En este episodio del podcast Farm Walks las presentadoras Marilú Fernandez Silva y Kate Smith de WSU Extensión platican con Pablo Silva de Silva Family Farm de cómo pudieron operar de manera segura su granja de arándanos U-Pick la temporada pasada y cómo han superado los desafíos de manejar una pequeña granja durante COVID. 

Más adelante en el episodio escuchamos a Karen Ullmann, coordinadora de educación del Programa de inocuidad de productos agrícolas de WSDA, quien ofrece una actualización sobre las regulaciones de agroturismo para los agricultores del estado de Washington y responde algunas preguntas frecuentes.

Pablo Silva nació en Yucacani, un pequeño pueblo en Guerrero, México. A los 14 años, él se mudó a California donde empezó a trabajar para una compañía agrícola cosechando fresas. Después de unos años trabajando en diferentes fincas pequeñas en California, decidió mudarse al norte a Mount Vernon, Washington, donde continuó trabajando en la industria agrícola de las fresas para los próximos diez años. Sintiéndose frustrado con los días largos de trabajo y las tóxicas prácticas químicas de estas fincas, empezó a trabajar para Bow Hill Blueberries en 2012. Ahí, Pablo adquirió las habilidades necesarias para manejar y sostener una pequeña operación de fresas orgánicas y en 2017, empezó su proprio negocio. Junto con su esposa Maura e hijos, él ahora opera dos acres de fresas Albion y 3 acres de blueberries certificadas orgánicas. Silva Family Farm se enfoca en ser un buen mayordomo de la tierra a través de su práctica y promoción de los métodos orgánicos de agricultura.

Este episodio de Paseos de granja cuenta con el apoyo de National Farmer Union’s Local Food Safety Collaborative. El Local Food Safety Collaborative es una red de granjas y organizaciones agrícolas que proveen educación y entrenamientos para productores de comida locales por medio de la unión nacional de agricultores.

In this episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we chew through all things organic certification with Heidi and Mike Peroni of Boistfort Valley Farm in Curtis, WA. We learn why they decided organic certification was right for them, and break down the certification process by covering everything from required farming practices and record keeping strategies to annual inspections and helpful resources. 

We then hear from Brenda Book, WSDA Organic Program Manager as she shares the history of the WSDA Organic Program and addresses common questions about organic certification.  

Mike and Heidi Peroni have been farming organically in some capacity for most of their adult lives. They have grown certified organic vegetables and berries in the Boistfort Valley since 2003, offering CSA shares, on-farm sales, and wholesale in Western Washington. They share a love of great food and growing things, of tidy rows and healthy crops. Their farm goals are to provide the best quality berries and produce around, while building soils, growing safe, healthy food, and maintaining habitat for wildlife. Their farm is certified organic by WA State Department of Agriculture. 

This episode of the Farm Walks Podcast was funded by the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

Visit farmwalks.org to learn more about the history of Farm Walks and our pivot to a podcast and stay tuned in for the release of new episodes and interviews! You can even submit questions to farmers through the ASK A FARMER page.

Casey Smith is a fifth-generation sheep producer in Winthrop, WA. Together with his fiancée, mom, and dad, Casey grows forage crops on irrigated pasture that are harvested with sheep. Casey sells grass-fed lamb meat, wool hats, wool blankets, yarn, sheep skins, dog treats and is beginning to sell grass-fed beef. All of the products are sold directly to consumers, stores and restaurants. Casey works with over 25 land-owners to create a network of pastures that are utilized through adaptive multi-paddock mob grazing. He strives to use regenerative management techniques to create healthy soil, food and fiber. 

In this first episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we chat with Casey about BCS Livestock’s various farm products and their respective marketing channels, including their extensive supply chains. We then dive into their decision to transition from processing their farm-raised meat under the custom exemption to the USDA inspection. We are joined for this conversation by Alyssa Jumars, the Agricultural Coordinator at the Methow Conservancy. 

 This episode of the Farm Walks Podcast is made possible by the Methow Conservancy and the USDA Rural Business Development Grant program with additional support from WA Meat Up.

Tune in to the Farm Walks Podcast, conversations for farmers, by farmers about organic, sustainable, regenerative, and direct marketing agricultural production in Washington State. 

For more than 17 years, Tilth Alliance and Washington State University Food Systems Program have been collaboratively organizing the traditional Farm Walks that, pre-COVID-19, were happening  -  well, on-farm… So, Farm Walks are going Podcast! 

In each episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, Farmer Nicole Witham hosts lively interviews with Washington small farmers or ranchers: digging into their production and marketing methods, lessons learned, and current related research and resources. 

Visit farmwalks.org to learn more about upcoming interviews, submit questions to the ASK A FARMER form, and drop us your thoughts in the podcast evaluation.