ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture

Today, we hear from Martin Guerena, agriculture specialist at NCAT's Western Regional Office in Davis, California, and Jo Ann Baumgartner, Executive Director of the Wild Farm Alliance. In this episode, they talk about birds on farms: are they friend or foe? Well, you might be surprised to know that birds can be very beneficial to your farm. In fact, birds are being used as agrosystem providers. Learn how you can integrate the benefits of birds into your farm.

In this episode, Nina Prater, an agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program talks with farmer Janet Bachmann about Janet's production practices at Riverbend Gardens in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

In this podcast, we hear from Tammy Howard, agriculture specialist at NCAT's Rocky Mountain West office in Butte, Montana, and David Wise, certified Produce Safety trainer and consultant. They talk about a new tool to help farmers navigate the complicated food safety regulatory environment. The helps farmers understand the different regulations that might apply to them based on their size and markets. It also provides an additional tool to conduct a quick food safety self-assessment. This innovative tool will create a document that can be used to present to buyers or any markets that may be requiring food safety standards on the part of the farmer.

In this episode, Rockiell Woods, director of NCAT's Gulf States Office in Jackson, Mississippi, begins an occasional series on scaling up agriculture operations with Bill Evans, director of horticulture with Up in Farms Food Hub in Jackson.

In this episode, Martin Guerena, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program talks with "Amigo Bob" Cantisano.

In this podcast Margo Hale, Regional Director of NCAT's Southeast Regional office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, talks with Dr. Anne Fanatico about ecological poultry production and alternative feeds for poultry diets. Anne teaches and conducts research at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. They talk about poultry feed and alternatives to the standard corn and soybean diet, including insects, worms, and potatoes. They also discuss practical tips for ecological poultry production. For more information on this topic, you can contact Margo Hale directly at [email protected]

In this podcast, Felicia Bell, agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, has a conversation with Tracy Galloway, of Galloway Family Farm near Ocean Springs, Mississippi. In this episode, Felicia and Tracy talk about how to add value to an existing farm through agritourism. Tracy is a third-generation family farmer who began to transition his farm to a tourist destination three years go with tours, education, special events, and products for sale. Felicia Bell is located at NCAT's Gulf States Office in Jackson, Mississippi.

In this episode, Omar Rodriguez, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, has a conversation about biostimulants with Meerae Park, a master's degree student in the Plant Sciences Department at the University of California Davis. Omar, who works out of NCAT's Western Regional Office in Davis, California, and Meerae give an overview of biostimulants – which are generally described as substances that aren't fertilizers, pesticides, or growth regulators but can affect plants' yield, quality, and vigor. They discuss categories of biostimulants, how they may affect plants, the sometimes difficult task of defining which substances are biostimulants, how farmers can research which biostiumulants might be helpful for their crops, and other aspects of Meerae's research. you can contact Omar Rodriguez directly at [email protected].

In this episode, Margo Hale, director of NCAT Southeast Regional Office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Linda Coffey, a livestock specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, discuss some timely spring topics that are impacting their own farms: pastures, parasites, and predators. Margo and Linda, who whose farms are both in the area talk about: handling excess forage, electronet tips and warnings, weeds and poisonous plants, and grazing recordkeeping. They also touch on pasture management to minimize internal parasite problems and the use of livestock guardian animals to protect stock from predation.  They refer to a number of resources and invite listeners to contact them with ideas for future podcasts. information on the issues in this podcast, you can contact Margo Hale and Linda Coffey directly via email at [email protected] and [email protected]

In this episode, Kara Kroeger, a sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, talks with Nicole Masters, a New Zealand agroecologist and director of Integrity Soils. Kara, who works out of NCAT's Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, caught up with Nicole via telephone while Nicole was visiting a client in Big Timber, Montana. They talk about ways in which the "soil microbiome" system that acts as a plant's digestive system mirrors the microbiome of the human digestive system. They discuss how to understand the health of an agricultural operation's soil microbiome, and they talk about ways regenerative agriculture with its focus on soil health can help mitigate the challenges to agriculture that come with a changing climate. Nicole and Kara share resources they see as helpful resources for understanding the topic in more depth. For more information on this topic, you can contact Kara Kroeger directly at [email protected].