The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

235: Colin Walker on Keys to Growing Nutrient-rich Food Connecting important ecology-centered concepts for producing nutrient dense food.IN THIS PODCAST: Previous guest Colin Walker goes further into ecology-centered concepts and describes the key points he has developed to focus on growing better foods.  He has taken years of experience, research, and study and compiled it into six key focal points that will help any gardener or farmer produce healthier, more nutrient rich foods.Colin grew up in a rural community near Auckland, New Zealand, and learned the basics of growing by helping his grandfather maintain a small flower market garden.  Initially, he went to college to study economics, however after some course changes, he turned to interests a little closer to his roots.  He got involved in and has had leadership roles in several areas of natural agriculture including establishing the Permaculture Institute of New Zealand, taking on advisory and advocacy roles for seed preservation with independent & government organizations, and even served as a national coordinator of a National Organic Advisory Programme.Colin’s concentrations have been on permaculture, ecology centered design, seed preservation, conservation of traditional/heirloom food plants, garden education and most recently investigating (from an ecology perspective) the essential elements needed to guarantee that the food we grow is actually nutrient-rich.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/16/colin-walker-nutrient-rich/ for more information and to hear from our other great guests.

234: Ruth & Grace Pepler on AgritourismExperiencing life on the farm as a vacation destination IN THIS PODCAST: We meet two very special ladies in the mother-daughter team with Ruth and Grace Pepler who are helping us understand the concepts of Agritourism and Guest Farms. Ruth is inspiring with her story of transforming their small homestead into a very active community building resource and agriculture education resource in the guise of something akin to a bed and breakfast vacation spot.  Her daughter Grace is a delight as she shares her knowledge and passion of teaching kids of all backgrounds the joys of farm lifeRuth has been a registered nurse, private chef, and caterer, and has taught cooking classes, managed a farm, and homeschooled her daughter. She and her husband Thomas started their homestead near the Buffalo National River in Arkansas ten years ago.  Shortly after moving there, they bought the adjoining property and opened Dogwood Hills Bed & Breakfast; Which they call a “guest farm” offering their guests a chance to experience life on the farm in a relaxing atmosphere.At sixteen, and having grown up on the homestead, her daughter Grace has taken a lead role in the daily functioning, guest relations, and marketing of Dogwood Hills Guest Farm.  She is a wonderful agri-tourism ambassador speaking about Dogwood Hills and how it functions, with everyone from the local & county 4H, county chambers, multiple tourism conferences and she even did a personal tour for the Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture.Since opening they’ve added many more cows, goats and chickens, a fodder room of hydroponically grown barley, a “high tunnel” hoop house, a visitor friendly milking room, and they are currently adding a new certified kitchen. With a complete farm to table operation, Dogwood Hills Guest Farm helps people from all over the world experience life on a family-owned dairy farm.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/13/ruth-and-grace-pepler/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

233: Colin Walker on Gardening with Ecology at its HeartFocusing on a larger picture to understand how to effectively grow a good garden. In this podcast: Part one of two with Colin Walker, a long-time gardener and educator from New Zealand, who helps explain a gardening concept that brings the world into focus while looking at the garden bed. The decades of experience and know-how are evident in this conversation about how an ecology-centered viewpoint is so important to successful gardening.Colin grew up in a rural community near Auckland, New Zealand, learning the basics of growing by helping his grandfather maintain a small flower market garden.  Much later, he helped to establish the Permaculture Institute of New Zealand. In the 1980s and 90s, he spent time in the US, Australia, Ireland, and England. Returning home, he learned about the principles of ecology-centered design from Dennis Scott, an innovative designer, landscape architect, and resource management consultantColin’s focus then turned to the conservation of traditional/heirloom food plants in New Zealand. He spent 16 years supporting local and national seed preservation initiatives by practical "growing out" hundreds of seed lines, managing research projects, running internship programmes, and taking on advisory and advocacy roles for this issue with independent & government organizations.In 2010, he returned to Northland to create a long-term home for him, his wife, and five sons. With six years of research and experimentation completed, investigating from an ecology perspective the essential elements needed (and how to practically work with them!) to guarantee that the food we grow is actually nutrient-rich, Colin’s ready to share results!Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/11/colin-walker-ecology/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

232: John Vespasian on Rational, Self-Reliant Living.Learning lessons of resilience from history.IN THIS PODCAST: We chat with John Vespasian about learning from the mistakes found in some of history’s interesting stories.  Not satisfied with what he could find in most books at the time, John decided he could do a better job and set out to write a book that he would like to read.  From there he has focused on researching history, learning new languages, and figuring out how certain cultures succeeded and how cultures failed to determine what should be done today to get the best results.John is a personal development author of eight books about history and psychology, including his latest book "Thriving in difficult times: Twelve lessons from Ancient Greece to improve your life today." As a lover of history, he is continuously studying and making notes about what he learns and has found many examples in the past that he feels can help people today.John has given many interviews around his research into what made the Greek society prosperous for 1,000 years, and what later became its downfall. Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/09/john-vespasian/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

231: Trent Lindsey on Converting to Plant Based Nutrition  Chronicling the transition to a vegan lifestyle and helping educate others.In This Podcast:  We hear from Trent Lindsey about what it was like to convert to a plant based diet or lifestyle.  Choosing to go vegan can seem intimidating, however Trent is helping others understand by sharing this journey and opening up about the transition and what he has experienced as he and his family made the changeTrent is the founder of GoPlantBased.info: a website and blog on a mission to improve our world, one healthy person at a time. His blog educates his readers on the health benefits of a Plant Based Lifestyle. He is devoted to fighting against preventable dietary diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, to name a few.He and his family have enjoyed the benefits of a Plant Based Lifestyle since January, 2016. Since then, he has immersed himself in the teachings of the Mastering Raw Food Nutrition program led by Drs. Rick and Karin Dina. He enjoys sharing his journey to health with others and has a passion for educating omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike on the basics of nutrition.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/06/trent-lindsey/ for more information and links.

230: Katie Hess on Blooming into Your Full Potential Connecting with nature to empower the natural self.In this Podcast: We are learning about a natural-medicine aspect of plant essences through this conversation with flower alchemist Katie Hess. This is a new way for us of connecting with nature, and leads us to understanding more about why we feel at home when we are in our gardens. Katie explains how flowers have such a significant effect on living beings and why working with nature’s gifts can improve our lives profoundly.Katie is a flower alchemist and the founder of LOTUSWEI, one of the world’s leading floral apothecaries. After 15 years of independent research of flower and plant-based healing, her flower-powered community is thriving in over 15 countries. Her transformative elixirs having been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times and The LA Times among others.A lifelong spiritual seeker, Katie has studied meditation and mindful-awareness techniques with several Tibetan Buddhist masters, including the Dalai Lama and the Kamapa, Tibet’s next generation leader.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/04/katie-hess/ for more information, photos and links

229: Barbara Pleasant on Gardening to fill your PantryTaking home-grown foods into food storage.In this podcast: We meet Barbara Pleasant who helps expand our ideas for food storage beyond the simple basics.  She also has tips for the new gardener and the ‘old hands’ that might give you some impetus to move a little dirt. Barbara is an Award-winning writer having been covering organic gardening and self-sufficient living for more than 30 years. As contributing editor to Mother Earth News, her work has garnered multiple awards from the Garden Writers Association and the American Nursery and Landscape Association.She has written books on topics ranging from compost to weeds, including Homegrown Pantry published by Storey Publishing, Starter Vegetable Gardens, The Complete Compost Gardening Guide, and The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual. Her columns and articles appear regularly in Mother Earth Living magazine, at GrowVeg.com and on other gardening websites. Barbara lives in Virginia, where she grows vegetables, herbs and fruits along with a few chickens, who all have names.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/02/barbara-pleasant/ for more information and great links.

228: Sheri McLane on Soil and Plant Testing.Improving plant yields through expert analysis of growing mediums.In this podcast: Soil scientist Sheri explains how she found her calling in an agronomy and is driven to help farmers and gardeners with their soil questions.  There is a great deal of science in determining the chemical make-up of soil samples and figuring out what is needed for different crops, and she knows how to help explain it for the rest of us.  Sheri also helps by sharing a few tips for some basic soil remediation in this interview.Sheri was interested in science and how things worked from a young age. She was fascinated with paleontology in middle school and even participated in archeology digs with the local museum. In high school, she loved geology and marine biology which led her to the University of San Diego where she obtained a major in marine science with an emphasis in biology and a minor in environmental science. Upon graduation, she worked for environmental labs learning new analytical techniques and her thirst for science knowledge grew.She was planning on pursuing a career in marine mammal rescue and habitation, however, her undergrad studies caused a change in her career path. She decided to learn more about soil and plant science, a topic of interest from her undergrad course work. She went to work for IAS Laboratories and studied under Dr. Paul Eberhart for many years.Sheri has been working in the agriculture field for the last fifteen years and is now the president of IAS Laboratories. Her focus on soil and plants has held firm and she’s earned her masters in agronomy through Iowa State and is in the process obtaining her soil scientist and CPAg certification.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/29/sheri-mclane/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

227: Jan Dohner on Predators on the Urban FarmAdjusting to a new normal with predators near our farms.In This Podcast:  We learn quite a bit from Jan who has spent four decades researching livestock guardians and the predators they guard against.  She helps explain why there has been a resurgence in these wild predators and what steps can be taken to guard our precious farm resources for both urban and rural farms. Jan is a researcher and writer concerned with historic livestock breeds and husbandry, as well as issues surrounding predator control and the use of livestock guardians. She makes presentations on these topics at various conferences, including Mother Earth Fairs and The Common Fair in Maine. She has written several books and maintains a blog you can find on her website. She is also a longtime member of the American Livestock Conservancy.Jan lives on her family farm in Michigan and has more than 35 years of hands-on experience with the use of livestock guard dogs for predator control.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/27/jan-dohner/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

226: Kevin Van Eekeren on Store Bought vs Home Raised Eggs Recognizing eggs from lovingly raised hens and factory raised, regardless of labeling.In this podcast: We get to know the personal motivations behind Kevin Van Eekeren, a tactical advisor and egg farmer with a focus on clear visioning 10 years into the future.  He tells us how his experience developing tactical training has helped him with his farm. He also explains about some of the labeling misperceptions of eggs, and why there is such a marked difference in eggs depending on how the hens are raised.Kevin is not your typical farmer.  He was a SWAT team logistics officer; started Fulcrum Tactical- a charity that specialized in training SWAT teams nationwide; and couple years ago he started Fulcrum Investing- a venture capital fund investing in startups.  He most recently started hosting a podcast called State of Logic which has a planned release date of mid 2017 with a duel focus on both the startup world and topics that affect our world, and not just in business.In the middle of it all Kevin started Fulcrum Farms with just 28 chickens raised for personal use which gave him 20 eggs a day. So, of course he started giving eggs away and that is when restaurants and families started offering to buy them.  To meet demand, he grew the operation to what it is today, 30 pigs, a few hundred quail, 100 ducks, 100 chickens, a few cows and two goats named Thelma and Louise.  They quickly learned the best practice was to follow Joel Salatin's example and use the nitrogen cycle for their own benefit.Now they keep most of their animals rotating constantly to give them new pasture to graze and allow the land they just grazed to rest.  Their biggest seller are his eggs and the reason is clear, there is a visual and taste difference between their eggs and those bought at the store.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/25/kevin-van-eekeren/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.