From cover crops to regenerative grazing and organic production to marketing, ATTRA - Voices from the Field is your weekly sustainable agriculture podcast. Voices from the Field is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). Since 1976, NCAT has provided relevant information, individualized technical assistance and in-depth resources to support sustainable agriculture and accessible energy solutions. Learn more at NCAT.ORG and ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
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June 12, 2026Episode 39148 min
Farmscaping to Enhance Biodiversity and Ecological Pest Management
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Rex Dufour, Audrey Kolde, and Nina Prater talk about the principles of farmscaping - a practice of integrating native and diverse plants into agricultural spaces. Rex has been championing farmscaping for decades as a way to enhance biological control of pests. Audrey and Nina convene with Rex to learn from the master. Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast. Resources:Alternative Pollinators: Native BeesConservation Hedgerows for the SouthwestFarmscaping to Enhance Biological Control Wild Farm AllianceThe Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
May 14, 2026Episode 39043 min
Planning for Farmland Succession
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell is joined by Alsie Parks, C0-Executive Director of SAAFON and Lindsey Richards, Texas Gulf Coast Outreach and Education Specialist with American Farmland Trust. Alsie and Lindsey share their different yet complimentary perspectives of the importance of planning for farmland succession through estate planning or land trusts, tips for starting hard conversations, and stories of successful farmland hand-offs to the next generation of farmers.Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.References:American Farmland TrustSAAFON
May 12, 2026Episode 38920 min
Episode 389. Successful Women in Agriculture - Gwen Cannon
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell continues her series on successful women in Agriculture. Felicia talks with Gwen Cannon of Cannon Family Farm, located just outside of Brandon, Mississippi. Gwen shares about what led her to living a life of farming with her spouse, and how the lessons she has learned along the way have helped her serve her community. Cannon Farm provides hands-on education through agritourism in addition to growing food for their region.Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.References:The Cannon Farm
May 12, 2026Episode 38831 min
Successful Women in Agriculture - Marguerite Green
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Felicia Bell begins a new series highlighting successful women in agriculture. Felicia kicks of the series by interviewing Marguerite Green, Statewide Director of the Louisiana Food Policy Council. Marguerite shares what inspired her to begin farming and what led her to a career in agriculture advocacy and education.Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.References:Louisiana Food Policy Council
April 9, 2026Episode 3871 hr 10 min
From Dead Dirt to Living Soil: Using Vermicompost Tea
In this episode of ATTRA's Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde hosts Garver Akers of Green Akers Consulting. Garver shares the soil health improvements he has seen from using vermicompost tea in medium- to large-scale agriculture production. Drawing from his experience as regenerative farmer, ecological horticulturist, and organic farm and garden consultant, Garver provides an in-depth exploration of the benefits of using vermicompost soil amendments.NCAT ResourcesHow to Reduce Synthetic Fertilizer Use ToolkitVermicomposting: The BasicsVermicomposting 101 Webinar
March 9, 2026Episode 38627 min
Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources: The STAR Program in Action
In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde continues her investigation into sustainable and organic farming practices by learning more about the Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) project. Audrey speaks with STAR project director, Jake Deutmeyer, to learn how this national, non-profit organization established and expanded the STAR framework for conservation practice, evaluation, implementation, and valuation. Designed and led by producers, the STAR tool utilizes science and experience to target local solutions for local natural resource concerns, and to support farmers and ranchers on their conservation journey – wherever they are. NCAT Resources:Soil Health Indicators and Tests – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureEpisode 382: Organic Certification: One Step at a Time – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureAsk an Ag Expert Connect – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureFind Organic Resource Organic Farming – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureOther Resources:Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture ResourcesThis work is supported by NCAT’s Preparing a Resilient Future: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training for Organic Field Crop and Livestock Producers in the Northern Great Plains.’ Project, award no. 2021-70033-35698. from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
February 19, 2026Episode 38546 min
Facilitating School Food Sales through Flexibility and Relationship Building
In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Tammy Howard speaks with participants from her USDA‑funded project, Bringing the Farm to School. The project is designed to help agricultural producers build the skills and capacity needed to sell their products directly to schools. Alongside this training, NCAT and the National Farm to School Network have also hosted facilitated networking events to connect producers with school food buyers.Tammy talks with her NCAT colleague and Growtopia Farms owner Cody Brown, as well as Matt Hanson from the Central Texas Food Hub, a social enterprise of the Central Texas Food Bank. Both Matt and Cody attended one of these networking events in Central Texas. Their conversation highlights their personal experiences and offers practical advice for developing strong producer-buyer relationships that support successful school food sales.Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.NCAT Resources Bringing the Farm to School Through New Connections BlogScaling up for Regional Markets TutorialScaling up your Vegetable Farm for Regional MarketsFarm to School Sales: Profiles of Ranches Making It WorkFood Hubs: A Producer GuideEpisode 358. Abundant Montana “Meet Up” Meets with SuccessOther ResourcesBringing the Farm to School ProjectNational Farm to School NetworkCentral Texas Food BankGrowtopia Farms
January 16, 2026Episode 38440 min
Tuning Your Eye – Rangeland Monitoring Made Simple
In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Danielle Duni and Darron Gaus speak with Jeremiah Eubank, a rancher in Canyon Lake, Texas. Jeremiah and his wife Maggie operate Pure Pastures, a family-owned multi-species grazing operation. The Eubanks have been ranching since 2015, using trial and error to perfect their rotational grazing practices. They strive to provide the most flavorful and nutrient dense meat to their community, while rebuilding topsoil and the native prairie landscape that once dominated the Hill Country.This conversation covers some of the practical ways listeners can “tune their eye” and make better decisions while monitoring rangeland, resulting in better, more usable data. Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.ATTRA Resources:Monitoring ChecklistRangeland App: Modern Tool for Graziers – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureTest Driving the New LandPKS Land Monitoring App – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureSoil Moisture Monitoring: Low-Cost Tools and Methods – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureAssessing Soil Health on Grazing Lands Using a Shovel and a Knife – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureSafe to Fail Trials with Graeme Hand – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureResources – Soil for WaterAdditional Resources:Pure PasturesGrassland Production Forecast (Grass-Cast) | Drought.govCoCoRaHS – Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow NetworkGrazing Monitoring StickHow to Use a Grazing Monitoring StickTags: Grazing, Soil Health, Sustainable Agriculture
November 3, 202547 min
From Brimstone to Broccoli: The Story of Sulfur
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Nina Prater, Darron Gaus, and Lee Rinehart continue their exploration of plant nutrients. In previous episodes, they covered nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, and in this episode they dive into the pungent world of sulfur. They discuss the history of sulfur, how sulfur is related to air quality, how sulfur works in the soil, why it is so important in plants, and how to manage sulfur in sustainable and organic ways.Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.ATTRA Resources: Nitrogen: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-260-rising-fertilizer-costs-look-to-history-for-answers/Phosphorus: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-304-phosphorus-and-the-beauty-of-biology/Potassium: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-323-potassium-from-past-to-present/Calcium: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-365-calcium-the-premier-soil-nutrient/Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures: https://attra.ncat.org/publication/overview-of-cover-crops-and-green-manures-2/Managing Soils for Water: How Five Principles of Soil Health Support Water Infiltration and Storage: https://attra.ncat.org/publication/manage-soil-for-water/References:Britannica Science: https://www.britannica.com/science/sulfurDecades After Clean Air Act, Most Smokestacks Still Lack Scrubbers: https://publicintegrity.org/environment/decades-after-clear-air-act-most-smokestacks-still-lack-scrubbers/Air Pollution Legislation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leblanc_processHell on Earth: The Sulfur Mines of Sicily: https://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com/history-culture/10307-hell-on-earth-the-sulfur-mines-of-sicilyRevisiting the role of sulfur in crop production: A narrative review:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154324000504Sulfur Deficiency: https://www.sulphurinstitute.org/sulphur-in-agriculture/sulphur-deficiency-sources-and-symptoms/
October 23, 2025Episode 38259 min
Organic Certification: One Step at a Time
In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde sits down with colleagues Ann Baier and Andrew Coggins to discuss the initial steps in obtaining organic certification in farming. Before coming to NCAT, Audrey worked as a manager of vegetable production on a certified organic farm, and she brings that experience to this conversation.In addition to her role as an NCAT Agriculture Specialist, Ann is also certified organic inspector. Ann has inspected numerous organic farms, livestock operations, and handling (processing) facilities to ensure compliance with USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) and international organic standards.NCAT Agriculture Specialist Andrew Coggins facilitated ten Organic Academy Roadshow workshops in five states between 2022 and 2024, providing training to farmers and ranchers on organic production practices for both crops and livestock.Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.NCAT ResourcesAsk an Ag Expert Connect – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureFind Organic Resource Organic Farming – ATTRA – Sustainable AgricultureOther ResourcesOrganic Regulations | Agricultural Marketing ServiceOrganic Integrity Database https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/farms-operationsIf you are a producer who wants to get certified by a USDA-accredited certification agency, find the current list of those: https://www.ams.usda.gov/resources/organic-certifying-agentsOrganic Trade Association’s study finds that the USDA Organic label is among the most trusted by consumers. https://www.farmprogress.com/organic/organic-stands-out-in-a-growing-sea-of-labelsutm_rid=CPG02000008489713&utm_campaign=97156&utm_medium=email&elq2=9b2f8ae1c10944179ff6cf3d4e18209c&sp_eh=54253693183eb833a6e39ca4dab2768d807401229a0c2ea146804e542447f37cThis work is supported by NCAT’s Preparing a Resilient Future: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training for Organic Field Crop and Livestock Producers in the Northern Great Plains.' Project, award no. 2021-70033-35698. from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
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