Farming for yarn and more.In This Podcast: Not all farmers produce food. Some farm flowers, plants, or seeds. Others use their animal herd to produce fiber crops for yarn and textiles. Chris McLaughlin is a fiber farmer and educator who shares all about the fascinating world of raising goats, sheep, rabbits, and alpacas for their fibrous coats. Listen in to learn about angora, cashmere, and all the products from animal fibers. Then, gain insight into the fiber farming business, breed conservation, and spinning yarn.  Chris is the author of eight books written about her life passions: gardening, small livestock, and the family farm. Her work can be found in Fine Gardening Magazine, Hobby Farm Home Magazine, Urban Farm Magazine, and more. Online, she's been a staff blogger for vegetablegardener.com, About.com, and many more websites.  Chris is currently secretary of The Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association. She and her family enjoy an entertaining, and exhausting life in the Northern California foothills on their flower and fiber farm, Laughing Crow & Company. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/04/28/536-chris-mclaughlin/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!536: Chris McLaughlin on Raising Animals for Fiber.

536: Chris McLaughlin on Raising Animals for Fiber.

Welcome to The Urban Farm Podcast, your partner in the Grow Your Own Food revolution! This audio only podcast features special guests like Rosemary Morrow, Zach Loeks, and Andrew Millison as we discuss the art and value of growing food in urban areas. We'll explore topics such as gardening basics, urban beekeeping and chicken farming, permaculture, successful composting, monetizing your farm, and much more! Each episode will bring you tips and tricks on how to overcome common challenges, opportunities to learn from the experience of people just like you, and plenty of resources to ensure you're informed, equipped, and empowered to participate more mindfully in your local food system... and to have a great time doing it!

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808: How to Help Pollinators A Garden Chat with Charlotte Wiggins.﻿In This Garden Chat:Ever wonder about pollinators and their impact on our environment?  Why are they important and how do they impact the environment around us?  Join us as we chat with Charlotte Wiggins and explore all things pollinator!. Our Special Guest:Charlotte Ekker Wiggins is an award-winning author, lecturer, master beekeeper and master gardener. After careers in journalism, US Forest Service and US Navy, she’s now chairing an 8-state Midwest partnership to grow beekeeping instructors teaching scientifically-based best management practices.  Her 42-year old, one-acre garden, where her neighbors said nothing would grow, is a Monarch Way Station, Certified Wildlife Habitat and apiary. She featured how she developed Bluebird Gardens in her April 2019TEDx talk “Why Bugs Matter.” 
﻿Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg or choose one of the senior members of our Urban Farm team to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!
Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 850 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.  *Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.				

808: How to Help Pollinators - A Garden Chat

807:  Seeds, Are They Dead or Alive?A chat with an expert on seeds.In This Seed Chat:This is the March 2024 Seed Chat - Don’t throw away seeds collected for years. Do a germ test. Germination testing is a vital step to ensure seed viability before planting. We will talk about the process and show you how to determine the ratio of successful germination. Then you can plant the germinated seeds right into the ground. Learning how to germ test empowers growers with crucial insights into seed quality, helping you make informed decisions on seed selection and planting strategies.  Visit www.urbanfarm.org/seeds24mar for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library! What is the Seed Chat? At least ten times a year we have a live Seed Saving Class with Bill McDorman, the former Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho.  He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.  Come join us for the next live class, or catch up on our previous classes through our podcast episodes.  Either way you will expand your seed knowledge and gain new perspectives on your food system. Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Monthly Seed Saving Class with Live Q&A;
Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 850 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.
 *Disclosure:  Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you. 

807: Seeds, Are They Dead or Alive? - A Seed Chat

806: The Rogue Food Conference with Joel Salatin and John MoodyShowcasing those who are making a difference in our food systems. In This Podcast:   The Rogue Food Conference" is an annual gathering of innovative thinkers and passionate advocates who are challenging the status quo of the food industry. Hosted by Joel Salatin and John Moody, this conference showcases individuals and organizations that have found creative solutions to navigate the regulatory hurdles and bring nutrient-dense, local, and authentic food to their communities. Joel Salatin and his family owned Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Featured in the iconic foodie book, Omnivore's Dilemma, An award winning film, Food Inc., the farm's moniker is Healing the Land One Bite at a Time. Joel is a prolific author and speaker. He promotes local food systems, freedom of food choice, and farming systems that build the commons. Joel was a guest on our podcast and appeared in episode 310. John Moody lives in his homestead in the rolling hills of Kentucky. He founded the whole life buying club, one of the largest alternative food distribution approaches in the country. He is the author of five books and a well known speaker at conferences across the country on health, food, farming, and freedom. John is a returning podcast guest and appeared on episode 116 and 535. NOTE: the tickets are available at the Rogue Food Conference website, which is RogueFoodConference. com Visit www.UrbanFarm.org/806Rogue for the show notes and links on this episode! Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!
Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 850 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more. *Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

806: The Rogue Food Conference with Joel Salatin and John Moody

805: Jennifer Jewell on the Personal, Ecological and Cultural Significance of Seeds.Saving an iconic resource almost lost to history. In This Podcast:   We chat with Jennifer Jewell on her journey discovering the significance of seeds.  She shared "that my tiny life will end and I will have spent a lot of hot air talking to gardeners, but the seeds are gonna survive.  Like we've messed up a lot, but the seeds are still there. And the incredible number of seed keeping humans on the ground everywhere,  they are doing great work." Our Guest: Jennifer is the host of the national award-winning weekly public radio program and podcast Cultivating Place: Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden. She is an author and her third book is called What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds. Jennifer’s greatest passion is elevating the way we think and talk about gardening, the empowerment of gardeners, and the possibility inherent in the intersection between places, environments, cultures, individuals, and the gardens that bring them together beautifully – for the better of all the lives on this generous planet.  She lives and cultivates her place in interior Northern California with her partner, plantsman John Whittlesey. Jennifer's Book:   What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds. Book Recommendation:  Braiding Sweeetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Visit www.UrbanFarm.org/WhatWeSow for the show notes and links on this episode! Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!
Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 850 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more. *Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is...

805: Jennifer Jewell on the Personal, Ecological and Cultural Significance of Seeds

804: Janis and Ray on Journaling a New HabitA Rosie On The House Radio Show Replay In This Podcast:   Janis Norton and Ray Jess join us for our monthly Rosie on the House Radio hour talking about journaling for gardens and orchards.   Our Guests: Janis Norton is the General Manager at The Urban Farm, where she manages several major projects including their Fruit Tree Education Program, The Urban Farm Podcast,  and the Permaculture Design Course, as well as their online educational classes, chats, and summits.  She earned her degree in Sustainability from Arizona State University, became a Master Gardener, and took her PDC training in Phoenix. While Greg is the visionary at The Urban Farm, Janis is the Implementer – using her superpowers as a project manager to keep things organized and growing our community. Ray Jess is the Manager of the General Store at The Urban Farm Nursery,  (worked with Greg to update the Urban Farm Planting Calendar, making adjustments for recent changes in our climate and weather ) Ray was a Master Gardener for six years starting in 2016,  completed a Permaculture Design course in 2018 and currently works as a sales associate for a local nursery. Special Note: For part one of Janis's story she wrote from her journaled experience starting her orchard go to The Fruit Tree Mud Bath Salon Visit www.urbanfarm.org/804-Rosie for the show notes and links on this episode!Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!
Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 850 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more. *Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

536: Chris McLaughlin on Raising Animals for Fiber.

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