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Fresh Growth: Approaches to a More Sustainable Future from Western Ag Practitioners introduces you to farmers and ranchers from around the western United States who are finding innovative sustainable practices that enrich the natural resources we all care about. These successful multi-generational operations experiment with new ideas and are making it pay. Listen in as they tell their story and provide advice for young or beginning farmers.Western SARE, funded by USDA NIFA, provides grants and education to advance innovations in sustainable agriculture. Intro music credit: Organic Energy by Kensington Studios used under license from Shutterstock. Learn more about Western SARE at western.sare.org
31 Episodes
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Join us as we talk with Michael Lobato, Lobato Farms, and Holly Stanley, Mesa Conservation District on Colorado’s Western slope about their innovations with applying biochar in a no-till system. Michael has worked to transform what was once part of a large sheep ranch into a thriving 5-acre farm. The 5 acres were split off from the sheep ranch with no infrastructure or irrigation and soil high in salts from manure. “It was a lot of dirt and kochia…. but it looks much different toda...
Sarah Stallard is a 7th generation farmer who came to work with her uncles on a new farm near Las Vegas Nevada raising hogs. The farm is in partnership with the local waste and recycling company Republic Services. They lease the land from Republic Services and use food waste to feed the hogs. She says the partnership was formed “to help find a solution to organic waste." The family had always fed food scraps as pigs “are not picky about what food scraps” they eat. Sarah descri...
Join us in this dynamic and wide-ranging conversation with Chris Eckhart about diversifying his farming operation, increasing organic matter, monitoring soil biology, and creating a work-family-life balance, all while remaining profitable. Eckhart Farms is a multi-generational family farm in the heart of Wild Rose Prairie in Washington that focuses on soil health and diversity. He is passionate about family farming and has experimented tirelessly with diversifying crops on what was primarily ...
In this episode, we talk with Kirk Pumphrey, owner of Westwind Farms in Woodland CA, and Sat Darshan Khalsa, Assistant Professional Researcher at the University of CA Davis about their work integrating almond shells and hulls as organic matter in orchards. As Kirk says, “it’s a learning experience for all of us.” It’s a learning curve, but they are finding great success and working toward finding the sweet spot of applying not too much or too little in all different conditions. They’ve f...
In today’s episode we speak with Jonah Sloven, from Sweet Hollow Farm, a diversified organic farm in Victor, Idaho. Sweet Hollow Farm serves the neighboring Teton Valley community through their CSA, farm stand, and farmer’s market.Jonah discusses how his travels from his environmental studies ultimately directed him to small-scale agriculture and its beneficial effect on communities. His ultimate goal is to connect people with their food.“For me, it’s a lot more than growing vegetables. I rea...
In today’s episode, we talk with Sara Wood of Wyoming Heritage Grains and Wyoming High Desert Malt, near Ralston Wyoming. Sara is a fifth-generation regenerative farmer and the operator of the state’s only commercial flour mill.Located in the dry high mountain desert east of Yellowstone, Sara’s and her family’s operation has the distinction of being in one of the first large water projects in the country, started by Buffalo Bill Cody.Sara’s family began homesteading in the area around 1908. T...
Today’s guests are Tangy and Matt Bates who operate Blue Creek Livestock in Delta Junction Alaska. They aim to provide their community with fresh, natural meat – beef, lamb, and pork. Since the beginning, Blue Creek Cattle has been building soils and herds. Tangy and Matt talk about the opportunities and challenges of farming in Alaska. The opportunities are plentiful, providing farmers and ranchers with room for creativity and profitability. The infrastructure, however, is not wha...
Dan Macon is a University of California Farm Adviser and also the operator of Flying Mule Farm in Auburn California. Ryan Mahoney is a fifth-generation sheep and cattle rancher who operates Emigh Livestock, in Rio Vista California. Dan and Ryan are also participating in a Western SARE project demonstrating and evaluating how information from both electronic identification tags and better understanding of sheep genetics could be improve sheep production economic viability.Emigh Livestock produ...
In Episode 4, we talk with Zach Thode and Elizabeth Black.Zach manages a large cattle ranch in Livermore Colorado. Elizabeth is an artist in Colorado and manages a Christmas tree farm. Elizabeth is also the project leader for The Citizen Science Soil Health Project, partially funded by a Western SARE grant and Zach is a producer participant in that project. The Citizen Science Soil Health Project is a grower-driven project which uses the collective knowledge of diverse participating grow...
In this episode, we talk with Don McNamara and Donna Rae Faulkner from Oceanside Farms in Homer Alaska. They raise a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, berries, and chickens, ducks and turkeys. They grow all of their produce and nine varieties of Alaska Certified Seed Potatoes without the use of synthetically based chemicals, pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers. The farm serves their local market.Don and Donna Rae practice Small Plot Intensive Farming (SPIN) and started out borrowin...
Today’s episode features Bashira Muhammad, founder of Zoom Out Mycology as she talks about “Driving Sustainability with Fungi!” Zoom Out Mycology is a fungi farm based in Southern Oregon. Their mission is to apply mycology towards a sustainable future.When asked “How does fungi save the planet,” Bashira lists “so many ways!” She and her team focus on medicinal mushroom teas for holistic health, small batch sawdust production so their local community can grow their own food, and c...
Austin Allred, talking about his family's Royal Dairy in Washington, proudly states that rather than contributing to climate change, Royal Dairy shows that farms like his can be an impactful part of the solution — in part by preventing the formation of greenhouse gases and boosting the capacity of his soil to draw down and sequester atmospheric carbon. In this episode, Austin shares his passion and knowledge about the relationship ruminants have with the soil, which effortlessly l...
Western SARE completed our second season of Fresh Growth. Thank you for listening! As we are working toward Season 3, we are sharing some special podcasts created by Washington State University students.In this podcast, you'll hear from Shepherd's Grain COO and Director of R&D Jeremy Bunch. He discusses what makes Shepherd's Grain unique and how they work with no-till wheat farmers. The model links farmers with consumers. You'll learn more about the importance of traceab...
Western SARE completed our second season of Fresh Growth. Thank you for listening! As we are working toward Season 3, we are sharing some special podcasts by Washington State University students. In this episode, you'll hear from 5th generation farmer Allen Druffel, Bar Star Farm, as he talks about their use of no-till practices since the 1990s.Student team: Kayleigh Brown, Mathew Morse, Mackenzie Cunningham, Martha Lum ____________Thanks for listening to Fresh Growth! T...
Western SARE completed our second season of Fresh Growth. Thank you for listening! As we are working toward Season 3, we are sharing some special podcasts. These podcasts were created by students in the Washington State University’s Systems Skills for Agriculture and Food Systems class. The students interviewed producers on topics such as regenerative agriculture, permaculture, marketing, economics, technology and more. We hope you enjoy and learn from their work.In this episode, Palouse whea...
Western SARE completed our second season of Fresh Growth. Thank you for listening! As we are working toward Season 3, we are sharing some special podcasts. These podcasts were created by students in the Washington State University’s Systems Skills for Agriculture and Food Systems class. The students interviewed producers on topics such as regenerative agriculture, permaculture, marketing, economics, technology and more. We hope you enjoy and learn from their work.In this episode, Tim Nadreau ...
Western SARE completed our second season of Fresh Growth. Thank you for listening! As we are working toward Season 3, we are sharing some special podcasts. These podcasts were created by students in the Washington State University’s Systems Skills for Agriculture and Food Systems class. The students interviewed producers on topics such as regenerative agriculture, permaculture, marketing, economics, technology and more. We hope you enjoy and learn from their work.In this episode, Jon Paul Dri...
Today’s guest is Nathan Hodges, who along with his wife Sage Dilts, runs Barn Owl Bakery on Lopez Island, Washington. He discusses why they are farming and sourcing heritage grains and using them in their baked goods; how the grains are processed locally; how the community plays a big role in their success; the results of his Western SARE research project; and what “right livelihood” means to them.The bakery came first, and then the growing of the grains. Nathan searches for grains that grow ...
Today’s guest is Mike Nolan who, along with Mindy Perkovich, farms in the Mancos Valley in Southwest Colorado. Mountain Roots Produce provides the local and regional community high quality and reasonably priced vegetables.Mike discusses their commitment to building soil health, a strong local food system, and a profitable business, all while facing challenges brought on by COVID and limited water in the high desert climate.Prior to COVID, the farm typically received 60% of their gross income ...
Sally Gale, who along with husband Mike, operates Chileno Valley Ranch in Marin County California. She and Mike returned to the family ranch in 1993, restoring buildings, infrastructure, and the land. They planted hundreds of apple and pear trees and started a grass-fed beef business selling directly to the local community.Sally discusses how they learned by reaching out to family ranchers, NRCS, ag extension, and the Marin Resource Conservation District to make progress on restoring the degr...
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