Entries by ncat-admin

Episode 148. Small (Ruminant) Talk: Springtime

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Southeast Regional Director Margo Hale talks with Linda Coffey, an NCAT livestock specialist, about springtime on their farms.  Both Margo and Linda are specialists with NCAT’s ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, among other duties, out of NCAT’s office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and they both farm in Prairie Grove, […]

Using Raised Beds to Increase Your Harvest

When I am faced with a less than ideal growing situation, rather than fight with Nature, I’ll build a raised bed. I’ve built many of them over the years to suit different purposes.
By Justin C. Duncan
NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist

Episode 147. Agricultura en California

Javier Zamora es agricultor orgánico productor de fresas, moras, flores y vegetales en Watsonville, California. Narra su historia personal y cómo desarrolló su negocio en el éxito que es hoy. También habla sobre su educación y experiencia con ALBA la incubadora de agricultores orgánicos en Salinas California, acceso a tierra, establecimiento de mercados, detalles sobre […]

Episode 146. Farmers Battling Lyme Disease, Part 2

In this episode, Devona Bell, NCAT director of sustainable agriculture and NCAT’s ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, talks with Dr. Sunjya Schweig about the treatment of Lyme disease. Dr. Schweig works with the California Center for Functional Medicine. This episode is the second of a two-part series on the effect of Lyme Disease on farmers and […]

Rethinking Crop Insurance in the Time of Pandemic: Risk and Uncertainty

By Jeff Schahczenski, NCAT Agricultural and Natural Resource Economist I have recently been awakened to a re-evaluation of risk and uncertainty. Going to the grocery store has—hopefully only for a short time—become more risky. I also have been thinking more and more about how our personal and societal understanding and measurement of uncertainty is changing. […]

Episode 145. Farmers Battling Lyme Disease. Part 1

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Devona Bell, NCAT director of sustainable agriculture and NCAT’s ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, talks with two farmers about the impact of Lyme Disease on agriculture. Christine Pressman and her husband, Andy Pressman, own and operate Foggy Hill Farm, a sustainable produce operation near Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Dayna […]

Episode 144. A Flower Farm Blossoms

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Tammy Howard, an agriculture specialist with NCAT’s ATTRA sustainable-agriculture program, talks with Heather Folls of the Folls Flower Farm, which is based in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Tammy also has a flower operation, which is located in Belgrade, Montana. She works out of […]

ATTRA Resources for Resiliency

Here on my farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia, I am extremely eager to get my garden started. Due to the uncertain times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am motivated to achieve greater self-sufficiency and resilience for my family.
By Devona Bell, Director of Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Communities & Local Foods

Elderberries: Easy to Grow Medicine

I can hardly think of a perennial fruit easier to grow than elderberries. And I can hardly think of a food item with a stronger claim to health benefits. Coupling the ease of growing with this fruit’s new popularity as an effective medicine, this could be an opportune time for growers to consider establishing an elderberry planting for their family, or perhaps, more ambitiously, a commercial venture.
By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist

Episode 143. Connecting Refugees to Sustainable Agriculture

In today’s episode of Voices from the Field, we learn about a program in Texas that connects refugees with sustainable agriculture. Colin Mitchell, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist at NCAT’s Southwestern Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, visits with New Leaf Agriculture’s Director, Matt Simon, and a New Leaf Agriculture farm apprentice Doli Wikongo. New Leaf Agriculture […]