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ATTRA Blog

Whether you’re a seasoned or beginning producer, a curious consumer, or simply someone who appreciates the bounty of the earth, you’ll find valuable insights and engaging stories here.

Written by ATTRA specialists on topics they are passionate and knowledgeable about, the ATTRA blog highlights techniques, how-tos, insight, success stories, and much more in support of sustainable agriculture.

closeup of quail

Integrating Pastured Quail into a Whole-Farm System

Diversity is a key insurance strategy on many farms, as multiple revenue streams can help keep a farm more stable in trying times. Most successful farmers I know employ this strategy and they are always on the lookout for new, higher-value enterprises to try out. The same is true on my farm in Kentucky. Last year, a restaurant client asked if we could raise pastured quail for their menu. They currently purchase 600 quail annually but believe that locally sourced quail will double their annual demand. 
By Mike Lewis, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist
goat and cattle

The ABC(DE) of Animal Health

I have been raising livestock since I was a young child, and I have learned some things in doing so. Today I want to share an easy way to think through animal observations. These basic indicators of animal health will allow you, the livestock manager, to see early warning signs and take effective action. While my experience is mostly with sheep and goats, these principles apply to other livestock, as well.
By Linda Coffey, Livestock Specialist
healthy soil

Help Shape Montana’s Soil Health Future

There’s nothing like a summer of vicious heat, drought, and grasshoppers to focus minds on the vital importance of healthy soil. Soil scientist Wallace Fuller said in 1975, “A cloak of loose, soft material, held to the Earth’s hard surface by gravity, is all that lies between life and lifelessness.” Across Montana, the summer of 2021 proved again just how crucial — and how vulnerable — that thin cloak of soil can be. Soil health is foundational to the resilience of land, and thus also to food systems, human health, and ecosystem function.
By Linda Poole, Regenerative Grazing Specialist
Becky Weed of Thirteen Mile Farm sells her produce.

Next Gen Regen: Becky Weed on Building Resilient Agroecosystems

Thirty-five years ago, Becky Weed and Dave Tyler left successful careers to start a farm in Montana’s Gallatin Valley. As first-generation farmers, “Dave and I didn’t know our heads from a hole in the ground, but we wanted to merge our interest in conservation and ecological systems with jobs in agriculture,” recalled Becky.
By Linda Poole, Regenerative Grazing Specialist
Cleveland high tunnelNCAT

NCAT Programs Help Service Members Succeed in Agriculture

Do you know what 11% of U.S. producers have in common? It’s not that they grow tomatoes or sell at farmers markets—it’s that they have served or are serving in the military. And do you know who offers training and networking opportunities specifically for military veterans interested in sustainable farming operations? NCAT does!
By Margo Hale, Southeast Regional Director and Livestock Specialist
nitrogen fixing nodules in the roots of legumes

3 Reasons Your Legume Cover Crop Nodulation May Have Failed

Legumes make for great cover crops thanks to an important partnership between the plant roots and bacteria. When this biological partnership is thriving, nitrogen is being pumped back into the soil for future crops to benefit from. It can sometimes appear like your cover crop is thriving above ground, but if bright pink nodules on the roots below ground aren't visible around 30 days after germinating, there might be a problem.
By Emilie Ritter Saunders, Communications Director
cattle in pasture

Demystifying Regenerative Grazing at BDA Farm

Visiting other farms is always a joy and an education for me. I recently had the pleasure of visiting BDA Farm in Uniontown, Alabama, for a day-long workshop where we toured the farm and learned about its regenerative practices that build soil health and increase productivity and profitability of the farm.
By Linda Coffey, Livestock Specialist
ATF website screenshot

New Digital Home for NCAT’s Armed to Farm

The National Center for Appropriate Technology has launched a new website for its farmer veteran training program, Armed to Farm. The site, ARMEDTOFARM.ORG, features program news, promotes upcoming training opportunities, and connects alumni with sustainable agriculture resources and other farmer veterans. 
By Robyn Metzger, Armed to Farm Coordinator

Vineyard Agroforestry: Growing Grapes in the Era of Climate Change

I had the privilege of undergoing my graduate school research in one of the best places on earth: Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza, like many parts of California, is an arid region with very little rainfall, similar soils, and similar weather patterns. And, like California, it grows great wine. Unlike California, though, Mendoza still has many vineyards that are intercropped with trees in vineyard agroforestry systems. That's why, when I decided to study arid vineyard agroforestry systems for my master’s research, Mendoza is where I journeyed to. 
by Katherine Favor, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist
A combcutting implement removing broadleaf plants from a grass crop.

Combcutting: An Innovative Approach for Reducing Broadleaf Weeds in Small Grains

When a small grain crop like wheat, oat, barley, or rye is in the vegetative growth stage and prior to stem development, the crop’s leaves are very flexible. Broadleaf weeds like Canada Thistle growing within the vegetative cash crop generally have a stem, which continues to get thicker and stiffer as the weed matures. Combcutting technology uses a series of stationary knives that are set at a specific angle and distance from each other.
By Justin Morris, Regenerative Livestock Specialist