In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT specialists Lee Rhinehart and Eric Fuchs-Stengel have a lively discussion on the topic of beekeeping. Lee and Eric talk about the best and worst conditions for keeping bees, common mistakes for beginners, bee anatomy, and honey production. Eric also shares his own experiences in raising bees and provides many practical suggestions who to seek guidance from when first starting out and for cultivating healthy hives.

ATTRA Resources:

Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees

Free Bees, Part One: Finding Them

Free Bees, Part Two: Keeping Them

Beekeeping Basics: Making Splits

Beekeeping: Overwintering Bees in Warm Places

Episode 214. Attracting and Protecting Pollinators

Additional Resources:

Heroes to Hives

Hives for Heroes

Xerces Society

Master Beekeeping Program at Cornell University

Natural Beekeeping - Ross Conrad

Raising Resilient Bees: Heritage Techniques to Mitigate Mites, etc. - Eric McEwen

Dadant Beekeeping Supplies

Scientificbeekeeping.com

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field NCAT specialists and colleagues, Maura Henn and Tammy Howard, reflect on their journey helping Montana farmers markets build capacity and sustain success. Maura and Tammy also talk about new resources they have developed including Harvest of the Month at Farmers Market toolkit and a suite of Farmers Market Vendor Success videos.

ATTRA Resources:

Farmers Markets

Farmers Market Pricing Strategies for Vendors

Episode 377: Developing Farmers Market Cooperatives with Blake Lineweaver

Additional Resources:

Getting Started at Farmers Market Toolkit

Montana Farmers Market Network

National Farm to School Network

Farmers Market Coalition

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez sits down with Asha Walker, founder and powerhouse behind Health in the Hood, a Miami-based nonprofit tackling food insecurity and health disparities by transforming vacant lots into thriving community gardens. Gabriella and Asha dive into the origin story of Health in the Hood, unpack how today’s food landscape is fueling chronic disease in low-income neighborhoods, and explore Asha’s new wellness app, Cured, which helps people take control of their health journey. Asha also shares ways you can get involved—whether it’s volunteering in the garden, supporting the mission, or just spreading the word.

ATTRA Resources:

Community Gardening

Urban Gardening Tips with Echo Global Farms

Episode 311: More Than Food Grows at Community Gardens and Urban Farms

Additional Resources:

Health in the Hood Website

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez gabriellas@ncat.org.

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT’s Nina Prater is joined by Tim Hammer, co-owner of Homegrown Native Foods, LLC. Tim is an educator who teaches people about responsible and safe foraging of wild plants and mushrooms in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. In this conversation, they discuss the many qualities of native plants that make them desirable in the farmscape, the commercial potential of different native plants, how to forage in the wild responsibly, and more.

ATTRA Resources:

Native Plants Offer More Than Beauty to the Farmscape

Switchgrass as a Bioenergy Crop

Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees

Companion Planting & Botanical Pesticides: Concepts & Resources

Other Resources:

Homegrown Native Foods, LLC

Tim Hammer Contact Info

Bringing Nature Home, by Doug Tallamy

Fall Glade Onion information

Arkansas Food Innovation Center

The Beaver Institute

Bo Brown, Foraging Author and Nature Educator

Prairie Moon Nursery

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialist Maura Henn is joined by Blake Lineweaver, Co-op Development Program Manager at Mission West Community Development Partners. Maura and Blake talk about how farmers markets in Montana are using the cooperative business model to build resilience in their local food systems, as well as the steps to forming a cooperative farmers market, as well as the principles that guide all cooperatives.

ATTRA Resources:

Farmers Markets

Additional Resources:

Everything Co-op Podcast

Cooperatives at Work Book

CooperationWorks! Co-op Development Center Map

"We're Team Farm" Co-op Farmers Market MW Case Study

Mission West Community Development Partners

Contact Maura Henn at maurah@ncat.org.

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez explores the principles and power of Syntropic Agriculture with Roger Gietzen and Mauro Rosito-Weber—two educators and practitioners deeply immersed in this regenerative agroforestry method. Together they discuss how syntropic agriculture differs from traditional agroforestry systems, long term benefits of this model, common challenges, and practical steps and resources for getting started.

Related ATTRA Resources:

How Syntropic Agriculture Restores Soil and Farms

Agroforestry

Additional Resources:

Global Freedom Project

ECHO Global Farms

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez gabriellas@ncat.org.

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater is joined by Dr. Faye Smith, a soil scientist with a focus on sustainable soil and landscape management. They talk about the importance of soil health, science-backed approaches to soil health, important benchmarks for measuring soil health, and more.

ATTRA Resources:

Soil Aggregate Assessment

Managing Soil for Water Publication

Additional Resources:

Dr. Faye Smith's Website

Ologies, Indigenous Pedology Episode

The Art of Soil paints

Contact Nina Prater at ninap@ncat.org.

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist, Eddy Labus, is joined by Joe Boccardy, better known as Joe Ginseng. Joe has a small farm nestled in the mountains of Northwest North Carolina where he cares for a small herd of Scottish Highland cattle, pigs, and chickens. Joe farms the forests on his farm, raising several different types of threatened or endangered species like Ginseng and Golden Seal. In this episode, Eddy and Joe talk about growing plants in Appalachian forests, preservation methods, and value-added marketing ideas.

Related ATTRA Resources:

Quick Tips for Agroforestry

Other Resources:

Appalachia’s ginseng goldmine may not last much longer

Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub™

United Plant Savers

Forest Farming: An Agroforestry Practice

Cultivating Native Woodland Botanicals

Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.