Episode 367: The Farming Systems of Puerto Rico

This episode of Voices from the Field explores the ancient Taino Conuco farming systems of Puerto Rico in a conversation between NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez and researcher Joseph Navarro. They discuss how these sustainable practices supported self-sufficiency during pre-colonial times, their evolution through colonial and industrial transitions, and their potential to transform Puerto Rico’s future and address modern challenges like soil erosion, food insecurity, and climate resilience.

Related Resources:

Can Indigenous Agricultural Methods of Puerto Rico Mitigate Climate Change and Feed the Island?

Jungle: How Tropical Forests Shaped World History – and Us

Precision Ecology

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez a at gabriellas@ncat.org and lee@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 Ag Specialists Nina Prater and Lee Rinehart are joined by recently retired Ag Specialist Guy Ames to celebrate his life and work. Guy is deeply knowledgeable about his area of expertise, fruit trees, and is also a font of wisdom about how to live the good life. This conversation includes how Guy found his way to farming in the Ozarks, the many failures that guided him toward success, and like most conversations with Guy, contains many wonderful, circuitous meanderings. He also shares about what it was like in the early days of ATTRA in the distant pre-internet past. We will all miss Guy here at NCAT and are so grateful he joined us in this episode to keep the "cultural cycle," as Wendell Berry puts it, turning.

ATTRA Resources:

Soils and Sites for Organic Orchards and Vineyards

Tree Fruits: Organic Production Overview

Battling Borers in Organic Apple Production

Blueberries: Organic Production

Fruit Trees, Bushes, and Vines for Natural Growing in the Ozarks

Heirloom Apples

Other Resources:

It All Turns on Affection

The Good Life

Divine Right's Trip

Ames Orchard and Nursery

The Wheel

Braiding Sweetgrass

Contact Nina Prater and Lee Rinehart at ninap@ncat.org and lee@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 Specialists Nina Prater, Darron Gaus, and Lee Rinehart explore calcium – an essential plant nutrient and basic soil cation that has a big impact on soil pH. Whether your soil is naturally high or naturally low in calcium, this episode will guide
you in managing this nutrient.

Related ATTRA Resources:

Episode 164. Soil Sessions. Understanding Soil pH

Episode 304. Phosphorus and the Beauty of Biology

Episode 260. Rising Fertilizer Costs. Look to History for Answers

Episode 323. Potassium from Past to Present

Other Resources:

Soil Fertility and Animal Health

The Marl Pits Around the Upton Area

Soil Cation Balancing

Using Lime in Organic Systems

Soil Acidity and Adjusting Soil pH

Contact Nina Prater, Darron Gaus, and Lee Rinehart at ninap@ncat.org, darrong@ncat.org, and lee@ncat.org.

Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.
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 Local Food Systems Specialists Maura Henn and Molly Kirkham talk with Indigenous Food Sovereignty Consultant Cheyenne Robinson about their project, “Understanding Through Listening: Connecting with Native Food Ways in Montana.”

The project focused on holding listening sessions in Native American communities in Montana, primarily on Indian reservations, to learn if community members would be interested in developing an Indigenous Harvest of the Month program. Harvest of the Month is a farm-to-school educational framework designed to promote locally grown food in Montana schools and communities.

Maura, Molly, and Cheyenne talk about what they learned conducting the sessions, the process of developing the listening-session framework, and what their next steps will be.

Related ATTRA Resources:
• Farm to School

Project Partners:
• Grow Montana
• Montana Cooperative Development Center Distribution Study – Challenges and Opportunities for Grocers in Rural and Tribal Communities
• No Kid Hungry
• Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger

Other Resources:
• Understanding Through Listening
• Harvest of the Month
• Montana Harvest of the Month
• Menominee Harvest of the Moon
• Nebraska Harvest of the Month Indigenous Foods and Training
• National Farm to School Network

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, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez talks with Bonnetta Adeeb, founder of Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, a nonprofit collective of BIPOC growers, farmers, and gardeners who cultivate and distribute heirloom seeds and grow culturally meaningful crops.

Gabriella and Bonnetta talk about the cultural role of seed saving and heritage crops as well as the importance of agriculture in defining and protecting cultural identity.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· Specialty Melon Production for Small and Direct-Market Growers

· Improving Seed Viability and Germination

· Local Food Systems

Other Resources:

· UJAMAA Cooperative Farming Alliance

· UJAMAA Seeds

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez at 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 Chris Lent has a conversation with Crystal Hampton-Davis, co-owner of Davis Grown, a Pennsylvania livestock and produce farm. They discuss how Crystal and her husband, Bradley, diversified the farm and made the move toward selling to local schools. Crystal is also passionate about educating children and others in the community about local foods.

Related ATTRA Resources:

Local Food Systems

Business and Marketing

Other Resources:

Davis Grown

Pennsylvania Preferred

Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Farm to School Grant

Pennsylvania Department of Education Fruit Tree and Vegetable Program

The Food Trust Farm Tour: Davis Grown

Contact Chris Lent at chrisl@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 Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez sits down with Dr. Saleh Azizi, Director of the Hawai'i Food Hub Hui and the Islands & Remote Areas Regional Food Business Center. Together, they delve into the historical context of Hawaii's food system, exploring the impacts of colonialism and the resulting health challenges faced by the native population. Saleh explains the critical role of food hubs in supporting local agriculture and food security, and he and Gabriella discuss the unique collaboration between Hawai'i's Regional Food Business Center, the Good Food Alliance Hawaii, and the US Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition. Tune in to learn more about how these partnerships are shaping a more resilient and sustainable food system for island communities.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· Food Hubs: A Producer Guide

· Feasibility Study for a Texas Organic Food Hub

· Episode 194. Kansas City Food Hub and KC Farm

· Farm to Food Hub to School

Other Related Resources:

· Hawai’i Food Hub Hui

· Hawai’i Good Food Alliance

· US Virgin Islands Good Food

· Islands & Remote Areas Regional Food Business Center

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez at gabriellas@ncat.org

Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.

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 Tyler Jenkins takes listeners on a journey through the natural-dye supply chain with three industry experts. Max Holden is a grower based in Washington state with a passion for cultivating dye plants. Bradley Todd is a fellow NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist who resides in North Carolina and is a processor skilled in dye extraction. Courtney Lockemer is an organizer and market builder based in North Carolina who is dedicated to advancing natural dyes in modern markets. Together, they discuss a pilot project that explored opportunities for farmers to produce natural dye plants and how these efforts can scale to meet growing market demand.

Related ATTRA Resources:

• Business and Marketing
• Fiber
• Specialty Cut Flower Production and Marketing
• Herbs: Organic Greenhouse Production

Related Resources

• TS Designs

Contact Tyler Jenkins at tylerj@ncat.org.

Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.

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.