ATTRA - Voices from the Field NCAT

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we meet one of NCAT’s impressive new staff members, Allison Cooley-Agee. Allison talks with NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey about her background and the interesting and varied experience she brings to her new position as a Carbon Farm Planner. Training cutting horses, milking goats on an organic dairy, raw milk, 4-H, and Nicole Masters all make their way into the conversation.  
Allison also discusses the Climate Beneficial Fiber Project, which will be the main focus of her work for the next few years and will benefit sheep producers in Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. She also explains the process of carbon farm planning, and how to go about applying for the Climate Beneficial Fiber Project.  

Related NCAT Resources: 
Climate Beneficial Fiber Project Related ATTRA Resources: 
Episode 321. Meet NCAT: Tyler Jenkins on Carbon Farm Planning Spotlighting Carbon Farm Planning Episode 317. Meet NCAT: Cody Brown on Carbon Farm Planning Episode 284. Carbon Farm Planning Carbon Farm and Ranch Planning Climate Solutions  Other Resources: 
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Integrity Soils CREATE  Fibershed 4-H Contact Linda Coffey and Allison Cooley-Agee at lindac@ncat.org and allisonc@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.  

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Margo Hale, Director of NCAT’s ATTRA and Armed to Farm programs, visits with Dr. Adam Ingrao, a beekeeper and educator in Michigan. Adam, a military veteran, talks about his farming operation and the programs that have been beneficial to it.  
He shares how his military service and farming experiences led him to beekeeping. He also discusses the Heroes to Hives program, which reaches thousands of veterans each year, and he offers some advice for veterans who are interested in farming. 

 Related NCAT Resources: 
·        NCAT Armed to Farm 
·        NCAT Armed to Farm Facebook page 

 Related ATTRA Resources: 
·        Veteran Resources 
·        Veteran’s Business Planning Tipsheet 
·        Armed to Farm Map Connects Farmer Veterans Across the U.S. 
·        Farmer Veteran Finds Passion in Horticulture Therapy 
·        Programs Focus on Farmer Well-Being 
·        Veterans Discuss USDA Programs 
·        From the Air Force to Alpacas 

Other Resources:  
·        Heroes to Hives 
·        Bee Wise Farms, LLC 
·        Farmer Veteran Coalition 
·        USDA Veteran Initiatives 
·        USDA Service Center Locator 
·        USDA Farm Service Agency 
·        USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 
·        USDA Rural Development 

Contact Margo Hale at margoh@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.  

This episode of Voices from the Field is the first of a new podcast series, "Lessons Learned on a Southern Farm." In it, NCAT Gulf States Regional Coordinator Felicia Bell talks with Marguerite McClintock from Alchemy Farms and Plants in Huntsville, Alabama.   
Marguerite discusses the lessons she has learned from operating her certified organic vegetable farm and from raising heritage and registered sheep, specifically Katahdin
and Gulf Coast Native. She offers some tips and ideas that Alchemy Farm used to
stay in business while maintaining the farm's organic integrity. 

 Related ATTRA Resources:
·        Tools for Managing Internal Parasites in Small Ruminants: Pasture Management 
·        Ruminant Nutrition for Graziers 
·        Organic Tomato Production 
·        Grazing to Control Parasites 
·        Small Ruminant Sustainability Checksheet 
·        Managing Internal Parasites in Sheep and Goats 

Other Resources: 
·        Alchemy Farms and Plants 

Contact Felicia Bell at feliciab@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. 

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership with ATTRA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. To learn more about SARE’s library of practical information and available grants to fund projects that advance sustainable agriculture, visit sare.org.
In it, NCAT Sustainable Horticulture Specialist Guy Ames talks with Weston Lombard, who grows mulberries on his Millfield, Ohio, farm and was a SARE farmer/rancher grant recipient on the topic “Field Testing the Mulberry for Commercial Production in the Midwest” in 2016.
Guy and Weston talk about the commercial possibilities and challenges mulberries present, along with different cultivars and growing strategies.

Related ATTRA Resources:
Community Orchards
Fruit Trees, Orchards, and Vines for Natural Growing in the Ozarks
Community Forest Gardens: Case Studies Throughout the United States
 
Related SARE Resources:
Field Testing the Mulberry for Commercial Production in the Midwest
Sustainable Agriculture Solutions for Appalachia: Mulberry Agroforestry
Mulberry Production with Weston Lombard
 
Other Resources: 
Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden
Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture

Contact Guy Ames at guya@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.

We have only recently begun to understand the true nature of soil organic matter. In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater is joined by Dr. Johannes Lehmann, a Cornell University professor with the School of Integrative Plant Science - Soil and Crop Sciences Section as well as the Department of Global Development. They talk about misconceptions around soil humus and explore new ways to look at the organic components of the soil. They also discuss a number of other issues, including the carbon cycle, the importance of diversity, and the challenges of creating a circular economy.
Related ATTRA Resources: 
·        Managing Soil for Water: How Five Principles of Soil Health Support Water Infiltration and Storage 
·        Climate Solutions

Other Resources: 
·        Lehmann Lab: Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 

Contact Nina Prater at ninap@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.

This episode of Voices from the Field continues a discussion between Mickey Willenbring, a lifelong shepherd who raises Navajo-churro and Karakul sheep in Western Oregon, and NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Linda Poole. Mickey touches on the value of reading, the role of on-farm experiments, the need for a good veterinarian/client relationship, and learning from people we don't agree with. 
Related ATTRA Resources:
·        Episode 325. She’s Raising Sheep: Mickey Willenbring of Oregon, Part 1
·        Tools for Managing Internal Parasites in Small Ruminants: Copper Wire Particles

Other Resources:
·        Dot Ranch
·        Navajo Churro: Nikyle Begay on t’aa dibé (The First Sheep)
·        Navajo Churro Sheep and Shepherds: Meet the Rainbow Fiber Co-Op
·        Navajo Shepherd
 
Contact Linda Poole at lindap@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.