In Her Boots

In today's episode, Dr. Akilah Martin shares about her journey with soil and agriculture. She also reflects on her experiences attending an an HBCU (Historically Black College & University) vs. a PWI (Predominately White Institution), her work with DePaul University, and her current projects in Chicago. Dr. Akilah Martin is a soil enthusiast, soil scientist and the author of 'Miseducation of a Farmer.' Miseducation of a Farmer: https://www.humansandnature.org/miseducation-of-a-farmer

In today’s episode, Maryan Abdinur shares childhood memories from growing up in Somalia. Maryan works with Hope Communities Inc as Food, Land and Community Program Lead, aka "the weird person that carries around plants and seeds." https://hope-community.org/

In today's episode, Tiffany chats with KaZoua about her role with Minnesota Food Association, nonprofit farming, and the exclusivity of organic farming. KaZoua discusses her memories as a Hmong refugee and her life as the mother of mixed races (Black & Hmong) children. After the killings of George Floyd and Daunte Wright, KaZoua bravely used her voice to challenge white-led organizations to act against systemic racism and police brutality. Big River Farms: https://bigriverfarms.thefoodgroupmn.org/

In part II of Tiffany's conversation with Dani Pieratos, Dani talks about her connection to the earth and discusses the goals and challenges of the food, agriculture, and land access projects she's working on. Dani Pieratos is a mother, water protector, and advocate for Indigenous communal sufficiency, food sovereignty, and sustainable agriculture. She works with organizations such as Harvest Nation, The Land Access Alliance, Bois Forte Food Sovereignty, and the Sustainable Agriculture Community Advocacy Group.

Dani Pieratos is a mother, water protector, and advocate for Indigenous communal sufficiency, food sovereignty, and sustainable agriculture. She works with organizations such as Harvest Nation, The Land Access Alliance, Bois Forte Food Sovereignty, and the Sustainable Agriculture Community Advocacy Group. In this episode, Dani describes the harmful impacts of intergenerational trauma endured by the Indigenous Community, some of which she's seen manifest in her own life. Blog: White farmers blocked a much-needed federal relief program for Black farmers. 

We are pleased to present to you the new season of the In Her Boots podcast. The theme of this season, and the new direction of the show, is "Bootless." This shift is explained in this sneak peak of the first three episodes with new host Tiffany LaShae. Through Tiffany's conversations with her guests, the podcast shares and highlights the stories of Black and Brown women who traditionally have not had a platform to use their voice.  Tiffany is a farmer, researcher, educator, and activist with a diverse background in food justice, regenerative agriculture, afroecology, agroecology, ‘permaculture’ & more. In Her Boots on the MOSES website

Today, we talk to Dr. JohnElla Holmes, executive director of the Kansas Black Farmers Association and part of the wheat farming community in Kansas. She shares a deep-rooted story of resilience from her family’s farming history and building the African American agricultural community in Nicodemus, Kansas. Hear how being proactive, asking questions, and cultivating community add up to strength to stay in farming for the long haul. JohnElla retired from Kansas State University in 2015 to come "home" to historic Nicodemus, Kansas, which is the oldest all-African-American town west of the Mississippi River and now a National Historic Site. She is a 5th generation descendant of these original settlers in a community that today raised wheat, milo, and cattle. This episode wraps up our Resilience series and our In Her Boots podcast for this season. Thanks for listening and subscribing so you'll know when we're back with more episodes focused on inspiring women farmers, educators, and organizers committed to sustainable and organic agriculture.

Today for our "Resilience Boot Camp" series, Kelsey Ducheneaux shares how her Indigenous roots drive her work, building on the themes she talked about in her MOSES Conference workshop this past February. It’s all about connections for Kelsey, from observing and appreciating the diversity on our land to building awareness to know when soil is depleted. Kelsey Ducheneaux is a member of the Lakota Sioux Nation. She is the fourth generation at the DX Ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, offering locally raised beef for direct sale. Kelsey also works as the Natural Resources Director and Youth Programs Coordinator for the Intertribal Agriculture Council, which presents her with the unique opportunity to support the improvement of Indian lands for Indian people across the nation.

Mariann Holm of Holm Boys Dairy talks about the turning points in her life that cultivated grit—the courage and resolve to be a farmer. From taking the risk to leave a cushy corporate gig in California to start their organic dairy in Wisconsin to successfully battling thyroid cancer when the odds were not in her favor, Mariann inspires us all to change life’s curveballs into opportunities to make us stronger farmers and women. Mariann and her husband, Doran, own a grass-based organic farm in Dunn County, Wisconsin, where they raise organic dairy heifers. Mariann is an organic crop and livestock inspector and serves on the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council and the Menomonie Market Food Co-op Board of Directors.

For our Resilience series, today we connect with Molly Rockamann of EarthDance Farm to explore how she overcame burnout by taking a year sabbatical from the farm to travel, experience new things, and prioritize the in-person people connections in her life. Most importantly, she returned to her farming career recommitted and renewed—just in time to lead her organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Molly is the Founding Director of EarthDance Organic Farm School in Ferguson, Missouri, and the visionary who saved the oldest organic farm west of the Mississippi from development, transforming it into an educational platform for organic agriculture and community empowerment. A native of St. Louis, she resides in Ferguson near the farm. Her passion for good food includes social justice and equity; she believes that the most regenerative agriculture is inclusive of people from all backgrounds.

Today's episode in our Resilience series focuses on how to take care of the most important tool on our farms: our own bodies. Clinical massage therapist Laura Gosewisch shares her clinical knowledge alongside her own first-hand farming knowledge to help us "calibrate the compass of life" for holistic well-being. In her practice, Laura supports people recovering from complex injuries. She and a partner run Vital Ground Farm, growing and selling vegetables, fruit, and herbs along with preserved foods at the Twin Cities Farmers Market under Minnesota's cottage food law.

Our Resilience series continues as Cynthie Christensen shares her perspective on cultivating gratitude in the daily farming routine. Cynthie's resilience roots dig deep into her rural upbringing and childhood experiences, including the loss of the family farm and how that impacted her and inspired her role today as an advocate and educator in farmer mental health. Cynthie is both a farmer and a licensed therapist with a passion for rural mental health. She has a private practice, Oak Ridge Teletherapy, and has worked as a psychiatric nurse in an inpatient hospital for the past 20 years. Cynthie has been connected to farming all her life. She is a graduate of the Minnesota Agricultural Rural Leadership Program and currently serves as the President of the Houston County Farm Bureau. Recently, she was appointed to the Minnesota Advisory Council on Mental Health.

We continue our Resilience series this week with Venice Williams of Alice's Garden. She shares her insights and inspiration on keeping grounded and mindful while farming. "I have not met a woman farmer who is not passionate about her work," she says. "It's not a job. We're not going to a job. We're going to a vocation. Farming is a vocation that renews me every single day. It strengthens us. It excites us. We give ourselves way more tasks than we can ever accomplish in one season, which makes us eager for the next thing." Venice is the visionary leader of Alice’s Garden, located on the north side of Milwaukee, which models regenerative farming, community cultural development, and economic agricultural enterprises for the global landscape. Venice calls herself a cultural and spiritual midwife, strongly believing she was put in Creation to help bring forth all that is good and whole in people and places. She has been doing just that in Milwaukee for the past 31 years.

We kick off our Resilience series with Meg Moynihan who knows a thing or two about resilience. She shares how her farm suddenly lost its milk buyer and the learnings she harvested through the experience. "Sometimes resilience is staying on the horse and in the saddle... Sometimes it’s getting up again after you fall off the horse. And, sometimes it’s knowing enough that, after you fall, you just need to lie there a while and regroup and recuperate before you can decide whether you run after the horse, get back on the horse, or sell the horse." Meg Moynihan leads the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s efforts to support farmers and others in agriculture who are experiencing financial, emotional, and mental stress in their lives and communities. Trained as an agronomist, Meg previously worked as a program director, educator, and evaluator. She also served with the U.S Peace Corps in Thailand. She and her husband, Kevin Stuedemann, own a diversified 70-cow organic dairy farm in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.

Building resilience and supporting the mental and physical health of our women farmer community is a strong priority of the MOSES In Her Boots project. In today's episode, host Lisa Kivirist shares thoughts on what it means to be resilient in the face of the current public health crisis and, really, every day. She also shares a preview of upcoming episodes in our 8-week "Resilience Boot Camp." Listen in and decide if you're a carrot, egg, or coffee bean.

Today we wrap up our women caring for the land series with Lindsay Rebhan, taking a deep dive into regenerative agriculture—what it is and why it is important and how we as a community of women committed to sustainability can lead and champion the movement. As Lindsay points out, the important first step in permaculture is observing your land and seeing, understanding, and appreciating what the foundation you already have. Lindsay Rebhan is a co-owner of Ecological Design, a certified permaculture designer and ecological consultant based in western Wisconsin. A specialist in agroecology, land design, and land management, Lindsay works with farmers, food nonprofits, and organizations to increase the ecological, human, animal, and economic wealth of land over time.

We continue our conversations with women landowners passionate about conservation today with Patti Schevers, who returned to her family farm to steward the land for future generations. Patti offers advice on how to learn and self-educate when you're new to conservation and, as in her case, do so in strong partnership with family. Patti is the 4th generation stewarding Schevers Farm, located outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The property has been in her family since 1914 and the original 113 acres are all still intact. Patti and her husband, Bradley Burger, are initiating a variety of farm businesses including honey hives, chickens, and vegetables. Patti is leading a variety of conservation initiatives on the land in partnership with NRCS as well as operating a 3-site tent glamping campground on her parcel.

We continue our series about women doing conservation work on their land, talking today with Deirdre Birmingham of The Cider Farm. She shares her land stewardship journey and offers tips for tapping into agency expertise and various funding opportunities. Deirdre Birmingham runs The Cider Farm with her husband, John Bondi, in Mineral Point Wisconsin. They raise organic English and French cider apples which are pressed into a variety of hard ciders and apple brandy, which you can sample at their tasting room in Madison. A life-long conservationist, Deirdre has worked extensively to add conservation practices to her land, including plantings to benefit pollinators to keep the orchard producing bountiful apples.

Today on our In Her Boots podcast, we’re talking about tools for land conservation with Jennifer Filipiak of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy. A champion for women landowners, Jen explains what a conservation easement is and how this can be an important tool to strategically preserve your land with your conservation goals in mind. Want to keep your farm in agriculture and protect it from development? Listen in for ideas and resources. Jennifer Filipiak serves as Executive Director of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, a land trust in Southwest Wisconsin dedicated to protecting the natural and agricultural landscape through permanent land protection and restoration. Jen and her husband, Pete, recently bought a farm in Lafayette County and jumped into the challenges of restoring fencing and old barns.

As part of our special "Women Caring for the Land" series, we're talking today with Thelma Heidel-Baker of Bossie Cow Farm in Wisconsin. Thelma shares how she detoured from an academic career in entomology—she’s actually a bug doctor with her Ph.D.—to return to her family farm to re-craft a livelihood for her young family. Thelma’s passion for conservation shines as she gives us practical advice on setting up conservation strategies, noting that land stewardship is a journey. She encourages us to follow what naturally fascinates us...which, in her case, is insects. Thelma Heidel-Baker and her husband, Ricky Baker, run Bossie Cow Farm, a small, diversified organic dairy farm amidst the rolling hills of southeastern Wisconsin. Using managed rotational grazing to take care of the land and feed their livestock, Thelma and Ricky also sell organic farm products such as beef, eggs, chicken, and pork direct to local customers.