Small Farms Radio

Brian Castner joined the Air Force and performed the duties of an ordnance disposal officer during the Iraq War. His experiences would lead him to write his first book The Long Walk. The walk did not stop when Brian came home, and the bombs to be disarmed were internal. The pandemic provided time for Brian to slow the pace and work on some small-scale homesteading projects, which grew over time and ultimately led him to start a farm business. He found farming an opportunity to create and produce, differentiating it from a military career focused on destruction, thus it becoming his “not-bombs thing”. Our Farm Ops project followed Brian on his journey establishing du Trieux Farm. We interviewed Brian soon after he purchased his property and followed up with him 2 years later. Join us as we listen to Brian’s wandering journey off the walking path to a destination filled with nature, fresh air, good food, and family.

What is the value of a student farm at an academic institution? In this episode of Small Farms Radio, we celebrate 30 years of Dilmun Hill Student Farm at Cornell University.

Ryan Maher, Organic Coordinator for the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station and Staff Manager at Dilmun Hill, talks with Small Farms Program staffer, farmer, and former student leader Erica Frenay about the farm's student-led beginnings, the challenges it overcame, and how it became a lasting part of Cornell's agricultural education. Their conversation explores the power of hands-on learning and why student farms continue to matter for the future of agriculture.

Wilber de la Rosa operates Jubilo Farm in Minnesota, a regenerative poultry business. He has also recently launched Tortillas La Mayzteca, a vertically integrated company that produces traditional tortillas. In a conversation with Tim Shenk from Cornell Small Farms Program’s bilingual Futuro en Ag project, Wilber discusses his approach to starting businesses that prioritize healthy living and his commitment to regenerative practices. The conversation was conducted in Spanish with translation in English by Small Farms staff member, Garrett Quade. The goal is to provide our listeners with a language experience.

Wilber de la Rosa es propietario de Jubilo Farm en Minnesota, una operación agropecuaria regenerativa. Además, recientemente ha lanzado Tortillas La Mayzteca, una empresa integrada verticalmente dedicada a la producción de tortillas tradicionales. Wilber conversa con Tim Shenk, del proyecto Futuro en Ag del Cornell Small Farms Program, sobre su enfoque de crear empresas comprometidas con un estilo de vida saludable, así como sobre su compromiso con los métodos regenerativos. Este episodio ofrece una experiencia lingüística a nuestros oyentes. A la conversación original de Wilber con Tim en español, le hemos agregado una traducción al inglés leída por Tim y por Garrett Quade, miembro de nuestro equipo.

Welcome to the first episode of Wisdom of the Elders, a new series featuring conversations with pioneering farmers whose lives and work have shaped sustainable agriculture.

In this episode, our director, Anu Rangarajan, travels to Maine to reconnect with Dave and Chris Colson of New Leaf Farm, where she worked in the early 2000s. Farming just four acres, the Colsons became early innovators in bringing fresh salad greens to the East Coast and helped influence a generation of small-scale growers.

Together, they reflect on decades in agriculture: the risks they took, the values that guided them, what truly mattered in the end, and what simply didn’t.

There is always something to learn from listening to your elders.

Cornell professor Rebecca Nelson joins us to discuss circular economies in agriculture—and the surprising potential of human urine as a low-cost fertilizer for small farms.

We begin by examining the value of a tree and high-quality nursery work. Then our agroforestry specialist Connor Youngerman goes to Yellowbud Farm to talk with co-founder Jesse Marksohn about their approach to selecting, breeding, and propagating trees for agroforestry.

What does it look like for farms to be healing spaces? Join us as we talk with Brett Grant about how he is creating space for education, healing, and collaboration at his farm in upstate, New York.

What does it take to grow mushrooms indoors? To answer this question, our agroforestry and mushroom specialist, Connor Youngerman, takes podcast listeners on a tour of Queens, venturing into nondescript buildings and ducking into basement hatches to discover the innovative world of indoor mushroom production. In this episode Youngerman learns how some growers in the big city are producing mushrooms from “spore-to-table” and every step in between.

How does a mushroom move through the city? This April we sent our agroforestry and mushroom specialist Connor Youngerman to follow a mushroom in New York City. With the help of farmers, chefs, and business owners, Youngerman explored the life cycle of urban mushrooms, and how several organizations are working to close the loop of food and food waste in the city.

What do you do when don’t have family to take over your farm? We talk with Donn and Maryrose of Northland Sheep Dairy in Marathon, NY about how they negotiated the transition of ownership with the previous owners of their farm and how they are making decisions about their own retirement based on their experience.