Branching Out: Growing Together

Melanie Jones
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Branching Out: Growing Together – Your gateway to the world of small-scale nut and fruit tree farming, hosted by Melanie Jones from her picturesque chestnut farm in Kentucky. Join Melanie and her guests as they explore the latest trends, innovations, and personal stories from the chestnut industry and beyond.  Whether you're a seasoned grower, a curious landowner, or dreaming of rural living, this podcast offers expert advice, practical tips, and meaningful conversations to help you cultivate success.Tune in bi-weekly for insightful interviews with industry leaders, discover actionable farming strategies, and connect with a community passionate about sustainable agriculture and rural lifestyles. At Branching Out: Growing Together, there's always a fresh perspective waiting for you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

  1. FEB 5

    Welcome to The Chestnut Blueprint

    While much of American agriculture is stuck in debt and overproduction, a quiet revolution is growing beneath the canopy of chestnut trees. In this episode, Roger Smith of Prairie Grove Chestnut Growers joins United Chestnuts to share how his network of seven-state growers has broken free from the commodity system — and built a model where farmers are price makers, not price takers. From “street-corner retail” to standardized genetics and cold-chain precision, Smith’s story is proof that specialty crops can rewrite the rules of farm economics. Host Kim Douglass unpacks how Smith and other innovators like Greg Miller and Mike Nave are leading the shift from survival to legacy — and why the chestnut industry’s playbook may hold the blueprint for the future of regenerative specialty farming. Tune in if you’re ready to: Understand how specialty crops are outpacing commoditiesLearn practical steps to reclaim pricing powerHear what modern cooperatives are doing to protect grower marginsSee how small farms can scale through innovation and collaborationFor more episodes, insights, and grower resources, visit www.unitedchestnuts.com or join the United Chestnuts Community on Facebook and LinkedIn. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    37 min

  2. JAN 30

    Branching Out Growing Together OffShoot Edition -Messy Middle

    Messy in the Middle: What It Really Looks Like to Build a Chestnut Orchard (and an Industry) What happens after the excitement of planting trees fades—but before everything feels established? In this Messy in the Middle episode of Branching Out: Growing Together, Melanie Jones reflects on the often-unseen middle phase of chestnut farming and industry-building. Inspired by the idea of the “messy middle,” this episode explores what it really looks like to grow a perennial crop—and a community—when progress is real but unfinished. From uneven harvests and learning curves to orchard decisions that don’t come with a playbook, this conversation is about staying planted through uncertainty. Melanie shares perspective from EBB Farms in Western Kentucky, parallels from other perennial crops like pistachios, and why patience, learning, and shared experience matter more than hype. This episode is for:Chestnut growers in the early or mid stagesLandowners considering planting treesAnyone building something long-term that doesn’t offer quick feedbackChestnuts aren’t “coming back” overnight. They’re being built—orchard by orchard, season by season. This Messy in the Middle episode is part of an ongoing series within Branching Out: Growing Together, highlighting real-world, in-progress experiences from EBB Farms and the broader chestnut community. 👉 Learn more and explore resources at unitedchestnuts.com/resources Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    8 min

  3. 10/09/2025

    Roger Blackwell on Growing a National Chestnut Movement

    Melanie Jones sits down with Roger Blackwell, President of Chestnut Growers of America, to talk about the momentum building in the U.S. chestnut industry. Together they explore what’s changed, what’s ahead, and how growers across the country are uniting to shape the next chapter of this remarkable tree crop. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    32 min

  4. 09/20/2025 · BONUS

    What the Heck is SEO (and Why Chestnut Growers Should Care)

    🌐 What the Heck is SEO (and Why Should Chestnut Growers Care?)  Hi friends—Melanie Jones here with United Chestnuts, and today we’re breaking down a big, messy topic in a way that makes sense for farmers: 👉 SEO (Search Engine Optimization) If you're a grower who wants to sell more chestnuts, trees, or host visitors to your orchard—but don’t have time to become a digital marketing expert—this episode is for you. We’ll cover:Why chestnut growers need SEO—even if you’re not “online people”Simple ways to get your orchard found in Google, Facebook, and TikTokWhat terms like AEO and GEO actually mean (and how they help)How United Chestnuts is making this easy with tools, templates, and support💻 Learn more and join the movement: unitedchestnuts.com/resources 🌰 Chestnuts are coming back—and we’re building the system to support them. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    9 min

  5. 08/29/2025

    Ecdysis at EBB Farms: Inside the 1000 Farms Initiative

    Today we’re out in the orchard with Nora D’Antuono from the Ecdysis Foundation, talking real‑world regenerative agriculture: soil health that sticks, biodiversity that pays back, and farmer‑led research through the 1000 Farms Initiative. We dig into tools like the BugBox and Xerinx, why insects are powerful indicators of farm health, and how community + data help farmers move from “hope” to “proof.” Recorded at EBB Farms (Western Kentucky)—the chestnut-growing testbed powered by the United Chestnuts movement. You’ll hear: What 1000 Farms is measuring—and why it matters to your bottom lineSimple biodiversity practices that fit real schedules and budgetsThe role of the BugBox/Xerinx in tracking ecosystem healthHow growers are sharing data, stories, and momentumResources: unitedchestnuts.com/resources Resources: ecdysis.bio Connect: United Chestnuts Community (FB), Ecdysis Foundation, Blue Dasher Farm Tags: #RegenerativeAgriculture #SoilHealth #Biodiversity #1000Farms #Ecdysis #Chestnuts #UnitedChestnuts #EBBFarms Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    43 min

  6. 08/16/2025 · BONUS

    OffShoot Edition - Reserve Chestnut Seedlings and Chestnuts Now

    🎙️ Branching Out: Growing Together At EBB Farms, our Grow-Bag Strategy makes all the difference. We raise each seedling in a three-gallon breathable grow bag inside protected nurseries. They’re watered daily, weeded, and carefully staked — building a dense, fibrous root system that establishes quickly once planted. Before shipping, we gently shake off the soil and send the tree dormant, so you get the very same strong, orchard-ready trees we plant ourselves. In this episode, we explain why it pays to reserve your chestnut trees early. Demand is high, and these bare root seedlings are already in motion. Learn how they’re raised, what sets them apart, and why they often show faster growth in the field. 👉 Reserve now, and be ready to plant success.  Details at unitedchestnuts.com/ebb-farms Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    6 min

  7. 08/16/2025

    Regenerative Roots: Willie Huston on Farming, Music, and Land Legacy

    At Pick N Grin Farm in western Kentucky, Willie Huston is doing more than raising crops—he’s cultivating a way of life rooted in observation, resilience, and joy. From silvopasture to biomimicry, mob grazing to music, Willie shares how tending the land has shaped his livelihood, his family, and his community. This episode is a reminder that restoring the earth begins with paying attention to what’s already there. What you’ll hear in this episode: How Willie blends chestnuts, livestock, and wildflowers into a thriving farm ecosystemThe role of curiosity and observation in regenerative farmingWhy diversity—of crops, community, and skills—creates resilienceThe link between music, creativity, and land stewardshipTips for starting your own small-scale farm with purposeListen in, and let’s grow together. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    53 min

  8. 07/31/2025 · BONUS

    Finding Your Why: The Deeper Reasons We Grow Chestnuts

    What drives you to grow chestnuts—not just in year one, but year ten? In this episode, Melanie revisits a question that keeps surfacing in our orchard, at conferences, and in every email from new growers: “What’s your why?” Drawing from personal experience and stories from growers like Brad and Sandy Russell, we explore what happens when you follow your reasons all the way down. Plus, Melanie shares a simple, powerful reflection tool you can download to clarify your own path. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why your “why” matters more than your business planHow surface reasons often evolve into deeper onesReal motivations that keep chestnut growers goingWhat to ask yourself when things get hardHow to use the 7-question “Find Your Why” exerciseMore Resources to Explore Listen to: Finding Our Why: Why Chestnuts, and Why NowDownload the Seven Whys Reflection ToolRead: The Advantages of Tree CropsWatch: Brad + Sandy Rusell on The Branching Out: Growing Together podcast or Brad Russell on The Branching Out: Growing Together podcast Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

    8 min
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About

Branching Out: Growing Together – Your gateway to the world of small-scale nut and fruit tree farming, hosted by Melanie Jones from her picturesque chestnut farm in Kentucky. Join Melanie and her guests as they explore the latest trends, innovations, and personal stories from the chestnut industry and beyond.  Whether you're a seasoned grower, a curious landowner, or dreaming of rural living, this podcast offers expert advice, practical tips, and meaningful conversations to help you cultivate success.Tune in bi-weekly for insightful interviews with industry leaders, discover actionable farming strategies, and connect with a community passionate about sustainable agriculture and rural lifestyles. At Branching Out: Growing Together, there's always a fresh perspective waiting for you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.

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