The Fighting Farmer Podcast with Terrell Spencer

By Terrell Spencer

Natural Sciences Sports & Recreation Outdoor

What's The Fighting Farmer Podcast with Terrell Spencer about?

Join Spence the Fighting Farmer for weekly episodes giving an honest peak behind the scenes at Across the Creek Farm, a first-generation full-time sustainable pastured poultry farm located in the hill & hollers of NW Arkansas that Spence started after coming home from war.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Fighting Farmer Podcast with Terrell Spencer episodes:

10.14.2020
FF 058 - CFAP 2 - Covid Food Assistance Program 2
We're still here! MIke joins Spence & they catch up. There's been a lot going on since our last recording in June (!). We talk about the CFAP 2. If you're an independent poultry farmer, there's money you can apply...
05.13.2020
FF 056 - New Land, New Plan
We got some big news here at Across the Creek Farm, even as we adjust to life in these crazy pandemic times. Mike & Spence catch up & Spence shares the big news & the story behind it. We had...
04.13.2020
FF 055 - Pandemerrific
It's been awhile & since the last episode & the pandemic has popped up. Things have changed very quickly on the farm & the we've had to pivot - no restaurant sales but the online delivery site is booming. We...
03.10.2020
FF 054 - Winter Time Catch Up
It's been a minute. Spence & Mike are back after a rest & catch up what's been going on. The USDA's made some puzzling choices over the term pasture-raised, we've been putting up fence, basketball ended with a bang, we...
12.17.2019
FF 052 - When Animal "Rights" Folks Don't Respect Farm Boundaries
Mike updates us on his geese empire & Spence is getting the goose fever - who knows maybe the holler will be a honking in 2020! In other news, there's been a series of run ins with "animal rights" people...
11.29.2019
FF 051 - Farmer Vet Conference, Turkeys, & Mike's Cotton Patch Geese
Spence recaps attending a Farmer Veteran Conference in Austin, TX & so unexpected connections made with the Active Duty Army there. We talk about the new APPPA pasture raised turkey video, and Mike's foray into preserving a rare American goose...
10.15.2019
FF 050 - Online Farm Stores: Experiences & Options
Our online store is off the ground! Across the Creek Farm needed an way to reach retail customers - so Spence (yes...Spence) built a online store/delivery service using a farmer designed platform, Grazecart. There's other options available - we discuss. ...
09.27.2019
FF 049 - Fall farm catch up
It's been a minute, but we're still chugging along here at the farm. As we cross into fall, Spence gives an update about how things are going - a farm delivery service using Grazecart nears, hay is in, chickens are...
08.30.2019
FF 048 - Dealing with Problematic Raccoons
As summer comes to an end, we've had our first really troublesome predation on our flocks - the culprit: a trash panda of course! But we finally got the profit stealing poultry bandit. Spence & Mike discuss dealing with singular...
08.02.2019
FF 047 - Cash flow, it's a killer!
We got bit by the cash flow bug here at ATC Farm recently. Cash flow is a challenge that nearly every for-profit farm has to constantly stay on top of an manage. We didn't and it bit us in a...
07.28.2019
FF 046 - Boar Taint in Pigs
Our old boar, Wilbur, came to the end of his breeding days recently. What do you do with an intact boar that weighs over 800 lbs? In this episode, Spence talks about the science of boar taint - a potential...
07.15.2019
FF 45 - Community Fixes the Wobbles
Got our first cutting of hay in - woot! Spence gives a farm update & then we talk about the wobbles - things that are off in our life that we can't see ourselves and the value of having someone...
06.22.2019
FF 044 - Q&A - Cornish Cross vs Heritage Breeds & The Dynamics of Freezing Meat
Time to answer some listener questions! Also, Mike is planting some pumpkins...or should we say punkins. Probably! Got a farming question for Spence - email him at [email protected]. If you dig the show, feel free to leave us a review.
06.12.2019
FF 043 - Successful Goat Kidding
In the midst of historic flooding locally, we've been faring well. Just busy & a little wet, and our hearts go out to those who've really taken it on the chin. On another note, we had a great crop of...
04.30.2019
FF 042 - Working with Green Lumber: Board & Batten Siding
We brought in a portable sawmill & cut the oaks we had felled this winter for siding for the store. Spence explains what board & batten siding is, what he's learned about working with green lumber, and talks with Mike...
04.15.2019
FF 041 - Dealing with Wet Weather
Across the nation it's been a crazily wet spring. Spence & Mike chat about the dealing with the wet and Spence goes on tangents going over the advantages of broiler housing that he's seen as well as dealing with the...
04.03.2019
FF 040 - Chickens Gotta Move
Spring has sprung and birds are on pasture! An important principle of pastured poultry is movement for the health of the birds and even more so the pasture. Spence & Mike talk about it, and the increasing faux-pasture fixed models...
03.22.2019
FF - 039 Commercial Sales
Today Spence & Mike kick around selling commercially. Plus, stories about fried chicken & chicken meatballs & polenta at some terrific restaurants. Got a question you'd like answered? Shoot it over to [email protected] and we'll cover it in a future episode....
03.12.2019
FF - 038 - If an Arkie Snail Goes Extinct Should We Care?
Recently a tiny snail went extinct in the Ozarks. It's not the first critter we've lost - with the largest being a huge species of elk and the flashiest being the Carolina Parakeet - a foot tall lime green parrot!...
02.26.2019
FF 037 - Heating the Brooder
Despite the cold outside, brooders around the country will be heating up as spring is just around the corner. Today, we talk about heating your chicks in the brooder, sharing our experiences about heat lamps vs brooder jets. Enjoy the...
02.15.2019
FF 036 - Egg Yolk Color
Egg yolk color - always a sign of hens with access to pasture right? Wrong! We talk about it here. Also, first chicks on the farm in 2019! And our first brooder fire... We had some issues with sound quality...
02.07.2019
FF 035 - Q&A - Quail Processing, Chicken Sausage Making & the Morality of Fighting in a War
Today we talk about quail processing (which is short b/c of a recording glitch), more questions about chicken sausage makin', and a listener asks about our thoughts on troops fighting in questionable wars (yikes).
01.28.2019
FF 034 - Finishing 2018 & Starting 2019 - Holiday Check-in
Hey Folks! We took some time off here in Arkansas & PA to chill with our families, but but like a Jedi Knight we've returned! The last flock of birds went to the processor in mid-Jan - they were huge...
12.07.2018
FF 033 - Skipping Fall and Going Straight into Winter
A fancy Xtmas tree from the sky! Where did fall go? Winter's come really really early here in the holler. Mike & Spence talk about getting ready for winter, turkeys, and a lot more in this episode. We hope you...
11.12.2018
FF 032 - Burying the Iraq War Hatchet
"To everything there is a season & a purpose in heaven, a time to be born & a time to die...a time to kill and a time to heal, a time time to break down and a time to build"...
11.09.2018
FF 31 - Q&A - Coccidiosis, Battery Brooder, Sowing Pastures
Spence & Mike answer some questions from our listeners. Apparently I was really sleepy when we recorded this - sorry about that! Got a question? Send it to us at [email protected]. If you got time, leave us a review on...
10.06.2018
FF 030 - Selling or Production - Which Comes First?
Hints of fall here in the NW Arkansas. On this episode Mike & Spence talk about the trickiness of timing markets and farm production, especially when you first get started. Like the FF Podcast? Feel free to leave us a...
09.24.2018
FF 029 - Labeling or Lies - Foreign Grown US Produced Grassfed Beef - Huh?
Wow - that was rough! Stolen & broken equipment galore, Tropical Storm Gordon & hay...it's been a difficult patch on the farm. Just goes with the territory. Mike & Spence also discuss a recent lawsuit to make the USDA stop...
08.30.2018
FF 028 - (Live) Transporting Poultry to the Processor
Spence here - It's a rainy catch up night, and so I thought I'd record the process as I catch up broilers for slaughter. Hauling your flock to the processor is the last step of production for us pastured poultry...
08.23.2018
FF 027 - When Farming Isn't Your Spouse's Thing
Farming can be a demanding lifestyle - no news flash here. When it's not your spouses calling though, it can create a lot of friction as the farm is going to impact them as well. How do you manage it?...
08.07.2018
FF 026 - (Live) Foraging & Cooking Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms
A field recording of Spence teaching his boys about an easy to identify, and tasty summer & fall mushroom - Chicken of the Woods. After collecting them, the guys move into the kitchen & deliciousness ensues.
08.03.2018
FF 025 - Q&A Pasture Rotation Freq & Auto Feed lines
In this episode Spence & Mike answer some listener questions. Sorry about the rough audio on Spence's end - it works itself out after the first few minutes. Do you have a question? Email us at [email protected].
07.19.2018
FF 024 - History of the Modern Poultry Industry
Chicken farming as we know it is a fairly recent development - but it's older than people think. We take a quick look at the evolution of modern poultry industry - especially focusing on the impacts of the World Wars...
07.07.2018
FF 023 - Summer Farm Observations
The grind of summer is rolling over farms across the nation. Spence & Mike talk about some season specifc farm observations - from the value of the boys' labor when they're not around, chickens eating horsenettle (!) an prickly, pesky...
06.29.2018
FF 023 - Check-In & Bonus Goat
Whew! A broke computer & summertime workload have slowed down the podcast release. We'll be back next week but just wanted to touchbase with ya'll & tell you about Bonus Goat! See you next week!
06.21.2018
FF 022 - Complementary Farm Enterprises
Most family farms are multi-faceted and rely on multiple enterprises. It's really important that these enterprises work together - and not be discordant. Spence & Mike talk about what that means practically on the farm. Also, we got our first...
06.11.2018
FF 021 - Beyond the Whole Bird - Adding Value to Pasture Poultry
What do you do when you saturate your market's demand fo whole birds? We tackle it in this episode - cut ups, hot wings, ground chicken & chicken sausage and more. Also - got the hay cut and we finally...
05.31.2018
FF 20 - Hot Weather Poultry Care
From an bitterly cold start to spring to a ridiculously hot finish of springtime, growers from all across the country are facing late summer temps early. After troubleshooting heat issues with processing customers the past week Spence, with Mike riding...
05.25.2018
FF 019 Hemp Dogbane & Other "Poisonous" Pasture Plants
Hemp dogbane - yep, we got it. The research says it's super deadly to everything - but that's not many farmers' experience. Then there's other references to the original scientists mistaking a houseplant for this weed. Should we stop our...
05.16.2018
FF 018 - To Hay or not to Hay
In this episode, we talk about hay making & why it may make sense for us on our farm. Poultry are relatively small and when your grass is knee high or taller - it can be a problem. Spence hits...
05.10.2018
FF 017 - Farming to Live or Living to Farm
Spring is here & you could work 24 hours a day and never get all your farmwork done - especially if you're bootstrapping a farm start-up. Fixing the daily immediate crisis that arise without short-changing the long-term vision of the...
04.26.2018
FF 016 - Economics of Pullets vs Starting Hens
Carla & I just drove over 1200 mi one way to PA to pickup a trailerload of pullets. Why not just start our own laying chicks? Dollars yo - and Mike and I discuss the economics of getting a small...
04.19.2018
FF 015 - Morels & Muscovies
The first successful Spencer morel hunt means spring is here (despite what the windchills say). Mike talks about cooking spring trout & his upcoming Muscovy duck project inspired by our friend Eli - who will never listen to this because...
04.11.2018
Teaching Farmboys Toughness, Thistles and Q&A
From mean roosters to the football field - lots of opportunities to teach our kids how to be tough on the farm. Your kids don't come with an instruction manual - so maybe this will help. Also, organic thistle control...
04.02.2018
FF 013 Riding Out a Late Night Storm & Hard Work
It's midnight and you're watching radar as the rain comes in - by 1 am you're out in a hoopcoop with a flock of chickens & a bale of hay weathering a storm! In this episode we talk about the...
03.17.2018
FF 011 - I'll Fly Away - One Crisis Causes Another
It's never good when the cops call you to let you know your shop went airborne - into the powerlines & settling in the hiway! This'll throw off your day/week & then other stuff happens - and it's usually not...
03.08.2018
FF 010 - Farming with Kids
In this episode, Spence talks about farming with kids. Spence & Carla started the farm about the same time as they started their family. Farming with kids has been a challenge for sure, but it's pretty awesome - not only...
02.28.2018
FF 009 -To Catch a Chicken Predator (lookin' at you trash pandas)
On this episode of the Fighting Farmer, Spence talks about how he figures out what's killing his birds when a predator targets the flock. Discussion about possums, the much hated trash pandas (aka coons), the majesty of owls up close,...
02.24.2018
Getting Started Farming in 2018
In Episode 08, Spence & Mike talk about getting fence built, a rough start to the goat kidding season, and rethinking labor & hiring on the farm in 2018 plus a whole lot more! Email fightingfarmerspence@gmail with any poultry questions.

What's The Fighting Farmer Podcast with Terrell Spencer about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Fighting Farmer Podcast with Terrell Spencer episodes:

FF 058 - CFAP 2 - Covid Food Assistance Program 2

FF 056 - New Land, New Plan

FF 055 - Pandemerrific

FF 054 - Winter Time Catch Up

FF 052 - When Animal "Rights" Folks Don't Respect Farm Boundaries

FF 051 - Farmer Vet Conference, Turkeys, & Mike's Cotton Patch Geese

FF 050 - Online Farm Stores: Experiences & Options

FF 049 - Fall farm catch up

FF 048 - Dealing with Problematic Raccoons

FF 047 - Cash flow, it's a killer!

FF 046 - Boar Taint in Pigs

FF 45 - Community Fixes the Wobbles

FF 044 - Q&A - Cornish Cross vs Heritage Breeds & The Dynamics of Freezing Meat

FF 043 - Successful Goat Kidding

FF 042 - Working with Green Lumber: Board & Batten Siding

FF 041 - Dealing with Wet Weather

FF 040 - Chickens Gotta Move

FF - 039 Commercial Sales

FF - 038 - If an Arkie Snail Goes Extinct Should We Care?

FF 037 - Heating the Brooder

FF 036 - Egg Yolk Color

FF 035 - Q&A - Quail Processing, Chicken Sausage Making & the Morality of Fighting in a War

FF 034 - Finishing 2018 & Starting 2019 - Holiday Check-in

FF 033 - Skipping Fall and Going Straight into Winter

FF 032 - Burying the Iraq War Hatchet

FF 31 - Q&A - Coccidiosis, Battery Brooder, Sowing Pastures

FF 030 - Selling or Production - Which Comes First?

FF 029 - Labeling or Lies - Foreign Grown US Produced Grassfed Beef - Huh?

FF 028 - (Live) Transporting Poultry to the Processor

FF 027 - When Farming Isn't Your Spouse's Thing

FF 026 - (Live) Foraging & Cooking Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms

FF 025 - Q&A Pasture Rotation Freq & Auto Feed lines

FF 024 - History of the Modern Poultry Industry

FF 023 - Summer Farm Observations

FF 023 - Check-In & Bonus Goat

FF 022 - Complementary Farm Enterprises

FF 021 - Beyond the Whole Bird - Adding Value to Pasture Poultry

FF 20 - Hot Weather Poultry Care

FF 019 Hemp Dogbane & Other "Poisonous" Pasture Plants

FF 018 - To Hay or not to Hay

FF 017 - Farming to Live or Living to Farm

FF 016 - Economics of Pullets vs Starting Hens

FF 015 - Morels & Muscovies

Teaching Farmboys Toughness, Thistles and Q&A

FF 013 Riding Out a Late Night Storm & Hard Work

FF 011 - I'll Fly Away - One Crisis Causes Another

FF 010 - Farming with Kids

FF 009 -To Catch a Chicken Predator (lookin' at you trash pandas)

Getting Started Farming in 2018