Growers Daily

Latest Episodes:

Helen Atthowe of Woodleaf Farm & Author of The Ecological Farm Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

Order The Ecological Farm: A Minimalist No-Till, No-Spray, Selective-Weeding, Grow-Your-Own-Fertilizer System for Organic Agriculture by Helen Atthowe

Hey, Farmer Jesse here, and we've got a special treat for you today. We are re-releasing the interview I did with Helen Atthowe from back in 2020, some of you may have heard it, some may have not. There are a couple reasons for the re-release: First, this was one of those early episodes we got a ton of positive feedback on because it's just a great episode all the way through, but second and more importantly, she just released a new book through Chelsea Green called The Ecological Farm: A Minimalist No-Till, No-Spray, Selective-Weeding, Grow-Your-Own-Fertilizer System for Organic Agriculture

It is super excellent and extremely nerdy and, as the reader, you get to dive even deeper into the details of the systems Helen describes in this conversation we're posting today. Honestly, I think every serious ecologically-minded grower should own a copy of this new book.

Mentioned in the show...

Studies:

https://eorganic.org/node/14129

https://eorganic.org/node/15582

Winter-Only Sales & Collaborative CSA Relationships with Jillian & Ross of Open Door Farm Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

Jillian and Ross Mickens of Open Door Farm in Cedar Grove, NC, work collaboratively with previous podcast guests Vera and Gordon of Ten Mother Farm to fill CSA boxes with many of the land intensive crops like potatoes and winter squash. With 5 acres under cultivation, and eleven seasons under their belt, they recently made the transition to winter-only sales from mid-August to the end of March, while using the main-season to tend to storage and root crop production, as well as rest during the hottest months of the year. Both the focus on winter-only sales and the collaborative relationship with neighboring farms creates an interesting farm business model that we get to better understand the opportunities and challenges of as a potential approach to growing in a warmer winter climates of the South.

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

SeedTime Planner crop planning tool for home gardeners and market farmers. Get your free account and $5 seed coupon ->> seedtime.us/notillpodcast

Vermont Compost Company premium living soils, composts, and potting mixes. Invest in your soil!

Geothermal Greenhouse Heating & Winter Flower Production with Rebecca Kutzer Rice of Moonshot Farm Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

Rebecca and her husband, Mark, started Moonshot Farm in East Windsor, NJ, in 2019 after relocating from New York City to begin their dream of growing year-round cut flowers in a northern climate. In just four short years, they have built their 3.5 acre flower farm to include four high-tunnels, two of which are heated by a geothermal heating system, and they sell at two year round farmers markets, manage a 130 member CSA bouquet-of-the-month club, and an on-site farmstead. Just this year, they were able to quit their off-farm jobs to work full-time on the farm. Also, in the last four years, they had two children, Rose and Violet!

We talk extensively about their geothermal heating system which allows them to offer customers blooms 12 months of the year. I learned a ton about flower production from our conversation, she offers such great info for anyone looking to add winter flowers to their farm.

Follow Moonshot Farm on Instagram

Mentioned in the show…

The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers

NRCS EQIP High-Tunne Grant Program

Rural Energy for America Program

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

Efficient Heating/Lighting for Winter Growing & Mindfully Leveraging Loans with John Dindia of Lakeview Hill Farm Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

Today my guest is John Dindia of Lakeview Hill Farm in Traverse City, MI. John and his partner Bailey designed and built their farm from the ground up beginning in 2017 on a 58-acre property with 10 acres of available farmland and a 35-acre woodlot. Now, with 2.5 acres in production, they have five 30' x 148' heated greenhouses, a dedicated propagation house connected to a production barn, and seven 20' x 148' caterpillar tunnels. Plus, their farm is 75% powered by solar and they are committed to utilizing renewable energy in all aspects of their farm. Seventy percent of gross sales are dedicated to wholesale, including grocery stores, restaurants, and a growers cooperative CSA, all within 15 miles of the farm. The rest comes from an on-site farm stand that they are expanding into a full service farm store later this summer ('23).

John and Bailey have been full-time on their farm since the beginning, plus they have five year-round employees with four staff on salary. John and I dig into the details of the heating and lighting systems he uses to maintain productivity during the cold grey winters of Michigan, as well as the support he and Bailey access to finance the startup and growth of their farm business, including loans through the FSA. John offers a ton of expertise and experience for farmers looking to improve their winter growing systems and mindfully grow their farm business for the long haul.

Mentioned in the show...

USDA/FSA Farm Loan Programs

USDA/NRCS Grants, Programs, & Initiatives

John uses Nolt's Greenhouse Supplies & Total Grow LEDs

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

Year-round Gardening in a Northern Climate with Niki Jabbour Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Two quick things: first, we are welcoming back another exciting season of the Winter Growers Podcast with Clara Coleman--super cool--and second, you are going to notice there is a lot more activity on this feed than usual and the reason is from here on out all of the shows we produce are going to appear in this feed as The No-Till Growers Network…

Welcome back to the Winter Growers Podcast! In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Niki Jabbour, who is an award-winning author, radio show host, educator, and gardening expert on year-round growing in a northern climate. Niki is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, zone 5b at the 44th parallel. She enthusiastically maintains half an acre of raised beds in her back yard using a combination of a high tunnel, low tunnels, cold frames, she grows over 30 veggie crops for winter harvest, including: lettuce, scallions, parsley, kale, carrots, leeks, and arugula. In addition to her books on year-round gardening, Niki also offers online courses on her website savvygardening.com and free educational videos on her YouTube channel and Instagram. I loved speaking with Niki, she is an excellent resource for home gardeners and small-scale growers looking for tips and techniques for successful year-round vegetable production.

Mentioned in the show…

Niki's website, savvygardening.com

The Savvy Gardening Instagram, YouTube channel, and online courses/resources

BOOK// The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

Fertilizer from Urine & Sustainable Farms with Tatiana Schreiber of the Rich Earth Institute Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Hi again, it's Natalie, and this is my last episode, THE last episode, of the fifth season of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast! I want to thank Farmer Jesse and the whole crew of the podcast for giving me the mic and so much freedom. It's been fun, and if you've learned even a fraction of what I have then I'll call it a win.

I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Tatiana Schreiber of the Rich Earth Institute. We focus mainly on her work there regarding the social aspects of dry sanitation systems. Translation, how do people feel about using urine as fertilizer. You might be thinking, how could I even broach this topic after devoting a whole episode to PFAS and how the use of biosolids has lead to the contamination of soils that we are only beginning to understand. I encourage you to listen to this one. Not all human waste is created the same and if we care about big picture sustainability this is something we really need to talk about.

Check out their research and findings here

SUPPORT OUR WORK ON PATREON

Growing in an Agrihood, Cardboard Mulch for Bindweed Control, & Appropriate Scale Technology with Jonah Sloven of Sweet Hollow Organic Farm May 29, 2023

Show notes

On today's episode of the podcast I, Alex Ball of Old City Acres, sit down with Jonah Sloven of Sweet Hollow Organic Farm in Victor, Idaho, a small valley town of only 2,000 people with a thriving local food scene. Jonah operates his farm on land directly connected to a housing development forming an agrihood and increasing the connection between community members and where their food is produced. The farm was also involved with a SARE grant to trial no-till deep mulch systems to combat pervasive bindweed. We also chat about building farm infrastructure in a high wind and snow load environment as well as using two wheel walk behind tractors and the value in choosing appropriate technology and systems for your individual and unique farm situation.

Mentioned in the show...

Follow Sweet Hollow Farm on Instagram & check out their farmsite

Jonah's SARE research on bindweed and no-till production

Using Tilmor cultivation equipment

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Holistic Business/Economic Models, The Award-Winning Farm Podcast Farmerama Radio & Simple Regenerative Apps with Abby Rose of Vidacycle May 22, 2023

Show notes

Today I, Mimi, am speaking with my good good friend Abby Rose of Vidacycle, a farmer, physicist, and soil health advocate. She is the co-founder of Vidacycle Tech which makes easy to use web applications that support farmers on their regenerative path wherever they are. I've used these apps, spent a lot of time with her, think the world of her, and I feel this episode is part two of where we left off with Jim of Red Shirt Farm where we exposed the tender underbelly of the systems we're all working in and trying very hard to keep our heads above. In this conversation, Abby and I also talk about her other work on an AWESOME award-winning podcast, Farmerama Radio, if you haven't heard of it already go find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Specifically, the LANDED series. Her experience in working with an international cadre of farmers and stewards on their respective regenerative journeys has given her a keen perspective on the lay of the land regarding what we're up against when it comes to making space for holistic systems in a global economy that is working against it.

Mentioned in the show...

Abby's farm in Chile, Vidacycle Farm

The web-based apps from Vidacycle Tech

Listen to Farmerama Radio on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts Link to the LANDED series with Col Gordon

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

Orisha for wireless greenhouse+ automation, get 15% off with code "No Till Grower"

Real Organic Project for a whole farm certification program to distinguish crops grown in health soils.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, subscribe our growing YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Nitrogen, Organic Matter, MAOM & POM with Assistant Professor of Soil Chemistry Andrea Jilling May 15, 2023

Show notes

Buckle up for another NERDY episode of the podcast. For this one, I--Natalie--spoke with Andrea Jilling, an assistant professor of environmental soil chemistry at Oklahoma State University. It's just coincidence that this one follows so soon after Mimi's interview with Dr. Cotrufo, as it's a nice continuation of that conversation about organic matter and carbon, but extending it to nitrogen, Andrea's area of research. Nitrogen is HUGE, it's in the air as both an inert gas and a greenhouse gas, it's in the soil as organic matter and inorganic molecules, it's even in some rocks. It's constantly changing and shifting in ways that are regulated by microbes, plants, humans, even lightning! In other words, it's complicated. There are economic and environmental implications regarding nitrogen management, and not just for farms spreading inorganic fertilizer, but for everyone. I can't promise that this conversation will help you create a fertility plan for you farm... in fact I'm pretty confident it won't. But, I think it provides an important link between thinking about carbon management and nitrogen management.

Mentioned in the show...

Andrea's Journal Articles

Folks who make the show possible...

Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds.

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements.

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, check out our weekly YouTube videos, pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Innovative Greenhouse Design, Heritage Livestock, and Honest Small Farm Talk with Jim Schultz of Red Shirt Farm May 08, 2023

Show notes

Hey football fans, it's Mimi. And lest you be confused, today we're speaking with Jim Schultz of Red Shirt Farm--get it?--a 13 acre livestock + no-till veg farm in western Mass. He's been farming for more than a decade and came to farming later than he had originally planned (hence, Red Shirt). It's a long conversation, but the main reason I want you to stick it out is that not only has Jim done some of the coolest things, but when I reached out to him I was also thinking about the idea of the small farm held up as an ideal against scaling-up even regenerative agriculture and how it's difficult for me to talk about those two ideas in the same sentence, not to mention land ownership, and we have a deeply personal conversation about that as well as the behind the scenes version of what we, as farmers, go through.

Mentioned in the show...

Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web

Advancing Eco-Agriculture

The Bionutrient Food Association

Solawrap Greenhouse Coverings

Ecosystems Design Climate Battry

Slow Food International

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

Real Organic Project for a whole farm certification program to distinguish crops grown in health soils.