Trevor Warmedahl's new book, Cheese Trekking: How Microbes, Landscapes, Livestock, and Human Cultures Shape Terroir, documents natural cheesemaking practices in traditional communities. Warmedahl is a cheesemaker, educator, and founder of the Sour Milk School, where he teaches natural methods of milk fermentation suitable for the home, farm, restaurant, or commercial operation. The book recounts his travels to Mongolia, India, Norway, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Georgia, and Spain, where he met cheesemakers using practices that go back generations and result in cheeses with flavor and "terroir" far beyond anything he'd ever encountered. And the pastoralists who make them have deep connections to their land and animals, and are doing a kind of agriculture that heals the land and promotes biodiversity.

Steve Glass is board chair of Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, which is hosting the annual Land and Water Summit: March 4-6 of this year at the at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Albuquerque, New Mexico. This year's theme is "Reciprocity with Nature," and it's all about turning even the most arid cities into oases of stewardship where every drop that falls from the sky is used for to nourish the soil, wildlife, and people.

Charlie Shultz is back on Down to Earth to update us on the thriving greenhouse programs in Santa Fe—and the explosion of interest around the world. He teaches aquaponics and hydroponics at Santa Fe Community College, and is helping people around the world not only to learn to do indoor agriculture, but also to run successful businesses.

Joe Heinrich comes from a multi-generation Iowa farming family. As executive director of the non-profit Farm-to-Power, he's helping farmers to navigate the new world of renewable energy. Solar and wind developers are looking for land, which farmers have; farmers are looking for extra income steams, which energy can provide. But what happens to land with utility-scale energy installations? Some farmers are making sure that the panels are high enough off the ground that cattle can graze under them—and take advantage of the shade they provide. Others are grazing sheep under the panels, providing landscaping services and keeping the land healthy. Still others are growing crops. All of these are examples of agrovoltaics, or what Heinrich calls "double cropping"—harvesting food and energy at the same time.

Dr. Caitlin Youngquist started out wanting to be a veterinarian, but then discovered soil science and was so taken by it that she got a PhD, and has devoted her career to serving farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. A practitioner and promoter of regenerative agriculture, she has worked with Conservation Districts, non-profit orgs, Extension, and her own small business, Dirt Works Wyoming, a company that provides compost statewide. She uses science as a tool to solve on-the-ground problems, which range from crops and livestock issues to mental health, family dynamics, and food insecurity. She also guides hunting programs for women, is a volunteer firefighter. TIMELINE 2'22 how Caitlin discovered agriculture and soil science 3'33 the value of applied science for solving real problems 4'23 what is Extension 4'52 the non-elitist focus of extension, taking academic research to the people 6'54 how extension actually works 8'40 food insecurity and food deserts in an agricultural state, starting a food garden 11'30 making sure initiatives last beyond their founder 13'17 taking the holistic/social work perspective as an extension educator 14'39 people get isolated on their farms 16'31 the importance of letting go of a scarcity/competition mindset and sharing knowledge 18'28 difficulty making generational transition of management 20'12 the difficulty in calling for help with family conflicts 22'17 the difference between complicated and complex systems 24'59 analogies between soil health and community health 27'17 efficiency vs resiliency 29'37 the one nation that feeds itself has high biodiversity and regenerative ag 30'21 making sure local food is not an elite activity 32'40 becoming a hunter 34'21 why hunting is so powerful for women in particular 40'05 whether hunting supports species conservation 42'29 compost company Dirt Works Wyoming 44'14 agriculture and soil science as a great career for young people to consider 45'47 drcaitlinyoungquist.com

Montana filmmaker Daniel Glick decided to make a film about bison just because he loved the animals and wanted to be around them. He teamed up with Blackfeet filmmakers Ivan and Ivy MacDonald to co-direct the documentary, Bring them Home, narrated by Lily Gladstone. The film explores the history of bison on the North American continent and the Blackfeet nation in particular; the parallel genocides of native people and the animal that provided them with sustenance, both practical and spiritual; and the movement to bring surviving herds of bison back to their ancestral lands. In this podcast Ivan and Daniel talk about the process of making the film, the significance of bison, and the challenges—and moments of grace—in the decades-long grassroots efforts to return them.

TIMELINE 2'28 WHY bring home buffalo 4'54 bringing back a wild herd that was once with Blackfeet people to their ancestral land 5'42 do the buffalo know they're coming home? 6'35 how the film came to be, Daniel wanted to spend time with buffalo 7'54 the creation stories and the relationship between Blackfeet and buffalo 9'35 vision of buffalo returning to the land, but it wasn't easy to implement 11'27 Blackfeet people were forced into ranching and farming and individual land ownership and this conflicted with the return of the buffalo 13'31 the system imposed on Blackfeet people antithetical to wildlife and healthy ecosystems 14'59 the different kinds of colonialism 16'02 Buffalo keystone species and how that affects other species 17'23 bison make grasslands a carbon sink 19'29 New York Wildlife Conservation Society got involved 20'40 the importance of patience in this process and building relationships, trust, community-building 22'58 potential for the buffalo to heal generational trauma, physical and spiritual genocide 24'23 Ini days celebration and ceremony 26'23 the spiritual aspect of Bison and all animals, relatives 26'35 everyone benefits from finding their reconnection to the natural world 27'20 the moment where the buffalo were set free, what was that like 28'13 a lot of risk and uncertainty in finally releasing them 29'55 cattle ranchers fell in love with buffalo 31'06 domesticated vs wild animals and how wildness affects us 32'47 how they are being monitored 33'51 Blackfeet acquired a 28,000 acre grassland ranch for the buffalo 34'45 conversations with other tribes 36'32 PBS screening starting November 24 38'05 beautifully made and crafted film, narrated by Lily Gladstone 40'56 a narrative of hope in a time of tragedy and pain

Xochitl Torres Small grew up in Las Cruces, NM, and started her career as an attorney who has working in water and natural resources law. She served as U.S. Representative for New Mexico's 2nd congressional district (2019-20); she was Under Secretary for Rural Development (2021-23); and she served as United States deputy secretary of agriculture (2023-25). She brings her wide-ranging experience Executive Director of Quivira Coalition, and in our conversation she talks about her background, government service, and visions for regeneration and collaboration across the food system.

TIMELINE 2'32 how Xochitl got into agriculture 4'11 the decision to go into politics 5'55 the difference between serving in Congress and in an agency 9'00 working in rural development 10'29 figuring out how to actually get money to rural communities 11'59 finding solutions that were energy efficient in rural areas 13'48 are agencies working together on common problems? 17'47 understanding the practicality of nature based solutions within government 22'46 soil health and why it's so important, and how Quivira does the work. 27'37 succession issues 30'26 vision for large scale transition of agriculture from industrial to regenerative 33'29 recognizing that solutions are all land-specific 35'06 how do you create local and regional food systems when a state like NM is exporting over 90% of its agriculture and importing over 90% of its food 36'11 systems that maximize only for efficiency tend not to be resilient in times of disaster 40'28 spectrum from regenerative to big ag but with lots of adoption all along the way 43'30 we need to stop "othering" 44'11 the challenges of scaling 45'59 going from government to grassroots, hopes and goals

In today's podcast, we talk to Jennifer Sahn, editor of High Country News, and writers Rick Bass and Laureli Ivanoff, about HCN's September issue, a collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN). The issue covers a wide range of topics on Food and Power in the American West.

TIMELINE 1'57 High Country News and FERN collaboration on "Food and Power in the West" issue 3'17 stories in the issue including meat packing and pecan growing 6'10 the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Lab at Cal Poly, Humboldt 7'52 what is the Food & Environment Reporting Network 10'12 RICK BASS 10'57 the definition of sustainability and why it's not 100% attainable 12'41 forest service is part of the department of agriculture but really shouldn't be 12'59 old growth forests are a huge carbon sink and guard against climate change 13'48 the cooling effect of forests 15'49 art inspired by old growth forests 18'07 the role of old growth forests in not only climate defense but also global security 20'43 the paradigm shift from seeing the forest as a set of commodities to seeing it as a complex ecosystem—and that saving it is actually better for people than the industrial perspective 21'49 art to help people feel more deeply 22'48 the Yaak Valley Forest Council and the campaign to save it 23'38 defending the forest with love rather than litigation 24'48 trying to reach climate champions in power 25'22 Bass has been living in the forest for nearly 40 years, where he has worked as both a writer and an activist 26'10 trying to have the area dedicated as a climate refuge and a series of climate refuges in the northern forests 27'13 no extinctions since the last ice age 29'04 being a hunter in Montana looking for deer and elk 30'27 preserving the Black Ram forest, see montanaproject.org for art and yaakvalley.org for science 31'22 the importance of contacting elected representatives 31'48 LORELI IVANOFF 32'27 The Joyful Responsibility of Cutting Fish 38'46 the deeper meaning of "subsistence" 41'22 overharvest eventually results in collapse 43'07 the problem with thinking of the earth as possessions, rather than gifts 44'31 you don't take more than you need 45'47 the sense of belonging and community 49'55 the need to talk about community when community is threatened 50'55 how the climate has changed since she started cutting fish 51'41 it's hard to dry fish now because of wetter summer weather, and other climate problems 55'27 the difficulty of trying to live close to nature when you're in the city

Philip Connors grew up on a farm in Minnesota, studied journalism, and got a job at the Wall Street Journal. But after the September 11 attacks and the death of his brother, he left New York behind and took a job as a fire lookout in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Following in the footsteps of other fire lookout writers, poets, and philosophers, like Gary Snyder, Jack Kerouac, and Jack Loeffler, he wrote his first book, Fire Season, in 2011. Since then he written three more books, the latest of which, The Mountain Knows the Mountain, incorporates poetry — particularly haiki — to engage both playful and profound ways of looking at the natural world and the state of our society.

In 1996, media mogul Ted Turner bought a New Mexico ranch that's bigger than many national parks. A new film, Preserved, details its history, conservation projects, and influence. Previously owned by Pennzoil, the ranch was badly degraded from overgrazing, forest clearcutting, coal mines, fossil fuel extraction, railroads, and a long-term lack of environmental stewardship. Turner's goal was to restore the land and its wildlife, while keeping the ranch profitable through livestock and tourism businesses.

The film Preserved explores the history and conservation activities of Vermejo Park Ranch, including preservation of bison, mountain lions, cutthroat trout, and many other species. Lesli Allison, Executive Director of the Western Landowners Alliance, is one of the speakers in the film, and on this podcast we talk about the ranch, its place in the larger ecosystem, and its influence on agriculture and conservation.