Our Farms, Our Future

For this episode, our guests discuss breaking down barriers of entry for farmers of color. Savi Horne is the Executive Director of the Land Loss Prevention Project in North Carolina. Barbara Norman is a third-generation Michigan Blueberry Farmer. Both Barbara and Savi have dedicated their careers to helping limited resource farmers begin and sustain farming operations.

Our guests on this episode discuss opportunities in agriculture for United States Veterans. David Paulk started farming in 2011 after a long career in the military. He owns and operates Sassafras Creek Farm in Southern Maryland with his wife. He'll be speaking with Margo Hale, a specialist for the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). She helps plan and implement Armed to Farm, a weeklong workshop to prepare veterans to start farming enterprises.

For this episode, two soil specialists discuss how soil health came to be at the forefront of the sustainable ag conversation. Heather Darby is a life-long dairy farmer in Vermont and soil specialist with University of Vermont extension. She'll be speaking with Julia Gaskin, a soil scientist with University of Georgia and Georgia State SARE coordinator.

This week's guests are committed to creating food systems that are accessible to all. They emphasize the importance of community organizing and political engagement in the sustainable ag movement. Karen Washington is co-founder of Rise & Root farm in Chester, New York. She splits her time between her farm and the Bronx, where she's known for her community gardening initiatives. Karen will be in conversation with Molly Rockamann, founder of EarthDance urban farm in Ferguson, MO, a suburb of St. Louis.

Our guests on this week's show have spent years learning how to create livestock operations that give back to the land. Greg Brann runs grass-fed cattle and sheep on about 220 acres in Southern Kentucky. He'll be in conversation with Robin Way, who raises cattle and poultry on her grass-based farm near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

We begin this episode with a visit to the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center at the University of Missouri. Education Program Coordinator Hannah Hemmelgarn gives us a brief tour of some of her team's current projects and explains their rootedness agroforestry principles. Then, Interim Director of the Center Mike Gold and silvopasture expert Chuck Talbott dive deeper into the field of agroforestry, analyzing various practices, discussing challenges, and addressing some of the latest field studies and research.

For this episode, two academics discuss educating a new generation in sustainable agriculture.

Xiochi Ma, also known as Max, is a graduate student at Washington State University researching efficient irrigation systems for grapevine cultivation in drought-ridden areas. Krista Jacobsen is an agroecologist and professor at University of Kentucky focusing her work on nutrient cycling and soil fertility. For these guests, the university setting is an important one for sparking young people's dedication and passion for sustainable practices no matter what their major course of study might be.

For this episode, two agricultural engineers discuss adapting innovation on the farm.

Trevor Hardy is manager of one of New England's largest distributors of agricultural supplies at Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, New Hampshire. Chris Callahan is an agricultural engineer with University of Vermont extension. Both guests say engineering plays a crucial role in synthesizing the newest research and technology with the diversity and complexity of farming practices on the ground.

For this episode, two farmers managing vastly different scales of production discuss staying grounded in sustainable principles while keeping their bottom line out of the red zone.

Jeanne Carver raises grass-fed cattle and sheep for wool at Imperial Stock Ranch in Oregon, a 5,000 acre land operation that's been in continued use for 150 years. She'll be in conversation with Hilary Corsun, a farmer in her fifth-year managing 87 acres in New York's Hudson Valley at Dog Wood Farm. She raises mushrooms, turkeys, grass-fed beef, and eggs for local markets.

As the Quality of Life Rep for Southern SARE's Administrative Council and a professor of sociology, Doug Constance is constantly thinking about how current policies, cultural norms, and industry trends are affecting farmers and their communities. For this episode, he chats with Beth Nelson, Associate Professor of Biosystems Engineering at University of Minnesota and the Director of North Central SARE's Research and Education Programs. They discuss extending sustainability beyond soil and crops to the people and communities most impacted by our country's agricultural practices.