AcresUSA: Tractor Time artwork

AcresUSA: Tractor Time

83 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago - ★★★★★ - 34 ratings

AcresUSA: The Voice of Eco-Agriculture. Our guests are the top names in modern farming and ecology, including doctors, agronomists, authors, soil scientists and more. Hosted by Sarah Wentzel-Fisher.

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Episodes

Tractor Time Special Edition: From Soil to Certification - The Organic Journey with Sam Welsh

March 14, 2024 19:44 - 46 minutes - 43.1 MB

On this special edition of the Tractor Time podcast, hosted by Taylor Henry, CEO of Acres U.S.A., we delve into sustainable farming, regenerative practices, and organic certification with guest Sam Welsh from OneCert, Inc. This podcast was made possible by the partnership between Acres U.S.A. and OCIA. The USDA's Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is aimed at educating producers on transitioning to organic farming through white papers, webinars, podcasts, and on-farm events. ...

Tractor Time Episode #74: Diggin’ Livin’ Owners Eric & Joy McEwen on the Regenerative Power of Bees

January 22, 2024 20:57 - 55 minutes - 63.5 MB

On this episode, we speak with Eric & Joy McEwen, Owners of Diggin’ Livin’. They talk about the origin of the farm, the positive effects of having beehives for a landscape, the generic interplay with nature and the need for a new generation of beekeepers.  Thank you for listening. You can learn more about Acres U.S.A. at www.AcresUSA.com.

Tractor Time Episode #73: Executive Chef and Regenerative Farmer Mollie Engelhart on Living a Natural and Practice Life

December 15, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 91.1 MB

On this episode, we speak with Mollie Engelhart, Executive Chef at Sage Plant Based Bistro & Brewery and owner of Sow a Heart Regenerative Farm and Sovereignty Ranch. Mollie speaks about how her passion for the environment spurred her interest in the regenerative movement and the difficulties that come along with fighting for a better planet.  Thank you for listening. You can learn more about Acres U.S.A. at www.AcresUSA.com.

Tractor Time Episode #72: Vilicus Farm’s Paul Neubauer on Livestock and Crop Integration

November 17, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 115 MB

On this episode, we speak with Paul Neubauer, Farm Foreman at Vilicus Farms and owner of P/N Custom Grazing. Paul speaks about his passion for livestock integration with crop production and the inequalities that exist in the agricultural landscape.   Paul Neubauer is a young agrarian and first-generation farmer and rancher. Growing up in Buffalo, NY Paul did not get first-hand exposure to agriculture until after graduating high school when he worked on his uncle’s ranch in Tennessee. He was i...

Tractor Time Episode #71: Propagate Co-Founder Harry Greene on Tree Crop Investing

October 13, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 77 MB

On this episode, we speak with Harry Greene, Co-founder of Propagate. Harry speaks about the creation of Propagate, how their software generates more profit per acre and the future of agroforestry.    Harry is an agroforestry agronomist, focusing on finance and economics for useful trees on working farms: orchards, windbreaks, silvopasture, and alley cropping. He spent years trail running, swimming, and kayaking made clear the connection between forests, clean air, and clean water. Before an ...

Tractor Time Episode #70: Paicines Ranch’s Kelly Mulville on Vineyard Management

September 15, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 74.8 MB

On this episode, we speak with Kelly Mulville, Vineyard Director of Paicines Ranch. Kelly speaks about how his passion for holistic agriculture developed, the technics he employs at Paicines Ranch and the future of the industry.     For the past 25 years Kelly Mulville has managed and consulted with vineyards, farms and ranches throughout the western USA, Spain and Australia. His focus is on combining experience in farming and viticulture with holistic management in order to design and manage...

LEAF SAP ANALYSIS Ep.3: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Application

August 07, 2023 21:10 - 20 minutes - 25.7 MB

TRACTOR TIME #72: In this special episode #3 AcresUSA invites you to a special Podcast Series on Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications. Learn how to use precision lab analysis to optimize crop input selection, application and timing while minimizing budget. Presented by Apical Crop Science Thank you for listening. You can learn more about AcresUSA at www.AcresUSA.com

SOIL ANALYSIS Ep.2: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications

July 10, 2023 16:07 - 22 minutes - 27.9 MB

TRACTOR TIME #71: In this special episode #2 AcresUSA invites you to a special Podcast Series on Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications. Learn how to use precision lab analysis to optimize crop input selection, application and timing while minimizing budget. Presented by Apical Crop Science Thank you for listening. You can learn more about AcresUSA at www.AcresUSA.com

WATER ANALYSIS Ep.1: Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications

June 01, 2023 21:13 - 19 minutes - 22.1 MB

TRACTOR TIME #70: In this special episode #1 AcresUSA invites you to a special Podcast Series on Integrating Precision Analysis with Crop Input Applications. Learn how to use precision lab analysis to optimize crop input selection, application and timing while minimizing budget. Presented by Apical Crop Science Thank you for listening. You can learn more about AcresUSA at www.AcresUSA.com

Tractor Time Episode #69: Croatan Institute’s Lauren Manning on Regenerative Finance

November 15, 2022 16:37 - 42 minutes - 34.1 MB

In this episode ... and this is quite the invitation … we’re going to make you a bit uncomfortable. We’re going to talk about a lot of things going on in eco-agriculture and regenerative agriculture, but we’re not going to talk about soil health. In fact, we’re going to talk about money. We’re going to talk about the challenges built into the booming interest in the regenerative ag industry, what pieces are missing, and how the investors lining up at the gate can help – or they can hurt. To e...

Tractor Time Episode #68: Dr. James White, Jeff Lowenfels & Laura Decker on Soil Microbiology

October 20, 2022 20:39 - 1 hour - 51.4 MB

On today’s episode of Acres U.S.A's Tractor Time sponsored by microBIOMETER, we’re going to live under the soil. We want to invite you too. Imagine a world where you could peek under your crops and see and hear what is going on. Where you could look into your flowerpot on your windowsill and see a whole universe of life. What you’d see would not only resemble Times Square, but Times Square Times Times Square times Times Square … or something like that. The cycle of life and the intelligence o...

Tractor Time Episode #67: Anne Biklé and David Montgomery on What Your Food Ate

September 26, 2022 21:22 - 49 minutes - 42.7 MB

Anne and David recently published What Your Food Ate, a deep dive into the research around regenerative agriculture tactics. They read hundreds of research papers, talked with dozens of practitioners and ended up … hopeful. Listen in as they talk about their book, how they see us building a more resilient human being through changing our food supply to focus on nutrient density, microbiology and plain old common sense.

Tractor Time #66: The Most Famous Farm in the World

January 13, 2022 20:45 - 46 minutes - 26.9 MB

On this episode we welcome Anneliese Abbott. Her name may be familiar to Acres U.S.A. readers. She writes a monthly column called History of Organic Agriculture in America. It’s a must read that’s always full of surprises — and so is her first book, Malabar Farm: Louis Bromfield, Friends of the Land, and the Rise of Sustainable Agriculture. The book explores the life and legacy of a famous, Pulitzer Prize-wining novelist who became an Ohio-based, hard-partying prophet of a new kind of agricul...

Tractor Time #65: Rick Clark on Soil Health, Cover Crops and No-Till Techniques

December 24, 2021 01:37 - 1 hour - 35.6 MB

Rick Clark is a fifth-generation farmer based in Warren County, Indiana, but he’s been spreading the no-till, organic gospel far and wide for the last few years. He gave a keynote address at the Acres U.S.A. Healthy Soil Summit back in the summer. And just this month he was a featured speaker at the Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag Conference in Columbus, Ohio. And if you’ve ever heard Rick speak, you know how much of an evangelist he is for soil health and ecological farming. His enthusiasm is infectious...

Tractor Time #64: Defending Beef, with Nicolette Hahn Niman

November 22, 2021 22:48 - 1 hour - 38 MB

On this episode we welcome Nicolette Hahn Niman. The name might sound familiar to some of you. She’s married to the pioneering California rancher Bill Niman, for one, but you might also know her as the author of two seminal works on ethical meat production, Righteous Porkchop and Defending Beef. Over the years, the former vegetarian and environmental attorney has become a passionate and outspoken advocate for sustainable food production and improved animal welfare. She’s published pieces on ...

Tractor Time #63: Beth Hoffman, author of ‘Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America‘

November 12, 2021 22:06 - 55 minutes - 35.5 MB

For the last twenty years, Beth Hoffman has worked as a journalist covering food and farming. Her work has been featured on NPR's Morning Edition, The Guardian, Latino USA, and the News Hour. She’s also taught journalism at university. And now she considers herself a full-time farmer. Although she lived much of her life on the west coast, in the San Francisco area specifically, she and her husband moved to rural Iowa a few years ago with the dream of taking over his family’s 530-acre farm. Sh...

Tractor Time #62: André Leu, Vandana Shiva and Ronnie Cummins

October 16, 2021 00:47 - 52 minutes - 32 MB

On this episode we’re listening in on a recent virtual event for André Leu’s new book, Growing Life: Regenerating Farming and Ranching. And he’s getting a little help from his friends, Vandana Shiva and Ronnie Cummins. Leu, Shiva and Cummins go way back and co-founded Regeneration International back in 2015. The organization promotes food, farming and land-use systems that regenerate and stabilize climate systems, the health of the planet and people. In addition to being the international dir...

Tractor Time #61:Indigenous Agriculture (w/ Kelsey Ducheneux-Scott)

September 25, 2021 02:33 - 1 hour - 36.2 MB

On this episode of Tractor Time we welcome fourth generation South Dakota rancher Kelsey Ducheneaux-Scott. Kelsey is the director of programs for the Intertribal Agriculture Council, which seeks to build and restore indigenous foodways in Native American communities. She’s also a co-owner of DX Beef, a direct-to-consumer grassfed beef operation on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. That’s where she grew up and that’s where she ranches today with her family. She’s passionate about so...

Tractor Time #60: Talking Plants, Smart Insects and a New Farm Language

August 18, 2021 14:45 - 58 minutes - 46.5 MB

On this episode we’re discussing talking plants and smart insects with entomologist and author Dr. Joe Lewis. Lewis spent his career in entomology with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service at the Tifton Campus of the University of Georgia. It was there that he worked to unlock the secrets of how plants and insects communicate with one another, particularly how plants use SOS signals to recruit beneficial insects to their defense. Based on those groundbreaking insights, Lewis and his colleag...

Tractor Time #59: Gary Paul Nabhan on 'Jesus for Farmers and Fishers'

July 30, 2021 21:53 - 1 hour - 51.5 MB

On this episode we welcome Brother Coyote himself, Gary Paul Nabhan. An agricultural ecologist, an ethnobotanist, a MacArthus “genius grant” winner, a professor and an Ecumenical Franciscan Brother, Nabhan is a true polymath. He’s a pioneering figure in the local food movement as well as the modern heirloom seed saving movement. He’s also the author of an almost countless number of books, including The Nature of Desert Nature, Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Land and Communities, an...

Tractor Time #58: Higher Standards for Cannabis

July 19, 2021 17:18 - 59 minutes - 48.7 MB

On this episode we’re talking about bringing a higher standard to cannabis production. With the federal legalization of hemp and the continuing state-by-state rollout of recreational cannabis, the industry is just picking up steam in the U.S. A California-based nonprofit started by David Bronner is aiming to lead the way on setting regenerative and socially responsible standards that empower farmers and farm workers in a rapidly expanding agricultural sector. In this episode we’re joined by A...

Tractor Time #57: Jesse Frost on No-Till Farming and Creating Living Soil

June 24, 2021 17:23 - 1 hour - 87.3 MB

On this episode we welcome the No-Till Titan himself, Jesse Frost. Frost owns and operates Rough Draft Farmstead with his wife, Hannah Crabtree. The farm is an organic, no-till market garden based in Lawrenceburg Kentucky. It sells at area farmers’ markets and offers a CSA service. Frost is also the host of the No-Till Market Garden podcast. And for Frost, the show grew out of a sense of service and necessity. He saw that there was a dearth of information on how to make no-till practices work...

Tractor Time #56: Carey Gillam on the Monsanto Lawsuits

June 01, 2021 20:18 - 1 hour - 47.9 MB

On this episode we welcome back investigative journalist Carey Gillam. For regular listeners, Carey is a familiar name. This year, she’s been joining us each month for a segment we call Industrial Ag Watch, where she keeps us updated on the fearless reporting she does on our industrialized food system. On this episode, we’re setting aside more time to really dig into her latest book — The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man's Search for Justice. That book is out...

Tractor Time #55: Mark Bittman on 'Animal, Vegetable, Junk'

May 11, 2021 20:24 - 54 minutes - 43.3 MB

For 30-plus years, Mark Bittman has been, hands-down, the most influential food writer in America. He worked as a star food columnist at the New York Times. He’s written 16 best-selling books and cookbooks, including How to Cook Everything, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and The Minimalist Cooks at Home. His latest book is Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal. It isn’t a cookbook. You won’t find any recipes in it. Instead, it’s an ambitious and clear-eye...

Tractor Time #54: The Fungi Underground (w/ Doug Bierend)

April 13, 2021 17:26 - 54 minutes - 47.5 MB

Doug Bierend is the author of a new book called In Search of Mycotopia: Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms. Doug is a freelance journalist who writes about science and technology, food, and education. His byline has appeared in Wired, The Atlantic, Vice, Motherboard, The Counter, Outside Magazine and Civil Eats. Investigative journalist Carey Gillam also joins us on this episode to talk about her recent story, publish in the Guardian, about paraquat, a po...

Tractor Time #53: Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps and Regenerative Supply Chains

March 26, 2021 16:23 - 1 hour - 54.7 MB

On this our 53rd episode we welcome the head of Special Operations at Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Gero Leson. He has a new book out called Honor Thy Label: Dr. Bronner’s Unconventional Journey to a Clean, Green, and Ethical Supply Chain. Gero is not officially a member of the Bronner family, but he has been instrumental in helping the company realize its ambitious vision for a company that’s both environmentally and socially responsible. They’re not just buying organic ingredients and calling ...

Tractor Time Episode 52: The Business of Botanicals (w/ Ann Armbrecht)

March 13, 2021 00:00 - 53 minutes - 43 MB

Ann Armbrecht is the director of the Sustainable Herbs Program under the auspices of the American Botanical Council. She is also a writer and anthropologist (PhD, Harvard 1995) whose work explores the relationships between humans and the earth, most recently through her work with plants and plant medicine. She is the co-producer of the documentary Numen: The Nature of Plants and author of Thin Places: A Pilgrimage Home. Her latest book is The Business of Botanicals: Exploring the Healing Prom...

Tractor Time #51: Journalist Tom Philpott on Our Perilous Food System

February 26, 2021 15:10 - 1 hour - 66.1 MB

Tom Philpott is the food and ag correspondent for Mother Jones. Before that, he covered the food system for Grist. His reporting has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek and the Guardian. He’s worked as a bona fide farmer and now splits his time between Austin, Texas, and North Carolina. He has a new book out from Bloomsbury Publishing. It’s called Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It. The book is the culmination of an impressive career spen...

Tractor Time Episode 51: Journalist Tom Philpott on Our Perilous Food System

February 26, 2021 15:10 - 1 hour - 66.1 MB

Tom Philpott is the food and ag correspondent for Mother Jones. Before that, he covered the food system for Grist. His reporting has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek and the Guardian. He’s worked as a bona fide farmer and now splits his time between Austin, Texas, and North Carolina. He has a new book out from Bloomsbury Publishing. It’s called Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It. The book is the culmination of an impressive career spent...

Tractor Time Episode 50: Dr. Vandana Shiva on the Toxic Cartels

February 13, 2021 01:49 - 1 hour - 45.1 MB

On this our 50th episode we welcome Dr. Vandana Shiva. A fearless advocate for peasant farmers throughout the world, Dr. Shiva is one of the most outspoken critics of industrial agriculture and its dire environmental and spiritual consequences. She is the founder of Navdanya, an India based organization that advocates for biodiversity, seed sovereignty and food independence. Navdanya runs an organic farm in the foothills of the Himalays and counts among its members millions of farmers across ...

Tractor Time Episode 49: Chris Smaje on Our Peasant Farmer Future

January 29, 2021 01:46 - 1 hour - 42.7 MB

On this episode we travel to the future — A Small Farm Future. That’s the title of a new book from farmer and social scientist Chris Smaje. Let’s be honest, the future doesn’t look great. Our climate is changing rapidly, our soils are being depleted through industrial farming methods and deforestation, the global population is surging, our health is falling apart and despite some progress with renewable energy sources we’re still very much addicted to cheap fossil fuels. It’s a bleak picture ...

Tractor Time Episode 48: Doug Fine, American Hemp Farmer

January 16, 2021 00:54 - 1 hour - 57.3 MB

On this episode — the return of Doug Fine. Operating out the Funky Butte Ranch in southern New Mexico, Doug is a hemp farmer by day, journalist by night, entrepreneurial dynamo 24/7. His writing has appeared in places like Washington Post, Wired and Outside Magazine. He’s traveled all over the world, including to places like Burma, Rwanda, Laos, Guatemala and Tajikistan. He’s given TED Talks. He’s appeared on late-night talk shows. And he’s written several books, including Not Really An Alask...

Tractor Time Episode 47: Rodale CEO Jeff Moyer Talks No-Till

November 17, 2020 22:10 - 55 minutes - 75.8 MB

On this live edition of Tractor Time — recorded on November 12 — we are joined by Jeff Moyer, CEO of the Rodale Institute. Jeff has a new book out from Acres U.S.A. It’s called Roller/Crimper No-Till: Advancing No-Till Agriculture — Crops, Soil & Equipment. For nearly 30 years, Jeff has worked at the Rodale Institute in Southeastern Pennsylvania, where he’s designed equipment and techniques for organic no-till farming systems. Just last year, he was named CEO of Rodale. In addition, he has se...

Tractor Time Episode 46: Ken Roseboro on GMOs

October 12, 2020 22:34 - 1 hour - 34.8 MB

Ken Roseboro, the editor and publisher of The Organic and Non-GMO Report, has been called “the nation’s reporter on all issues surrounding genetically modified foods” by Acres USA magazine. Ken’s articles have appeared in leading food and agriculture publications and websites such as Civil Eats, Sustainable Food News, Prepared Foods, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Food Processing, and World Grain as well as Harvest Public Media, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, Mother Earth News, and others. He ...

Tractor Time Episode 45: Agroecologist Nicole Masters

September 03, 2020 20:30 - 1 hour - 67.3 MB

With us on our first live episode of Tractor Time is agroecologist Nicole Masters. She has a new book out. It's called, "For the Love of Soil," and there's an excerpt of that book in the August edition of Acres U.S.A. magazine. Go to acresusa.com to subscribe. Nicole has 20 years of experience working in Australia and New Zealand, in North America, to create regenerative food systems.

Tractor Time Episode 44: In Defense of Okra (With Chris Smith)

August 01, 2020 03:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MB

On this episode of the Tractor Time podcast, we're joined by Chris Smith, author of the James Beard Award-winning book, “The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration.” Chris lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he is the founder and executive director of The Utopia Seed Project.   It seems like a perfect time of year to talk about okra. And I have to say that okra is one of my favorite vegetables. I grew it back when I lived in Texas, and it is just a stunningly beautiful plant. It loves t...

Tractor Time Episode 43: Rebecca Burgess on the Farm to Closet Movement

June 27, 2020 18:26 - 1 hour - 80.5 MB

Rebecca Burgess is the co-author of the new book Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy. Her previous book was Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes. If you listen to Tractor Time, then you likely care about where your food comes from and how it’s grown. But if you’re like us, clothing doesn’t always get the same consideration. We often talk about farm to table, but not farm to closet. All of us buy clothing. We b...

Tractor Time Episode 42: Gerry Gillespie on Renewing Soil with 'Waste'

May 13, 2020 18:16 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB

When you think about recycling, what do you see — plastic containers piling up in the garage maybe? The overflowing bin of clinking wine bottles you’re more than a little embarrassed by on pickup day? Do you just see waste? Out of mind once it’s out of sight. Or … do you see a farm? Today, we’re talking with Gerry Gillespie. When he thinks about recycling, he sees healthy soil and nutritious food. He sees communities coming together to claim the rightful value of what most of us think of as t...

Tractor Time Episode 41: Darby Simpson on Finding Opportunity During a Pandemic

May 01, 2020 17:06 - 55 minutes - 39.8 MB

On this episode, we’re talking with Darby Simpson. If Tractor Time is only but a part of your farming podcast diet, you may already know who he is. He does the Grassfed Life podcast with Diego Footer. He’s also a contributor to Acres U.S.A. magazine. And what I really value about his perspective is its practicality. Through his podcasts and online courses, it’s clear he wants to help equip farmers with the tools to run successful farms — not just act out a romantic, Instagram version of farm ...

Tractor Time Episode 40: Marty Travis on Farming in a Time of Fear

April 01, 2020 03:52 - 26 minutes - 22.7 MB

Recently, an Acres U.S.A. reader gave us a piece of sheet music he found while cleaning out his barn. The song’s called “The Farmer Feeds Us All.” It’s an old standard that has been performed in some form or fashion by everyone from Fiddlin’ John Carson to Pete Seeger to Ry Cooder. You should go listen to it. I’ll link to the Fiddlin’ John Carson version in the show notes.  I’ve been thinking about this song as the coronavirus pandemic lays low entire sectors of the U.S. and world economy, sp...

Tractor Time Episode 39: Sherri Dugger and Judith McGeary

March 01, 2020 03:28 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MB

On this episode of Tractor Time, we’re presenting a double feature on farm activism. We caught up with Sherri Dugger and Judith McGeary at the Acres Eco-Ag Conference in Minneapolis back in December. Both of them were speakers at the multi-day event, which pulls in leaders in sustainable farming from all over North America and beyond. Sherri and Judith  are at the forefront of efforts to empower small farmers and to fight for better food policy. When we spoke with Sherri Dugger she was fresh ...

Tractor Time Episode 38: Mimi Casteel and Regenerative Wine

February 01, 2020 00:12 - 58 minutes - 54.1 MB

Tractor Time is brought to you by Acres U.S.A., the Voice of Eco-Agriculture. On this episode, we welcome Mimi Casteel, a wine maker in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills. At Hope Well Vineyard, Casteel is blazing her own trail and fast becoming one of the leading voices in the regenerative agriculture movement. Mimi talks eloquently and brilliantly — not just about wine, but agriculture and land use in general. As you’ll hear, her beyond-organic farm is singular within the American wine world. It’s n...

Tractor Time Episode 37: Dr. Zach Bush on Farming, Glyphosate and Human Health

December 17, 2019 18:27 - 1 hour - 66.4 MB

Dr. Zach Bush is a triple-board certified physician, with a focus on internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice and palliative care. He currently runs a clinic in rural Virginia that focuses on plant-based nutrition and holistic health. He’s an entrepreneur with a mind-boggling array of projects to his resume. So why is he on a podcast devoted to sustainable and organic agriculture? It’s quite a story, as you’ll hear. At his clinic a few years ago, Dr. Bush began noticing that nutrition-ba...

Tractor Time Episode 36: Kathleen Merrigan on the Future of Food

November 14, 2019 22:00 - 1 hour - 53.7 MB

Kathleen Merrigan was instrumental in crafting the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990. She also served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture during the Obama Administration. During that time, she spearheaded the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program. And just recently, she was named as the first executive director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University. She previously served as executive director of sustainability at George Washington Universi...

Tractor Time Episode 35: Marty Travis, Super-Farmer

October 25, 2019 20:44 - 1 hour - 42.1 MB

If you’ve seen the documentary “Sustainable,” you know that Spence Farm is a special place. It’s owned and operated by Marty Travis, along with his wife, Kris and son, Will. Their farm supplies organic vegetables and heritage meats to some of the top kitchens in the City of Chicago — Fronterra Grill, Girl and the Goat and The Publican, to name a few. But that might undersell what Marty and his family have built. The way that they’ve developed relationships, not just with chefs, but also with ...

Tractor Time Episode 34: Paul Dorrance, from Top Gun to Top Grazier

September 27, 2019 12:40 - 1 hour - 39.3 MB

If you’re a reader of Acres U.S.A. magazine, you might recognize his name. Paul Dorrance writes for us frequently, and he does it with a teacher’s spirit and a sense of humor. Acres is unique in that we rely on people like Paul, people who are in the field, doing the hard, challenging work of farming. Paul is also one of the featured speakers at the Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag Conference in December. Eco-Ag is kind of like Coachella, or Woodstock, if you prefer older references. Instead of music, we ...

Tractor Time Episode 33: Doug Fine, Author of Hemp Bound

August 15, 2019 17:44 - 1 hour - 54.1 MB

Doug Fine, an investigative journalist by trade, has emerged as a leading voice in the effort to bring hemp back as a major American crop.  His writing has appeared in places like Washington Post, Wired and Outside Magazine. He’s travelled all over the world, including to places like Burma, Rwanda, Laos, Guatemala and Tajikistan. He’s given TED Talks. He’s appeared on late-night talk shows. And he’s written several books, including Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man, Farewell My Subaru, which...

Tractor Time Episode 32: Bob Quinn & Liz Carlisle, Authors of Grain by Grain

July 26, 2019 18:26 - 1 hour - 88.3 MB

Hosted by Ben Trollinger / Editor, Acres U.S.A. Hello and welcome to Tractor Time podcast, brought to you by Acres U.S.A., the Voice of Eco-Agriculture. I’m your host, Ben Trollinger, and as always, I want to say thank you to our sponsors, BCS America. You’re probably heard of kamut (kah-moot), also known as khorasan wheat, also known as King Tut’s Wheat. It’s drought resistant and highly nutritious. It’s in organic breakfast cereals. It’s in pasta. People with gluten sensitivity can eat it. ...

Tractor Time Episode 31: Rodale Institute’s Pigs, and Cathy Payne, author of Saving the Guinea Hog

June 25, 2019 17:04 - 51 minutes - 71.1 MB

Hosted by Ryan Slabaugh & Ben Trollinger / Sponsored by BCS America Good day and welcome to Tractor Time podcast, brought to you by Acres U.S.A., the Voice of Eco-Agriculture. I’m your host, Ryan Slabaugh, and as always, I want to say thank you to our sponsors, BCS America. Today’s theme is all about happy pigs, and profitable pig operations, and an interesting breed called Guinea Hogs.  First, I’ve got someone to introduce to everyone this episode. It will be the new host of Tractor Time, wh...

Tractor Time Episode 30: Carey Gillam, Environmental Journalist, Author

May 20, 2019 16:44 - 50 minutes - 70 MB

Hosted by Ryan Slabaugh Sponsored by BCS America Good day and welcome to Tractor Time podcast brought to you by Acres U.S.A., the Voice of Eco-Agriculture. I am your host, Ryan Slabaugh, and we are humbled to bring you the 30th episode. Today’s topic is one we have to talk about, but it’s not a whole lot of fun – Monsanto. Our guest today, Carey Gillam, is a veteran reporter who has been covering corporate America for 25 years, including Monsanto and most recently, Bayer. This year, she’s...