the Ecosystem Service Marketplace Consortium (ESMC).Colin works out of NCAT's Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, and among other projects works with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program.Colin and Chad discuss the role of TALT in the creation and monitoring of conservation easements for working farms and ranches. Chad also explains conservation and mitigation banking and how TALT helps facilitate those opportunities.Chad and Colin then move on to talk about ecosystem service markets, especially carbon markets, in detail. Chad highlights the work being done at the ESMC, including current pilot projects and the program's future ability to allow farmers and ranchers to gain market credits from multiple benefits they provide - including carbon storage, water quality and quantity, and wildlife habitat conservation.Thi

In this episode, Martin Guerena, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's Western Regional office in Davis, California, speaks with Hope Sippola and Shane Zurilgen of Fiery Ginger Farm in West Sacramento. Among other duties, Martin works with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program.Their conversation includes a description of the operation, as well as some of the challenges they've faced and the opportunities they've found due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They provide ideas to help producers adapt to the changes in their markets.For more information on this topic, contact Martin Guerena directly via email at marting@ncat.orgATTRA Resources:ATTRA COVID-19 ResourcesLocal Food SystemsMarketing and BusinessCommunity Supported AgricultureFarm to School Sales: Profiles of Ranches Making It WorkCSA Beginner and CSA VeteranOther ResourcesCommunity Alliance with Family FarmersOregon State Small Farm Program. Small farms Local Food and COVID19Cornell Small Farms Program: Building Farm Resi

In this episode, NCAT agriculture specialist Felicia Bell talks with Carolyn Jones of the Mississippi Minority Farmers Alliance. Felicia works in the NCAT Gulf States Office in Jackson, Mississippi, including work with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program.Felicia and Carolyn talk about engaging young people in agriculture and the importance of involving the entire community in the effort to secure the future of minority farmers and land owners.For more information on this topic, contact Felicia Bell directly via email at feliciab@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Economic Development - MS Food Justice CollaborativeEducation - MS Food Justice CollaborativeLocal Food Access - MS Food Justice CollaborativeOther ResourcesMississippi Minority Farmers Alliance Facebook pageLand & Power. Sustainable Agriculture and African AmericansFresno's Freedom School is Changing the Narrative on Farming for Black Youth4-H at HomePlease call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346

In today's episode NCAT staffer Rex Dufour interviews organic walnut farmer and processor, Russ Lester, at Dixon Ridge Farms in Winters, California. Russ shares some very practical thoughts about why he uses cover crops and explains how multi-functional cover crops are to his orchards.Rex Dufour has been a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT/ATTRA since 1994, and opened NCAT's Western Regional Office in California in 2001.For more information on this topic, you can contact Rex Dufour directly at rexd@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Managing Soils for Water: How Five Principles of Soil Health Support Water Infiltration and StorageTipsheet: Assessing the Soil Resource for Beginning Organic FarmersManaging Soil and Irrigation for Drought WebinarOther ResourcesDixon Ridge Farms websitePlease call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you with a vast array of topics, everything from farm pla

In this episode, NCAT Southeast Regional Director and ATTRA Livestock Specialist, Margo Hale, talks with Rebecca Thistlethwaite. Rebecca is the director of the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN) and works with livestock producers, processors, and marketers all across the country. Their discussion covers some of the opportunities and challenges livestock producers are seeing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss ideas and resources to help producers adapt to the changes in their markets.For more information on this topic, contact Margo Hale directly via email at margoh@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:ATTRA COVID-10 ResourcesWorking with Your Meat ProcessorWorking with your Meat Processor podcastDirect Marketing Meat with Dave and Jenny Scott. Part 1Direct Marketing Meat with Dave and Jenny Scott. Part 2Direct Marketing Meat with Dave and Jenny Scott. Part 3: RelationshipsDirect Marketing Meat with Dave and Jenny Scott. Part 4. FAQsCreating an Excellent Relationship with Your Lamb ProcessorOther Reso

Today's episode is the first in an occasional series from Rockiell Woods, Director of NCAT's Gulf States Regional Office in Jackson, Mississippi, and Bill Evans, Director of Horticulture at Up in Farms Food Hub in Jackson. This series is all about starting a farm.Today's conversation is focused on how many acres are needed and what crops to choose.For more information on this topic, you can contact Rockiell Woods directly at rockw@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Evaluating a Farm EnterpriseFinancing Your Farm: Guidance for Beginning FarmersPlanning for Profit in Sustainable FarmingBasic Accounting: Guidance for Beginning FarmersOther ResourcesFarm AnswersUp in Farms Food HubPlease call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you with a vast array of topics, everything from farm planning to pest management, from produce to livestock, and soils to aquaculture.You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA

In today's episode, we hear from Kara Kroeger, Sustainable Agriculture specialist at NCAT's Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas. She interviews Mollie Walton, Land and Water Program Director for the Quivira Coalition in New Mexico. The Quivira Coalition works on biodiversity, building soil and resilience on western working landscapes. Mollie has a Texas ranching background and holds a PhD in biology from the University of Dayton in Ohio. She has been working in northern New Mexico since 2006.Kara and Mollie discuss methods of slowing and sinking water on hillsides, slowing erosion, building soil, mitigating floods, enhancing groundwater replenishment, and improving overall habitat. They also talk about how livestock grazing factors into land restoration and erosion mitigation.For more information on this topic, you can contact Kara Kroeger directly at karak@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Soil for Water, NCAT project websiteOther ResourcesQuivira Coalition, websiteLet the Water Do the Work: In

The situation has created a significant economic hardship for producers in Montana and elsewhere.The situation has created a significant economic hardship for producers in Montana and elsewhere.Joining Jeff in the discussion are Dr. William E. Dyer, a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology at Montana State University; Lilianna Bento, an undergraduate researcher at Montana State University; and Bob Quinn, Montana Organic farmer, founder of Kamut International, and recent co-author of Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs and Healthy Food.They will explore the history of the recent contamination and recent research undertaken by Montana State University to better understand its sources, as well as future remedies available to organic grain growers in Montana and elsewhere in the United States.For more information on this topic, you can contact Jeff Schahczenski directly via email at jeffs@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Protecting Organic Crops from the Impacts of Genet

In today's episode, we will learn about Carbon Sponge, an interdisciplinary collaboration in New York City that explores the potential for urban soils to sequester carbon as a means to reduce greenhouse gases and build healthy soil. Justin Duncan, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist at NCAT's Southwestern Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, interviews Katharhy G., a plant and soil science researcher with Carbon Sponge. Katharhy talks about how they are engineering their own soil and researching the use of cover crops in urban areas for carbon sequestration. Originally from South America, Katharhy's background is in agroecosystem health, ethnobiology, regenerative food production and social ecology.For more information on this topic, you can contact Justin Duncan directly at justind@ncat.org.Please note: There is some background noise during the interview, but we think the conversation is worthwhile.ATTRA Resources:Urban Agriculture in the United States: Baseline Findings of a Nationwide Sur

In this episode NCAT Southeast Regional Director Margo Hale talks with Linda Coffey, an NCAT livestock specialist, about springtime on their farms.  Both Margo and Linda are specialists with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, among other duties, out of NCAT's office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and they both farm in Prairie Grove, Arkansas.Their discussion includes grazing, kidding, watching for parasites, dairy goats, and Linda's new livestock guardian dog puppy. Margo also points listeners to ATTRA resources, including the page dedicated to COVID-19 resources on NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture website.For more information on this topic, you can contact Margo Hale directly via email margoh@ncat.org and Linda Coffey at lindac@ncat.org. ATTRA Resources:ATTRA Covid-19 ResponseManaged Grazing TutorialLivestock Guardian Animals: Protecting the Flock or HerdGoats: Sustainable Production OverviewDairy Goats: Sustainable ProductionAn Illustrated Guide to Sheep and

Javier Zamora es agricultor orgánico productor de fresas, moras, flores y vegetales en Watsonville, California. Narra su historia personal y cómo desarrolló su negocio en el éxito que es hoy. También habla sobre su educación y experiencia con ALBA la incubadora de agricultores orgánicos en Salinas California, acceso a tierra, establecimiento de mercados, detalles sobre la producción de fresa, extensión de temporada por medio de túneles.Describe los desafíos de producción orgánica, control de plagas, fertilización y termina con su consejo a agricultores principiantes.Para obtener más información sobre este tema, puede contactar a Martin Guerena directamente: marting@ncat.org. Recursos de ATTRA:Recursos en EspañolLa Conferencia del Agricultor Latino FacebookNCAT FacebookGranja SIFT de NCAT SITIO WebsiteOficina del suroeste: Website / FacebookOficina occidental: Website / FacebookOficina de Rocky Mountain West: FacebookOficina de los Estados del Golfo: Website / FacebookOficina sureste: Websit

In this episode, Devona Bell, NCAT director of sustainable agriculture and NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, talks with Dr. Sunjya Schweig about the treatment of Lyme disease.Dr. Schweig works with the California Center for Functional Medicine.This episode is the second of a two-part series on the effect of Lyme Disease on farmers and ranchers.In the first part of the series, Devona, who has contracted Lyme Disease twice, spoke with farmers from New Hampshire and Minnesota about how Lyme Disease has affected their families and their farming operations.Be sure to listen to the first part of the series. A link is provided in the notes below.For more information on this topic, you can contact Devona Bell directly via email at devonab@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Farmers Battling Lyme Disease. Part 1.Is There an Organic Control for Ticks?Where Can I Find Information on Guinea Fowl Production?Other ResourcesInternational Lyme and Associated Diseases SocietyCalifornia Center for Functional MedicineWhy

In this episode, Devona Bell, NCAT director of sustainable agriculture and NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, talks with two farmers about the impact of Lyme Disease on agriculture.Christine Pressman and her husband, Andy Pressman, own and operate Foggy Hill Farm, a sustainable produce operation near Jaffrey, New Hampshire.Dayna Burtness and her husband, Nick Nguyen, own and operate Nettle Valley Farm, a 70-acre farmstead near Spring Grove, Minnesota. Her main focus is finishing heritage breed hogs on pasture.Christine, Dayna, and Devona all have contracted Lyme Disease, and they talk about the battle to overcome the disease, how it affects their families and farming operations, the food sensitivities it can bring, and strategies for coping with the ticks that carry the disease.This episode is the first of a two-part series on Lyme Disease. Next week, Devona will Dr. Sunjya Schweig of the California Center for Functional Medicine about the issues involved with treating Lyme Disease.ATTRA Resou

In this episode, Tammy Howard, an agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, talks with Heather Folls of the Folls Flower Farm, which is based in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.Tammy also has a flower operation, which is located in Belgrade, Montana. She works out of NCAT's national headquarters in Butte, Montana.Heather and her mother, Thea, have been operating Folls Flower Farm for nearly two decades. Tammy and Heather talk about the evolution of the farm over the years. Heather also has some tips for flower farmers just getting started.For more information on this topic, you can contact Tammy Howard directly at tammyh@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Specialty Cut Flower Production and MarketingWoody Ornamentals for Cut Flower GrowersCut Flower ProductionOther ResourcesAssociation of Specialty Cut Flower GrowersGrowing for MarketThe Flower Farmer Please call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 1-800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag

In today's episode, we learn about a program in Texas that connects refugees with sustainable agriculture. Colin Mitchell, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist at NCAT's Southwestern Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, visits with New Leaf Agriculture's Director, Matt Simon, and a New Leaf Agriculture farm apprentice Doli Wikongo. New Leaf Agriculture is a social enterprise of the Multicultural Refugee Coalition based in Elgin, Texas, near Austin. It connects refugees to sustainable farming opportunities by operating community gardens and a commercial farm. Matt discusses New Leaf's mission, farm practices, and community partners. Doli, a refugee, describes her experiences from her home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and her transition to life in Austin, Texas, that led her back to a life of farming.For more information on this topic, you can contact Colin Mitchell directly at colinm@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Sustainable Agriculture: An IntroductionOther ResourcesMulticultu

Today's episode focuses on soil considerations for fruit and nut trees. Rex Dufour, the director of NCAT's Western Regional Office in Davis, California, talks with Guy Ames, Horticulture Specialist at NCAT's Southeastern Regional Office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, about the differences between soils in the western United States versus the soils in the East.For more information on this topic, you can contact Rex Dufour directly at rexd@ncat.org or Guy Ames at guya@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Climate Change and Perennial Fruit and Nut ProductionFruit Trees, Bushes, and Vines for Natural Growing in the OzarksSoils and Sites for Organic Orchards and VineyardsOther ResourcesWeb Soil Survey, website Please call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 1-800-346-9140 or e-mail us at askanag@ncat.org. Our two dozen specialists can help you with a vast array of topics, everything from farm planning to pest management, from produce to livestock, and soils to aquaculture.You can get

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 the link to that podcast in the notes below.This week, they discuss the scientific basis of the PLFA, when it's appropriate, and a number of the ways in which it's scored.Kara works out of NCAT's Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, and Lance is the founder of Regen Ag Lab in Pleasanton, Nebraska.For more information on this topic, you can contact Kara directly at karak@ncat.org.ATTRA Resources:Soils and CompostThe Haney Soil TestOther ResourcesHaney Test Interpretation GuideRegen Ag Lab website Please call ATTRA with any and all of your sustainable agriculture questions at 1-800-346-9140 or