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 cooperative ..read more

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 Sh ..read more

Janet McNally is a seasoned shepherd from Hinckley, Minnesota, and a master of regenerative grazing in a landscape beset with challenges for livestock. She pasture-raises sheep and cattle amidst huge packs of wolves, hidden legions of deadly internal parasites, rank swards of grass, and deep-snow winters. It’s common knowledge that “grass-based livestock production won’t work here” but in this episode of Voices from the Field, Janet tells NCAT’s Linda Poole how she’s turned adversity into a rip-roaring success for her land, livestock, and life. ATTRA Resources:   Livestock and Pasture&nb ..read more

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 Resourc ..read more

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 abo ..read more

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 uninten ..read more

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 ..read more

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 connec ..read more

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 h ..read more

 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 a ..read more