MOSES Organic Farming Podcast

Rodrigo Cala and MOSES hosted a field day on August 18, 2021 at Cala Farm Origenes in Turtle Lake, WI. MOSES Organic Specialist Rodrigo Cala shared the systems approach he uses on his organic farm, focusing on sheep production with rotational grazing, a perennial system for raising chickens, and much more. Rodrigo realized in the last couple years that his vegetable production system wasn't working as well as he’d like, and he turned to livestock to build soil and strengthen his business.

Jim Goodman (National Family Farm Coalition), Erin Schneider (Hilltop Community Farm, Wisconsin), and Lea Zeise (Intertribal Agriculture Council) share their unique perspectives on farming and climate in a conversation that explores some of the solutions to one of the greatest challenges we face as a species: climate change. In this conversation, we’ll learn about the connections and contributions we can make across farming systems, as communities and individuals in relationship to other species and the limited resources of our Earth. Moderated by Lori Stern, MOSES Executive Director.

This episode is part of an ongoing series of climate conversations from MOSES Conference workshops and the 2021 Growing Stronger Collaborative Conference.

Continuing our climate change series, this episode is a workshop from the 2020 MOSES Conference with Dr. Lauren Snyder and Dr. Jessica Gutknecht.

According to the NOAA, "the Midwest set a record for the wettest year in history (1895-2019) for the second straight year" in 2019. The need to build healthy soils that can withstand weather extremes is clear. In this episode, Dr. Jessica Gutknecht and Dr. Lauren Snyder share research-based guidance on practices that can improve overall soil structure and water-holding capacity—characteristics critical to dealing with extreme precipitation events. And we'll also hear from farmers as they share their reflections after a small group discussion on the topic.

This is episode one of a series on climate change. Whether you have drought or flooding this year, your weather is probably strange. This series of recordings of MOSES conference from the last few years share some strategies in adapting to climate change. The first in the series is a talk from the 2017 MOSES Conference called Build Resilience with Soil Biology with Dr. Kris Nichols. At the time, Dr. Nichols was the chief scientist at the Rodale Institute. She is now an educator, consultant, and researcher with KRIS Systems and MyLand Company. She talks about how soil biology can help buffer your farm from weather extremes.

In this episode, host Chuck Anderas talks to Ken Meter about his new book, Building Community Food Webs. Ken shares some of the best examples of how communities have built relationship-based food systems, and shares his thoughts on why the current food system is extractive, how communities can use co-learning to find creative solutions, how democracy works in food systems, and much more. Listen in!

From the 2019 MOSES Organic Farming Conference, Ken Meter and Megan Goldenberg dive deep into food systems history and data, and give examples of successful community-based food systems work from around the United States. Ken Meter is one of most experienced food-system analysts in United States, and his work integrates market analysis, systems thinking, quantitative time-series data, and first-hand interviews. His analysis and consulting has fostered 141 farm and food networks in 41 states, 2 provinces, and 4 tribes. Part 2, coming next week, is a conversation between Ken Meter and host Chuck Anderas based on Ken’s new book “Building Community Food Webs.”

This is the trailer to the new season of the In Her Boots podcast. This season is the first with new host Tiffany LaShae. Tiffany—a Black woman farmer, researcher, educator, and activist—interviews women of color in agriculture from around the Midwest about their experiences. Make sure to search for “In Her Boots” in your podcast app and hit subscribe. Stay tuned! 

Dr. Melinda Daniels of the Stroud Water Research Center and Dr. Kirsten Pearson of the Rodale Institute discuss their incredible collaborative research evaluating the impact of several management systems on an entire watershed. They have years of data on how the watershed was managed conventionally; this multi-year effort will give a clear idea of how various farming practices affect not only stream water quality but also crop yields, energy consumption, and the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil, including water infiltration.

Farmer Kat Becker of Cattail Organics in Athens, WI, and Sam Malriat, the Director of the Organic Consulting Program at the Rodale Institute, talk with Chuck about the strategies they have tried, studied, and seen work on farms throughout the country. As Sam puts it, “In organic systems, models are state by state, county by county… There’s not one [model], there’s 150.” Listen in on a conversation full of nuanced ideas about no-till, tillage, soil health, and a holistic view of farm management.

Listen in on the conversation with Dr. Andrew Smith, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Scientist of the Rodale Institute, and Dr. Francesca Cotrufo, Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Soil & Crop Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Lab at Colorado State University. We go in-depth on the practices and the science of soil carbon sequestration based on 40 years of data from Rodale and the expertise of Dr. Cotrufo.

This is the first of a 3-part series celebrating and exploring the 40 years of Rodale's Farming Systems Trials. The next two episodes will cover No-till Organic Vegetable Production and the Watershed Impact Trial.

Rodale:

In the last of our Food-Grade Grain series with Artisan Grain Collaborative, Amy Halloran talks to two Illinois farmers: Andy Hazzard and Jeff Hake. Andy shares her experience milling the grain she grows, as well as milling for other farmers; Jeff Hake explains some of the challenges of trying to find the right equipment. 

Grain advocate, educator, and author Amy Halloran is back to guest host the second of our series in partnership with the Artisan Grain Collaborative. Amy talks with Jason Federer & Michael O'Donnell about how they are navigating their farm’s simultaneous transitions to organic production as well as food-grade marketing. 

This is the first episode in our series with Artisan Grain Collaborative on food-grade grains. The collaborative includes farmers, millers, distillers, bakers, and other people across the value chain who are creating opportunities to grow grains for people, not livestock or fuel. 

Today, grain advocate, educator, and author Amy Halloran explores seed research and breeding with Julie Dawson from UW-Madison and Lisa Kissing Kucek from the USDA-ARS. Upcoming episodes will cover diversified crop rotations and on-farm milling.

Continuing our partnership with the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, Kelly Maynard and Chuck talk with Hannah Breckbill of Humble Hands Harvest in Decorah, Iowa. We talk through all the aspects of how and why someone would want to transition their farm from a sole proprietorship to a worker-owned cooperative, and some of the benefits and challenges of farming cooperatively.

Humble Hands Harvest:

Mary O'Herin is an acupuncturist and massage therapist with experience on small-scale organic vegetable and fruit farms. She has a good understanding of the hard work, dedication, and solitude that goes into being a farmer.

Mary shares some movement and body-care techniques with us, as well as tips for how to facilitate lasting change. One of the aspects of her practice is guiding and inspiring others how to take rock-solid baby steps toward beneficial habits.

In partnership with Kelly Maynard from the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, we explore the seven principles of cooperatives with Angela Dawson and Kheph Rakhu from 40 Acre Cooperative. This is part 2 of 2, where we explore principles 5-7: education and training, cooperation among cooperatives, and concern for community.

In partnership with Kelly Maynard from the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, we explore the seven principles of cooperatives with Angela Dawson and Kheph Rakhu from 40 Acre Cooperative. This is part 1 of 2 episodes where we explore principles 1-4: open and voluntary membership, democratic member control, members’ economic participation, and autonomy and independence.

After our three-part series on pollinator habitat on organic farms, we had a meeting with the guests to dive a bit deeper into the ins and outs. Listen in on the conversation between Sarah Foltz Jordan and Karen Jokela from the Xerces Society, Joan Olson from Prairie Drifter Farm, Kaitlyn O’Connor from Prairie Moon Nursery, and hear their answers to farmers' questions. Here are the edited highlights from that meeting on December 15th, 2020.

Links mentioned in this episode:

On-farm pollinator habitat has many benefits, but deciding how and where to add that habitat can be daunting. Recorded at the 2020 MOSES Conference, Sarah Foltz Jordan of the Xerces Society and Joan Olson of Prairie Drifter Farm help you determine which habitat projects—insectary strips, pollinator-friendly cover crops, native wildflower meadows, hedgerows—make the most sense for your goals, resource concerns, space, capacity, equipment, weed pressure, and other factors. Learn about planting methods, design, and weed control options, including several effective organic site preparation methods. 

Chris Frakes discusses steps to take if you encounter someone who is struggling with thoughts of suicide. It is important to note that this is not a full suicide awareness and intervention training. However, it provides the basic steps for effective listening, providing support, and connecting someone in crisis to other appropriate resources so they can receive needed support.

Kaitlyn O’Connor of Prairie Moon Nursery walks us through the principles of selecting seed mixes for native plantings for pollinator habitat and ecological restoration, then goes over some specific recommendations. Prairie Moon Nursery provides over 700 species of native plants for gardening and restoration. This is part 2 of a 3-part series on pollinator habitat on organic farms. 

Karin Jokela, Xerces Society Wildlife Biologist, talks about pollinator conservation and how these practices mesh with organic standards. Get some tools for assessing habitat, and learn about some of the NRCS programs that offer both financial and technical assistance to help you get started. This is part 1 of a 3-part series on pollinator habitat on organic farms.

Resources mentioned in the presentation:

This is the audio from the monthly meeting of the farmer-led mental health group, Growing Wellness. This month's guest is Monica Kramer McConkey, a licensed professional counselor, Rural Mental Health Specialist, and consultant with Eyes on the Horizon Consulting.

In this session, Monica discusses building personal resilience in 4 areas (Social, Biophysical, Psychological, and Spiritual) to increase your capacity to deal with stress and uncertainty.  Personal resilience is defined as the ability to withstand or recover from difficult situations, and I would add... the ability to grow through that process.  The goal for this session is to learn about yourself and set goals to build your resilience!

April Jones and her community were shocked when their two neighborhood grocery stores suddenly closed without warning. She recalled hearing Leah Penniman say, “If you’re looking for someone to save you, I’m here to tell you they’re not coming, and you’re going to have to save yourself.” So, April and a farmer friend founded the Pinehurst Farmers Market in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, to bring healthy food to their community. 

In our first Growing Wellness farmer-led mental health support group, guest speaker Lori Cox offers advice to help farmers create plans for resilience, set goals, and make difficult decisions. This season has been a turbulent one for many producers, and farmers will have to continue to work with uncertainty due to climate change and COVID into the future.

Lori is owner/operator of Roots Return Heritage Farm in Carver, Minnesota.  The farm produces u-pick fruits, and plants continual rotation cover crops using no-till. CRP, native pollinator strips, and hedgerows round out the property's 16 acres of holistic habitat. Lori serves as an advisory board member for MN Ag Water Quality Certification program, and Carver County Water Management Org. She also serves as executive board member of MN Ag in the Classroom Foundation, and MN Institute for Sustainable Ag. Prior to farming, Lori worked as a project manager and consultant for financial and technology companies.

Naima Penniman, Program Director at Soul Fire Farm, talks with Chuck about the Black and Indigenous roots of regenerative agriculture, how Soul Fire provides fresh produce to low-income communities of color, the importance of land, the need for reparations, and agricultural policies that could start to right the injustices faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) folks.

Links:

Ariel Pressman with the Real Organic Project explains the Local Food Is Essential campaign. This is a collaborative marketing campaign to promote local foods. Ariel shares the goals of the campaign and how farmers can use it to help their businesses. Then Annalisa Hultberg of the University of Minnesota Extension is back to give us an update on COVID-19 safety on the farm. Let’s get to it.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Paul Dietmann from Compeer Financial and Jon Jovaag, a farmer near Austin, MN, help us do the numbers on transitioning to organic grain production. We talk through how to think through cash flow versus profitability during the transition years, what crops to use in your rotation, and why you’d want to do it in the first place.

You can’t control the price of milk, but you can control how much it costs you to produce it. Dr. Jon Winsten from Winrock International outlines three key metrics to look at when considering a dairy farm’s financial viability: feed efficiency, labor efficiency, and capital efficiency. 

This is part 1 of 3 grazing training installments this month. In two weeks, part 2 will be a podcast episode with organic dairy graziers Thelma Heidel-Baker and Ricky Baker. 

Kelly Maynard is a Cooperative Development Specialist at the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives. Kelly spoke at the 2020 MOSES Organic Farming Conference about how to start a cooperative. We share clips from her workshop presentation and connect with Kelly to dig a little deeper into the world of cooperatives. Look for Part 2 next week.

Farmers Katie Bishop and Rebecca Henderson, guests on Episode 1: Market Farming in a Pandemic, return for this chat to answer farmers' questions about online platforms for selling produce, managing inventory, handling CSA demand, connecting with customers, worker safety, and aggregating product with other farms.

How does the coronavirus impact produce safety? How much do you have to worry about surfaces? How do you keep yourself, your workers, and your customers safe? 

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating a lot of questions for market farmers. Produce safety expert Annalisa Hultberg from the University of Minnesota Extension has science-based answers to help you understand best practices for flattening the curve and feeding your community at the same time. MOSES Organic Specialist and organic fruit farmer Rachel Henderson provides a farmer’s take.