Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good

In this episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good, Pete Charlerie dives into financial sustainability for small farms, free equipment and information resources, USDA incentives and more. Pete tells us about his journey from his family's citrus grove in Trinidad to the University of Maryland, where he earned a degree in ag economics, setting the stage for his farm consultancy work today. Hear about the value of niche farm products, from cut flowers to sweet potato greens to value-added products. When you need a market for your products, sometimes you need to start your own, and Pete talks about his role in starting the Hollywood Farmers Market in Maryland. Learn about Pete's work as a farm consultant, as he tells us how to get better prices on materials, find USDA and NRCS resources and financial incentives, and use shared equipment. FARMS (the Family Agriculture Resource Management Service) is another resource for legal, marketing and production help for small-scale farmers in the US and the Caribbean. Stay tuned for the story about how FARMS helped one farmer save three hours of labor a day! Pete also talks about his SunSplash Farm and how farming taught him about much more than growing food. At the very end, you'll get tips for growing taro, a versatile and productive root crop that's well known in the tropics. Pete Charlerie on LinkedIn FARMS (Family Agriculture Resource Management Service)

Nebraska farmer Kirstin Bailey talks intergenerational farming, farm transitions, and the free support for farmers offered by the Center for Rural Affairs. Hear about the four generations of Kirstin's family living on Fox Run Farms, where they grow fruits and vegetables and keep bees. Kirstin talks about planning a farm business in a rural area, accessing nearby urban markets and bringing the community to the farm. Learn about what it's like to farm in a place that swings from 100-degree-F-plus temperatures in the summer to -16-degree-F temperatures in the winter. With a farm that's been in her family for 123 years, Kirstin talks about how her family has made intentional decisions about succession planning and farm transitions, including the importance of having support to create new farm enterprises to keep the farm viable through the years. Learn about the free support that the Center for Rural Affairs offers to beginning farmers, from business planning to crop- and livestock-specific training. Kirstin has a great success story about a beginner veteran farmer who's gone through CFRA programs and now has his own thriving farm. You have to listen to the end to hear Kirstin's advice for getting your farm dreams started and keeping them moving! Plus, Kristin shares with us her 13-year-old son's farm dreams and a little shot of hope for the future of family farming in rural America. Center for Rural America Email Kirstin Bailey

Farmer Demetra Markis joins Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good for a chat about her farm, Milleflora Farm, where she and her partner grow medicinal herbs for natural medicine clients and a small vegetable harvest to share with neighbors. Demetra talks about this farming endeavor, as well as sharing about her community grazing efforts, where she and neighbors graze sheep to reduce tall, dry grass that can contribute to wildfires in her home state of California. Demetra digs into participating in community-level farming, as well as discussing tried-and-true flock protection against predators—all the predators, actually, including mountain lions. And as an experienced community acupuncturist and licensed herbalist, she discusses some of her experience growing medicinal herbs. Plus, she shares the pleasure of enjoying olive oil made from homegrown olives. Plus, we cover biointensive growing, a particularly helpful technique for areas like California with constraints on land and resources. Milleflora Farm

Filipino-Hawaiian farmer Emily Trabolsi joins Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good to talk about what farming in the Pacific Northwest looks like from a cooperative perspective. Learn about growing upland rice just outside Seattle. Hear about the Agrarian Trust organization and their concept of land and resource sharing, and then Emily shares examples of successful cooperatives from around the world. Washington Farmland Trust expanded to have a statewide presence in fall 2021, and that's where Emily's work with them comes in. She explains how she helps to connect farmers with land and resources and to facilitate equitable, long-term lease arrangements through the Farm to Farmer program. Emily enthusiastically talks about ideas to bring people together and support new farmers. Emily brings us into the concept of "putting the culture back in agriculture," becoming connected to our food system, and why that $6 bag of salad mix is worth every bit of $6. Finally, she shares her two favorite farm meals—because she couldn't pick just one. The recipe for a delicious Filipino pork dish is linked below! Email Emily Trabolsi Emily Trabolsi's personal on Instagram Emily Trabolsi's farming Instagram Washington Farmland Trust Farm to Farmer Agrarian Trust Kamayan Farm Ayeko Farm Modest Family Solutions Emily's go-to recipe for humba

Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good brings you part two of the conversation with Colorado farmer Meighen Lovelace. In this episode, Meighen talks about the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger and John Ikerd's work in bringing to life a community food utility—like a rural electric cooperative, but for regionally produced food. Learn about zoning, what you need to know about these rules that dictate how you are allowed to use your property, and who you need to know to change the law, whether you farm in the city, suburbs or country. Then, get a Farm Bill primer! The Farm Bill is that massive piece of national legislation that is renewed every five years and affects pretty much everything that touches your life, from energy to conservation to nutrition to beginning-farmer programs and more. Meighen breaks down the parts of the Farm Bill and flags areas that you as a small-scale farmer should pay attention to. And Meighen and Lisa offer a little pep talk for you to call your legislators and share your Farm Bill wants. Listen to the end for Meighen's favorite farm meal. (This is the first time we've heard this veggie as a favorite from all of the podcast guests!) Be sure to listen back to Episode #33 for the first part of Meighan Lovelace's conversation, including talk about farming in a water-scarce area, year-round farming with the Salvation Army, permaculture forest greenhouses and more. Mountain Harvest Consulting Meighan Lovelace on Twitter Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger John Ikerd on community food utilities

On this episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good, Colorado farmer Meighen Lovelace talks water issues in the West, empowering people to grow food in community, and your chance to speak truth to power with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. This is episode one of two with Meighen. Check back in for the rest of the conversation in two weeks! Listen in for Meighen's take on how to work with your land, including the hard decision she's made to put her San Luis Valley farmland in cover crops for a couple of seasons, and the challenges of working with water rights of farmers and communities throughout the Western US. Meighen tells us about a gardening project she helped start at the Salvation Army when she was a client there herself and how it's grown into a year-round urban farm with a four-season greenhouse and a training and job placement program. Then, Meighen talks about her Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute training and the permaculture forest greenhouse concept (including the simple climate battery, which you have to hear about!). Listen in to the end for details about the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health—the first to be held since 1969. As a small-scale farmer and someone interested in food systems, you have a chance to have your voice heard! Meighen tells us about how. Mountain Harvest Consulting Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute The Alliance to End Hunger White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health

In this episode, fourth-generation Mississippi farmer Felicia Bell talks about traditional agriculture, family business, farmers helping farmers, and more. Find out how you can get free sustainable farming advice and technical assistance from the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) from a specialist like Felicia. Felicia explains what she means by "traditional agriculture" and why she prefers this phrase to describe popular agricultural methods instead of saying "sustainable agriculture" or "regenerative agriculture." Hear about Felicia's self-sufficient homestead upbringing on what she now calls RD & S Farm and how the farm has changed since her grandparents were teaching her their farming ways. Listen until the end for Felicia's advice for maintaining healthy pasture for grazing animals and to learn the most inexpensive way to keep deer out of your garden! National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) RD & S Farm on Facebook RD & S Farm on Instagram

Aaron De La Cerda is on this episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good to talk about the Acta Non Verba Youth Urban Farm Project, fruit gleaning, growing cannabis as a teenager, and why he prefers to be a "lazy" farmer. You'll learn about how a life decision he was asked to make in third grade led to him being known as "the plant person" among his family and friends and shaped his career and life trajectory. Aaron talks about growing up with a family full of educators and how this, plus his green thumb and an interest in social justice eventually brought him to nonprofit urban farming work. Hear about his work with unhoused folks, helping the shelter with a garden, and plotting out fruit gleaning opportunities in Merced, Cali. Then, get up to speed with the work of Acta Non Verba Youth Urban Farm Project and its kids and family programs. Hear about the community farm at the Oakland A's baseball stadium, as well as two other urban farms, and the wild growth of ANV's Beet Box CSA program. Finally, get Aaron's advice—hat tip to Masanobu Fukuoka's book One-Straw Revolution—for hands-off, natural-systems farming, consider the current crisis of "local" food, and hear Aaron's thoughts on the role and future of urban farming. (Spoiler alert: It isn't to feed the whole city's population.) Acta Non Verba Youth Urban Farm website ANV on Facebook ANV on Instagram

Chef and farmer Chereen Leong Schwarz is on this podcast episode to talk about "local" food from all perspectives. Hear about why Chereen has never eaten a McDonald's hamburger and how that ties in to her from-scratch, locally sourced food philosophy and her love of cooking and eating country-style food. Chereen tells us about farming in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where they have just 59 frost- free days in the growing season. Listen in on the intimate details of what it's like for Chereen to help raise animals from birth to harvest and then, as a local-foods chef, to carefully prepare the meat and to be sure the people enjoying the meal understand the value of what they are eating. Use this farm-kitchen hack: Chereen offers her best tips for using all parts of the food you're growing, including cabbage cores, carrot tops, and random vegetable scraps. Also hear about her Emerging Leader in Food & Ag Award, the community being built by young farmers, and what's giving her hope for food access and her local farming scene. And listen in until the end for Chereen's favorite meal and to learn a bit about her other socially conscious business. Wilderbean Provisions Wilderbean Provisions on Instagram Smeeny Beanie Knits Smeenie Beanie on Instagram Community Agriculture Alliance

Farming, political science and the food system intersect for Colorado farmer, organizer and professor Fatuma Emmad, the guest on this episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good. Hear about how her family's immigration and emigration shaped her understanding of the food system and how that led her to become a farmer herself, now at FrontLine Farming in Denver, Colorado. You'll learn how Mile High Farmers, a coalition of 60-plus farmers and supporters, connects eaters and farmers with events and education in health and wellness, racial equity, marketing, land and policy. (Fatuma is president of this nonprofit.) Fatuma also talks about the farming work and food justice work being done at multiple farm sites for FrontLineFarming, including food access initiatives, a paid apprenticeship program and their own search for farmland. Also learn about the ways farm workers are being supported with Project Protect Food Systems Workers, and take some advice on keeping foodways alive through seed saving. FrontLine Farming Mile High Farmers Project Protect Food Systems Workers

On this episode of "Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good," host Lisa Munniksma talks with permaculturalist, urban farming educator and New York City garden designer, Cheryl Browne. A co-founder of the Black Permaculture Network, Browne helps people bring the outdoors in through her business, Urban Permie, connecting them with opportunities to experience nature and connect with more natural living. Learn about what herbs you can grow indoors to enhance wellness in your life, how an effective permaculture lifestyle requires a generational mindset and what you can do to build a food forest of your own. Plus, hear about Cheryl's tropical property in Costa Rica and her longterm goal of building a tropical fruit forest and much more! Urban Permie Cheryl Browne on Instagram Black Permaculture Network

Urban farmer Mariel Gardner talks about 5th Element Farms (aka Apocalyptic Acres), where Dope Beets, Dope Rhymes is the motto for the vacant city lot they reclaimed as a space to grow food for their community. Their food access model is to feed the people as best they can with the hope that others will want to support them in this "economy of decency." Listen in for tips for finding and reusing discarded items for your farm and for starting your own pollinator garden, in the city or the country. Mariel also tells us about the West Louisville Women's Collaborative, where they believe "wellness lies at the juncture of art and nature." With more than 300 vacant and abandoned properties listed with the Louisville Landbank Authority, you'll hear about the challenges of accessing this and other land for urban farming. You'll also learn about Mariel's research into historical Black land dispossession in the state of Kentucky and how this continues in cities and suburbs today. 5th Element Farms on Facebook West Louisville Women's Collaborative online

Young farmer Zoe Fuller talks about the growing agriculture scene in Alaska, where US farming statistics are being turned on their heads. You'll hear about small-scale farmers coming together in the Matanuska Valley and creating a community-based economy in Alaska. Hear also about indigenous foodways and salmon-safe farming practices to protect salmon sources and waterways. Learn about what it's like to farm at Singing Nettle Farm in Southcentral Alaska's short but productive growing season. And learn about root cellaring as Zoe shares her root cellar experience and recent experimentation for keeping farm-grown food through the winter. Listen to the end to hear Zoe's favorite all-local Alaskan food meal. It's so simple and perfect for the busy farming season. Singing Nettle Farm Singing Nettle Farm on Instagram Singing Nettle Farm on Facebook

At Virsylvia Farm in the high desert of New Mexico, Tyler Eshleman and his wife raise goats for dairy and fiber; sheep for dairy, meat and fiber; alpacas for fiber; laying hens; and some vegetables. Hear about the realities of regenerative farming at 8,000 feet above sea level, from the challenging growing and land conditions to the cooperative workings of fellow farmers. Learn about Tyler's innovative marketing means to get more local food into the hands of more people in his area: a year-round pay-what-you-can farmstand for his and other farmers' products, a multi-farm meat CSA, and a goat- and sheep-dairy herdshare. (Also, when you visit him at the farmers market, you can make your own goats-milk ice cream using a bicycle-powered ice cream churner!) Listen in for Tyler's best advice for bringing dairy goats to your farm, from goat breeds to feed sourcing and knowing your state's raw-milk laws. Tyler also talks about his off-farm work with the Quivira Coalition and New Mexico Coalition to Enhance Working Lands, bringing together agricultural and conservation organizations to support farmers and ranchers who are contributing to healthy soils, clean waterways and vibrant communities. And stay tuned until the end to hear Tyler's favorite ways to eat goat cheese. Virsylvia Farm Virsylvia Farm on Instagram New Mexico Coalition to Enhance Working Lands NMCEWL on Instagram

Missy Singer DuMars tells us about her 13-acre Crown Hill Farm, outside Buffalo, New York, from the Lake Erie sunset views to her sheep and market gardens. Learn about fiber production, the art of scaling up slowly, and how to choose the best varieties to grow and sell. Missy has been hosting dinners and events for a few years, and she tells us about the evolution of the events and why it's important to connect people to the source of their food. Find out about Missy's Women in Food podcast, highlighting women supporting local food cultures everywhere, grew out of her farm events. Missy shares her favorite recipes to come from her podcast guests. (Don't listen hungry.) Stay tuned to the end to take Missy's advice as a business coach for starting your own egg CSA, from "chicken math" to bird health to CSA distribution, because farm-fresh eggs are in demand everywhere. Crown Hill Farm website Crown Hill Farm on Instagram Women in Food podcast Awarepreneur's podcast

From her .25-acre mini farm in New Mexico, Juliann Salinas talks all about beekeeping, the fragility of the local food system exposed by the pandemic, the Women, Food & Ag Network, and more. You'll learn a quick history of WFAN's 25 years, from environmental justice to racial justice, all focused on co-creating a just, equitable and ecological food and agricultural system that includes a place for strong women and nonbinary leadership. See where you fit in to the Growing Community Resilience program for support and connection, Harvesting Our Potential mentorship program, Women Caring for the Land education program, and Plate to Politics program to raise up women's leadership in food and ag policies. Jules delves into the impact of the inflexibility and vulnerability of our food system, particularly on the Native communities in her area. Hear about the solutions that the community developed and how far it is that we have to go to achieve truly resilient local food networks. Learn the challenges of farming in New Mexico and what is possible to grow on .25 acre! And stay tuned to the end for Jules' tips for the beginning beekeeper—including how to expect the unexpected in a changing climate. WFAN website WFAN Facebook WFAN Twitter WFAN TikTok WFAN Instagram

On this episode of "Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good," host Lisa Munniksma talks with herbalist, seed enthusiast and Hobby Farms contributor Bevin Cohen. Cohen and his family left city life some years ago to pursue simple living at their 3-acre Small House Farm—only to find his farming whims pulled him right back to the kind of profit-driven lifestyle he was trying to escape. Hear how Cohen left a marketing career for simpler endeavors in rural central Michigan. Learn about pressing your own cooking oils from nuts and seeds—a fresh, homegrown alternative to grocery-store options. Bevin also tells us about seed libraries—how they work and what they can do for our modern world. And listen in as he recounts some lessons he's learned while trying to keep things simple (sometimes despite his own homesteading passions). Bevin Cohen on HobbyFarms.com Small House Farm The Complete Guide to Seed and Nut Oils: Growing, Foraging, and Pressing (available for pre-order)

Listen in as Sharon Stone—an urban farmer at Two Sons Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and coordinator of the Woodhill International Market—tells us about serving the community through gardening education and increasing access to farm-fresh food. Sharon is a retired teacher and has the most incredible community of people working alongside her to bring fresh food to the Woodhill neighborhood—with something like 32 countries represented in the local school—in a sliding-scale market. She also tells us how she got her start growing food as part of a farmer mentorship program with the Seedleaf urban farming program. Two Suns Farm Woodhill International Market Seedleaf

Listen as Rasheed Hislop, a Master Composter, offers you his best tips for small-scale vermicomposting. Get your worm bins ready! Hear about how this Brooklyn-raised farmer's grandparents, in the Hudson Valley and in Trinidad and Tobago, instilled in him an interest in food production by way of gardening, fishing and cooking from scratch. Rasheed talks about his work supporting farmers, first with urban farmers and community gardeners through NYC Parks GreenThumb and now with farmers in California's Central Valley, particularly Black, indigenous and farmers of color, through Community Alliance with Family Farmers and African American Farmers of California. He also gets into the racial equity and planning work being done behind the scenes at nonprofits like CAFF. (Plus, this is your chance to make plans to attend, virtually or in person, the CAFF conference, coming up Feb. 27 to March 3, 2022!) Learn about the Black Zocalo cooperative's efforts to teach about growing food, planting native plants and fostering farm-related businesses, including Rosalba Lopez Ramirez's (Rasheed's wife's) Dau Butter skincare line and Rasheed's seed production for Truelove Seeds. All of this is ultimately to create a movement toward a Black and Indigenous-owned land-based learning center. Also put in your listening queue Rasheed's Farming in Color podcast, highlighting the work of his BIPOC farming friends and creating an archive for Black Zocalo's work. Farming in Color podcast Black Zocalo on Instagram Black Zocalo website California Alliance with Family Farmers website 2022 CAFF Conference

Alinee "shiny" Flanary shares with you her top three tips to improve your farmers market sales in this episode. She talks about what it was like to go from "zero to farmer" when she jumped into a farmer incubator program a few years ago. She now manages her own Scrapberry Farm as part of the Raceme Farm Collective, growing primarily herbs for medicine making. Hear about the microfarms and the individuals—including the strengths, skills and challenges they bring with them—comprising the collective. You'll also learn about shiny's Come Thru Market, a BIPOC farmers market in Portland that has grown by leaps and bounds since its launch in 2019. She tells us about how it's changed and now serves a whole community of farmers and shoppers, plus the market's exciting plans for expanding its farmer training program, in cooperation with Zenger Farm, thanks to a big grant. (You'll also learn how to ask for—and get—$50,000 when you really need it.) Scrapberry Farm website Scrapberry Farm on Instagram Email shiny Flanary Come Thru Market website Come Thru Market on Instagram Black Food Sovereignty Coalition website

Four-season farmer Michelle Howell works at the intersection of farming, health, art and equity. In this podcast episode, hear about how Michelle has woven these aspects together at her family's diversified Need More Acres Farm in Scottsville, Kentucky. Michelle walks us through what a week looks like on the farm, beginning with their harvest day, working with 20 to 30 different produce items, year-round. Learn from their creative, community-centric marketing approach (some customers get 80% or more of their food from the farm!) and the ways they've created new opportunities to put their food into the hands of more people, including through the HOTEL, INC food pantry, Community Farmers Market and a brand new meal-kit service. She tells us how she and her husband, Nathan, have encouraged all five of their children to be involved in the farm—the oldest having just decided he wants to farm full-time—and how that's benefited not just the kids but the whole community. Finally, get tips from Michelle about growing diverse crops year-round, not just for your own home use but as a marketing outlet in itself. Need More Acres Farm website Instagram Facebook

Celize Christy talks poultry keeping with Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good host Lisa Munniksma. Listen in for her tips for homeopathic care for our home flocks and the secret to the brightest egg yolks. Hear about her work with poultry farmers in Uganda and Rwanda and her thinking on the intersection of livestock and livelihoods. Through her work with Practical Farmers of Iowa, Celize organizes farmer-mentorship, land-link and Spanish-language farmer education projects, and she tells us how you can take advantage of these innovative programs. As a people person who grew up without a farm background and felt the isolation of being unlike others in her early farming education, Celize has taken on the role of supporting folks not always represented in food and farming systems in her community work. She shares with us some success stories coming from small-scale farmers, women farmers and farmers of color in Iowa. Email Celize Christy Follow Celize on Twitter Visit the Practical Farmers of Iowa website Visit the Practical Farmers of Iowa Resources page online Follow Practical Farmers on Facebook Follow Practical Farmers on Instagram Follow Practical Farmers on Twitter Visit the Women Food & Agriculture Network website

Through his Maseualkualli Farms in Lawrence, Kansas, Pantaleon Florez has big ideas for farming and food systems equity. Starting out at Common Ground Incubator Farm just before the COVID-19 pandemic began required Panta to be creative in his marketing outlets, shifting away from farmers markets and toward value-added items, restaurant sales and mutual aid food support. Learn about his research in growing corn using traditional Mexica indigenous methods from the 1500s (spoiler alert: it yielded higher than current no-till methods), what it's like to farm as part of an incubator farm, and the difference between farming in California and farming in Kansas. Panta also lets us in on his innovative $1 million food security and farming plan that could change the way $5.9 million worth of food is produced, processed and distributed around his city. He calls it The People's Century Farm, and you're going to want to hear about it! Ancestral Mexica farming research Maseualkualli Farms website Maseualkualli Farms Instagram

How does a farming community recover after a disaster? By coming together. Tara Rodríguez Besosa talks about Puerto Rico's agricultural and economic situation, including the role that the U.S. plays and, more importantly, the neighbors providing for one another in Puerto Rico's food system. Hear how they started their own food journey when their mother left the city to become a farmer, then sold sprouts they grew in their city apartment at the farmers market, and then started big-picture thinking about how to support farmers on the island with the business that they cofounded, El Departamento de la Comida. In its earliest iteration, El Depa aggregated local produce for a multi-farm CSA, then became the only restaurant in Puerto Rico serving all Puerto Rican-produced foods. El Depa's transition, after the 2017 hurricanes, into a nonprofit collective has allowed the entity to support farmers and food projects with the facilitation of work brigades, the sharing of tools and knowledge, and now a commercial kitchen. Tara offers their knowledge about how each of us can design a resource library for tools, seeds and education in our own farming communities. (Spoiler alert: It starts by asking your fellow land stewards about their needs!) Finally, hear about the OtraCosa queer land collective and what it's like to reinhabit a home and 8-acre property that's been abandoned for 30 years. The Jones Act National Tool Library Group Up Beet! Seed Libraries Forum El Departamento de la Comida website El Depa on Instagram Tara Rodríguez Besosa on Instagram

Nathan Harben is a farmer at Local Forage Farm in Glenora, British Columbia, a 2-acre homestead that grows ethically raised livestock, fruits and vegetables. He also works with the food recovery team of Cowichan Green Community, a non-profit organization that has focused on environmental sustainability in Vancouver Island's Cowichan Region since March 2004. Listen in as he talks about farming in extreme heat and meeting water needs during times of drought. Learn about local food security measures and how COVID impacted food access for many (and measures to feed people during troubling times). Hear about methods farmers in areas with short growing seasons do to extend their seasons and grow food year-round. And share in some of his small-farm antics, from chickens laying eggs on the bed to falling in love with fresh asparagus.

Listen as farmer Anita Ashok Adalja lets us in on what it's like to grow okra in the Southwest, including how to "convince" neighbors to try a new-to-them vegetable. Learn about the Not Our Farm farmworker visibility project, telling the story of and celebrating folks who are non-farm-owning and working on others' farms. Find out how to have your own story told and hear about the farmworkers guide that's about to be released. Dig in to food safety for your small farm with advice from Anita's place as a farmer as well as a food safety educator. Spoiler alert: If you think about food safety from the perspective of healthy community care, it's a much less intimidating concept—and you're likely already doing it. Tune in to Anita's hope for the concept of revisioning how sustainable farming fits into our lives. Stay tuned to the end to learn Anita's trick for cooking okra so it's not slimy! And add her favorite okra recipe to your upcoming meal plan.

Listen in as Sinéad Fortune, living in Scotland, explains how Brexit—Great Britain's exit from the European Union—has left farmers in the United Kingdom in a precarious place. Imagine not being able to purchase French cheese and Spanish olives … and the seeds and supplies you need to keep farming … because of this shift in political borders. Sinéad, the seed sovereignty program manager in the UK and Ireland for The Gaia Foundation, talks about her work in training farmers and community gardeners to produce and save their own seeds, reviving and spreading traditional seed knowledge held by community elders, and network building among groups doing seed sovereignty work. You'll also learn what, exactly, is meant by "seed sovereignty" and how that differs in the UK and Ireland from efforts in the US, including the painful and healing conversations this work involves. Hear, too, about what it's like to live and farm 16 miles from the North Sea, and get advice for growing herbs on your own farm. The Gaia Foundation On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram Seed Sovereignty Program On Twitter

You asked, and we found your answer! Everyone is looking for funding for farm projects, and this episode's guest explains the ins and outs of popular and less-known USDA and NRCS grant programs. Ariana Taylor-Stanley talks about her work with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and why that matters to each of us farming. Learn about "organizing"—but not the kind of organizing that your tool shed desperately needs—and about how you as an individual can help to shape farm policy and shift systems to benefit small-scale agriculture. Ariana also tells us about her Here We Are Farm in Trumansburg, New York, raising vegetables and dairy sheep, and running a CSA plus having a farmers market presence. She gets real about the complicated relationship she has with owning and farming on the stolen land of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ people and how she's examining the ways in which her farm fits into oppressive social systems. Learn, too, about how she's able to accept SNAP/EBT for CSA shares through the Healthy Food For All organization. Lastly, Ariana offers her professional advice on how to apply for the government programs offering funds for high tunnels, pollinator plots, cover crops and more, starting with who to call in the first place. Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Agriculture Resilience Act National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition NSAC Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programs NSAC Farmers' Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program On Facebook On Instagram On Twitter Here We Are Farm On Facebook On Instagram

What's it like to go from knowing nothing about farming to traveling around the world as a consultant to farmers? In this episode, organic farmer and farm consultant Garth Kahl tells us how that path unfolded in his life, how he came to love working with livestock and why he still believes the USDA organic label is the best baseline standard for responsible farm production. Learn how to help get your organic inspection and other vital farm projects paid for with FSA and NRCS funds! Get Garth's best advice for bringing cattle to your farm or homestead—hint: they're easier than goats. And hear about why intensive rotational grazing is vital to the health of his Western Oregon farm, in ways that you may not have previously considered. Garth and show host Lisa Munniksma also talk about water rights in the western US; Garth's favorite farm meal, which involves growing hundreds of row feet of basil; and how to balance the demands of farming with an off-farm job that involves travel.

Farmer, seed developer and activist Nate Kleinman talks with Growing Good host Lisa Munniksma about his work in the food system and advice for growing some unusual perennial crops. Hear about Experimental Farm Network's development of perennial staple crops to adapt to various growing conditions—and about how you as a citizen scientist farmer can take part in developing these seeds. Learn about seed rematriation and the work of relationship building behind that effort. And find out how the Cooperative Gardens Commission started, including a small history lesson on the phrase victory gardens, and how this organization grew by leaps and bounds in the early days of the pandemic. Be sure to listen to the end for advice on how to grow passionfruit, or maypop, even if you don't live in a subtropical environment. Nate also tells us his favorite crop to grow. (Hint: It's the fourth most widely grown grain in the US, yet most of us have never planted it.) Experimental Farm Network EFN Seeds Maypop Passionfruit Improvement Project Cooperative Gardens Commission Indigenous Seed Keepers Network

This episode's guest, Bonnetta Adeeb, calls herself "an extended mom" as the advisor for youth programs and farmer support programs. As the director of Steam Onward and the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, she fosters the idea that anything you want to do in life, you can do through agriculture. Hear about how the youth in these programs are empowered to brainstorm (that's "brain barf") and put into practice solutions to real-world problems and how one particular brain-barf session led to the gardening and food sovereignty programs central to their work today. Bonnetta also talks about the organizations' role in supporting hundreds of farmers and gardeners as a seed hub since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, why they're focusing on seed saving, and how they developed their catalog of heritage and heirloom seeds. Perhaps most importantly, you'll hear about how to learn your own seed story and the imperative to understand your family's culturally appropriate seeds. Be sure to listen to the end for Bonnetta's seed-saving advice, which she calls yucky but fun, and for info about how you can become a seed producer with the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance. Steam Onward Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance

Hear from Dig This! radio show host and book author Monica Clark about her work to dispel the myths surrounding food access. Monica speaks honestly about her experience of job loss and homelessness in Seattle and how growing her own food in a community garden sustained her during this time. Listen to an excerpt from Monica's book, "Mentor the Garden Mentor: A 12-Month Gardening Curriculum for Low-Income/Ethnic/Marginalized Communities and the Organizations the Serve Them." Monica also tells us about using her own experience of shopping for food with SNAP/EBT (formerly known as food stamps) to help farmers accept SNAP dollars, the same as they would a credit card or debit card. Hear about the nonprofit Cooperative Gardens Commission's founding during the pandemic and the work they've done to help people get started gardening, including establishing and supporting more than 250 seed hubs! Be sure to listen to the end of the podcast for the No. 1, most important, gardening advice Monica can offer, which she's polished through decades of experience in gardening across the US. Monica Clark on Instagram Dig This! radio program (Saturdays, 2-4 pm Central) Mentor The Garden Mentor book Cooperative Gardens Commission

Listen in as farmer-chef-storytellers Amy Dawson and Mike Costello talk with host Lisa Munniksma about using food and farming to reverse the narratives we've all learned about stereotypes of Appalachia. Hear about Amy's realization that she should look at the ham her family kept in her childhood home (on top of their laundry dryer) with the same pride afforded to world-renowned Iberico hams hanging in homes, restaurants and storefronts across Spain. Amy and Mike talk about elevating Appalachian food traditions, which were born from a time of poverty and necessity, through the Farm & Forage Supper Club at their Lost Creek Farm and the traveling kitchen food and education events. You'll also learn the devastating story of how the salt trout tradition and culture disappeared in West Virginia. And if you don't know about salt-rising bread, listen to the end to hear Amy's own story of a delicious bread with a stinky distinction. Links: Lost Creek Farm website Lost Creek Farm on Patreon Lost Creek Farm on Facebook Lost Creek Farm on Instagram The Pickle Shelf Radio Hour website

Show host Lisa Munniksma talks with SLAK Market Farm's Kenya Abraham, who just happens to be Lisa's raw milk herdshare owner in Lexington, Kentucky. Listen in to hear about the journey that took Kenya from urban entrepreneur in Ohio to farmer in Kentucky. Hear about her creative land lease and land sharing arrangements, the ins and outs of a raw milk and halal meat herdshare, how everyone in the family plays a role on the farm, and the community at the heart of the work Kenya does. Kenya also talks about how she connects kids with the land through her Stack a Story Bookshop storybook writing and farmstay nonprofit. Be sure to listen to the end to hear about how Kenya looks to her animals to destress and why she gets up at 4 or 5 am. (Spoiler alert: It isn't to milk the cows.) SLAK Market Farm

Show host Lisa Munniksma talks with Olga Tzogas, a forager, mushroom grower and educator in Rochester, New York. Olga's Smugtown Mushrooms has provided mushroom-cultivation supplies and education since 2014. Hear about the foraging trips Olga leads in her family's home country of Greece, learn of the downside to the current foraging craze, and get excited about the return of Olga's passion projects, the New Moon Mycology Summit and The Mycelium Underground. And near the end of the podcast, hear Olga's recommendations for must-have (and money-saving) mushroom-cultivation info sources! Smugtown Mushrooms https://www.instagram.com/smugtownmushrooms/ https://www.facebook.com/smugtownmushrooms https://www.instagram.com/newmoonmycologysummit/ https://www.facebook.com/newmoonmycologysummit

Lisa Munniksma sits down with Maria Elena Rodriguez of Puerto Rico's Cosecha Caribe to talk about growing food in Puerto Rico, her craft Caribbean-inspired artisanal food products, and the community-based food work she does with El Departamento de la Comida and DAISA Enterprises. And make sure you stick around to hear her secret for harvesting coconuts! Cosecha Caribe

Lisa Munniksma sits down with horticulturalist Jessica Walliser to talk about growing plants, appreciating bugs, writing (and editing) about gardening and more. As a writer, editor and co-founder of Savvy Gardening, Walliser is a leading voice in modern gardening, and she shares with us the chilling tale that led her to organic-only growing methods in this episode of "Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good." Make sure you stick around to hear her favorite from-the-garden meal! JessicaWalliser.com Savvy Gardening

In our premiere episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good, host Lisa Munniksma sits down for a chat with Angela Wartes-Kahl of Oregon's Common Treasury Farm. As the co-founder of Fibrevolution, Wartes-Kahl has plenty of insight into growing fiber crops on the farm, as well as plant fiber uses (did you know you carry around linen in your wallet?). And as an inspector member of the International Organic Inspectors Association, she sheds some light on what, exactly, is going on with organic certification of fiber these days (and how you can get involved). HobbyFarms.com Common Treasury Farm Fibrevolution International Organic Inspectors Association