In this episode of ATTRA’s Voice from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Darron Gaus interviews Dr. Dirk Philipp, an associate professor at the University of Arkansas. Dirk’s expertise in agronomy and tropical agriculture shapes his understanding of why restoring native prairies matters to agricultural producers.

Darron and Dirk discuss how producers can seed prairie grasses for successful restoration as well as discuss common issues producers can expect such as weed pressure, seedbed preparation, and weather.

Dirk offers practical advice on what separates successful restorations from unsuccessful ones and what producers should consider before they plant their first acre of native grass species.

Learn More: https://www.ncat.org/?post_type=podcast&p=17371&preview=true

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater talks with Sneha Haridas, a 4th year PhD candidate and Graduate Research Assistant at West Virginia University about her research on dung beetles.

Dung beetles are important for nutrient cycling and improving soil, pasture, and livestock health, but in some regions their populations have declined. Sneha has been researching ways to help livestock producers in West Virginia figure out how to increase the numbers and diversity of dung beetles on their farms – including looking at the best ways to make a dung beetle nursery.

*Correction on a fact stated in the episode: Northeast India is part of two* world biodiversity hotspots, not three, as Sneha accidentally stated. 

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Episode Webpage: https://www.ncat.org/?post_type=podcast&p=17115&preview=true 

Additional Resources:

Project Description for “Enhancing Regenerative Agriculture: Implementing Low-Cost Dung Beetle Nurseries for West Virginia Farms”:

Rowen Insect Agroecology Lab

Recent research on the toxicity of different livestock treatments on dung beetles in West Virginia: https://academic.oup.com/ee/article/54/4/865/8198110?guestAccessKey= 

Contact Sneha Haridas with questions: [email protected]

Mushrooms are one of the most unique agricultural enterprises available to farmers and entrepreneurs. Unlike traditional crops, mushrooms are fungi that thrive on organic materials such as hardwood pellets, sawdust, straw, and agricultural byproducts, transforming low-value resources into nutritious food and profitable products. In this episode, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez sits down with fellow NCAT colleague and mushroom grower Cody Brown to explore the fascinating world of mushroom cultivation.

Whether you're curious about growing your first oyster mushroom bucket or considering mushrooms as a farm business, this episode offers practical insights and real-world experience from two growers passionate about sustainable food production.

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Episode Webpage: Episode 392: Growing Mushrooms for Profit and Purpose: A Conversation with Cody Brown – NCAT

 In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Rex Dufour, Audrey Kolde, and Nina Prater talk about the principles of farmscaping - a practice of integrating native and diverse plants into agricultural spaces. Rex has been championing farmscaping for decades as a way to enhance biological control of pests. Audrey and Nina convene with Rex to learn from the master. 

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Learn more and find additional resources: Episode 391: Farmscaping to Enhance Biodiversity and Ecological Pest Management – NCAT

Resources:

Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees

Conservation Hedgerows for the Southwest

Farmscaping to Enhance Biological Control 

Wild Farm Alliance

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell is joined by Alsie Parks, C0-Executive Director of SAAFON and Lindsey Richards, Texas Gulf Coast Outreach and Education Specialist with American Farmland Trust. Alsie and Lindsey share their different yet complimentary perspectives of the importance of planning for farmland succession through estate planning or land trusts, tips for starting hard conversations, and stories of successful farmland hand-offs to the next generation of farmers.

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References:

American Farmland Trust

SAAFON

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell continues her series on successful women in Agriculture. Felicia talks with Gwen Cannon of Cannon Family Farm, located just outside of Brandon, Mississippi. Gwen shares about what led her to living a life of farming with her spouse, and how the lessons she has learned along the way have helped her serve her community. Cannon Farm provides hands-on education through agritourism in addition to growing food for their region.

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References:

The Cannon Farm

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell begins a new series highlighting successful women in agriculture. Felicia kicks of the series by interviewing Marguerite Green, Statewide Director of the Louisiana Food Policy Council. Marguerite shares what inspired her to begin farming and what led her to a career in agriculture advocacy and education.

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References:

Louisiana Food Policy Council

In this episode of ATTRA's Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde hosts Garver Akers of Green Akers Consulting. Garver shares the soil health improvements he has seen from using vermicompost tea in medium- to large-scale agriculture production. Drawing from his experience as regenerative farmer, ecological horticulturist, and organic farm and garden consultant, Garver provides an in-depth exploration of the benefits of using vermicompost soil amendments.

NCAT Resources

How to Reduce Synthetic Fertilizer Use Toolkit

Vermicomposting: The Basics

Vermicomposting 101 Webinar

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde continues her investigation into sustainable and organic farming practices by learning more about the Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) project. Audrey speaks with STAR project director, Jake Deutmeyer, to learn how this national, non-profit organization established and expanded the STAR framework for conservation practice, evaluation, implementation, and valuation. Designed and led by producers, the STAR tool utilizes science and experience to target local solutions for local natural resource concerns, and to support farmers and ranchers on their conservation journey – wherever they are. 

NCAT Resources:

Soil Health Indicators and Tests – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Episode 382: Organic Certification: One Step at a Time – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Ask an Ag Expert Connect – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Find Organic Resource Organic Farming – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Other Resources:

Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources

This work is supported by NCAT’s Preparing a Resilient Future: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training for Organic Field Crop and Livestock Producers in the Northern Great Plains.’ Project, award no. 2021-70033-35698. from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Tammy Howard speaks with participants from her USDA‑funded project, Bringing the Farm to School. The project is designed to help agricultural producers build the skills and capacity needed to sell their products directly to schools. Alongside this training, NCAT and the National Farm to School Network have also hosted facilitated networking events to connect producers with school food buyers.

Tammy talks with her NCAT colleague and Growtopia Farms owner Cody Brown, as well as Matt Hanson from the Central Texas Food Hub, a social enterprise of the Central Texas Food Bank. Both Matt and Cody attended one of these networking events in Central Texas. Their conversation highlights their personal experiences and offers practical advice for developing strong producer-buyer relationships that support successful school food sales.

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NCAT Resources 

Bringing the Farm to School Through New Connections Blog

Scaling up for Regional Markets Tutorial

Scaling up your Vegetable Farm for Regional Markets

Farm to School Sales: Profiles of Ranches Making It Work

Food Hubs: A Producer Guide

Episode 358. Abundant Montana “Meet Up” Meets with Success

Other Resources

Bringing the Farm to School Project

National Farm to School Network

Central Texas Food Bank

Growtopia Farms