Where’s My Beef?-Specific Risk Material: How It Affects Cuts and Boxed Yield

In this episode of Voices from the Field,NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Tyler Jenkins introduces us to new NCAT staff member Tammy Barnes. Tammy, who is also a sustainable agriculture specialist, will be focusing on carbon planning from Kentucky. 

Tammy shares her wealth of experience and the insights garnered from an extensive career dedicated to sustainable agriculture, from equestrian and other livestock
management, to cropping systems and holistic farm management. She also shares
the story of her sustainable agriculture career and long history of farmer support and advocacy. She details the path that led her to NCAT – as well as her goals now that she is on the team. 

 ATTRA Resources: 

·        Livestock 

·        Crops 

·        Soil for Water 

·        Farmer Equity Project 

 
Other Resources: 

·        Accelerating Appalachia 

 
Contact Tyler Jenkins and Tammy Barnes at tylerj@ncat.org and tammyb@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications,
webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG. 

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Milton and Diann Woods of Milliesbarn Veggie Farm in Eagle Lake, Texas, talk with NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Justin Duncan about how they overcame various risks on their farm by choosing the right crops – both for their environment and in accordance with the needs of their clientele.  

This podcast is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. This podcast was also made possible in part by funding from the Southern Risk Management Education Center, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, through the University of Arkansas.  

Related ATTRA Resources:

·        Crop Resilience Through Diversification and Schedule Modification in Northeast Texas. Part 1 

·        Business and Marketing

·        Risk Management

Other Resources:

·        Milliesbarn Veggie Farm 

Contact Justin Duncan at justind@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Grace Brown, the founder of Uncle Paul’s Agritourism & Educational Farm in Tyler, Texas, talks with NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Justin Duncan about how she overcame various risks on the farm by choosing the right crops – both for the local environment and in accordance with the needs of their clientele. 

This podcast is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. This podcast was also made possible in part by funding from the Southern Risk Management Education Center, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, through the University of Arkansas.  

Related ATTRA Resources:

·        Business and Marketing

·        Risk Management

Contact Justin Duncan at justind@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

This week’s episode of Voices from the Field is a conversation about Texas A&M University’s Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management, hosted by NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Darron Gaus. 

The Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management is a coordinated, system-wide effort at Texas A&M aimed at safeguarding the ecologic and economic resiliency of grazing-land resources and ranching operations.

The episode features a conversation between the center’s director, Jeff Goodwin, and Peggy Sechrist, a longtime educator for Holistic Management International, about the work being done at Texas A&M and how it will help graziers make profitable decisions. 

Peggy is an organic beef pioneer in Texas. She and Darron are co-leaders of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education’s Soil for Water Texas Working Group.

 
Related ATTRA Resources:

·        Livestock

·        Pasture, Rangeland and Adaptive Management

·        Rangeland App: Modern Tool for Graziers

·        Keep Soil Covered

·        Minimize Soil Disturbance

·        Increase Biodiversity

·        Continuous Live Root

·        Integrate Livestock

 
Other Resources:

·        Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management

·        Understanding and Evaluating Carbon Contracts

Contact Darron Gaus at darrong@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership with ATTRA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. To learn more about SARE’s library of practical information and available grants to fund projects that advance sustainable agriculture, visit sare.org.

In this episode, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Guy Ames talks with Matthew Lebon, owner of Custom Foodscaping in St. Louis, Missouri.  

Guy and Matthew talk about “edible landscaping” – which includes plants that produce food in residential, business, and community landscapes. They also discuss the value of “uncommon” crops such as gooseberries, currants, and paw-paws that grow well in the region.

Related ATTRA Resources:

·        Local Food Systems

·        How to Start Community Agroforesty Projects: Advice from 11 Forest Gardens

Other Resources:

·        Developing a Market for Locally Adapted Organic Fruiting Plants in St. Louis

·        Custom Foodscaping 

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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

This episode of Voices from the Field is an inspiring conversation with a trailblazer in ecological agriculture. In it, Gabriella Soto-Velez, an NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist  in the Gulf States Region, sits down with Christopher Sacco, who needs no introduction for those familiar with sustainable agriculture practices. In 2009, Christopher laid the foundation for Groundswell International, a groundbreaking organization dedicated to empowering small-scale farmers and championing sustainable agriculture methods worldwide.

Fast forward to 2024, and Christopher has stepped away from the helm of Groundswell, but his support and passion for the organization’s mission remains steadfast. Christopher’s journey post-Groundswell led him to establish Aegis Conservation Ecology and Regenerative Development, a consulting firm at the forefront of promoting ecological agriculture and regenerative development.

Christopher and Gabriella delve deep into the heart of ecological agriculture, exploring its transformative potential, evolution, challenges, and pivotal role in shaping sustainable farming practices through the invaluable insights Christopher’s journey has allowed him to bring to the field.

 Related ATTRA Resources:
·        Agroforestry
·        Quick Tips for Agroforestry
·        Agroforestry: An Overview

 Other Resources:
·        Groundswell International
·        Enabling Farmer-led Ecosystem Restoration

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez at gabriellas@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell talks with beginning farmer Violet Keys about the journey that took her from a career in the military to beginning Synergy in the Garden, a 6-acre urban agriculture operation in Jackson, Mississippi.

Violet discusses overcoming her nervousness as she begins her farm – where she plans to grow medicinal herbs, cut flowers, and other crops. She and Felicia also talk about creating a business plan and utilizing USDA financial and planning assistance. Violet shares her dream of creating a “healing space” for veterans that is also an asset to her community.

Related ATTRA Resources:

·        Financing Your Farm: Guidance for Beginning Farmers

·        Selling to Local and Regional Markets: Barriers and Opportunities for Beginning Farmers

·        Veteran Resources

·        Farm Start-Up

·        Farmer Well-Being

Contact Felicia Bell at feliciab@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.  

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership with ATTRA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. To learn more about SARE’s library of practical information and available grants to fund projects that advance sustainable agriculture, visit SARE.ORG.

 In this episode, Maura Henn, an NCAT Local Food Systems Specialist, talks with Michal DeChellis of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO) in Montana. Michal is AERO’s Program Manager for the Montana Food Economy Initiative (MFEI), a project that has been funded through a Western SARE Grant.

Maura and Michal talk about the process of conducting Community Food Assessments around Montana and the importance of bringing together multiple stakeholders from different parts of community food systems when building a coalition for food systems work. Maura and Michal also talk about some of the first projects, which were launched in 2020, and adaptations and improvements made to the 2023-2024 round of community assessments.  

Related ATTRA Resources:

·       Farmers Markets

·       Local Food Systems

Other Resources:

·       Montana Food Economy Initiative

·       AERO

·       Montana Food System Resource Library

·       Butte Community Food Assessment Video Story 

·       Butte Winter Farmers Market

·       MSU Food Product Development Lab 

·       Montana Harvest of the Month 

·       Iowa State Food Assessment Training Certificate Program 

·       Double SNAP Dollars - Montana 

·        Northern Plains Resource Council

Contact Maura Henn at maurah@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.  

In this episode of Voices from the Field, urban farmer Pasha Angelle of Healing Den Farms in Houston, Texas, discusses how farming realities led her to shift gears and produce microgreens literally in-house rather than crops out in the field in the brutal Texas climate. This risk-management decision has expanded her experience and led her to a new customer base.  

This podcast is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development.

This podcast was also made possible in part by funding from the Southern Risk
Management Education Center, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture,
through the University of Arkansas.  

Related ATTRA Resources: 

·        Urban Agriculture 

·        Local Food Systems 

Other Resources: 

·        Healing Den 

Contact Justin Duncan at justind@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 to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.  

Sheri Langford is a straight-talking Texas shepherd, dog trainer, and retired crime- scene investigator.  

 In this episode of Voices from the Field, Sheri talks with NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Linda Poole about raising Navajo-Churro sheep – which she calls “the mustangs of the sheep world”– with the help of her border collie, Anatolian, and Great Pyrenees guardian dogs. On her Red Feather Ranch, Sheri says, predators are like pilots: there are old predators, and there are bold predators, but, thanks to her dogs, there are no old, bold predators.  

 Sheri also talks about her journey from crime scene investigator to shepherd, how to prepare a flock for wildfire, training sheep to avoid “rope and hoist” milking, and other tales of life with small ruminants. 

 This Voices from the Field episode is part of NCAT’s “She’s Raising Sheep” podcast series. 

 Related ATTRA Resources:  
·        She’s Raising Sheep Series  

·        Tips for Marketing Sheep and Goat Products: Dairy  

·        Tips for Marketing Sheep and Goat Products: Fiber  

 Other Resources:
·        The Red Feather Ranch 

·        Navajo-Churro Sheep Association

·        Farm Fresh Forensics: Life Between the Barnyard and the Body Farm

 Contact Linda Poole 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 NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find
access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications,
webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.