ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture

In this episode, John Wallace, manager of NCAT's SIFT farm, talks with Robin Kelson of the Good Seed Company in Whitefish, Montana.

Robin and John discuss questions that beginning seed savers often have as well as resources that are available for those who want to get into the subject in more depth. The SIFT – or Small-Scale Intensive Farm Training – farm is part of NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program and is located NCAT's headquarters in Butte, Montana.For more information on this topic, you can contact John Wallace directly at [email protected].

In this second half of a two-part series, Steve Thompson, executive director of NCAT, sits down with Loren Birdrattler, project manager of the Blackfeet Agriculture Resource Management Plan, or ARMP. They take a closer look at a new partnership between NCAT and the Blackfeet Nation to evaluate the feasibility of a multispecies meat-processing plant. This project is a key part of the Tribe's strategy to create local markets for producers, engage youth more directly in agriculture, and provide healthy, culturally appropriate food for tribal members in this remote corner of rural Montana. In this episode, Loren and Steve have a conversation about how a beef and bison processing plant could support food sovereignty at the Blackfeet Nation. The climate-friendly plant would produce nutritionally superior meat and not only support biodiversity in the region, but also improve the health of Native peoples. Loren spent over a decade working for federal agencies in Washington D.C. and is now back in Montana working for the Blackfeet Tribal Government. Steve Thompson is located at NCAT's Rocky Mountain West Regional Office in Butte, Montana where this podcast was recorded.

In this first part of a two-part series, Steve Thompson, executive director of NCAT, sits down with Loren Birdrattler, project manager of the Blackfeet Agriculture Resource Management Plan or ARMP.They talk about a new partnership between NCAT and the Blackfeet Nation to evaluate the feasibility of a multispecies meat processing plant. This project is a key part of the Tribe's strategy to create local markets for producers, engage youth more directly in agriculture, and provide healthy, culturally appropriate food for tribal members in this remote corner of rural Montana. In this episode, Loren and Steve have a conversation about the landscape, culture and history of land management by the nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy. They also discuss the overall vision that inspires the Blackfeet Agriculture Resource Management Plan. Loren spent over a decade working for federal agencies in Washington D.C. and is now back in Montana working for the Blackfeet Tribal Government.Steve Thompson is located at NCAT's Rocky Mountain West Regional Office in Butte, Montana where this podcast was recorded.

In this episode, Nina Prater, a soil specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, sits down for a conversation with NCAT Southeast Regional Director Margo Hale to talk about the basics of soil health and to go over the five soil health principles that farmers and ranchers can follow to regenerate soil to a healthy, productive condition. Margo is a livestock specialist, and she earned two degrees in Animal Science without a single soil class. Nina tries to remedy this around the office on a regular basis, so they decided to record one of these conversations. Margo and Nina both work out of NCAT's regional office in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

In this episode, Ann Baier, a program specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, talks with California pastured poultry producers Caleb Barron of Fogline Farm on the central coast of Santa Cruz and Gary Roberts of Zenter's Fogbound Farm in Petaluma during a break at the recent Small Farm Conference at the University of California Davis.Ann, who works out of NCAT's California office in Davis, talks with Caleb and Gary about the essential role that the availability of processing – and the processing rules that go along with operations of varying sizes – plays in pastured processing.

In this episode, Al Kurki, a program specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, interviews Karla Buck, co-owner of Bear Paw Meats in Chinook, Montana. Al, who works out of NCAT's headquarters in Butte, Montana, talks with Karla about how the Bucks raise, process, and market meat to school districts in the area surrounding their business.

In this podcast, Dave Scott and Korey Fauque talk about soil health and regenerative agriculture, which is the use of agriculture practices that mimic nature. Korey explains how a farmer can transition to a soil health approach, and the pros and cons of chasing markets.

In this episode, Andy Pressman, director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology's Northeast Regional Office in Keene, New Hampshire, and a specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, talks with two farmers with differing experiences in offering Community Support Agriculture – or CSA – subscriptions to their customers.

In this episode Guy Ames, horticulture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program at NCAT's Southeastern Regional Office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, talks with Jared M. Phillips, author of the new book In his book, Jared writes about the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 1970s and how that counterculture affected the Arkansas Ozarks.

In this podcast Rex Dufour, director of NCAT's Western Regional Office in Davis, California, talks with Omar Rodriguez, sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, about working with California farmers to establish hedgerows.