Growers Daily

Today my guest is John Dindia of Lakeview Hill Farm in Traverse City, MI. John and his partner Bailey designed and built their farm from the ground up beginning in 2017 on a 58-acre property with 10 acres of available farmland and a 35-acre woodlot. Now, with 2.5 acres in production, they have five 30' x 148' heated greenhouses, a dedicated propagation house connected to a production barn, and seven 20' x 148' caterpillar tunnels. Plus, their farm is 75% powered by solar and they are committed to utilizing renewable energy in all aspects of their farm. Seventy percent of gross sales are dedicated to wholesale, including grocery stores, restaurants, and a growers cooperative CSA, all within 15 miles of the farm. The rest comes from an on-site farm stand that they are expanding into a full service farm store later this summer ('23).

John and Bailey have been full-time on their farm since the beginning, plus they have five year-round employees with four staff on salary. John and I dig into the details of the heating and lighting systems he uses to maintain productivity during the cold grey winters of Michigan, as well as the support he and Bailey access to finance the startup and growth of their farm business, including loans through the FSA. John offers a ton of expertise and experience for farmers looking to improve their winter growing systems and mindfully grow their farm business for the long haul.

Mentioned in the show...

USDA/FSA Farm Loan Programs

USDA/NRCS Grants, Programs, & Initiatives

John uses Nolt's Greenhouse Supplies & Total Grow LEDs

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

Two quick things: first, we are welcoming back another exciting season of the Winter Growers Podcast with Clara Coleman--super cool--and second, you are going to notice there is a lot more activity on this feed than usual and the reason is from here on out all of the shows we produce are going to appear in this feed as The No-Till Growers Network…

Welcome back to the Winter Growers Podcast! In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Niki Jabbour, who is an award-winning author, radio show host, educator, and gardening expert on year-round growing in a northern climate. Niki is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, zone 5b at the 44th parallel. She enthusiastically maintains half an acre of raised beds in her back yard using a combination of a high tunnel, low tunnels, cold frames, she grows over 30 veggie crops for winter harvest, including: lettuce, scallions, parsley, kale, carrots, leeks, and arugula. In addition to her books on year-round gardening, Niki also offers online courses on her website savvygardening.com and free educational videos on her YouTube channel and Instagram. I loved speaking with Niki, she is an excellent resource for home gardeners and small-scale growers looking for tips and techniques for successful year-round vegetable production.

Mentioned in the show…

Niki's website, savvygardening.com

The Savvy Gardening Instagram, YouTube channel, and online courses/resources

BOOK// The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

Hi again, it's Natalie, and this is my last episode, THE last episode, of the fifth season of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast! I want to thank Farmer Jesse and the whole crew of the podcast for giving me the mic and so much freedom. It's been fun, and if you've learned even a fraction of what I have then I'll call it a win.

I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Tatiana Schreiber of the Rich Earth Institute. We focus mainly on her work there regarding the social aspects of dry sanitation systems. Translation, how do people feel about using urine as fertilizer. You might be thinking, how could I even broach this topic after devoting a whole episode to PFAS and how the use of biosolids has lead to the contamination of soils that we are only beginning to understand. I encourage you to listen to this one. Not all human waste is created the same and if we care about big picture sustainability this is something we really need to talk about.

Check out their research and findings here

SUPPORT OUR WORK ON PATREON

On today's episode of the podcast I, Alex Ball of Old City Acres, sit down with Jonah Sloven of Sweet Hollow Organic Farm in Victor, Idaho, a small valley town of only 2,000 people with a thriving local food scene. Jonah operates his farm on land directly connected to a housing development forming an agrihood and increasing the connection between community members and where their food is produced. The farm was also involved with a SARE grant to trial no-till deep mulch systems to combat pervasive bindweed. We also chat about building farm infrastructure in a high wind and snow load environment as well as using two wheel walk behind tractors and the value in choosing appropriate technology and systems for your individual and unique farm situation.

Mentioned in the show...

Follow Sweet Hollow Farm on Instagram & check out their farmsite

Jonah's SARE research on bindweed and no-till production

Using Tilmor cultivation equipment

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Today I, Mimi, am speaking with my good good friend Abby Rose of Vidacycle, a farmer, physicist, and soil health advocate. She is the co-founder of Vidacycle Tech which makes easy to use web applications that support farmers on their regenerative path wherever they are. I've used these apps, spent a lot of time with her, think the world of her, and I feel this episode is part two of where we left off with Jim of Red Shirt Farm where we exposed the tender underbelly of the systems we're all working in and trying very hard to keep our heads above. In this conversation, Abby and I also talk about her other work on an AWESOME award-winning podcast, Farmerama Radio, if you haven't heard of it already go find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Specifically, the LANDED series. Her experience in working with an international cadre of farmers and stewards on their respective regenerative journeys has given her a keen perspective on the lay of the land regarding what we're up against when it comes to making space for holistic systems in a global economy that is working against it.

Mentioned in the show...

Abby's farm in Chile, Vidacycle Farm

The web-based apps from Vidacycle Tech

Listen to Farmerama Radio on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts Link to the LANDED series with Col Gordon

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

Orisha for wireless greenhouse+ automation, get 15% off with code "No Till Grower"

Real Organic Project for a whole farm certification program to distinguish crops grown in health soils.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, subscribe our growing YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Buckle up for another NERDY episode of the podcast. For this one, I--Natalie--spoke with Andrea Jilling, an assistant professor of environmental soil chemistry at Oklahoma State University. It's just coincidence that this one follows so soon after Mimi's interview with Dr. Cotrufo, as it's a nice continuation of that conversation about organic matter and carbon, but extending it to nitrogen, Andrea's area of research. Nitrogen is HUGE, it's in the air as both an inert gas and a greenhouse gas, it's in the soil as organic matter and inorganic molecules, it's even in some rocks. It's constantly changing and shifting in ways that are regulated by microbes, plants, humans, even lightning! In other words, it's complicated. There are economic and environmental implications regarding nitrogen management, and not just for farms spreading inorganic fertilizer, but for everyone. I can't promise that this conversation will help you create a fertility plan for you farm... in fact I'm pretty confident it won't. But, I think it provides an important link between thinking about carbon management and nitrogen management.

Mentioned in the show...

Andrea's Journal Articles

Folks who make the show possible...

Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds.

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, check out our weekly YouTube videos, pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Hey football fans, it's Mimi. And lest you be confused, today we're speaking with Jim Schultz of Red Shirt Farm--get it?--a 13 acre livestock + no-till veg farm in western Mass. He's been farming for more than a decade and came to farming later than he had originally planned (hence, Red Shirt). It's a long conversation, but the main reason I want you to stick it out is that not only has Jim done some of the coolest things, but when I reached out to him I was also thinking about the idea of the small farm held up as an ideal against scaling-up even regenerative agriculture and how it's difficult for me to talk about those two ideas in the same sentence, not to mention land ownership, and we have a deeply personal conversation about that as well as the behind the scenes version of what we, as farmers, go through.

Mentioned in the show...

Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web

Advancing Eco-Agriculture

The Bionutrient Food Association

Solawrap Greenhouse Coverings

Ecosystems Design Climate Battry

Slow Food International

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

Real Organic Project for a whole farm certification program to distinguish crops grown in health soils.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Hey everyone, Alex Ball of Old City Acres, and today we sit down with Mat & Nina Ladegaard of Ground Stone Farm and Squash Blossom Local Food, respectively.

Mat is a highly skilled high-elevation vegetable grower. Ground Stone Farm is a flourishing farm situated in the high-desert region of Nambe, New Mexico. Over the years, Mathew has developed and refined farming techniques that are specifically tailored to meet the unique demands of growing crops in a high-elevation environment, where weather can be unpredictable and precipitation is scarce. We dig deep into his adaptations for growing veg in a challenging environment, managing water through acequia community governance, and we get the privilege of chatting with Nina about Squash Blossom, the family local food aggregation and distribution subscription service.

• Check out Ground Stone Farm on Instagram (@groundstonefarm) to learn more about their high-desert farming techniques.
• Learn more about Squash Blossom Local Food (@squashblossomlocalfood), the family business Nina operates, which supports dozens of local growers and food producers in the New Mexico area.

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements, on sale through the end of the year!

Orisha for wireless greenhouse+ automation, get 15% off with code "No Till Grower"

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Christine Sprunger is a soil scientist and head of the Soil Health and Ecosystem Ecology Lab at Michigan State University. With a deep-rooted passion for soil science, Christine's research doesn't shy away from the complexity of soil health and what it means for both the researcher and the farmer. Soil health is a laborious concept that requires a deep understanding of the ecosystem's overall functioning. To accurately assess soil health, it's crucial to identify relevant indicators that connect ecological processes with the practical management decisions farmers make.

Some of Christine's research has revolved around nematodes. Nematodes, as microscopic worm-like organisms, play a critical role in soil ecosystems by feeding on bacteria, fungi, plant roots, and each other! These diverse feeding groups can serve as vital soil health indicators, allowing researchers and farmers to measure the ecological functioning and productivity of their agroecosystems. In addition to nematodes, she has researched the perenniality of roots, especially deep-rooted perennial legumes, and how they can be a crucial component of soil health as they contribute significantly to not only soil carbon sequestration processes, but also nitrogen storage capacity.

Ultimately, soil health should be measured from various angles, prioritizing individual management goals and local contexts. Christine highlights the necessity of choosing suitable soil health indicators to link the scientific understanding of ecological function and practical farming approaches. She emphasizes that effective communication between researchers and farmers plays a vital role in selecting appropriate soil health indicators. By continuously collaborating and integrating farmers' concerns, researchers can ensure that these indicators address the desired outcomes and cater to farmers' specific needs.

Mentioned in this episode…

• Reach out to Christine Sprunger's lab at Michigan State University if you are a farmer interested in collaborating on upcoming projects and receiving a free soil health assessment!
• Learn more about nematodes, their role in soil health, and how to identify them through research and resources provided by the Soil Health and Ecosystem Ecology Lab at Michigan State University.
• Consider signing up for Real Organic Project Certification to differentiate your farm from mass-marketed corporate organic practices. Visit realorganicproject.org/notill to apply.
• Browse Johnny's Selected Seeds online for a variety of seeds, tools, and free educational resources. Visit Johnnyseeds.com to explore their offerings.
• Check out Rimol Greenhouses for your next quality greenhouse or high-tunnel. There are several style and options to choose from, check out rimolgreenhouses.com
• There's no substitute for a high-quality seed starting mix. Get Sprout—a living-soil, compost-based, seed-starting soil mix—for you farm or garden at tilthsoil.com
• Get tickets for the Rough Draft Farmstead No-Till Farm Tour for April 25th or May 9th!

"Long term implementation of regenerative practices is actually shifting the nematode community, contributing to greater overall ecosystem services like carbon accumulation and nitrogen retention... Understanding the linkages between nematode communities and various soil health indicators is crucial in realizing the actual soil health outcome and overall benefit to the farmer."

- Christine Sprunger

Folks who make the show possible...

As always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, check out the No-Till Growers YouTube channel where we're posting weekly videos, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Deeply inspired by her work in ecology, Dr. Francesca Cotrufo defied the traditional view on litter decomposition and soil organic matter dynamics. An internationally recognized ecologist, she has made great strides in understanding soil organic matter and its underlying processes. With a diverse research background spanning forests, grasslands, the Arctic, and the Tropics, her work has led to pioneering discoveries in regenerative soil health practices. Francesca's groundbreaking contribution to the field is the Microbial Efficiency Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework, which has transformed how scientists view soil formation and carbon sequestration.

Mentioned in this episode...

• Dr. Francesca Cotrufo's MEMS (Microbial Efficiency Matrix Stabilization) framework and its impact on understanding soil formation and carbon sequestration.
• The two-pathway model of soil formation proposed by Cotrufo to better understand the role of labile compounds and microbial efficiency in soil health.
• The differences between mineral-associated organic matter and particulate organic matter and their impacts on soil structure and water retention.
• The role of microbial efficiency in the transformation of plant material and its impact on soil health and nutrient recycling.
• Host Natalie Lounsbury's Priming for Production
• The Rough Draft Farmstead No-Till Field Day

"We need to think about not just what leads to more persistent carbon, but what makes the soil healthier, retain more water, maintain an active biology, so that we can have the recycling of the nutrients… We can only rebuild our richness by caring about soil… We have consumed our soil's organic matter capital; now we better start working to build it again."

- Francesca Cotrufo

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, check out the No-Till Growers YouTube channel where we're posting weekly videos, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat