agri-Culture
FaktaVitenskapSamfunnJoin Rick and Elara of Backyard Green Films as we traverse the U.S on a green adventure! We travel throughout the land in our travel trailer (nicknamed Bessie), on a mission to share the stories, dedication, and wisdom of America's stewards of sustainable agriculture who've followed their own 'call of the land.' From scientists to geneticists to organic farmers and ranchers - plus a bounty of interesting folks we meet along the way, each voice is uniquely diverse, and each story compels us to uncover, discover, and share. Please become a Patreon member and help support our podcast. Copy and paste the link in your browser. https://www.patreon.com/agriCulturePodcast
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- Ep 234 Yarn Farm Kingston: The Days of Wine and Knitting (00:14:15)
We search for peace in this chaotic month, and find it in a little shop in Kingston, New York. The Yarn Farm is made those who like the company of kindred spirits to ply their craft, sure. It’s also great for those who might want to stop for a quick skein or an artsy crafty yarn-ish item, as well. But for those of us who might find Zen in an adult beverage, a perfect charcuterie board and a sunny table by the river, we’re also home. Links: https://www.yarnfarmkingston.com...
- Ep 233 John Garcia: You’re In the Farming Now! (00:27:45)
Today, we meet up with John Garcia of Dancing Sun Farm. We were able to grab a moment of conversation with him at the lively meetup known as Texas Wool Week, held in the wild weather days of March at Sheepwalk Ranch in Bandera. Cold, wind, sun, warmth – we had it all. After all, this IS Texas. After 29 years in the U.S. Army, John began his second career in service, but this time to contribute to America’s food and fiber systems. He and his family raise sheep, goats an...
- Ep 232 California Agritourism Summit: It’s Not Just the Beach – It’s the Farm, Too (00:36:39)
Any time you put the word “summit” in something, it mentally becomes bigger than you previously thought. A conference on steroids, in most people’s minds. And when you do an ag-related summit in California, that notion of grandeur can be well deserved, even when you take away the size of the state itself. The sheer amount of agricultural exports that the producers in California send to other parts of the U.S. and the world is staggering. But there’s another aspect to agricul...
- Ep 231 Dr. K: When You Garden, You Can Never Really Be Alone (00:36:17)
In what started out as a May Day date (that’s a truckload of compost in Rick and Elara’s world), a visit to San Pasqual Valley Soils struck black gold (again, compost). In one of the most fortuitous spontaneous Backyard Green Films conversations yet, an extremely knowledgeable dirt farmer by the name of Craig Kolodge, PhD (“Dr. K.” to pretty much everyone) gave an impromptu interview, surrounded by towers of amendment and beeping trucks full of manure, compost and wood chips. Ela...
- Ep 230 Catching H2O: There's Rain In Store (00:35:19)
On today's podcast we meet up with Brook Sarson from CatchingH2O. We followed Brook as she took a passel of learners and UCSD's Director of the Bioregional Center, Keith Pezzoli, PhD, on a tour of a greywater and rain catchment project that her company had recently installed. Water management is a favorite topic for us here at Backyard Green Films. With efforts like these, even if April brings few showers, we still have a chance at May flowers. Welcome to Spring! Lin...
- Ep 229 Kiko Guerra: The Artistry in the Ordinary (00:41:49)
We’ve been hunkering down for the last few months now on the traveling side of our Backyard Green Films universe. 2024 was a doozy of a year for us in many respects, so we had to take a few moments to catch our breath this winter. Enrique Guerra, also known as “Kiko,” is our guest today, and he’s pretty much royalty in Texas Longhorn Cattle circles. Kiko is the son of another Enrique Guerra – who was always known as Enrique, and he was the man who was responsible for saving ...
- Ep 228 Brent Zimmerman: This Dorpers For You (00:20:32)
Now, if you hear me talk about Rhinebeck, you might think today's guest is going to focus on wool. Nope! Not really. Sheep, yes, hair yes, but mostly wool, no. Our podcast guest today is a lovely man named Brent Zimmerman, and as I introduce him I'm kind of hard pressed to call him one thing, though you could definitely call him a sheep farmer. Links: https://www.facebook.com/limekilnfarmNY https://sheepandwool.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorper https://dorpersheep.org/ Support the show
- Ep 227 Happy Holidays No Matter Which Song You Sing (00:05:49)
Music by Charlie Recksieck to usher us into the New Year. Support the show
- Ep 226 Stephen Monroe: Withalacoochie. Okefenokke. Wampanoag. Caloosahatchee. (00:24:46)
Most people commemorate Thanksgiving today, and all things associated with this holiday. There will be some celebrating family, some marking the day with food, and some praying at the altar of football. Some will be remembering the Pilgrims, and the earliest arrival of Europeans bringing colonists and their livestock to North America. NOT! Stephen Monroe schools us on a common misconception about the domestic animals that were truly the first to be brought here to the Americ...
- Ep 225 Oh Yeah, We Went Back To That Sugar Shack (00:18:52)
We were in the mood for something sweet, so we thought it was time for a visit to the sugar shack. We packed up our gear and headed back east to Westbrook, CT to our friends John and Bonnie Hall at Maple Breeze Farm. There we saw the whole process of making that sweet maple syrup. Just in time for the maple glazed ham at Thanksgiving. Links: https://www.facebook.com/p/Maple-Breeze-Farm-100064517539226 Support the show
- Ep 224 Barb’s Knitted Knockers (00:46:59)
October is not only a great time to celebrate fiber (what with the Lambtown and Rhinebeck festivals, just to name a few), but it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness month. How do we get both things in one podcast? Knitted Knockers! Barbara Demorest is the Feisty Lady with Fortitude who took a horrible event in life and made it into something that has helped millions to cope with the ravages of breast cancer. We hope you tune in to see what she did, and maybe even how you can be a...
- Ep 223 James Metcalfe: All Creatures Bleat and Shawl (00:41:37)
Every once in a while you meet a person you’ve read about in a book. It might not be the actual person, but is the personification of a character that is so accurate, it might as well have jumped out straight from the pages. Today, our podcast guest is one of those. James Metcalfe lives on Hardenclough Farm, “in the heart of the beautiful Peak District [with a] flock of pedigree Cheviots & Luing cattle grazing under the shadow of Mam Tor.” You would never guess th...
- Ep 222 All of the Hills on the Edge of the Lake (00:19:24)
We’re back from the North American Hill Sheep Show in Escanaba, Michigan. This inaugural event showcased some British Hill Breed Sheep and some not-quite-Hill Breed Sheep, of course, but there was more to see, hear and smell. Lovely vendor booths with soft woolens and fragrant soaps in abundance, sheepdog trials with panting puppies, food trucks (with some mighty fine brisket, thank you sir), and ice cream that is famous across all of the “M” roads. And then, there were the Brits....
- Ep 221 Hexham Auction: Hadrian’s Mule (00:33:49)
Where do we go for fun? Well, all kinds of places, but fish hatcheries, farm shows, and livestock auctions are on the list. Today, we’re taking you back to jolly old England (almost Scotland, actually), to a little town called Hexham. It lies at the foot of Northumberland National Park and a stone’s throw (literally) from Hadrian’s Wall. This is as charming a hamlet as you might ever imagine. It has lovely bridges, excellent tapas, wonderfully kind people, a fir...
- Ep 220 Shetland Sheep Society(UK): Sing Me a Song of a Sheep that has Gone - Everywhere (00:28:53)
Located in the southern portion of Scotland, Lanark might be best known in agricultural circles for those big guys from the area around the River Clyde, and to history buffs as the first place local resident William Wallace drew his sword in earnest. We love heavy horses with a passion, but the sheep need to have their day, too. Last September, Lanark Agricultural Centre saw Shetland Sheep and members of all sizes and colors coming for the Gathering, because “There can be only on...
- Ep 219 Across Dry Creek and Over the Horizon (00:40:47)
In life, there are talkers and doers. Of the doers, many of them have a characteristic known as “True Grit,” and today’s podcast guests are in that category. Millie and Stacy Bradshaw own Dry Creek Livestock, and a few hours north of Salt Lake City, these two intrepid souls are building a place to call home on the windswept plains and low hills of Utah. On their ranch you’ll find a range of critters, including goats (for meat and milk), cattle (for beef), livestock guardian dogs (...
- Ep 218 Horse Progress Days: We’re Happy to be Left in the Dust (00:39:02)
It’s time for Horse Progress Days! It’s one of our favorite events of the year, and this July it was held in Lancaster County, PA - just in time for the height of a national heatwave. Everyone soldiered on through, though, with nary a complaint to be found from this stoic bunch. It was a good thing everyone pushed through the heat until the close of the day, because the HPD organizers saved some of the best for last (okay, the middle and beginning was pretty good, too).&nb...
- Ep 217 Erin Bradt: Helder Herdwyck Handful for a Happy Half Hour (00:33:31)
It’s time for a talk – a Shepherd’s Talk, that is. Every year, the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival has this popular segment available for shepherds, wannabe shepherds, ecologists, historians, and people who are just plain interested in fiber production from the ground up. Today’s talk is with Erin Bradt, of Helder Herdwyck Farm, where she talks about not just these fantastic little primitive sheep, but also about importation limitations, disease issues in livestock, and…wel...
- Ep 216 Our Favorite Principal – by Farr. (00:38:08)
On this podcast episode Bruce Farr of Farrview South Farm, American Milking Devon Cattle breeder (and a teamster!), sits down with John Hall, the President of the American Milking Devon Cattle Association. They discuss the history of the breed, characteristics they appreciate, and some non-traditional ideas for a very traditional breed. If you want to see the man himself (and the twinkle in his eye), head on over to our YouTube channel for our latest upload. Links: http://www.milkingdevons....
- Ep 215 Theresa Walker: The Great Bay Tobacco, Humous Brownie Caramel Insulation Institution (00:32:54)
This week, we’re speaking with Theresa Walker of Great Bay Wool Works and her lovely natural-colored ovine assistant Hazel (okay, so hubby Patrick did a little bit of modeling, too.). We learn about natural-colored sheep, geography in New England, a bit of why New England and Old England feel familiar to each other, and much more. This is one of those where Rick had to keep saying, “Stop patting the sheep, Elara.” We think this fiber is gorgeous, regardless of whether it’s...
- Ep 214 Dunlouise: Outlander, Lowlander, Highlander - Angus (00:45:08)
We’re going down memory lane, and back to the beginning of all things for today’s podcast. In this case, it means the start of something that has grown into a behemoth in the world of Agriculture. Originally from the shores of Scotland near Aberdeen, the cattle breed known as “Angus” has become the powerhouse breed by which all things are measured. Today we’re going back to the roots of the breed that has become synonymous with “beef,” and which has also changed over ...
- Ep 213 Anson Tebbetts: The Darn Tough Cherry Garcia Donkey Run (00:45:56)
We concluded the World Devon Congress adventure with the State that put these cattle on the map – okay, they’re on the flag, anyway. We had a wonderful tour through the Green Mountain State of Vermont, on our way to meet up with Anson Tebbets, Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets. This lovely man took a walk down the lane on his family farm to talk about the finer things in agricultural life that are represented in Vermont – maple syrup, socks, adult beverages and ice cream,...
- Ep 212 A.J. O'Neil: Six Degrees of Bacon (00:33:01)
Backyard Green Films is now in Florida, getting ready to start the World Devon Congress 2024. But first (and last), our podcast with the butcher. The place where everything ends – everything that is ordered medium rare, anyway. A.J. O’Neil is the perfect one to encapsulate almost everything that is fantastic about why Devons are popular. He’s a member of Red Devon USA, and a wonderful addition to their friendly and active Board of Directors. He’s sometimes serious, som...
- Ep 211 Stephen Adcock: Ipstone Patchwork Clockwork Dexter Farmstay (00:38:04)
Our stay at Clockwork Cottage was one of the quiet delights of our UK trip in August of 2023. The Peak District in England is well known as being a day-hiker’s destination filled with rolling emerald fields, ancient stacked stone walls, and sheep, sheep and sheep. There are those amazing things, yes, and found aplenty, but for the Backyard Green Films crew the hills were alive with the breeze blowing through the grass, and the sound of…Dexters! Dexter Cattle, that is. ...
- Ep 210 Steve Montgomery: …and We’ll Leave the Lamppost on for Ya (00:40:41)
Steve Montgomery of Lamppost Farm is our guest on today’s podcast, coming to you from a stop on the Devon Congress pre-tour - Columbiana, Ohio style this time. Steve and his family raise Devon Cattle, Coopworth Sheep, pigs, turkeys and a partridge in a pear tree (okay, no partridges, but there are more chickens than you can safely count). Their goal is to make and teach connections between living things, but the annual flock of Lamppost interns can tell you that they learn how to ...