Growers Daily

Hey rebels, if you listen to this podcast you probably know that I, Mimi, am the lone wine person to date. So, since that's what I do, I thought I would poke some of my favorite people in wine and today I've got one of my BIG heroes. Eric Texier is a winegrower in the South of France. He's known for being an early leader in not just better practices in the vineyard, going beyond the adoption of biodynamics, but he went on a journey to figure out how his soils could be improved and how that could improve wine quality and also build in resilience for his family in the future. He's a native to Bordeaux, didn't come from a wine family, which is uncommon because it's really difficult to just buy a vineyard in France, and was a nuclear engineer before wine. Surprise, surprise, he wanted to do something else. A self made wine maker, very opinionated, not afraid to stoke the fire and call out bulls***… It was a super fun conversation, his wines are incredibly expressive, and he has a genuine humility about his process. We get into his vineyards, his wine-making, terriors and regenerative practices, and I just can't wait to share this conversation with you. I highly recommend looking for his wines, they're accessibly priced, and you can check out his website at https://www.eric-texier.com/ Folks who make the show possible... Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends. Real Organic Project for a whole farm certification program to distinguish crops grown in health soils. ... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat (yep, back in stock and shipping now), and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

*Update: The SeedLinked participatory variety trials are LIVE on their website and this year include cherry tomato and colored pepper trials AND a NO-TILL squash trial!* Nicolas of SeedLinked and Julie of University of Madison Wisconsin are leaders in participatory plant breeding. They are helping develop varieties that are regionally adapted to the traits that matter for direct market growers like most of you! They've developed a platform to make it easier to include farmers in variety trials to select for things like taste. I know everyone listening is involved in farming or gardening, largely because you know that not all tomatoes and carrots are created equal. Variety matters. Production practices matter. How long it takes to get the product into the hands of the customer matters. Truth be told, I do not have the personality to be a direct market farmer, so props to all of you out there, but when I WAS farming and someone would tell me they never liked brussels sprouts until they ate MY brussels sprouts, it was one of the most rewarding feelings. So, what Nicolas and Julie are doing in their participatory plant breeding work is trying to spread that feeling by increasing our collective capacity for developing new and amazing varieties. The website for their project is SeedLinked.com Their work is truly inspiring and we hope some of you growers out there can get involved! Mentioned in the show notes... Download the SeedLinked App Follow SeedLink on Instagram and keep up with their work Participate in a Seedlink.com variety trial (sign-ups page) Organic Association of Kentucky Annual Conference Folks who make the show possible... Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements, on sale through the end of the year! University of Wisconsin-Madison and their new certificate in organic agriculture. ... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat (yep, back in stock and shipping now), and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Hey everyone, it's Alex, and I'm beyond excited to bring you all a very interesting conversation with Brian Bates of Bear Creek Organic Farm. Brian is one of my favorite farmers in the state of Michigan and I got the privilege to spend a day with him and his crew, learning how they grow food efficiently year-round. In this episode, we dive deep into the philosophy of farm growth, Spring plant sales, experiments in no-till, and investing in the most valuable asset of a farm. Surprise? It's their employees. ~ Alex Ball, Old City Acres Mentioned in the show... Follow Bear Creek Organic Farm on Instagram Morgan Compost Dairy Doo The Bear Creek Look Book Weed the Soil, Not the Crop by Eric & Anne Nordell of Beech Grove Farm Folks who make the show possible... Orisha for wireless greenhouse+ automation, get 15% off with code "No Till Grower" RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends. Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification. ... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat (yep, back in stock and shipping now), and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Natalie here. When Jesse asked me to be a guest-host, I knew I wanted to dedicate an episodeto the subject of PFAS contamination, but I didn't think it would be a good first episode, because it's really not uplifting. It's one of those topics that makes it hard to keep sitting up straight. But, since I've been behind the ball on getting more episodes going--and Jesse tells me there's a lot of intrest in this topic--I decided to go for it. For the vast majority of growers out there, PFAS contamination on your farms isn't going to be an issue, but it is something farmers may want to be aware of when looking for land or buying inputs like compost or straw mulch, and especially when making compost with various feedstocks. To learn more about PFAS, I spoke with Caleb Goossen, the organic crop and conservation specialist at MOFGA. And I promise there will be more uplifting epsides in the future. Folks who make the show possible... RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements, on sale through the end of the year! University of Wisconsin-Madison and their new certificate in organic agriculture. ... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat (yep, back in stock and shipping now), and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

It's about to get real nerdy, folks. We at No-Till Growers have always wanted to bring in more of the research and science from someone who really understands it. Natalie Lounsbury, herself, is a no-till and cover crop RESEARCHER at the University of New Hampshire, a legitimate scientist, and you may remember her from the Priming for Production Podcast series on soil organic matter. Go back and listen to it if you haven't already, it's one of our favorite things on the internet. Ever. In this mini-interview, she and I get into how the Serial podcast series changed her approach, her experience/research background, and how I should probably apologize to diakon radish. Her first contribution to the series will be next Monday. You don't want to miss it, it's a heavy subject, but one we as growers could all use a little science lesson on. As always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat (yep, back in stock and shipping now), and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Tell Dr. Mimi where it hurts, because I've got the cure. Be it bread or beer, it all starts with grain. Today, we get to do all of my favorite things, which is to combine bread, beer, and rock stars. Andy Cato, half of the band Groove Armada, is the co-founder of a super-rad farm project, Wildfarmed, growing no-till regenerative grains. It's taken a lot of trail and error, and we get into his systems and how he makes it all work: rotations, equipment, producer groups, etc. for facilitating the change he wants to see on the land. In short, Andy is "an award-winning mixed arable and livestock farmer. Once a successful Grammy nominated musician, Andy gave that up after reading about the dire state of modern food production. He went on to spend over a decade trying to find a more restorative and sustainable way of growing food. Whilst farming in France, Andy was awarded the Chevalier l'Order Merit de Agricole - the equivalent of a knighthood for services to agriculture. Now back on British soil, Andy is on a mission to help other farmers adopt the Wildfarmed system." If you've ever thought about how to grow grains on a small scale regeneratively, this one's for you. Because we've got to figure that part out. The sourdough and beer are what's keeping me going. Follow Andy & Wildfarmed Follow Mimi & Hope Well Wine Folks who make the show possible... RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends. Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification. and You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or check out No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook and join the conversation at our new and improved growers forum.

Super excited to have Josh and Kelsey of Wild Prairie Flower Farm on The No-Till Market Garden Podcast! They're two super hard-working urban farmers in Columbus, OH, who grow about a quarter of an acre of cut-flowers and market them through a home-delivery CSA. Big thanks to Jesse and the No-Till Growers team for having me, Alex Ball, as a host. ~ Alex Ball, Old City Acres Mentioned in the show... Follow Wild Prarie on Instagram Check out the Wild Prarie GoFundMe Folks who make the show possible... RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. Orisha for wireless greenhouse+ automation, get 15% off with code "No Till Grower" BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements, on sale through the end of the year! University of Wisconsin-Madison and their new certificate in organic agriculture. ... and You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or check out No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook and join the conversation at our new and improved growers forum.

Welcome BACK to yet another exciting season of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast. As mentioned at the end of last season, I--Jesse--will not be hosting this year. My role now is more of a producer for the suite of podcasts and work we publish at No-Till Growers. I'm excited to introduce the second host, Alex Ball of Old City Acres! We are big fans of Alex's work and in this mini-interview we muse on the progression and evolution of our respective farms. He's gong to bring a lot to the host seat because of his interest in the details surrounding what it takes to run a successful farm business, which is something I felt was lacking in my own approach. Alex is someone you can listen to and talk to for hours, he's a lot of fun, and we can't wait for his contribution to the podcast. Alex's first interview will be coming out next Monday. As always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Benina Montez, of Burroughs Family Farms, is a badass FOURTH generation farmer in the Central Valley of California. She has been farming alongside her family and made the shift to regenerative organic certification for their almonds, walnuts, and olives. They also produce pastured chickens and lamb through silvopasture. It's really cool to hear from someone like Benina who has experienced the journey from not only something conventional to something regenerative, but also what it means to BE a fourth generation farmer and how you have to continuously move the bar to remain a relevant family farm. Benina is super awesome, honest, and has a lot to offer people who are curious about how it can all be done regeneratively in tree systems with silvopasture. Folks who make the show possible... RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels. Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends. Johnny's Selected Seeds vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Certified Naturally Grown grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification. and You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or check out No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook and join the conversation at our new and improved growers forum.

Welcome BACK to yet another exciting season of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast. As mentioned at the end of last season, I--Jesse--will not be hosting this year. My role now is more of a producer for the suite of podcasts we publish at No-Till Growers. It's been super fun and I've greatly enjoyed listening behind the scenes to these first interviews with our new hosts. Speaking of new hosts, we want to start introducing them to you one by one over the next few weeks, beginning with the one and only Mimi Casteel of Hope Well Vineyard. Mimi's first interview will be coming out next Monday, officially kicking off season FIVE. As always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you haven't already, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat