In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT specialists Lee Rhinehart and Eric Fuchs-Stengel have a lively discussion on the topic of beekeeping. Lee and Eric talk about the best and worst conditions for keeping bees, common mistakes for beginners, bee anatomy, and honey production. Eric also shares his own experiences in raising bees and provides many practical suggestions who to seek guidance from when first starting out and for cultivating healthy hives.
ATTRA Resources:
Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees
Free Bees, Part One: Finding Them
Free Bees, Part Two: Keeping Them
Beekeeping Basics: Making Splits
Beekeeping: Overwintering Bees in Warm Places
Episode 214. Attracting and Protecting Pollinators
Additional Resources:
Master Beekeeping Program at Cornell University
Natural Beekeeping - Ross Conrad
Raising Resilient Bees: Heritage Techniques to Mitigate Mites, etc. - Eric McEwen
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In this episode of Voices from the Field NCAT specialists and colleagues, Maura Henn and Tammy Howard, reflect on their journey helping Montana farmers markets build capacity and sustain success. Maura and Tammy also talk about new resources they have developed including Harvest of the Month at Farmers Market toolkit and a suite of Farmers Market Vendor Success videos.
ATTRA Resources:
Farmers Market Pricing Strategies for Vendors
Episode 377: Developing Farmers Market Cooperatives with Blake Lineweaver
Additional Resources:
Getting Started at Farmers Market Toolkit
Montana Farmers Market Network
National Farm to School Network
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez sits down with Asha Walker, founder and powerhouse behind Health in the Hood, a Miami-based nonprofit tackling food insecurity and health disparities by transforming vacant lots into thriving community gardens. Gabriella and Asha dive into the origin story of Health in the Hood, unpack how today’s food landscape is fueling chronic disease in low-income neighborhoods, and explore Asha’s new wellness app, Cured, which helps people take control of their health journey. Asha also shares ways you can get involved—whether it’s volunteering in the garden, supporting the mission, or just spreading the word.
ATTRA Resources:
Urban Gardening Tips with Echo Global Farms
Episode 311: More Than Food Grows at Community Gardens and Urban Farms
Additional Resources:
Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez gabriellas@ncat.org.
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT’s Nina Prater is joined by Tim Hammer, co-owner of Homegrown Native Foods, LLC. Tim is an educator who teaches people about responsible and safe foraging of wild plants and mushrooms in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. In this conversation, they discuss the many qualities of native plants that make them desirable in the farmscape, the commercial potential of different native plants, how to forage in the wild responsibly, and more.
ATTRA Resources:
Native Plants Offer More Than Beauty to the Farmscape
Switchgrass as a Bioenergy Crop
Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees
Companion Planting & Botanical Pesticides: Concepts & Resources
Other Resources:
Bringing Nature Home, by Doug Tallamy
Arkansas Food Innovation Center
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialist Maura Henn is joined by Blake Lineweaver, Co-op Development Program Manager at Mission West Community Development Partners. Maura and Blake talk about how farmers markets in Montana are using the cooperative business model to build resilience in their local food systems, as well as the steps to forming a cooperative farmers market, as well as the principles that guide all cooperatives.
ATTRA Resources:
Additional Resources:
CooperationWorks! Co-op Development Center Map
"We're Team Farm" Co-op Farmers Market MW Case Study
Mission West Community Development Partners
Contact Maura Henn at maurah@ncat.org.
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In this episode of Voices from the Field, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez explores the principles and power of Syntropic Agriculture with Roger Gietzen and Mauro Rosito-Weber—two educators and practitioners deeply immersed in this regenerative agroforestry method. Together they discuss how syntropic agriculture differs from traditional agroforestry systems, long term benefits of this model, common challenges, and practical steps and resources for getting started.
Related ATTRA Resources:
How Syntropic Agriculture Restores Soil and Farms
Additional Resources:
Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez gabriellas@ncat.org.
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater is joined by Dr. Faye Smith, a soil scientist with a focus on sustainable soil and landscape management. They talk about the importance of soil health, science-backed approaches to soil health, important benchmarks for measuring soil health, and more.
ATTRA Resources:
Managing Soil for Water Publication
Additional Resources:
Ologies, Indigenous Pedology Episode
Contact Nina Prater at ninap@ncat.org.
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist, Eddy Labus, is joined by Joe Boccardy, better known as Joe Ginseng. Joe has a small farm nestled in the mountains of Northwest North Carolina where he cares for a small herd of Scottish Highland cattle, pigs, and chickens. Joe farms the forests on his farm, raising several different types of threatened or endangered species like Ginseng and Golden Seal. In this episode, Eddy and Joe talk about growing plants in Appalachian forests, preservation methods, and value-added marketing ideas.
Related ATTRA Resources:
Other Resources:
Appalachia’s ginseng goldmine may not last much longer
Forest Farming: An Agroforestry Practice
Cultivating Native Woodland Botanicals
Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez goes in-depth into the world of mushroom production and market diversification in a conversation with Russell Hollander from Care2Grow, a vertical mushroom farm located in Naples, Florida.
They talk about how to start producing mushrooms on any scale, the uses of spent mushroom blocks, the health benefits of edible and medicinal mushrooms, and Russell's marketing journey.
Related ATTRA Resources:
Other Resources:
Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez gabriellas@ncat.org.
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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
In today's episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialist Audrey Kolde interviews Cynthia Flores the founder of Labor-Movement, an organization that believes when you move well, you work well. Audrey and Cynthia discuss the inspiration for creating Labor Movement and the importance of proper movement for those whose livelihoods depend on their bodies, especially farmers, fishers, foresters, and industrial athletes.
ATTRA RESOURCES:
Equipment – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture
Farm Stress and Emotional Well-Being, Part I – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture
OTHER RESOURCES:
Farmer Well-Being – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture
Contact Audrey Kolde at audreyk@ncat.org.
Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.
You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.