NOFA Podcast

In this episode I interview my colleague Andrew Laurion to discuss the bioremediation project underway in Springfield, MA. We talk about the changes in the soil, the properties and the community now that this project has been underway for two years.

Andrew Laurion is the Bioremediation Project Coordinator for NOFA/Mass and the Youth Program Coordinator of the food justice organization Gardening the Community (GTC) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Andrew is also an avid urban grower, a woodworker and loves his role mentoring the youth and helping to create healthy, sustainable communities

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list at NOFAmass.org.

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

In this episode I am joined by two of my NOFA colleagues Monique Bosch from our CT NOFA chapter as well as Ruben Parilla of NOFA/Mass and they introduce us to the world of microscopy. We discuss the advantages of looking at your soil and compost under the microscope to determine the state of affairs and influence your soil management strategies.

Monique Bosch, is the Organic Land Care Coordinator and the Soil Health Technician at CT NOFA and an avid microscopy enthusiast.

Ruben Parilla, is the NOFA/Mass Soil Tech Coordinator and is also an avid microscope enthusiast.

Microscope Favorite of our guests: https://www.lwscientific.com/products/revelation-series

You can find more microscopy info and resources from CT NOFA at ctnofa.org/microscopy

You can find Soil Health and microscopy info and resources at nofamass.org and navigate to the soil health technical services page.

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

In this episode I am joined again by our NOFA/Mass Soil Tech Coordinator, Ruben Parilla. We interview Yoko Takemura of Assawaga Farm in Putnam, CT. This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

Yoko Takemura owns and operates Assawaga Farm with her husband Alex Carpenter in Putnam, CT. Since 2016 they've grown organic vegetables with an emphasis on Japanese varieties, flowers and fruits on less than an acre using no-till and regenerative practices.

Here's our conversation with Yoko where we discuss their approach to soil health and various no-till practices.

You can find more info on Assawaga Farm at assawagafarm.com and on FB and Instagram at Assawaga farm

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

In this episode I am joined again by my NOFA/Mass colleague, Soil Health Projects Manager, Christine Manuck. We interview Meryl Latronica, Director of Farm Operations at Just Roots in Greenfield, MA. We continue our conversations with farmers working within our Compaction Mitigation grant as a collaboration with an MDAR 2020 Specialty Crop Block Grant titled Accelerating Soil Health Through Compaction Mitigation: A Data-Supported Peer-to-Peer Farmer Learning Project.

Meryl Latronica is the Director of Farm Operations at Just Roots. She is a dedicated and experienced production farmer, farm-based educator, community organizer, mentor to new farmers and devoted member of the New England farm community. She has been focusing her work on balancing intensive organic vegetable production with a commitment to building strong communities around food and farms.

Just Roots provides educational programming on the farm, in schools and in the community and has a mission to create equitable access to healthy local food in Western Massachusetts, and work toward just, vibrant, and sustainable farm and food systems everywhere.

You can find more info Meryl and Just Roots and the various programs they support at JustRoots.Org

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

In this episode we're drawing more highlights from our annual NOFA/Mass Winter Conference that happened remotely in January 2022. First we join Natural Farmer, Marco Thomas for an introduction to the Natural Farming technique of collecting of Indigenous Micro Organisms (IMOs). Then, we join Richard Robinson of Hopestill Farm for a deep dive into mulching, and his impassioned reasons for using leaves as mulch as possible.

Marco Thomas is a natural farmer in Central Virginia, and is the founder of Microbes by Marco producing small batch craft inputs for soils. His work is focused on building soil and cultivating microorganisms to enhance his own garden and urban farm and he is guided by the principles, "Do as nature does." and "Focus on the natural way."

Richard Robinson began organic gardening over 40 years ago and became a serious farmer in 2004. He grows certified organic vegetables, small fruits, and Christmas trees at Hopestill Farm in Sherborn, MA. Richard has also a member of the NOFA/Mass Board of Directors since 2017.

You can find Marco Thomas at MicrobesbyMarco.com and on Instagram at: marco_is_growing

More information on Richard Robinson and Hopestill Farm can be found at Hopestill.com

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

In this episode I am joined by our NOFA/Mass Soil Tech Coordinator, Ruben Parilla. We interview soil scientist, Dr. Justin Richardson, from University of Massachusetts Amherst, about the state of the invasive Jumping Worm in the Northeast.

Dr. Justin Richardson is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at UMass Amherst working in the field of Biogeochemistry. Dr. Richardson studies metals and metalloids, examining metals due to their role as essential nutrients for ecosystems and toxicity to plants and humans. He also studies forest soils due to their impact on forest resources and their illustrative nature of vegetation-soil-rock interactions.

You can find more of Dr. Richardson's work and many publications on his website Soilbiogeochemist.com

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

NOFA/Mass Winter Conference Highlight - Seed Sovereignty Means Land Sovereignty

In this episode we're drawing highlights from our Round Table discussion on Seed Sovereignty at this year's annual NOFA/Mass winter conference.

You will hear two inspiring opening statements that preceded the discussion from Amirah Mitchell and Luke Jeffries.

You can find Amirah Mitchell at Sistahseeds.com and on Instagram at SistahSeeds.

More information on Luke Jeffries and Kenhteke Seed Sanctuary can be found at kenhtekeseedsanctuary.com as well as on Facebook

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

Biography Information

Amirah Mitchell is a farmer, seedkeeper and community educator. She holds a B.S. in Horticulture from Temple University and has worked in agriculture since 2007. She has worked on urban farms in Massachusetts, Georgia and Pennsylvania, including four years at Truelove Seeds, a Philadelphia-based farm and seed company. Currently, Amirah is working to start her own farm business, Sistah Seeds, growing heirloom seeds from across the African Diaspora.

Luke Jeffries is a Mohawk from Tyendinaga, Mohawk Territory. He is a language learner, avid gardener, and Project Coordinator for Ratinenhayénthos, who operate the Kenhté:ke Seed Sanctuary in Tyendinaga. They have rematriated a seed collection in the last few years and have been working to ensure that the living collection remains viable for future generations.

In this episode I'm joined by Suzie Flores of Stonington Kelp to discuss her adventures in farming…the sea.

We discuss the tools and practices of ocean farming as an introduction to what it takes to farm on the water, how an entire season of ocean farming progresses and the developing industry that is thriving in East Coast waters.

You can learn more about and Suzie and Jay's work at StoningtonKelpCo.com and also on Instagram as StoningtonKelpCo

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/ https://jatk.bandcamp.com/Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

In this episode I'm joined by my colleague Christine Manuck, who leads our NOFA/Mass Soil Health Program and we interview Julie Rawson, owner of Many Hands Organic Farm in Barre, Massachusetts and formerly the executive director of NOFA/Mass.

We discuss a variety of compaction mitigation methods that she employs in her management practices on her fully diversified farm and get a glimpse into her three decades of experience running Many Hands.

You can find out more about the practices and products of Many Hands Organic Farm at MHOF.net as well as on various social platforms.

https://mhof.net

https://www.instagram.com/manyhandsorganic/

https://www.facebook.com/manyhandsorganicfarm

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/ https://jatk.bandcamp.com/Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

In this episode I interview Dan Kittredge, founder and Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food Association. We discuss both Dan's and the BFA's origins, soil health philosophy and practices and the bionutrient meter – a hand-held, non-invasive consumer-priced spectrometer that can be used to get relative nutritional scores off of food at point of purchase with a flash of light.

Dan Kittredge has been an organic farmer for more than 30 years and is the founder and executive director of the Bionutrient Food Association (BFA), a non-profit whose mission is to "increase quality in the food supply." Known as one of the leading proponents of "nutrient density," Dan works to demonstrate the connections between soil health, plant health, and human health.

https://Bionutrient.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/ https://jatk.bandcamp.com/ Music by Jason Valcourt https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt