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Sheep are cute and fluffy and produce that wonderful stuff from which many sweaters are born.  But there’s another side to them that doesn’t get mentioned quite so often.  Lamb is an incredibly common meat in most other countries of the world, but not so much in America.

Nick Forrest is trying to change that direction, to capture the possibilities of a multipurpose animal that fits so many different needs.  Just in time for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival 2025, and the Saturday morning “Raising Meat and Dairy Breeds” breed talk, here is a talk about one of the other many sides of raising sheep.

P.S.  And may we just say, kudos to Shari Lewis for pulling off a character called “Lamb Chop.”  Captain Kangaroo, no less.  

Links:

https://www.sheepusa.org/newsletter/december-15-2023

https://sheepandwool.com/sponsors/

https://www.dcswga.org/services-7

https://www.facebook.com/nick.forrest.927/

https://lambboard.com/

https://www.sheepusa.org/

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Exciting news for fiber enthusiasts! We're thrilled to announce a dynamic collaboration between Susan Shirley, a creative figure in the fiber arts community, and the creators of the popular agri-Culture podcast. Together, we're embarking on a journey each month to bring you captivating stories and insightful interviews from the diverse and fascinating world of fiber. So, please welcome to Susan's Shire!

Links:

https://www.mosshollowhill.com

https://www.lambtown.org

https://sheepandwool.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber_art

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit

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Mark Winslow is from West Falmouth, Maine, where one member or another of his family has farmed on Marston Homestead since the 1790’s.  That seems like a pretty traditional bunch, and moving around doesn’t seem to be applicable.

But that’s not necessarily so.  We met up with Mark and his oxen demonstration at the American Milking Devon conference in Tunbridge, Vermont.  And these boys can do the miles - we heard that a trip to the next state over is nothing compared to the Hollywood adventures Mark and his cattle have had.  Modern transportation, indeed.

Links:

https://www.lancasterfarming.com/country-life/fairs-and-shows/marston-homestead-shows-american-milking-devons-at-2022-seneca-county-fair/article_a9d5a894-dbfc-543a-86d5-563d6abd5b5d.html

https://www.amdca.com

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We search for peace in this chaotic month, and find it in a little shop in Kingston, New York.  The Yarn Farm is made those who like the company of kindred spirits to ply their craft, sure.  It’s also great for those who might want to stop for a quick skein or an artsy crafty yarn-ish item, as well.  

But for those of us who might find Zen in an adult beverage, a perfect charcuterie board and a sunny table by the river, we’re also home.

Links:

https://www.yarnfarmkingston.com

https://sheepandwool.com

https://www.dcswga.org

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Today, we meet up with John Garcia of Dancing Sun Farm.  We were able to grab a moment of conversation with him at the lively meetup known as Texas Wool Week, held in the wild weather days of March at Sheepwalk Ranch in Bandera.  Cold, wind, sun, warmth – we had it all.  After all, this IS Texas.

After 29 years in the U.S. Army, John began his second career in service, but this time to contribute to America’s food and fiber systems.  He and his family raise sheep, goats and chickens in the lovely, lonely, beautiful area known as Texas Hill Country.  

We hope you enjoy our conversation about endings and beginnings, his second life, and the programs and support systems that helped him on his way.

Links:

www.TexasWoolWeek.com

www.TheSheepwalkRanch.com

https://www.facebook.com/Dancing.Sun.Farm.NM

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Any time you put the word “summit” in something, it mentally becomes bigger than you previously thought.  A conference on steroids, in most people’s minds.  And when you do an ag-related summit in California, that notion of grandeur can be well deserved, even when you take away the size of the state itself.  The sheer amount of agricultural exports that the producers in California send to other parts of the U.S. and the world is staggering.

But there’s another aspect to agriculture that is a huge business opportunity:  Agritourism.  If you’ve ever been wine tasting, done a farm tour, seen the flower fields, gone horseback riding, or sampled local cheese while sitting in your B&B, you’re an agritourist.

The 2025 California Agritourism Summit, put on by the UCNR (Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources), is meant to highlight the potential of agritourism for the producers in California.  It’s another way for our food and fiber producers to maintain self-sufficiency in these changing times.

The wave is here, and California farm producers are ready to ride it.  And this one doesn’t have to be near the ocean.

Links:

https://ucanr.edu/site/communications-toolkit/acronym-directory

https://www.usda.gov/glossary

https://ucanr.edu/site/california-agritourism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F

https://class.ucanr.edu/statewide-program/uc-anr-small-farms-network/ramiro-lobo-sfp-advisor-san-diego-county

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/SecretaryBio.html

www.cagrown.org

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In what started out as a May Day date (that’s a truckload of compost in Rick and Elara’s world), a visit to San Pasqual Valley Soils struck black gold (again, compost).  

In one of the most fortuitous spontaneous Backyard Green Films conversations yet, an extremely knowledgeable dirt farmer by the name of Craig Kolodge, PhD (“Dr. K.” to pretty much everyone) gave an impromptu interview, surrounded by towers of amendment and beeping trucks full of manure, compost and wood chips.  Elara was in heaven, with the conversation chock full of words such as “nematode,” ”sequestration,” “carbon cycle,” and other sciency stuff.

Don’t ever say there’s no such thing as romance anymore, especially in Springtime.

Links:

https://spvsoils.com/

https://spvsoils.com/craig-m-kolodge/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite

https://clairemontonline.com/event-6080495

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On today's podcast we meet up with Brook Sarson from CatchingH2O.  We followed Brook as she took a passel of learners and UCSD's Director of the Bioregional Center, Keith Pezzoli, PhD, on a tour of a greywater and rain catchment project that her company had recently installed. 

Water management is a favorite topic for us here at Backyard Green Films.  With efforts like these, even if April brings few showers, we still have a chance at May flowers.  Welcome to Spring!

Links:

https://catchingh2o.com/#0

https://bioregionalcenter.ucsd.edu/

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We’ve been hunkering down for the last few months now on the traveling side of our Backyard Green Films universe.  2024 was a doozy of a year for us in many respects, so we had to take a few moments to catch our breath this winter. 

Enrique Guerra, also known as “Kiko,” is our guest today, and he’s pretty much royalty in Texas Longhorn Cattle circles.  Kiko is the son of another Enrique Guerra – who was always known as Enrique, and he was the man who was responsible for saving a huge chunk of the pure genetics of the original Texas Longhorn, among other lifetime accomplishments.  The senior of the two Enrique’s did that by running around the mountains of Mexico and collecting up what animals he could find that had not been diluted yet by the different breeds arriving on the shores of North America.  He was quite a man to live up to, I think, and is still spoken of with reverence and admiration. 

But history can be preserved in many ways, and Kiko’s way of practicing preservation, yet keeping it relatable, is one of my favorites. He’s an artist. 

Aside from the accomplishments of his famous parent, and family, Kikko is royalty in his own right.  He is a world-renowned artist, and his sculptures and paintings depict incredibly simple scenes of the basics of life, and yet they resonate with complexity.  So yes, he paints a man leading a burro or farmers tilling their land.  He sculpts scenes from the trails of old Texas and Mexico.  And they resonate.  The Brisco Western Art Museum thought so, and there you can see his famous piece, “The Vaquero.”  It’s a sculpture of a man driving two Longhorn cattle along the trail, yoked by ropes and bobbins.  Historically correct, of course.  And you can also find one of his sculptures at the famous site known as the Alamo, in San Antonio.  And his art is not just one thing.  He very much believes in the importance of preserving the original Longhorn cattle breed at San Vicente Ranch.  History, beauty and practicality all built into the genes of that one animal.

Links:

https://texashighways.com/culture/an-interwoven-legacy-guerra-family/

https://sanvicenteranch.com/

https://enriqueguerraart.com/?page_id=252

https://banderafiberandarts.com/

https://youtu.be/Ghekozq7lUE?si=T2lOqzlyZ04s5FQ3

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Now, if you hear me talk about Rhinebeck, you might think today's guest is going to focus on wool. Nope! Not really. Sheep, yes, hair yes, but mostly wool, no. Our podcast guest today is a lovely man named Brent Zimmerman, and as I introduce him I'm kind of hard pressed to call him one thing, though you could definitely call him a sheep farmer.

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/limekilnfarmNY
https://sheepandwool.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorper
https://dorpersheep.org/

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