Entries by Rich Myers

What Regenerative Grazing Can Do For You

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Come see how the three principles of regenerative grazing: long rest periods, high stock density, and trampled grass have transformed Montana Highland Lamb, an irrigated sheep grazing farm near Whitehall, Montana. Co-owner Dave Scott, who also is a livestock specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, outlines how tall grass grazing has netted $300 […]

Soil Health Principles – Application and Results of Investing in Your Soils

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In this video, farmers Paul Kaiser and Ward Burroughs tell how they invest in their soils by applying the five principles of healthy soil management on their farms. Two very different farms growing different crops in different locations show how these principles are applied at different scales. NCAT’s Rex Dufour introduces the topic, providing context […]

Establishing a Wine Cap Mushroom Bed

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Wine cap mushrooms can be grown in layers of straw and wood chips and are one of several easy-to-grow mushrooms to add to your farm enterprise. Join NCAT’s Nina Prater and her husband Jeremy as they build a 6-foot by 6-foot mushroom bed on their farm in Cedarville, Arkansas. This video is produced by the […]

Livestock Integration with Crops: A Summary

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Montana State University’s three-year research project, “Impacts of Integrating Livestock into Cropping Systems on Soil Health and Crop Production,” has uncovered some interesting findings. Funded by Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (WSARE), and led by Research Associate Devon Ragen and her master-degree student, Trestin Benson, this research explored the benefits and challenges of incorporating […]

Maintaining Your Tractor – Changing the Air Filter

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Do you know how to replace your tractor air filter? Making sure that good, clean air is part of the burn in your engine helps extend the lifespan of your machine. Let ATTRA Specialist Andy Pressman and Farm and Equipment Educator Shane LaBrake walk you through everything you need to change your air filter. The […]

Mobile Chicken Coop Designs

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Mobile coops help chickens contribute to soil fertility on the farm while keeping them safe from predators. In this video, NCAT program specialist Tracy Mumma describes the benefits and drawbacks of four different mobile coop designs that her family has used for the past 10 years on their Montana farm. This video is produced by […]

How to Castrate and Ear Tag Goats

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Managing a herd of goats means that some will have to be castrated. In this video, NCAT specialist Nina Prater and her husband, Jeremy, show the “banding” method of castration, using an Elastrator, or “bander,” and elastic bands. They also demonstrate how to ear tag a goat. These methods can be used for sheep and […]

What is Peach Leaf Curl?

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In springtime, peach growers will see the last remnants of the flowers splitting and falling from the growing young fruit. They also might see the peach tree leaves “bubbling up” and becoming deformed—a sign of peach leaf curl infection. This disease, incited by the fungus Taphrina deformans, causes leaf function to suffer and stresses the […]

Sustainable Poultry Production

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Felicia Bell, a sustainable agriculture specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s Gulf States Regional Office in Jackson, Mississippi, talks about the ways adding poultry — and some other small animals — can add diversity to any operation, livestock or crop. She focuses on getting started on a small scale. This workshop is produced […]

Farmer Veteran COVID-19 Listening Session

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In April 2020, NCAT hosted an online listening session focused on farmer veterans. The aim of the listening session was to create a space for farmer veterans where they could share their challenges and strategies for resiliency. Most important, we wanted to give farmer veterans a chance to connect with each other. Margo Hale, NCAT […]