American Family Farmer

Host Doug Stephan begins with news about The Trade Wars and how they are affecting the Family Farm, especially Pork Producers. Next, Doug welcomes Dr. John Bolten, who is serving as the Associate Program Manager of Water Resources for the NASA Applied Sciences Program at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/ His research focuses on the application of satellite-based remote sensing and land surface hydrological modeling for improved ecological and water resource management. John is involved in the scientific community and regularly gives seminars and tutorials on his recent work and the activities of NASA’s Applied Sciences Program related to water resources management around the globe. Finally, Doug opines about the New Farm Bill that Congress seems to have a lack of interest in.

Host Doug Stephan begins the podcast with news you can use on your ranch or farm, including the new Farm Bill that the House and Senate are hammering out. Next, Doug welcomes Margo Hale, Southeast Regional Office Director for NCAT, the National Center for Appropriate Technology. http://www.nact.org For over 40 years NCAT has been promoting sustainable living. They are a national nonprofit that provides research-based technical assistance and information in the fields of sustainable agriculture, sustainable energy, and community development for small-scale intensive farming, urban farming, and local foods; assistance to small farmers, beginning and new farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, and veterans wishing to become farmers. Finally, Doug offers new news about Farm Aid 2018, taking place on September 22nd and he opines about across-the-board drops in Farm Income.

Host Doug Stephan reviews news about Replenishing the Soil, Deforestation and the threat Amazon.com poses with box usage. Next, Doug welcomes Dr. Neil I. Fox https://www.cafnr.missouri.edu/person/neil-i-fox/ , Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science at The University of Missouri. He has researched a number of threads which include: The use of radar in the estimation and very short-period forecasting (nowcasting) of rainfall. The representation of rainfall in models of runoff, soil detachment and stream flow. Observation of winds at heights of interest to wind energy development and their relationship to the characteristics of the low-level jet. They discuss the hidden dangers of Severe Weather. Finally, Doug gives an update on Willie Nelson's "Farm Aid" and finally Doug opines with very little optimism over the proposed Farm Bill. He suggests that there needs to be a whole new pricing structure that is more favorable to the small Family Farm. 

Host Doug Stephan tells a story about of a couple in their sixties, who left conventional careers to begin a successful business raising livestock. Next, Val Dolcini of The Pollinator Partnership http://www.pollinator.org joins Doug to discuss "Bee Friendly Farming." Val was formerly Administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency, is a fifth generation Californian, a passionate supporter of American farmers and ranchers, and a firm believer in the promise of our nation's rural places.  He is currently the President & CEO of the Pollinator Partnership, an organization dedicated to the support and protection of pollinators throughout North America. Finally, Doug's commentary this week is about "The Music in Mowing and Hay Bailing."

In Agri-News, Host Doug Stephan outlines new proposals to help Dairy Farmers and other farming http://www.farmbill.org . Next, Doug welcomes Scott Farber who leads a team working to improve food and farm legislation, chemicals policy and a host of other issues important to EWG and its supporters. http://www.egw.org Prior to joining EWG, Scott was vice president for federal affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, where he spearheaded efforts to enact the Food Safety Modernization Act, which sets new food safety standards for food manufacturers and farmers. From 2000 to 2007, he was a food and farm policy campaign manager for the Environmental Defense Fund, leading efforts to reform farm policies in the 2002 and 2008 farm bills. They discuss how it's time to put the consumer back in control. Finally, Doug opines about this year's Tick Season.

First, the farm news, with Host Doug Stephan covers how much the average farmer makes annually, Family Dairy Farmers in danger of becoming extinct and why, and Canada's interest in opening the doors to American Dairies. Next, Chris Kerston of the Savory Institute http://www.savoryinstitute.org joins Doug about their work. Chris ranched full time for nearly 15yrs before joining the Savory Institute. With a longstanding passion for regenerative agricultural and better food distribution systems, he has dedicated his life to helping connect ranchers with consumers in ways that create synergistic value for both sides. The Institute facilitates the realization of a life of enduring returns for the land and all who depend on it. They develop tools and enhanced curricula, inform policy, establish market incentives, increase public awareness, and coordinate relevant research, cultivating relationships with aligned partners. Finally, Doug opines about the misconception about Raw Milk.

Host Doug Stephan begins with news about the first death lawsuit against Monsanto over use of Round-Up. Next, Doug's special guest is Daniel Morash of California Safe Soil http://www.calsafesoil.com. CSS provides a full-cycle process to assist supermarkets to recycle their organics, improve store hygiene, and reduce costs, in addition to helping agricultural customers save money, increase crop yield, and reduce nitrate runoff. They produce a safe, low cost, high volume, and high-quality liquid fertilizer product, Harvest-to-Harvest™. Finally, Doug talks about the benefits of having your own backyard garden.

Host Doug Stephan shares news about the skyrocketing demand for Organic Foods and Organic Milk, and how Government agencies are trying to set the standards. Next, Doug meets Lydell Steiner of TILMOR http://www.tilmor.com. TILMOR is fourth-generation family farm (certified organic since 2006), with more than 50 years of experience designing and manufacturing turf and agricultural equipment. While operating the farm, they needed reliable, appropriately-sized, affordable tools and equipment for their smaller acreage—and they couldn’t get them. Agricultural equipment manufacturers were focused on large, industrial farms, and they were left with purchasing and trying to maintain older equipment. That is how TILMOR was born. Today, they are committed to developing tools and equipment that are designed, built, and distributed for the farmers who are supplying our communities with the fresh, locally-grown goodness we’ve come to know and love. Next, Doug shares a little poem about Dairy Farming and then he opines abou

Host Doug Stephan reveals a recent study which indicates that the number one cause of concern in the world is Animal Welfare. Next, Doug talks with Government Relations Representative for the National Farmers Unionhttp://www.nfu.org, Matt Perdue, who is an advocate for family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities in Congress and the executive branch.  He focuses on climate, conservation, energy, health care, rural development, and transportation. In April, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced legislation to provide mental health resources in rural America to address the alarmingly high rate of suicide amongst farmers and ranchers. The bill, FARMERS FIRST encourages Rural Solutions for Immediate Response to Stressful Times. Finally, Doug opines about the FARMERS FIRST Bill.

Host Doug Stephan reviews the latest developments with egg production, and the recent Salmonella scares. Next, Doug spends some time with Chelsea Davis, Communications Director of Family Farm Action, http://www.farmaction.us a coalition of family-farmers and advocates building the "political muscle" to fight for farmers and rural communities. Existing political organizations have aligned themselves with industrial corporate agriculture. Family Farm Action is a progressive voice fighting to protect America’s family farms and rural communities from multinational agribusiness monopolies that are destroying rural economies and way of life. Finally, Doug shares his experiences as a former Raw Milk producer.

Host Doug Stephan talks about a farmer and his wife, who started a rural delivery service to deliver his products and products from other local farms to neighboring customers.  Next, Dairy Farmer Brian Smith, and Member of Americans For Farmers and Families http://www.americansforfarmers&families.com discuss this coalition of growers, producers, suppliers, transporters, retailers and consumers dedicated to preserving NAFTA and working with President Trump to negotiate a modernized agreement fit for the 21st Century. Finally, Doug opines on Carbon Emissions and Bio Fuels.

Meet Thomas Monteith, a 79-year-old retired Dairy Farmer, who owned Woodland Farms in Granville, MA. He is not optimistic about the future of the small family dairy farmer. Thomas is an advocate for independent dairy farms.There is a huge discrepancy between the price we pay for milk in the store, and the price the dairy farmer gets for it. You won't believe the influence that Walmart has on the industry! You'll want to see the movie "Forgotten Farms." http://www.forgottenfarms.org

Martha Boneta is a farmer at Liberty Farm in Paris, Virginia. A native Virginian, Martha grew up in Mt. Vernon on what she was told was a part of George Washington’s vast farmland. Growing up, her family always had kitchen gardens and it was Martha’s childhood dream to be a Virginia farmer and that dream became reality over 9 years ago.Immediately following law school, Martha worked in government relations and advocacy in Washington, DC that propelled her career as strategic account executive at Reed Elsevier for the Mid-Atlantic Region and Thomson Reuters in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.Martha is the Founder of the Piedmont Agriculture Academy (PAA), Liberty Hall Livestock Rescue and has been on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Independent Consumer & Farmers Association (VICFA), Small Family Farm Foundation (SFFF) and has represented the Farm to Consumer Legal Foundation (FTCLF) advocating legislation and is a strong supporter of the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild and several other farm advo

Wendy Johnson is a farmer from Charles City, Iowa. She was born and raised on a farm a few miles from where she lives today.  She left the rural life when she was 18 for the big city thinking she'd never return, but 18 years later, she returned to her roots, living in her grandparents home and working the land that they once did. During those 18 years, she went to college, traveled the world, made Los Angeles her home, worked in the fashion industry, and most importantly discovered food.Wendy also works on her family farm with her dad, Erwin. Her dad is a 3rd generation farmer and grows conventional corn and soybeans.  She works with him, learning how to manage a commodity crop farm, while she discovers alternative ways to be more environmentally and economically sustainable.  She is using the small acreage that she rents from her family farm to incubate her ideas and try methods of production in hopes to expand.Wendy is on the cover of a book called "Women and the Land" by Barbara Hall and photographer Kathr

In this weeks American Family Farmer podcast, Host Doug Stephan speaks live from the Central US Hemp Growers Conference with Morris Beagle, the founder of We Are For Better Alternatives, a program providing education and information about Hemp to promote the industry and the benefits of the plant.  He also speaks with Samantha Walsh, a lobbyist for the Hemp industry  and CEO and co-founder of Tetra Public Affairs, a cannabis-centered consulting firm. You can find out more about her work at Samantha@tetrapublicaffairs.com.  

Doug Fine is a world-class adventure writer and investigative journalist, who, in 2011, turned his attention to America’s 40 Year-Old War on Drugs. Coming at it from a both an economic and a sustainability angle, he looked into the cannabis fields of Northern California, some of them third generation farms that are as old as the war itself.After researching the hemp industry worldwide for two years, his fourth book, Hemp Bound, was published one month after the US. Congress re-legalized hemp after 77 years. That book is being widely praised with Joel Salatin calling it “one of the most fun books you’ll ever read about the future of farming” and Willie Nelson declaring it “a blueprint for the future of America.”In 2015, Doug started bringing forth a hemp-printed monograph called First Legal Harvest, available at dougfine.com. It’s a must-read report from the world’s industrial cannabis fields and the digital age industries they are already supplying.In addition to participating in hemp farms on both U.S. coast

Tyson Nekirch is an instructor at The Farm School's "Learn to Farm Program," located in rural, north-central Massachusetts. There are three main programs at The Farm School: Program for Visiting Schools, Learn to Farm Program, and the Chicken Coop School. One of the things that makes the farm school approach to both immersive education for school age children is that all of the program staff are farmers and/or chefs AND instructors. The visiting students are immediately and meaningfully integrated into the integral seasonal work of the farm, from milking small dairy herd to harvesting in the gardens the food that will be apart of their community meals, processing firewood, cooking meals for their peers in the kitchen, doing chores, etc. Tyson is a father, partner, son, brother, uncle, farmer, teacher, and student of life. Tyson grew up amidst the corn and soybean fields of Seward County, Nebraska and has taught at the the Learn to Farm Program at The Farm School in Athol, MA where he has worked since 2011. In

Host Doug Stephan meets  Brendan Davison, the Founder of Good Water Farms in Bridgehampton, NY, where he grows over 30 varieties of Microgreens. Microgreens have 4-6 times higher levels of vital nutrients than mature greens of the same plant and have really amazing nutritional benefits, such as....    •    They are the best possible source of the elevated biotics critical to your body’s production of vitamin B12 and hold thousands of phytochemicals to supercharge your body.    •    They are ultimate tools for renewing an exhausted reproductive system, for regenerating hormone production of the adrenal glands, thyroid and the rest of the endocrine system.    •    Microgreens are high in mineral salts that are involved with neurotransmitter chemical production which support the brain with amino acids and enzymes, pull toxic heavy metals from the brain and help rejuvenate and strengthen neurons – which ultimately helps the body in reversing Alzheimer’s, dementia, brain fog and memory loss.Good Water Farms took r

Mary Kimball is the Executive Director for the Center for Land-Based Learning, where they strive to inspire, educate, and cultivate future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders and natural resource stewards. She started working there in 1998, and has led its growth since that time; in 1998, there was one program and 30 high school students. Today, Land-Based Learning runs five different model programs that serve thousands of high school students and adults each year in 28 Counties. This includes the California Farm Academy, the only beginning farmer training, business incubator, and CA-approved apprenticeship program in beginning farm and ranch management in California.Raised on a small farm in Yolo County, Mary is very active in local, regional and statewide groups, including serving as Board member of the Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, a member of the California Community Colleges Agriculture & Natural Resources Statewide Advisory Committee, and the Agriculture, Water,

Eliza Maclean talks veterinary practices & raising livestock at Cane Creek Farm