Host Mimi Casteel of Hope Well Wine talks with friend, BEE researcher, and "bee girl" herself, Sarah Red-Laird about how our farms and market gardens can promote bee health. Bee Girl Orgs mission is to educate and inspire communities to conserve bees, their flowers, and our countryside. Check out the Bee Girl Org website where you can support her very improtant work and follow her journey on Instagram. Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenhouses for controlled environment agriculture innovation, partnering with market gardeners and farmers across North America to deliver comprehensive, t ..read more

Host Alex Ball sits down for a farmer roundtable with Kolin Buzerak of Starry Ridge Farm, and Caitlin and Simon Yevzelman of Cedar Field Farm to discuss how they access farm land, working with those in their community, and making their farms work in these times of high interest rates and expensive land values. We discuss the value of connecting with those around you to build your farm resource base as well the commitment it takes long-term to build a successful small-scale farming business. Mentioned in the show... The Farm Credit Service Directory Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenho ..read more

Soil Testing. Over the years, Natalie has gotten a lot of this kind of question: why are my results from THIS lab different from my results from THAT lab? And WHY are the recommendations DIFFERENT? For this episode, she spoke with Bruce Hoskins who runs the Soil and Plant Anaylitcal Lab at The University of Maine. It's impossible to cover everything you want or need to know about soil testing in an hour, but they lay the groundwork for what exactly happens to a soil sample when you send it into a lab for basic nutrient analysis. Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenhouses for controlled ..read more

"We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say it's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem. And then there are those who see the need and respond. And I consider those people my heros." - Mr. Rogers Mimi Casteel is talking with one of HER heros, the amazing Sarah Keiser, from Wild Oat Hollow. She will inspire you to be someone who makes things happen, and she'll be the first to tell you she didn't to it alone, because it takes a community, which is what they'll be talking about today... Check out the Wild Oat Hollow Farmsite & follow he ..read more

Alex Ball sits down with fellow farmer and friend Cheyenne Sundance of Sundance Harvest, Commons, & Market in Ontario, Canada. They dig deep on managing a multi-farm cooperative land-trust project, building a team around an idea, and balancing urban/rural production. Follow the prolific Cheyanne Sundance on Instagram More information on Sundance Commons Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenhouses for controlled environment agriculture innovation, partnering with market gardeners and farmers across North America to deliver comprehensive, turnkey, commercial greenhouse solutions. Farmh ..read more

In March, part of the No-Till Growers team went to the Organic Growers School in NC and held a roundtable with Erin of Cedar Chest Farm and Lyric and Noah of Wild East Farm about scaling-up from homestead to full-fledged farm business. We get to hear the stories of how both farms started on a very small scale and smartly grew their operations, plus tips, lessons, and helpful thoughts on business startups. Check out Organic Growers School Follow Wild East Farm on Instagram & YouTube Follow Cedar Chest Farm on her amazing Instagram Folks who support the show... Harnois Greenhouses for contro ..read more

Got a BONUS Farmer Jesse episode this week with Ari Memar, founder of Farmhand, a personal assistant for growers. It may not surprise you, Farmer J is not the most tech-savvy guy, so we’re excited to chat with Ari about the easy-to-use program they’ve built at Farmhand to save admin time and get farmers farming more, plus how the tech world and gardening world--from his parents to his own life--have influenced his path. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Instantly offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website ..read more

On today’s episode Alex Ball of Old City Acres sits down with Hannah Weber & Michelle Brosius (½ of the management team) from Green Things Farm Collective in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Green Things was interviewed several years ago by farmer Jesse AND farmer Jackson and since then they have radically increased the scale of their no-till production and local food distribution. We discuss how they build and manage their no till beds at scale, train & build up their workforce, distribute all of their produce, and the power of collective work. Follow Green Things on Instagram Check out the Green ..read more

Imagine the theme music from Masterpiece Theater… a former oil & gas accountant leaves his lucrative career and travels by bicycle to a walled garden. Mimi Casteel speaks with her friend Tim Phillips from Charlie Herring Wines in the UK. If you do nothing else, check out his website—beware the litany of web warnings!—for a darlin illustration of his farm and incredibly entertaining blog. He not only does a lot of innovative things, but also uses a lot of old school methods, and he’s our people, people. Enjoy. The Charlie Herring Winesite Follow Tim on Instagram Folks who support The No-Til ..read more

Farmer Jesse recently got the chance to speak with Daryl Ward of Sow Right Seeds about starting and running a small seed company. In particular, how seed businesses like Sow Right are dealing with new genetically modified varieties that are hitting the shelves. We also talk about home gardening, the business of selling seeds, and more. Full disclosure, Sow Right is not only a sponsor the No-Till Growers YouTube channel, but also the podcast, helping us keep it free for growers everywhere. ... and, as always, our work is also powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at ..read more