In this podcast episode, host Taylor Muglia interviews Olivia Raine about her journey in the field of agriculture, specifically her work in targeted grazing with goats and sheep. Olivia shares her deep-rooted passion for animals and her environmental consciousness that led her to agriculture. She discusses her extensive background, from working on vegetable farms to managing livestock, and the challenges she faced. Through three iterations of her business, Olivia pressed on and found the business model that works best for her (and the goats). She talks about the specific resources she used to set her up for success and finishes  with some advice for beginning agrarians.

In this episode of Regeneration Rising, Taylor Muglia interviews Jarvisson King, owner and operator of Laughing Goat Gardens in Arizona. Jarvisson shares his journey and how he brings traditional Navajo farming and modern regenerative agriculture techniques together. He discusses the impact of his mother's teachings, coping with grief after her passing, and his shift towards utilizing wool pellets for soil health. The episode highlights Jarvisson's innovative methods, his active presence on social media platforms to share knowledge, and his contributions to promoting regenerative agriculture within his community.

In this podcast episode, host Taylor Muglia interviews Emma Lietz-Bilecky about her journey into agriculture and her work with Colorado Land Link, a program aimed at helping farmers find land and improve land access in Colorado. Emma shares her background, growing up in Colorado with a family history in agriculture, and her eventual return to farming after college. She discusses the challenges of land access for young farmers, the work Colorado Land Link does to facilitate these issues, and recent upgrades to their website to improve landowner and land seeker connections. Emma highlights the importance of innovative land access methods, such as partnerships between experienced landowners and new agrarians. She also shares success stories and offers advice for both land seekers and landowners. The episode wraps up with insights on the agricultural landscape in Colorado and a call for land seekers and landowners alike to join the Colorado Land Link platform at https://coloradolandlink.org/.

In this episode, host Taylor Muglia interviews New Agrarian Program alumni Henry Harrington and Lauren Lees about their diverse journeys into the agricultural world. Both came from non-agricultural backgrounds, but found a passion for ranching and regenerative agriculture. They share their experiences in the New Agrarian Program as well as their time post-apprenticeship in positions at Spikebox Ranch in Nebraska, Snaplands, and Round River Resource Management. Henry and Lauren discuss the educational and professional growth they experienced, their current work at Round River, and their personal aspirations. The conversation also delves into their involvement in the New Agrarian Program Manager Fellowship and their plans for starting a cattle enterprise, as well as balancing career aspirations with personal life, particularly getting married and starting a family.

After working on ranches in the Elk River Valley in northwest Colorado for a handful of years, Davey Baron had the jaw-dropping opportunity to start his own grazing and direct market beef business, and he pounced on it. In this episode of Regeneration Rising, host Taylor Muglia speaks with Davey about how he laid the groundwork for this opportunity to become Elk River Livestock, what life looks like in year two of running his own business, and how a strong community allowed him to build a lean enterprise. He shares that his experience in starting a business isn't exactly as cool as it seems, but a deep love of land and animals drives him to keep innovating and thinking outside the box to keep it growing.

Please note: Davey will be a new MENTOR for the New Agrarian Program in 2025! If you liked this conversation and are considering applying to our apprenticeship program, you can find his site description at https://quiviracoalition.org/newagrarian/locations/.

In this conversation, host Taylor Muglia interviews Julie Sullivan, mentor training and support specialist (and program founder) here at Quivira Coalition's New Agrarian Program. Julie discusses the inspiration behind creating the program's first Manager Fellowship and how it aims to bridge the gap between apprenticeship and ranch management or entrepreneurship for the "not-so new agrarian." She walks through the requirements to apply, nuts and bolts of the program, and her greatest hopes for the first cohort. This fellowship program is now open to the general public, not just New Agrarian Program alumni.

Our guest this week is Diane Anastasio, program manager & shepherd at Shepherdess Land & Livestock in Ojai, California. Diane describes how, although not growing up in agriculture, their Austrian and Italian family heritage is expressed through their practice of shepherding today, and how other creative endeavors like weaving and dancing tie in as well. We also talk about Diane's early experiences in agriculture at shearing school and New Cowgirl Camp, balancing an agrarian's need for urban and rural community, and what it's like to be a contract sheep grazier for fire mitigation on the hot hillsides of California.

On this episode of Regeneration Rising, we sit down with Nicole Scott, farm director of livestock operation and farm outreach at The Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in Cold Spring, New York. Nicole shares her story about getting started in agriculture and the different experiences that shaped her journey from apprentice to farm director. She describes what it was like to build confidence to do farm work after studying agriculture in classrooms in college, how her perspective changed as she gained more responsibility on the farm, and how she motivates herself and her apprentices to continue careers in agriculture.

This week on Regeneration Rising, Taylor interviews Jordan and Toni Sarazen, owners and operators of Goat Bros LLC, a mobile goat grazing business near Denver, Colorado. We discuss the huge life transition Jordan and Toni made from being financial advisors to living in a 5th wheel trailer custom grazing a goat herd up and down the front range, all caused by an idea Jordan saw on a tv show! They share tips about sound financial management for their small business, the importance of support to avoid burnout, and how they weather the ups and downs of goat grazing as a couple.

On this episode, host Taylor Muglia speaks with Will Vogl, owner and operator of Vogl Homestead Farm near Black Forest, Colorado. Will discusses the difficulty of accessing affordable grazing land on the front range and the development pressure his county is facing. While this can be a setback for many graziers, Will has used it as an opportunity to work with landowners and graze sheep on smaller parcels that cattle ranchers wouldn't consider. He talks about how he balances the operation with being a husband, father, and firefighter (who occasionally likes to take a vacation!), and how his skills in wildfire mitigation help him diversify land management services for landowners beyond just grazing.