Attra - Sustainable Agriculture

The primary goal of grazing, or any other farming endeavor, is to convert light energy efficiently and profitably from the sun into food. Many graziers think of themselves as grass farmers, harvesting sunlight and converting it through forage into animal products.  In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialists Lee Rinehart and Justin Morris talk specifically about photosynthesis and whether it can be managed. And if so, how? If indeed it is possible to optimize photosynthetic activity and get more nutrient-dense forage for longer in the grazing season, it would be a new spin on grazing management. Contact Lee Rinehart and Justin Morris at lee@ncat.org and justinm@ncat.org.  Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.  You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG. Learn about NCAT’s other

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell talks grassfed beef and lamb with Mississippi grazier Johnny Wray. Johnny and his wife Deb own High Hope Farm in western Clay County, Mississippi, near the village of Cedar Bluff.  Johnny talks about the farm’s rotational grazing setup and use of composted manure with no chemical inputs. Johnny describes himself as a “dirt farmer,” because healthy soil leads to healthy grasses and healthy livestock.    Related ATTRA Resources: ·         Paddock Design and Animal Movement ·         Risk Management on a Livestock Operation. Part 1  ·         Risk Management on a Livestock Operation. Part 2 ·         Perennial Forages, Shrubs, and Trees. Part 1 ·         Perennial Forages, Shrubs, and Trees. Part 2 ·         Tool Kit: How to Reduce Synthetic Fertilizer Use·         Multispecies Grazing: A Primer on Diversity·         Soil Health and Adaptive Grazing with Dr. Allen Williams  Other Resources: ·         High Hope Farm  Co

In this episode of Voices from the Field, North Carolina State University researcher Dr. Andrew Smolski and NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Justin Duncan look at farmer well-being through the lens of a Southern SARE funded project.  The project, “Navigating Financial and Mental Health Crises,” is aimed at understanding how farmers are accessing resources that address farm finances, stress management, and farming practices, as well as how they have navigated through financial crises. It also shares the wisdom farmers say they have gained through the challenges they faced.  This podcast was produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG. It also is funded by a grant from Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. Project 2019-38640-29878  Related ATTRA Resources: ·         Farmer Well-Being ·         Helping Farmers in Financial Crisis   Other Resources ·

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Chris Lent has a conversation with Sarah Speare of Tootie's Tempeh in Biddeford, Maine.   NCAT and two other organizations – Health Care Without Harm and the Plant Forward Future Project -- partnered to form a producer cohort in the Northeast to develop and market plant-based proteins to hospitals.   The project is funded by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant, and Sarah is part of the producer cohort. She and Chris talk about sourcing beans from organic farms, using worker-owned cooperatives as a business model, manufacturing tempeh, and marketing plant-based proteins to both consumers and hospitals.    They also get into strategies for helping plant-based protein food companies thrive in the Northeast. Related ATTRA Resources: Farm to Healthcare Farm to Healthcare Tipsheet: Procuring Local Food, Improving Health Scaling Up for Institutional Markets: Midwest Case Studies Other Resources: Tootie’s Tempeh Health Care Without H

Minnesota shepherd Janet McNally has learned from facing challenges. In fact, dealing with a wolf pack bent on her flock as a food source was one of the factors that led her to regenerative grazing. In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Regenerative Grazing Specialist Linda Poole talks with Janet about her successes and challenges, including those wolves, along with parasites, drought, tornadoes, wildfires, and Minnesota’s infamous winters.   ATTRA Resources: ·         Livestock and Pasture·         She’s Raising Sheep. Janet McNally of Minnesota. Part 1 ·         She’s Raising Sheep: Indiana’s Denice Rackley ·         She’s Raising Sheep: New Zealand Shepherd Bev Towbridge ·         She’s Raising Sheep: Montana Shepherd Becky Weed ·         She’s Raising Sheep: California Shepherd Lani Estill Outside Resources: ·         Tamarack Lamb and Wool ·         Graze ·         Grassfed Exchange 2014 – Janet McNally Contact Linda Poole via email at lindap@ncat.org. Please complete a brief survey to let us kn

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Margo Hale, NCAT’s ATTRA Program Director, visits with Charley Jordan, a flower farmer in Tennessee. Charley is a military veteran and talks with Margo about his journey to farming. Charley discusses his farm operation and the enterprises he has pursued, including how his military service and farming experience led him to horticulture therapy. Charley shares his passion for horticulture therapy, and for using agriculture to help others heal. Charley also discusses USDA programs and other resources he has used to help his farm. ATTRA Resources: ·         NCAT Armed to FarmNCAT Armed to Farm Facebook ·         Veteran Resources ·         Federal Conservation Resources for Sustainable Farming and Ranching ·         Programs Focus on Farmer Well-Being ·         Veterans Discuss USDA Programs ·         From the Air Force to Alpacas ·         High Tunnels and the NRCS  Other Resources: ·         University of Tennessee Horticulture Therapy Program ·         Farm and Ranch S

This episode of Voices from the Field continues a conversation between Dr. Sam Fuhlendorf of Oklahoma State University and NCAT Grazing Specialist Linda Poole about using grazing to bolster, rather than unintentionally harm, desirable wildlife on farms and ranches. Many regenerative ranchers use mob grazing – dense herds of livestock grazing a place for a very brief time before moving on – to increase grass production and improve soil health. It has been a successful strategy for graziers around the world, but often also affects bird populations and other wildlife.Sam and Linda talk about the role of fire in range management and the positive effect it can have for wildlife. They also discuss applying range management strategies on smaller operations and regionally. ATTRA Resources: ·        Grazing with Wildlife in Mind. Part 1·        For the Love of the Wild. Livestock Pastures as Wildlife Habitat Other Resources: ·        The Prairie Project·         Samuel D. Fuhlendorf Publications·        Conservation o

Many regenerative ranchers use mob grazing – dense herds of livestock grazing a place for a very brief time before moving on – as a way to increase grass production and improve soil health. Graziers from across the globe have had success with this approach, but, hey, what about the wild things? Is it always true that what's good for the herd is good for the bird?   This episode of Voices from the Field is the first part of a conversation between Dr. Sam Fuhlendorf of Oklahoma State University and NCAT Grazing Specialist Linda Poole about using grazing to bolster, rather than unintentionally harm, desirable wildlife on farms and ranches.   In the next episode, Sam and Linda will talk about applying their strategies to smaller operations.   ATTRA Resources:  For the Love of the Wild. Livestock Pastures as Wildlife Habitat   Other Resources:  The Prairie Project Samuel D. Fuhlendorf Publications Conservation of Pattern and Process: Developing an Alternative Paradigm of Rangeland Management Animals, Fences a

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we get acquainted with Dr. Tina Cone, a retired veterinarian in Berryville, Arkansas. In a conversation with NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey, Tina talks about the life she now leads during her second career -- raising beef cattle and practicing regenerative grazing.   Tina loves what she does and describes the family business and the joys and challenges of running a large cattle operation in the rugged terrain of the Ozarks. She talks about the satisfaction of seeing soil and pastures and cattle improve, and of children coming home to live and work in the business. Stewardship, legacy, and quality of life are themes that run throughout the conversation.   Contact Linda Coffey at lindac@ncat.org  Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast. You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NC

Farmers markets are a key ingredient for connecting communities with locally grown foods, hand-made products, and value-added goods. According to the Farmers Market Coalition, markets stimulate local economies, increase access to healthy food, support communities, promote sustainability, and preserve farmland. Based on recent USDA Census data, farmers markets generated $2.4 billion in sales for America’s farmers.  The National Center for Appropriate Technology has released a new study detailing the economic impact of farmers markets in Montana, and it has launched a new website to connect markets, farmers, and communities. In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Communications Director Emilie Ritter Saunders speaks with Maura Henn, NCAT’s Community Food Systems Specialist, about these new resources and unexpected ways farmers markets make a big impact.   Related NCAT Resources: Montana Farmers Market Network  Related ATTRA Resources: Farmers Markets  Contact Emilie Ritter Saunders and Maura Henn via em

In this episode of Voices from the Field, northern Montana organic farmer Doug Crabtree and NCAT Agriculture and Natural Resource Economist Jeff Schahczenski talk about one of their favorite topics -- crop insurance.  They discuss the hope for a reform of Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and about the particular challenges of crop insurance for a large, highly diverse sustainable production system like Doug’s operation, Vilicus Farms. Doug has used WFRP for years, and WFRP had the potential to provide protection for the 20-plus field crops he grows on almost 12,000 acres. But his policy was declined by his crop insurance company because he didn’t provide what he says is an “onerous” amount of documentation.    Related ATTRA Resources: Crop Insurance and Risk Management Crop Insurance Options for Specialty, Diversified, and Organic Farmers Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and Whole-Farm Revenue Protection: Understanding the Differences  Other Resources: Vilicus Farms  Contact Jeff Schahczenski v

 In this episode of Voices from the Field, we get to know a new member of NCAT’s staff, Local Food Specialist Molly Kirkham. Molly tells her NCAT colleague, Community Foods System Specialist Maura Henn, about the chance encounter with a community garden that began her interest in local foods. She talks about her time with AmeriCorps at a food bank in Montana, her time farming, and how she came to work at NCAT.  Among other responsibilities at NCAT, Molly spearheads the Harvest of the Month program, and she emphasizes the importance of exposing young children to healthy local foods and how they are produced. In one touching case, she says, attendance at a school increased after the COVID-19 pandemic when the school began raising chickens. Related ATTRA Resources: Farm to Healthcare Sustainable Hospital Food Service: Farm to Healthcare Conference Food Hubs and School Sales State Partnerships for School Markets  Other Resources: Montana Harvest of the Month Montana Farm to School Abundant Montana Contact Molly K

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Arkansas veterinarian Dr. Ann Wells talks with NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey about her experience raising healthy animals and helping other farmers do the same. She shares her journey from conventional veterinary practices to her philosophy of holistic animal health as well as practical strategies for keeping livestock healthy. Related ATTRA Resources: Regenerative Grazing The ABC(DE) of Animal Health  Healthy Animals, Happy Farm: Strategies for Sheep and Goat Care Fred Provenza has a Recipe for Plant, Animal, and Human Health  Related NCAT Resources: Soil for Water  Other Resources: Small-Scale Livestock Farming American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control The American Holistic Veterinary Medicine Association The American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners Ozark Pasture Beef  Contact Linda Coffey via email at lindac@ncat.org. Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast. You can get in touc

The widespread narrative on why we’re experiencing a food crisis is that it is because of high fuel and fertilizer prices, the disruption in market chains caused by the war in Ukraine, and lingering COVID impacts. But that’s not the whole story. When there is a food crisis, the common narrative is that increasing productivity is the answer and that global agribusinesses and global markets can meet these needs.   This “feed the world” narrative has been adopted by the media, businesses, and even American farmers who take pride in the idea that they are solving a world food crisis. But what we are seeing is not a food-shortage crisis. Rather, it is a structural problem of our food system that has resulted in high food prices.  In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Nina Prater and Lee Rinehart compare the “feed the world” narrative to another narrative centered around “food sovereignty” and discuss what farmers, organizations, and governments can do to enable communities to achie

This episode of Voices from the Field continues ATTRA’s podcast series “She’s Raising Sheep.” In it, Minnesota shepherd Janet McNally shares her story with NCAT Regenerative Livestock Specialist Linda Poole.  Janet has conquered some of the biggest challenges a shepherd might face – drought, tornados, wildfires, Arctic-class winters, wolves, parasites, and more. Janet’s tales, which are in turn harrowing, enlightening, and entertaining, are chock-full of information and inspiration for pasture-based graziers.  ATTRA Resources:  Livestock and Pasture She’s Raising Sheep: Indiana’s Denice Rackley She’s Raising Sheep: New Zealand Shepherd Bev Towbridge She’s Raising Sheep: Montana Shepherd Becky Weed She’s Raising Sheep: California Shepherd Lani Estill  Outside Resources:  Tamarack Lamb and Wool Graze Grassfed Exchange 2014 – Janet McNally   Contact Linda Poole via email at lindap@ncat.org. Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast. You can get in touch with NC

Winter feeding is one of the biggest expenses for most livestock operations. In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Lee Rinehart and NCAT Regenerative Grazing Specialist Justin Morris discuss strategies graziers can use to plan for winter stockpile during the summer grazing season.  Stockpiling is the practice of allowing forage to accumulate during a portion of the growing season so it can be grazed during the dormant period when forage isn’t growing.  In particular, Lee and Justin focus on stockpiling a portion of summer pastures to reduce the cost of feeding hay.   Related ATTRA Resources: Regenerative Grazing: Learning From Nature. Part 1. Stockpiling Grass.  Advanced Grazing Webinar. Session 3. Animals Feeding Ruminants in the Winter Other Resources: Strip-Grazing Stockpile Over the Winter: Easier, Quicker, and Cheaper! Great Basin Wildrye Contact Lee Rinehart and Justin Morris via email at  lee@ncat.org and justinm@ncat.org. Please complete a brief survey to let us know yo

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialists Nina Prater, Guy Ames, and Lee Rinehart explore the history of fertilizer use to understand how we got to an agricultural system that relies so heavily on synthetic rather than biological fertilizers. They discuss alternatives to this system and ways farmers can build soil health in order to require less synthetic fertilizer to maintain productivity.  Related ATTRA Resources: ATTRA Fertilizer Reduction Toolkit  Soils & Compost  Soils and Sites for Organic Orchards and Vineyards Growing Healthy Soil on a Large Scale with Rick Clark  Other Resources: The First Green Revolution: Debt Peonage and the Making of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Trade The Hidden Costs of Land Degradation in US Maize Agriculture Farmers of Forty Centuries. Organic Farming in China, Korea, and Japan From Soil to Sustainability Contact Nina Prater, Lee Rinehart, and Guy Ames via email at ninap@ncat.org, lee@ncat.org, and guya@ncat.org. Please complete a brief survey to let us know

Welcome back to a conversation between NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialists Felicia Bell and Justin Duncan about traditional and indigenous farming techniques, both in their own families and in cultures around the world. This episode of Voices from the Field is second of a two-part series. If you missed the first half of the discussion, you can find a link to it in the show notes accompanying this episode. This week, Felicia and Justin talk about traditional methods of meat preservation, growing on relatively large acreages without relying on chemicals, and the myth that traditional and sustainable methods can’t generate good profits.  Related ATTRA Resources: How to Reduce Synthetic Fertilizer Use  Everything Old is New Again, Exploring Indigenous and Traditional Agriculture Methods  Indigenous Perspectives on Soil and Water Indigenous and Traditional Soil Health Practices   Other Resources:  Gather Stories. Food Sovereignty Films Contact Felicia Bell and Justin Duncan via email at feliciab@ncat.org and

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialists Felicia Bell and Justin Duncan begin a conversation about farming techniques passed down through generations of indigenous people and how those practices have similarities around the world.   Felicia and Justin grew up in families with relatives who taught younger generations traditional practices, handing down traditional wisdom about growing crops, raising livestock, and harvesting what the land naturally provides.  Many people, they say, who want to farm are turning to sustainable practices that parallel those traditional ways.  Felicia and Justin cover a variety of topics, such as how older ways can be easier for new farmers, some traditional crops that cross cultures, and the importance of greens and herbs in traditional practices.  Don’t forget to come back for the second part of the conversation, which will include traditional meat preservation, growing without chemicals on larger acreages, and the myth that traditional

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we meet new NCAT employee Elise Haschke, who is leading the development of a new program, “Climate Smart Agriculture.” Elise explains the “transformative moments” in her life that led her from a love of science and nature to studying nutrition and food systems, improving nutrition in school lunch programs, running farmers markets, and helping the City of Austin, Texas, reduce its food-related greenhouse gas emissions.   ATTRA Resources:  Agriculture, Climate Disruption, and Carbon Sequestration Climate Change and Perennial Fruit and Nut Production: Investing in Resilience in Uncertain Times Farmers and Ranchers Are Neither the Cause Nor the Solution to Climate Disruption Climate-Smart Agriculture Climate Disruption, Agriculture, and Crop Insurance: What are the Connections? Payment for Ecosystem Services, Part 1 Payment for Ecosystem Services, Part 2 Other Resources: Project Drawdown  Contact Mike Morris and Elise Haschke via email at mikem@ncat.org and eliseh@ncat.or