Minnesota Shepherd Janet McNally has faced down challenges ranging from wolves, to wildfires, to winter.

Charley Jordan, a flower farmer in Tennessee, says horticulture therapy can be a boon to fellow veterans.

This episode of Voices from the Field continues a conversation between Dr. Sam Fuhlendorf of Oklahoma State University and NCAT Grazing Specialist Linda Poole about using grazing to bolster, rather than unintentionally harm, desirable wildlife on farms and ranches. Many regenerative ranchers use mob grazing – dense herds of livestock grazing a place for a very brief time before moving on – to increase grass production and improve soil health. It has been a successful strategy for graziers around the world, but often also affects bird populations and other wildlife. Sam and Linda talk about the role of fire in...

This episode of Voices from the Field is the first part of a conversation between Dr. Sam Fuhlendorf of Oklahoma State University and NCAT Grazing Specialist Linda Poole about using grazing to bolster, rather than unintentionally harm, desirable wildlife on farms and ranches. 
Dr. Sam Fuhlendorf and Linda Poole

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we get acquainted with Dr. Tina Cone, a retired veterinarian in Berryville, Arkansas. In a conversation with NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey, Tina talks about the life she now leads during her second career -- raising beef cattle and practicing regenerative grazing.
Dr. Tina Cone and Linda Coffey

The National Center for Appropriate Technology has released a new study detailing the economic impact of farmers markets in Montana, and it has launched a new website to connect markets, farmers, and communities. In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Communications Director Emilie Ritter Saunders speaks with Maura Henn, NCAT’s Community Food Systems Specialist, about these new resources and unexpected ways farmers markets make a big impact.
Emilie Ritter Saunders and Maura Henn

In this episode of Voices from the Field, northern Montana organic farmer Doug Crabtree and NCAT Agriculture and Natural Resource Economist Jeff Schahczenski talk about one of their favorite topics -- crop insurance.
Doug Crabtree and Jeff Schahczenski

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we get to know a new member of NCAT’s staff, Local Food Specialist Molly Kirkham. Molly tells her NCAT colleague, Community Foods System Specialist Maura Henn, about the chance encounter with a community garden that began her interest in local foods. She talks about her time with AmeriCorps at a food bank in Montana, her time farming, and how she came to work at NCAT.
Molly Kirkham and Maura Henn

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Arkansas veterinarian Dr. Ann Wells talks with NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey about her experience raising healthy animals and helping other farmers do the same. She shares her journey from conventional veterinary practices to her philosophy of holistic animal health as well as practical strategies for keeping livestock healthy.
Dr. Ann Wells and Linda Coffey

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Nina Prater and Lee Rinehart compare the “feed the world” narrative to another narrative centered around “food sovereignty” and discuss what farmers, organizations, and governments can do to enable communities to achieve that sovereignty.
Nina Prater and Lee Rinehart

This episode of Voices from the Field continues ATTRA’s podcast series “She’s Raising Sheep.” In it, Minnesota shepherd Janet McNally shares her story with NCAT Regenerative Livestock Specialist Linda Poole.
Linda Poole and Janet McNally

Winter feeding is one of the biggest expenses for most livestock operations. In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Lee Rinehart and NCAT Regenerative Grazing Specialist Justin Morris discuss strategies graziers can use to plan for winter stockpile during the summer grazing season.
Lee Rinehart and Justin Morris

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialists Nina Prater, Guy Ames, and Lee Rinehart explore the history of fertilizer use to understand how we got to an agricultural system that relies so heavily on synthetic rather than biological fertilizers. They discuss alternatives to this system and ways farmers can build soil health in order to require less synthetic fertilizer to maintain productivity.   Related ATTRA Resources: ATTRA Fertilizer Reduction Toolkit  Soils & Compost Soils and Sites for Organic Orchards and Vineyards Growing Healthy Soil on a Large Scale with Rick Clark   Other Resources: The First Green...

Welcome back to a conversation between NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialists Felicia Bell and Justin Duncan about traditional and indigenous farming techniques, both in their own families and in cultures around the world.
Felicia Bell and Justin Duncan

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialists Felicia Bell and Justin Duncan begin a conversation about farming techniques passed down through generations of indigenous people and how those practices have similarities around the world.
Felicia Bell and Justin Duncan

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we meet new NCAT employee Elise Haschke, who is leading the development of a new program, “Climate Smart Agriculture.” Elise explains the “transformative moments” in her life that led her from a love of science and nature to studying nutrition and food systems, improving nutrition in school lunch programs, running farmers markets, and helping the City of Austin, Texas, reduce its food-related greenhouse gas emissions.
Mike Morris and Elise Haschke

This episode of Voices from the Field is the second part of a conversation between NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Mike Lewis and Michael O’ Gorman, an organic farming pioneer and founder of the Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Mike Lewis and Michael O’ Gorman

This episode of Voices from the Field is the first of a two-part conversation with organic farming pioneer and founder of the Farmer Veteran Coalition Michael O’Gorman. For 50 years, Michael has spearheaded some of the country’s most influential farming ventures. In this part of the conversation, he and NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Mike Lewis talk about Michael’s history and how good planning and record keeping can help farmers cope with rising prices for inputs and supplies.
Mike Lewis and Michael O’Gorman

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we meet up with one of NCAT’s newest sustainable agriculture specialists, Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez. In her conversation with colleague Robert Maggiani in the NCAT Southwest Regional Office in San Antonio, Texas, Luz explains how she decided on a career in sustainable agriculture. After initially setting out to study medicine, her interests in chemistry and environmental sciences led her to see the connections between health and food, agriculture, and community.
Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez and Robert Maggiani

NCAT’s headquarters in Butte, Montana, has a complicated growing climate to say the least. That makes John Wallace’s job as farm manager of NCAT’s Small-Scale Intensive Farm Training program – or SIFT – challenging as well.
John Wallace and Victorian Smart