FarmHouse

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Aubrey Fornwalt, the founder and owner of Full Circle Bioconversion in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Full Circle uses black soldier flies to convert food waste from the surrounding community into manure and compost. Fornwalt also sells the black soldier fly larvae as feed to poultry operations. It's the first bioconversion operation of its kind in the state.

Fornwalt didn't always want to be in the decomposition business. She began her career as a graphic designer, and although she was composting her own food waste, she felt she could be doing more.

Fornwalt began researching permaculture and soon bought her first fly larvae.

"I just looked up where to buy larvae online and the first batch came from eBay. That was in 2017, I think. And I just didn't stop. I didn't get grossed out. I thought it was pretty cool," she said.

Fornwalt now collects food waste from several local restaurants and over 20 households and has become locally known for her bioconversion operation.

"I do have the nickname 'The Fly Lady' around town," she joked. "And I wear that as a badge of honor."

Once collected, the food waste is processed through a grinder and then fed to the fly larvae. The operation can manage between 250-300 pounds of food waste each day.

While the larvae will eat any kind of food waste, Fornwalt noticed they have a preference for junk food.

"The larvae themselves eat everything. They eat meat and cheese and bread, like the great American carby diet. They're not picky," Fornwalt said. "But they're more excited about the fat and the protein and the carbs. Definitely the higher fat content, they like that."

Since its founding, Full Circle has successfully diverted over 200,000 pounds of food waste from landfills. While that waste would have eventually decomposed on its own, Fornwalt argues bioconversion is the better option.

"I think the return on investment with the insects versus mechanical utilization, nature is so much more efficient than we are," she said. "And if we take the time to watch how it works and take cues from it and not necessarily try to outsmart it, I think we could do a lot of really cool things."

You can watch the video about Full Circle Bioconversion mentioned in the interview here.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking to Heidi Reed, an agronomy educator with Penn State Extension.

Reed was recently part of a crop conditions tour across the state, and this year's corn and soybean yields are looking average to below average, mainly due the dry conditions.

"Unless somebody has an irrigated field, I don't think any yield records are going to be broken this year," Reed said.

The dry summer came on the heels of a very wet spring, making it a tough weather year for Pennsylvania farmers.

Prolonged stretches of weather are becoming more common in the state.

"When I talk to farmers who have been doing this for a long time, they're seeing less predictable seasons and more extreme weather events," Reed said. "When there's a drought, it's a very bad drought. And then when we get rain, it's 6 inches all at once."

One thing Reed suggests to help mitigate the weather extremes is soil conservation.

"Focusing on soil health is not necessarily something that you're going to see reflected in the checkbook," she said. "But every time we increase the percent of soil organic matter, our soil is able to hold onto more of that water when we do get it and store that water so it's available to the crop when we have a drought and stay intact instead of washing away when we get extreme, pounding rainfall."

Reed has recently been doing some work on seeding cover crops using drones. She said drone use has become more commonplace and affordable in agriculture over the past few years.

"It's a tool in the toolbox, right?" she said. "There's a time and a place where it can really effectively be used and other times where it just doesn't make sense."

Reed is incorporating some of her Extension research into Lancaster Farming's Now Is the Time column that she recently took over after longtime columnist Leon Ressler retired.

"I am enjoying carrying on the tradition," Reed said.

While she plans on keeping the structure of the column the same, she does hope to add some of her own narrative and personality each week.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Kathy Smith, the program director for the Ohio Woodland Stewards Program at Ohio State University.

Smith knew early on that she wanted to work outside and was interested in natural resource management. Forestry felt like a natural fit.

"I appreciate being able to understand the trees and how we can utilize trees to solve problems, make things better, and also help landowners to deal with the issues that they have," Smith said.

Smith spent the first 11 years of her career working as a watershed forester with the Ohio Division of Forestry before coming to Ohio State in 2001.

As the program director, Smith works closely with farmers on how they can integrate trees into their operations.

"A lot of times you're looking at things like windbreaks that would, if placed properly, increase crop production. Or riparian buffers where we can filter out nutrients and pesticides before they hit the body of water," Smith said.

She also advises landowners, particularly farmers, on how to use trees to strike a balance between protecting wild animals and limiting their damage to crops.

"Different tree species provide different things for wildlife. So you kind of have to think about is this something that is going to be highly desirable by certain species? Maybe that's not what I want to put in this location," Smith said. "You do have to pay attention to what the tree species are and what those benefits are."

The key, according to Smith, is appreciating that woodlands are a living ecosystem. Living systems change over time, and property owners need to be prepared to tackle new challenges that may come up, like invasive species.

She advises farmers to think of their long-term goals for their land and use those to direct their decisions.

"I always tell landowners, whether it's on a napkin or a piece of paper or just in your head, you kind of need to think about what you want from the woods," Smith said.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Wendy Powers, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland.

Powers is the first woman to serve in the role, effective July 1.

She didn't grow up in agriculture, but her undergrad experience at Cornell University made her interested in the field.

Since then, Powers has studied and worked in agriculture at land grant universities, coming to Maryland from Washington State University.

"I am tremendously loyal to the land grant mission," Powers said. "When I look at the work we are doing in the land grant colleges, we are making a difference every day."

Powers has worked in ag education all throughout the U.S. She's spent her first few months in Maryland getting to know both the university's ag college and the state's ag industry as a whole.

"With agriculture being the largest economic driver for the state, it is highly diverse across the state," Powers said. "While the scale may be different than California and other states, the importance of agriculture and natural resources to the state of Maryland is really unparalleled compared to other states."

Maryland's fall semester began Sept. 2, and Powers said she is looking forward to welcoming the largest class in the College of Agriculture to date.

"The youth today are committed to solving some of the biggest problems," Powers said. "I'm just impressed every time I meet our students by how much they've accomplished, how much they've overcome, and where they want to be going forward."

One of her goals as dean is to help students find their way into the ag industry — whether that be animal science, aquaponics or even fermentation.

"I'm really committed to helping others who maybe didn't grow up in agriculture, don't have that background, figure out their path to an amazing career in agriculture and natural resources," Powers said.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Yemi Amu, the founder and director of Oko Farms, an outdoor aquaponics farm and education center in Brooklyn, New York.

Amu is originally from Nigeria and belongs to the Yoruba ethnic group. Her Yoruba roots have influenced much of her work in the U.S., from the name of her operation to the style of farming. Oko is a Yoruba word that loosely translates to farm, but in fact has a deeper tie to agriculture.

"The true meaning is a place where agriculture is the center of life and activity," Amu said. "And that's sort of what we're trying to to build at Oko Farms."

Amu was drawn to aquaponics in part because water conservation, which is a pressing issue in Nigeria, is inherently integrated into its farming methods.

"I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and water conservation was huge for us," Amu said. "So type of aquaculture that centered as a type of agriculture, food production that centered water conservation, was a big deal for me."

Oko Farms grows a variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs, which are sold at farmers markets. It also grows fiber-producing plants like flax, which, along with indigo and dye plants, has drawn people interested in textile and fiber arts to the farm.

The other side of the aquaponics operation is the fish. Oko Farms features a variety, including carp, catfish and tilapia. Some of the fish are used solely for farming while other are used for food, sometimes at farm-to-table meals or given away to community fridges.

Community is at the heart of Oko Farms, which strives in its mission to educate the public. The farm offers classes on wellness, culinary education, textile arts and, of course, aquaponics.

Amu and her team welcome visitors to the farm for tours and classes on how they can use aquaponics to grow food for themselves — even if it's on their windowsills or countertops. It's all about sustainability and addressing food justice.

"Anyone, anywhere in the world should be able to grow food for themselves if they choose to," said Amu.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking to Fran Severn, a writer and equestrian whose passion for horses inspired her to write "Riders of a Certain Age: Your Guide for Loving Horses Mid-Life and Beyond."

Severn grew up in downtown Baltimore where horses and barns were scarce, but that didn't stop her from developing an affinity for all things equine.

"I think loving horses is in your DNA and I always wanted horses in my life," Severn said.

She began riding after college and, as her journalism career expanded to covering the Kentucky Derby and events at the Kentucky Horse Park, she eventually purchased her first horse. However, life got busy and riding took a backseat until Severn was in her 50s.

That return sparked a revelation: There were few resources available for older women getting back into horses. Severn saw an opportunity to combine her love of horses and her writing talents and published "Riders of a Certain Age."

Severn's book tackles the physical, emotional and practical challenges of riding later in life, including health considerations, finances and long-term horse care planning. It's become a handy resource for an expanding group of riders.

"It's pretty clear that the fastest growing demographic in the recreational horse world is women, 55 plus," Severn said.

The notion that people are still interested in active recreational activities past middle age is still novel to some.

"It was always presumed, you hit 65, you're going to play canasta, maybe take your kids on a Disney cruise, and not do much else," Severn said. "And I think maybe because some of the researchers are starting to hit our age, they're discovering that that's not the case. We can do pretty much everything."

Severn has followed up "Riders of a Certain Age" with several publications. "Creating Your Journey" is a journaling guide for older riders, and "Barn Fires" is a practical guide to fire prevention inspired by her own experience with a barn fire.

Her latest publication, "Barn Hacks," is the product of an 18-month labor of love that compiles over 1,000 tips from around the equine world — including how to use sauerkraut to treat abscesses.

Check out Lancaster Farming's newest podcast, Super Smart Farm Show!

Kids have a lot of questions about farming, and the Super Smart Farm Show, Lancaster Farming's podcast for kids, has a lot of answers. Join us each week as we explore kid-friendly topics like why bees are important and why sheep need hair cuts. We here at the Super Smart Farm Show know it's fun to ask questions and wonder about the world we live in, especially when it comes to learning about how farmers feed and take care of us.

Listen to the trailer here.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking to Michelle Elston, who owns Roots Cut Flower Farm in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Elston sells most of her flowers wholesale to grocery stores and local shops. She also offers bulk flower buckets and has a bouquet club flower CSA.

Her 10-acre farm produces more than 25,000 bouquets for stores and 450 party buckets for events.

"I really truly never imagined Roots to be the farm that it is today," Elston said.

Elston's journey to Roots started when she studied plant science at Cornell University. She and her husband later moved to Massachusetts where they ended up buying a garden center.

But after having their first child, they decided to move back to Elston's hometown, where she soon after started her own flower farm and grew Roots to the successful business it is today.

"That's sort of been the fun part of my path is pairing business with ag or horticulture," Elston said.

Most of the flowers grown at Roots are hot summer annuals like sunflowers, marigolds and celosias. Elston focuses on variety selection that will work the best with the climate and will yield the best production.

"I really believe the best sustainability practice is choosing the right plant to begin with," Elston said. "We get super nerdy here on our farm with variety selection."

She does a lot of trials to find out what works best.

"Farming is like, there are a million variables all the time," Elston said. "And so if you can pay attention to that, it's like the whole process is a giant experiment where things are changing all the time and you're always learning."

When Elston first started flower farming, she sold bouquets at a local farmers market. However, she realized that wholesale works better for her. She didn't want to cut her market customers off completely, which is why she began her CSA bouquet club, which has over 100 members.

"A lot of our (CSA) sales are gifts," Elston said. "Flowers are a luxury, so it makes just a wonderful, wonderful gift because it is a slight indulgence."

In addition to flower farming, Elston is the treasurer of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers.

She also offer consulting services to flower growers who are a few years into their farming journeys.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're joined by Kathy McCaskill, co-owner and operator of Old McCaskill's Farm in Rembert, South Carolina.

McCaskill originally hails from upstate New York, where she grew up on an out-of-operation dairy farm. After marrying, she and her husband bought their South Carolina property and began slowly but surely setting up a livestock operation that sells directly to the local farmers market and from the farm store.

Tragedy struck the farm in 2007, when the farmhouse burned down, but McCaskill now sees it as part of a larger plan for her family.

"We lost 30 years in 30 minutes when we lost the house. And it took us to our knees," she said. "But I always tell people, God had a plan. Look what we have now."

In the wake of the fire, the McCaskills rebuilt their home, now as empty nesters. After realizing they had more space than they needed, they transformed part of the home into a bed and breakfast.

Welcoming guests to the farm isn't limited to those staying at the bed and breakfast, though. Old McCaskill Farm routinely hosts school groups and visitors with tours and event days, like shearing day in the spring.

It's important to teach people about agriculture and where their food comes from, says McCaskill.

The disconnect between consumers and farming can be surprising, she said, reliving an interaction she'd had with a woman who'd recently purchased her own chickens.

"I said, 'Don't you love those fresh eggs?' And she said, 'Oh, we don't eat the eggs.' And I said, 'You don't, what do you do with them?' She said, 'We throw them in the woods,'" McCaskill recalled.

"I said, 'Ma'am, why do you throw your eggs in the wood?' (She said) because the chicken poops them out."

In addition to educating the public about the farm, McCaskill also makes and sells prepared food at the farmers market and farm store and helps host a farm-to-table lunch at Old McCaskill's farm every Friday.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking to Linley Dixon, an organic vegetable farmer in southwest Colorado.

Dixon co-created the Real Organic Project, which is a label farmers can add onto the USDA's certified organic label.

"The Real Organic Project is a very grassroots effort," Dixon said. "Many farmers felt like the USDA organic seal was no longer reflecting the way that they farmed. It started as sort of a rallying cry to make sure that soil health was still fundamental to what could be certified as organic."

The project focuses on growing crops in healthy soils and raising livestock on diverse pastures.

About 1,000 farms across the U.S. have been Real Organic certified, with 150 new farms signing up this year.

"Farms of all types and scales are involved, and it's pretty exciting to see us all come together again and get that kind of grassroots movement back into organic," Dixon said.

For farmers to get the add-on certification, they first need to have the USDA certification. Farms will then be inspected by someone from the Real Organic Project. Adding the certification is free.

"It was very important to us that the burden of another label didn't fall on the farmers," Dixon said.

She said many farmers have signed for the program because they believe in its goals and messaging, and the project has allowed for a sense of community to grow.

"I wish that we could have more of this in agriculture in general," Dixon said. "More sharing, less competition. How can we work together? A rising tide lifts all boats. These are things that I really believe in."

Listen here:

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Krista Byler, the food service director at Union City Area School District in Pennsylvania whose whole milk study caught the attention of the dairy industry.

Byler's district had been offering fat free and 1% milks with student lunches, but thanks to a study conducted by the student council, Byler was aware much of the milk students bought ended up in the trash. On top of that, many students weren't buying milk at all.

"It was kind of a double-edged sword. We had students no longer taking milk and a lot of those who did choose it were not drinking it," Byler said.

It made her want to take action.

While still only offering fat free and 1% milk, Byler measured how much milk was being wasted. It came to about 3 gallons a day.

After two months, the school began offering whole milk, both unflavored and chocolate. Again, Byler studied how much milk was being drunk and how much was being wasted.

She found that when whole milk was available, the 3 gallons of milk being thrown out went down to 19 ounces — a 95% reduction in waste. Furthermore, the amount of milk students bought and consumed climbed 50% in that time.

Byler then surveyed the students on how they felt about the expanded offerings.

"Their overwhelming answer was we want a choice. We want what tastes good, what has a good mouthfeel, what is satisfying," said Byler. "It's not that we're asking for everyone to have whole milk. We're just asking to be able to offer a full variety so that they can choose."

Byler's findings captured the interest of the dairy industry, and earlier this year she spoke at a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting where she addressed her study and its findings.

Aside from milk, Byler is also passionate about providing nutritious and, just as important, tasty lunches for her students. Her district has won an HMI Award for innovation in school meal preparation, and much of the food her district serves is prepared from scratch.

"Our students are way more food savvy than we were when we went to school," said Byler. "It's a lot like putting a puzzle together to make sure the nutrition lines up with the menu mix, which also lines up with student wants and needs. So it's definitely an interesting process."

Read more about Krista Byler's study and testifying before lawmakers