Entries by ncat-admin

Late Summer on an Ozark Farm

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As we round the corner from summer into fall, I always like to look back and assess how we did on our farm during the busy summer months. We did not suffer a bad drought this summer, though it was touch and go for a few weeks in July. We had to feed hay for about ten days to make sure we didn’t graze the grass too short, but it wasn’t as dire as it has been some years.
By Nina Prater, NCAT Agriculture Specialist

Episode 167: Veterans Discuss USDA Programs

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In this episode, Margo Hale, NCAT’s Southeast Regional Director and Director of NCAT’s Armed to Farm Program, talks with Eric Grandon and Sara Creech. Eric is an Army veteran and owner of Sugar Bottom Farm in Ovapa, West Virginia. Sara is an Air Force veteran and owner of Blue Yonder Organic Farm in North Salem, […]

How to Tell if Pears Are Ripe

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In this short video, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Guy Ames takes us out to his orchard to demonstrate how to determine ripeness in apples and pears. For more on the subject see his latest blog post, Apples and Pears: How to Tell When They’re Ripe. We’d appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to […]

Helping a Neighbor—and helping NCAT, too

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I’ve spent most of my life working in large-scale crop production. Through this work, I’ve developed a passion for growing food and feeding people, which feels even more important right now, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Andrew Coggins, NCAT Rocky Mountain West Regional Director

Episode 166. Agriculture in Turkey

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In today’s episode of Voices from the Field, Justin Duncan, sustainable agriculture specialist at NCAT’s Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, interviews Helen Smiley, a sustainable agriculture consultant located in Turkey. Helen is formerly of Texas and was invited to Turkey to educate refugees in organic farming. She shares some of the differences in […]

Episode 165. SIFT Farm’s Unusual Year

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In this episode, Andrew Coggins, director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s Rocky Mountain West office, has a conversation with farm manager John Wallace about the unusual growing season so far at NCAT’s SIFT Farm. Both Andrew and John work out of Butte, Montana. SIFT — or Small-Scale Intensive Farm Training program — aims […]

Episode 164. Soil Sessions: Understanding Soil pH

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In this episode, Nina Prater, a soil specialist with NCAT’s ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, and NCAT’s Southeast Regional Director Margo Hale discuss soil pH. They cover the basics – why it’s important, how to measure pH, and how to best remedy soil acidity, which is a common concern in Arkansas where they live. They don’t discuss […]

Episode 163. Farming Medicinal Plants

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In this episode, Devona Bell, NCAT’s Director of Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Communities, has a conversation with Maya and Ed Skopal. Maya and Ed own I-TAL ACRES, a medicinal plant farm and apothecary in Floyd County, Virginia. The Skopals discuss their philosophy of medicinal plants, some of the plants they grow and the methods they […]