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ATTRA Podcasts

ATTRA’s Voices from the Field is your weekly go-to podcast on all things sustainable agriculture, from cover crops to regenerative grazing and organic production to marketing, farm energy, and more.

Join our specialists each week as they take a deep dive into a wealth of topics and resources to support sustainable agriculture and accessible energy solutions.

 

 

Colorful red and yellow organic tomatoes

Episode 256. Organic Pioneer Michael O’Gorman on Vegetable Production for Profitability, Part 2

This episode of Voices from the Field is the second part of a conversation between NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Mike Lewis and Michael O’ Gorman, an organic farming pioneer and founder of the Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Mike Lewis and Michael O’ Gorman
Colorful red and yellow organic tomatoes

Episode 255. Organic Pioneer Michael O’Gorman on Vegetable Production for Profitability

This episode of Voices from the Field is the first of a two-part conversation with organic farming pioneer and founder of the Farmer Veteran Coalition Michael O’Gorman. For 50 years, Michael has spearheaded some of the country’s most influential farming ventures. In this part of the conversation, he and NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Mike Lewis talk about Michael’s history and how good planning and record keeping can help farmers cope with rising prices for inputs and supplies.
Mike Lewis and Michael O’Gorman

Episode 254. Meet NCAT. Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez Connects Food, Agriculture, Community, and Health

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we meet up with one of NCAT’s newest sustainable agriculture specialists, Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez. In her conversation with colleague Robert Maggiani in the NCAT Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, Luz explains how she decided on a career in sustainable agriculture. After initially setting out to study medicine, her interests in chemistry and environmental sciences led her to see the connections between health and food, agriculture, and community.
Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez and Robert Maggiani

Episode 253. How to Conserve Water at an Urban, Mountain Desert Farm

NCAT’s headquarters in Butte, Montana, has a complicated growing climate to say the least. That makes John Wallace’s job as farm manager of NCAT’s Small-Scale Intensive Farm Training program – or SIFT – challenging as well.
John Wallace and Victorian Smart

Episode 252. Meet NCAT. Darron Gaus Has a Passion for Teaching Sustainable Ag

Darron Gaus grew up in Yoakum, Texas, a small agricultural town. After some other career moves, he made his way back to agriculture, including a stint as the farm manager at the San Antonio Food Bank.
Darron Gaus and Justin Duncan

Episode 251. She’s Raising Sheep: California Shepherd Lani Estill

Lani Estill has built a good life and strong business around fine-wool sheep on the California-Nevada border. Far from a one-woman enterprise, running 3,000 Rambouillet sheep across a half-million acres of public and private lands involves Lani’s family and contract herders.
Lani Estill and Linda Poole

Episode 250. Practical Steps for Reducing Synthetic Fertilizer Use

For more than 35 years, the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program has been helping farmers and ranchers grow nutritious food and operate successful businesses without synthetic fertilizer. Now, NCAT has released a new toolkit with trusted and practical resources for farmers who want to transition away from the use of synthetic fertilizers.
Emilie Ritter Saunders, Nina Prater and Lee Rinehart

Episode 248. Winter Farmers Markets Can Bring Year-Round Customers

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Dietetics Intern Melissa Wyatt sits down with beginning farmer Rick Williams and his wife Kyra, to talk about strategies for selling their farm products through the winter.
Melissa Wyatt, Rick Williams, and Kyra Williams

Episode 247. She’s Raising Sheep: Montana Shepherd Becky Weed

This episode of Voices from the Field continues ATTRA’s podcast series on women shepherds, “She’s Raising Sheep.” Becky Weed talks with NCAT Regenerative Grazing Specialist Linda Poole about the role of sheep in “farming as if nature matters.” Becky and her husband Dave Tyler run 80 crossbred long-wool ewes in Montana’s Gallatin Valley, at 13 Mile Lamb and Wool Company.
Linda Poole and Becky Weed