backyard farming

Ultracrosses and tropical perennials grown as annuals are just two of the many innovative breeding strategies being used by Chris Smith and the Utopian Seed Project to help make local food systems more resilient in the face of climate change. Based in western North Carolina, they are pioneering unusual breeding strategies that can be used by farmers and breeders anywhere to help develop varieties that can adapt to our changing climate.

Underlying their work is the fact that many vegetable varieties are bred for specific regions, and need a high level of inputs for them to succeed. “The Utopian Seed Project is anticipating a less than utopian future as climate changes threaten crops and growing environments,” as Growing for Market Magazine writer Jane Tanner put it in her story about USP, which is linked below in the show notes. Learn how they are using these unusual breeding strategies, along with classical breeding and selection, and how you can access some of their varieties and use their strategies on your own farm in this fascinating episode.

Here's a link to an article from the Nov/Dec 2023 Growing for Market Magazine about Chris Smith and The Utopian Seed Project

https://growingformarket.com/articles/the-utopian-seed-project

Connect With Guest:

Website: theutopianseedproject.org

Instagram: @utopianseedproject

Facebook: The Utopian Seed Project

Podcast Sponsors:

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Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

A-Roo - Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop destination for customizable and eco-friendly packaging across various industries, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Explore stylish and eco-friendly Kraft Paper Sleeves and sheets at shop.a-roo.com today and enjoy an exclusive 10% discount with code "GFM10" for Growing For Market Podcast listeners. When it comes to quality and innovation, A-ROO Company is the name you can trust.

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone? Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

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In today’s episode, hear Lynn Byczynski talk about founding Growing for Market Magazine over 30 years ago in 1992. We’ll talk about how Lynn’s background in writing, combined with the lack of information about market farming in the early 1990s, pushed her to start Growing for Market. While researching solutions for issues on her farm in Lawrence, Kansas, she started publishing GFM as a way to connect market farmers to each other and hard-to-find information. We’ll also hear about her book, The Flower Farmer, passing the magazine on to current editor Andrew Mefferd after 24 years of running the magazine, and how her family came to run Seeds From Italy. Link to full podcast episode in profile.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss Seed to Plate- a new video series that Neversink Farm is releasing on YouTube. Each episode of the series, shot in high-definition video during the pandemic lockdown, documents the journey of one vegetable from seeding to eating on Neversink Farm. Check it out both for a slice of life on Neversink Farm, plus some farm tips along the way.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com
 

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.growitalian.com

Instagram: @lynnbyczynski_flowers

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Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Marjory Wildcraft interviews Heather Briggs for the Leaders Who Grow Series.

Kelsey Jorissen Olesen joins us to talk all things chickens. She owns a small farm in Northwest WI and is passionate about her backyard flock. We hear the health benefits of raising your own food and some tips for starting out.  

Is your favorite food headed for extinction? Climate change is causing farmers around the world to rethink what they grow and how they grow it, which is going to impact what you eat in the very near future. This climate change-food connection is the subject of Amanda Little’s important new book,The Fate of Food: What We’ll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World. A mom, journalist, and Vanderbilt University professor, Amanda breaks down this scary subject in her no-nonsense way. Spoiler alert: We’re not as f*&%ed as you think we might be. 

Stay tuned to hear who chef Amy Brandwein of Centrolina in Washington D.C. thinks is the bombe!

Thank you to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Schools and Traeger Wood Fired Grills for supporting our show. Don’t forget to support The Hunger Doesn’t Take a Break initiative from the Food Bank for New York City. Visit foodbanknyc.org for more.

I think the reason I love growing food so much is because I am a natural problem solver. If something fails I will keep trying until I figure it out. 

In this weeks episode I talk about developing problem solving skills to help you become a better grower