Choosing to Farm: New Generation Stories

I came into farming really, as I got into it, being like--I'm a grower. That's where I want to grow my expertise; how to be a better caretaker for these animals, how to be more efficient with my time, with the land that we're using. To lean on people who are in processing, lean on them because their resources, their expertise are in processing or on the kosher side, lean on those people who really know what is required for it, bring them in and have them apply their expertise. The growth for me has been really needing to not just understand those other pieces much more, but also get much more directly involved. Robert Friedman is the founder and owner of Robariah Farms. Located in the Connecticut River Valley of Western Massachusetts, Robariah Farms specializes in local, pasture-raised, kosher-certified poultry and other meats. Robariah Farms raises slow-growing poultry breeds that thrive on pasture. Sustainable pasture management practices, including daily rotation of mobile shelters, provide animals with continuous access to fresh pasture, sunlight, and clean air, supporting healthy, vibrant life. For processing, Robariah Farms applies an ethical, humane framework through its kosher certification. Local, kosher supervising agencies oversee the slaughter, plucking, evisceration, salting/brining, and packaging of each animal, certifying a higher standard of quality for the meat. Robariah Farms offers CSA meat shares directly to customers, as well as wholesale discounts to food co-ops, farm stores, caterers, and institutions across New England. Robariah Farms email address Robariah Farms Instagram Robariah Farms Facebook Top 7 Quotes of Gene Logsdon Youtube New England Grazing Network web site Christine Jones soil health tour link Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby Whole Human web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

The occasional summer I would go to Arkansas for a few nights when my family would make the trip out there from Dallas, Texas, they would only stay for a short period it was my aunt and uncle's Chicken farm. They were conventional growers for Tyson. It was a fun time out there, but I do remember thinking this is an enormous amount of hard work. My aunt and uncle never get to leave this farm and there's one thing I know for sure. And that's--I don't want to be a farmer.—Vanessa Chickens can't be productive without a grain implement. The other thing is a lot of our farmland needs a lot more nutrients in the soil. This is an input into the system, but the intention is that this input is helping make our soils more productive and more regenerative over time so that we can support more ruminant animals on a given land base. Hopefully that will help the farm be more productive and profitable and sustainable. —Justin Our names are Justin and Vanessa and we're first generation farmers with a passion for healing our environment. Justin has a background in permaculture design and education, and Vanessa is a graphic designer and marketer. We use our past experiences daily to grow our farm, and to help refine our customers understanding of regenerative agriculture, organic growing practices and how they can positively contribute to healing our food systems. We pride ourselves in providing high quality, fresh and healthy food from the land in a way that benefits the environment. We deeply value our community, which makes our work rewarding, but we know food producers are facing some serious challenges (because of ongoing climate change) and we want to help face those issues head on. How our food is farmed can either add to the destruction of our planet or it can do the opposite- creating abundance and resiliency across our communities. Leaping Bear Farm email address Leaping Bear Farm website Leaping Bear Farm Instagram Leaping Bear Farm Facebook Vermont Land Trust web site Real Organic Project Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program website New England Farm Link website Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust website 2022 USDA Ag Census website New England Grazing Network web site Christine Jones soil health tour link Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby Whole Human web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

It feels good that we're providing this product for people's nutrition, for their families. They keep coming back to us and appreciating that. We are who we are; we're the face, we talk to them, we have them to our farm for tours. That's what people are looking for.—Beth We both have a full time job figuring out how to move this business forward that that you can't get done if you're picking eggs and putting down bedding in the layer houses or fulfilling orders. Can't do it.—Bruce Beth Whiting and Bruce Hennessey are the co-founders and co-owners of Maple Wind Farm, a diversified pasture-based farm and USDA processing plant located in Richmond, Vermont. Maple Wind Farm email address Maple Wind Farm website Maple Wind Farm Instagram Maple Wind Farm Facebook Pasture Pet website Vermont Land Trust web site USDA Poultry Plant in a Box video New England Grazing Network web site Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby Whole Human web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

I describe farming as really just one long extended expedition. It's very much like a mountaineering expedition where you wake up every day, you're working outside. You have problems, often new problems that crop up at least weekly. It's very much like being in a big mountain expedition where you're constantly working with the weather. You're working with the people on your team. You are focused on a goal. That takes all of your effort that you really have to commit to a hundred percent.—Bruce It's very similar to being at a camp in a way, because we're managing people; a lot of young energy, a lot of people that need training and direction and they're coming to work on our farm,…and a lot of teaching. –Beth Beth Whiting and Bruce Hennessey are the co-founders and co-owners of Maple Wind Farm, a diversified pasture-based farm and USDA processing plant located in Richmond, Vermont. Maple Wind Farm email address Maple Wind Farm website Maple Wind Farm Instagram Maple Wind Farm Facebook Grit by Angela Duckworth New England Grazing Network web site Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby Whole Human web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

Watching them [kids] come to the farm; at first, it can be quite challenging. There is definitely an arc of sort of comfortableness just with being outside doing chores, hard manual labor. That takes a minute for a lot of kids to adjust to. But as they adjust, it's so cool to watch them come out of their shells.--Haley Hello my name is Haley Goulet, I am a livestock manager at a community farm and work to educate the public about livestock farming. I am passionate about teaching folks about the origin of their food and continuing to learn the best ways of ethically raising meat. Haley Goulet email address Haley Goulet Instagram Haley Goulet LinkedIn Natick Community Organic Farm website Natick Community Organic Farm Facebook UMass Amherst ASCI website Trustees of Reservations website Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Model New England Grazing Network web site Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site Your Transformation Story link—Click here to learn more! Whole Human web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

I remember being seven or eight years old and drawing… having construction paper, big rolls of paper all over the living room floor, drawing pictures of where my cows and my sheep and my chickens would go on my future farm.—Melissa You pick and choose your battles for sure…do we want to focus on cleaning up all of our step-in fence for the sheep and do all the outdoor stuff or are we going to focus on a house that we can bring friends into? So unfortunately, our game nights have taken a hit on not being able to invite people over, but our understanding of field management and what is required outside is more of a priority and we're appreciating that. Our decor is not the best, but whatever.--Toby As Toby writes: Melissa and I own and operate Three Square Farm. We do rotational grazing of our beef and dairy cows and meat sheep. We moved to Vermont 5 years ago and started our farming journey 3 years ago. Toby also does hay crops on almost 100 acres and is diving into precision ag. Through many challenges, lessons learned (some the hard way), and classes with NOFA, we have gotten our enterprise on a good standing. With many more years to come and the passion for agriculture ever blossoming within our selves we like to look back on the struggles of being newly married, a new location, and many other challenges we faced. This only makes us stronger and the love of this career richer. At this point we couldn't see ourselves doing anything else. Three Square Farm email address Three Square Farm website Three Square Farm Instagram Three Square Farm Facebook NOFA Vermont Beginning Farmer programs Todoist app New England Grazing Network web site Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site Your Transformation Story program registration is open! Choosing to Farm Patreon link The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

We had bought this house in Brattleboro. We'd bought the truck. We bought the sheep. We bought dogs. We did all of this long before COVID hit, but then we were like, okay, this is our pandemic project.—Kimberly Kimberly and Zan Walker-Gonҫalves were both kids exposed to animals but not raised on farms. As parents, they circled back to growing food and raising the maximum number of livestock their town in Massachusetts would legally allow. Five years ago, they packed up everything and moved to a new home where they created WagonTail Farm, set up sheep camp, started breeding for intentional wool color, and have been managing invasive knotweed as sheepscapers all while balancing career and health challenges. WaGonTail Farm email address WaGonTail Farm Facebook Whetwoods Wildscaping Facebook New England Grazing Network web site Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site Your Transformation Story program registration is open! Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

I've wanted to quit about a hundred gazillion times, a lot- a lot. But I want to do what I love. So that is the key, right? To do what we love. And this is what I love to do. It comes with difficulties and it comes with rewards. I have to be able to handle both and know both. Nicolle Ferrier and family moved from Southern California to central Vermont to experience a more relaxed lifestyle, but soon found themselves creating a farm and business with plenty of excitement. They raise six different types of unusual and heritage fowl, from game birds to emus (in order of size), caring for each animal personally. They ship eggs, chicks, and birds across the country, connecting with experienced fowl enthusiasts and new owners to support them with guidance and advice. Nicolle’s email Sugar Feather Farm website Sugar Feather Farm X/Twitter Sugar Feather Farm Instagram Sugar Feather Farm Facebook Sugar Feather Farm Youtube Sugar Feather Farm Go Fund Me New England Grazing Network web site Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site Whole Human web site About RIM Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

There is a legacy throughout my family of having at least one member who served in all major conflicts back to the Revolutionary War. The other side of that coin is they were all farmers, homesteaders and innovators of their time from Eastern Tennessee and Kentucky. In 2009, my wife and I kept grew our first garden in a community growing space in northern Vermont. There was a moment of clarity and renewed sense of purpose after being recently discharged from the Marine Corps with multiple combat deployments, that encouraged further exploration into food production. Over a decade later, we now manage 10 acres of land and implemented practices deeply rooted in agroforestry, agroecology and whole systems thinking. Wild Roots Community Farm is a diversified operation dedicated to community resilience through food systems education, wilderness survival, and self-rescue. We are a part of the fabric which molds and shapes our landscape, and if we take moments to observe how natural systems function- their patterns, existing wildlife, how weather moves and reacts to topography and micro-climates, etc., we can make decisions that increase our ability to adapt to the internal and external forces of a food system. On the farm we raise pigs, goats and chickens, grow annual vegetables and various tree crops in our pasture that is managed by rotating species. Through service-learning projects with community partners, we have built dedicated wildlife corridors to support native pollinators and songbird habitat. Wild Roots Community Farm is also the host site for a nature based early education program, Wrens Nest Forest Preschool. Wild Roots Farm email Wild Roots Community Farm website Wild Roots Farm Instagram Fieldcraft Farmer Instagram Accipiter Fieldcraft email Yestermorrow Design School Heroes and Horses program Future Farmers of America (FFA) Farmer Veteran Coalition Guardian Revival Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Association Five-minute meditation link Intro to Breathwork video New England Grazing Network web site Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site Whole Human web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

Your humble host has been through some stuff the last few years. At a recent food system gathering event this fall, the call went out inviting folks to tell their stories of transition and transformation. How we went from the old to the new. What we overcame, and what we learned. How our world view changed. I’m still very much a farmer and will continue to be, but the last few years have shown me a new path helping others. That’s why I’m here. Jenn’s email Chris Sargent email Whole Human website About RIM page Jenn delivering the talk on YouTube (with some jumps) Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

We could actually look into the animal, the live animal, see intramuscular fat and tenderness. We also had these tools, linear measurement tools that we could actually physically measure the animals and began to find almost in any group of cattle the right kind of cattle that would make a delicious piece of meat. Ridge Shinn is the Executive Director of the Northeast Grass-fed Beef Initiative (NGBI). He also is the co-founder and CEO of Big Picture Beef, recently launched to produce Northeast grass-fed beef for Northeast customers. He has been a leader in the shift from feedlot production to raising cattle on a diet of 100% grass and forages – no grain. In addition to raising a large herd of grass-fed Rotokawa Devon beef cattle in Massachusetts, he was the Vice President of a Connecticut slaughterhouse and founded a successful meat company, Hardwick Beef. He has developed markets and distribution systems for 100% grass-fed beef throughout the northeastern United States and has consulted all over the US and for the Argentine government on the production and marketing of grass-fed beef. His work has been recognized in Time Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Wine Spectator and Smithsonian. Ridge Shinn email Northeast Grassfed Beef Initiative website Ridge’s book: Grassfed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World Old Sturbridge Village website American Milking Devon Association website Livestock Conservancy website EatWild website American Devon Cattle Association website Hardwick Beef website North American Devon Association website Big Picture Beef website Alliance Pastorale Wikipedia page (click translate) Gathering of Good Graziers Event Information Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

I'm excited that the pandemic--for all its negativity--also said, “Hey, wait a minute. We need to concentrate on food resiliency”. We need to encourage these small diverse farms because the big operations, the five huge companies that sell 99 % of the meat in this country, failed us. For what reason? The structure, this food system structure failed us. John Roberts was appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Vermont in February 2022. Roberts immigrated to Vermont from Great Britain in 1974 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in farm management. He managed Shelburne Farms in Vermont until 1977 and then started his own dairy farm in Cornwall, Vermont, which was managed by his family until 2012. Roberts worked for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture as a water quality specialist for over six years and as the Executive Director of the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition, which he joined in 2020. He continues to serve as a select board member for the town of Cornwall and was a delegate to the New England Dairy Promotion Board. Roberts also served terms on the Vermont Water Resources Board, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Board of the Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Brown Swiss Association, and as Chair of the Vermont USDA FSA State Committee. Roberts also served in several state and national committee positions for the National Beef Promotion Board and the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative. Roberts’ wife is a nurse and they have been married for 47 years. They have four children, all married, residing in various states across the country, with four grandchildren and another on the way. He enjoys bird watching, hiking, wood working, and photography. Vermont USDA-FSA web site Champlain Valley (VT) Farmer Coalition Vermont Required Ag Practices for Small Farms Sustainable Dish web site UC Davis Frank Mitloehner brief overview of dairy emissions video Bill Murphy Greener Grass on Your Side of the Fence book Gathering of Good Graziers Event Information Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

I'm excited that the pandemic--for all its negativity--also said, “Hey, wait a minute. We need to concentrate on food resiliency”. We need to encourage these small diverse farms because the big operations, the five huge companies that sell 99 % of the meat in this country, failed us. For what reason? The structure, this food system structure failed us. John Roberts was appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Vermont in February 2022. Roberts immigrated to Vermont from Great Britain in 1974 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in farm management. He managed Shelburne Farms in Vermont until 1977 and then started his own dairy farm in Cornwall, Vermont, which was managed by his family until 2012. Roberts worked for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture as a water quality specialist for over six years and as the Executive Director of the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition, which he joined in 2020. He continues to serve as a select board member for the town of Cornwall and was a delegate to the New England Dairy Promotion Board. Roberts also served terms on the Vermont Water Resources Board, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Board of the Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Brown Swiss Association, and as Chair of the Vermont USDA FSA State Committee. Roberts also served in several state and national committee positions for the National Beef Promotion Board and the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative. Roberts’ wife is a nurse and they have been married for 47 years. They have four children, all married, residing in various states across the country, with four grandchildren and another on the way. He enjoys bird watching, hiking, wood working, and photography. Vermont USDA-FSA web site Champlain Valley (VT) Farmer Coalition Vermont Required Ag Practices for Small Farms Sustainable Dish web site UC Davis Frank Mitloehner brief overview of dairy emissions video Bill Murphy Greener Grass on Your Side of the Fence book Gathering of Good Graziers Event Information Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

We'd rebuilt the milking parlor, which hadn't been operating. We've done all of this sort of stuff. When we came to close the sale we had two years of numbers to show that we actually knew-vaguely knew--what we were doing. We were off and running. We were here from 1977. We’re still here. We sold the farm, and we kept 10 acres, but we farmed until 2012. John Roberts was appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Vermont in February 2022. Roberts immigrated to Vermont from Great Britain in 1974 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in farm management. He managed Shelburne Farms in Vermont until 1977 and then started his own dairy farm in Cornwall, Vermont, which was managed by his family until 2012. Roberts worked for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture as a water quality specialist for over six years and as the Executive Director of the Coalition, which he joined in 2020. He continues to serve as a select board member for the town of Cornwall and was a delegate to the New England Dairy Promotion Board. Roberts also served terms on the Vermont Water Resources Board, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Board of the Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Brown Swiss Association, and as Chair of the Vermont USDA FSA State Committee. Roberts also served in several state and national committee positions for the National Beef Promotion Board and the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative. Roberts’ wife is a nurse and they have been married for 47 years. They have four children, all married, residing in various states across the country, with four grandchildren and another on the way. He enjoys bird watching, hiking, wood working, and photography. Vermont USDA-FSA web site Mycoplasma bovis in cattle Champlain Valley (VT) Farmer Coalition Vermont Required Ag Practices for Small Farms Gathering of Good Graziers Event Information Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

We'd rebuilt the milking parlor, which hadn't been operating. We've done all of this sort of stuff. When we came to close the sale we had two years of numbers to show that we actually knew-vaguely knew--what we were doing. We were off and running. We were here from 1977. We’re still here. We sold the farm, and we kept 10 acres, but we farmed until 2012. John Roberts was appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Vermont in February 2022. Roberts immigrated to Vermont from Great Britain in 1974 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in farm management. He managed Shelburne Farms in Vermont until 1977 and then started his own dairy farm in Cornwall, Vermont, which was managed by his family until 2012. Roberts worked for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture as a water quality specialist for over six years and as the Executive Director of the Coalition, which he joined in 2020. He continues to serve as a select board member for the town of Cornwall and was a delegate to the New England Dairy Promotion Board. Roberts also served terms on the Vermont Water Resources Board, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Board of the Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Brown Swiss Association, and as Chair of the Vermont USDA FSA State Committee. Roberts also served in several state and national committee positions for the National Beef Promotion Board and the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative. Roberts’ wife is a nurse and they have been married for 47 years. They have four children, all married, residing in various states across the country, with four grandchildren and another on the way. He enjoys bird watching, hiking, wood working, and photography. Vermont USDA-FSA web site Mycoplasma bovis in cattle Champlain Valley (VT) Farmer Coalition Vermont Required Ag Practices for Small Farms Gathering of Good Graziers Event Information Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

“My husband had been fascinated by Scottish Highlanders. We would drive by this place and you'd have to stop, get out of the car and like look through the woods to see them. And I was like, they're just big, shaggy horned beasts. I don't know about horns, you know, and it was like, oh my gosh. They wanted to sell the herd. They were getting older, had health problems. They wanted it to go somewhere local. A young family. I'm like, well, we're young, we're a family, maybe we could buy some calves. I didn't want anything to do with moms. I will buy some calves. So I come home and made the mistake of telling my husband about this. He's like, let's buy the whole herd.” Tricia Park is a former volunteer EMT & Medic. She is a USAF veteran (ground equipment mechanic), serving three years in turkey & then four years in the NY Air National Guard. She’s been a grocery store night manager, legal assistant, house cleaner, insurance data processor, and editorial assistant. Now she’s a farmer, soap & salve maker and recent baker for their farmstand. Tricia is Holistic Management practitioner and mentored for four-plus years for Beginning Women Farmers with Holistic Management. Creekside Meadows is 150 acre diversified farm in Madison County NY, in the hills southeast of Syracuse, raising 100% Grassfed Beef, Pasture/Woodland Raised Pork, seasonal vegetables, popcorn, soaps, baked goods, and firewood. The farm started as a homestead raising their own food and slowly expanded to sell meats to whomever wanted it. Tricia and her husband of 30 years, Matt, moved from the original 26-acre homestead and purchased a new farm twelve years ago. Socials Creekside Meadows Farm website Creekside Meadows Farm email Creekside Meadows Farm Instagram Creekside Meadows Farm Facebook Holistic Management online courses Gathering of Good Graziers Event Information Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

“I did not grow up in a farming family. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest…there's no one in my family that has ever farmed. I'm pretty sure most of my siblings think I'm crazy.” Erin and Charles Meding purchased their 27 acre slice of heaven in 2008 and raised their now grown children in the Sunapee Region of NH. They transformed a run down little ranch (900 square feet) into their current farmhouse, built a 3 story barn and established too many gardens to count. They currently have horses, Nigerian dwarf does, chickens, cats and dogs. They grow and preserve a large amount of their food and a good portion of herbs for their apothecary and business, Divided Sky Farm Botanicals (under Divided Sky Farm, LLC). They currently sell their herbal products at Farmer's Markets and Erin teaches herbalism classes on the farm. Socials Divided Sky Farm website Divided Sky email Divided Sky Botanicals Instagram Northeast Medicinal Plants book Wild Wisdom of Weeds book The ONE Thing book Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link Leave us a review at Choosing to Farm! The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

“I'd watch the deer, how they would interact with the cows and turkeys and, you know, other animals. I've always been a keen observer of nature. That started young. That's kind of like the foundation. I didn't realize that's what laid the foundation, except for like, 20 years later.” Currently Cameron is the farm manager of Anchorage Farm - Registered Romneys. For the past 6 years, he’s been farming the Hudson Valley, NY, following 4 years of service in the Navy and then pursuing his bachelor's degree in NYC. His journey into farming began at a dairy farm in Poughkeepsie, NY, where he found his path through the Heroic Food program. Centering on regenerative agriculture, local food systems, and ecology, his focus has been on fostering sustainable practices and nurturing his environment. The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! Links Anchorage Romneys website Cameron email Cameron Instagram Heroic Food website New York Farmland Finder website Fred Provenza’s book Nourishment David Epstein’s book Range Episode Underwriter: Northeast Pasture Consortium web site Choosing to Farm Patreon link --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

“Neither one of us came from a farm family or any kind of money in our background. We've just kind of done it on our good credit. We've leased the farms that we've been on. We are hoping to be able to buy the farm we're on now.”—Samantha Kemnah “The seasonal intensity of growing vegetables got old. My seventh year, I was like, I should quit last year. Because it was just, between the weather--the hot weather--I run hot as it is just temperature wise.--and my attitude is hot. I'm short tempered. You throw on top of that 90 degree weather -- and no rain--and I'm a bear.”—Chris Kemnah Chris and Samantha Kemnah began their farming journey at the same time as their parenting journey in 2007, with a vegetable CSA and a few chickens. They added a few more animals (and kids) over the years, and by 2012 raised grassfed beef, pastured pigs, heritage turkeys, chickens for meat and eggs, and had two family dairy cows. They sold everything via CSA model. Due to some marketing burnout, they switched to dairying in 2016, and now sell certified organic, grass-fed milk to Organic Valley. Clover Bliss Farm email Dr. Dehtloff’s book Alternative Treaments for Ruminant Animals Choosing to Farm Patreon link The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

“We did have the sense to look and say, you know, God created ruminant animals to take advantage of grass and low input. You know, if we've got a grass base, and we take care of that, that's as low input as you're gonna get versus hauling in feed.”—Emalee Buttrey “There's a lot of challenges that you just don't come across in the classroom or the textbook.” –Brad Buttrey Raised in McEwen, TN on a small cattle operation, Brad developed a keen interest in reproduction, learning to AI while in high school. He earned both his B.S. (UTM '05) and M.S. (KSU '07) in animal science and has managed cattle in Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. A lifelong learner, Brad implemented regenerative practices, including multi-species grazing, and is continuously improving the operation and our land management. As a rural kid from Plant, TN Emalee always loved the outdoors. During her undergrad days at UTM ('03), she became interested in ruminant nutrition and pursued her M.S. (TAMU '06) and Ph.D. (WTAMU '11). An educator for nearly 20 years, she has worked with livestock, producers, and students from across the U.S. Emalee enjoys connecting with customers by sharing the BERG story and products with each one. BERG Livestock email BERG Livestock website BERG Livestock Instagram BERG Livestock Facebook SARE Custom Grazing Guidelines Choosing to Farm Patreon link The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about sharing the origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message