GrassCast
23 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago -A show about grassland agriculture, resilient farmers, thriving communities, and environmental sustainability. Featuring stories, conversations and the science behind the future of perennial pasture. Brought to you by Grassland 2.0—a collaborative group of farmers, researchers, and public & private sector leaders working to promote grazing in the Upper Midwest.
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Episodes
Environmental benefits of rotational grazing & future trends in Wisconsin - Adam Abel
March 15, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 51 MBGrassland 2.0's final Digital Dialogue webinar of 2021 featured NRCS state grazing lands specialist Adam Abel. In this recording, Adam discussing his experiences with managed grazing and his plans for boosting support for grazing throughout the state.
The many benefits of grazing to birds, bees, family and farm - Thelma Heidel-Baker
February 15, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBIn Part Three of Grassland 2.0's Digital Dialogue Series, Thelma Heidel-Baker, an entomologist and organic dairy farmer in eastern Wisconsin, discusses the benefits of managed grazing for beneficial insects, other wildlife, and the farmers themselves.
Understanding the Linkages between Animal and Human Health - Dr. Stephan van Vliet
January 16, 2022 00:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBIn Part Two of Grassland 2.0's Digital Dialogue Series, Dr. Stephan van Vliet, nutrition scientist and metabolomics expert at the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University, discusses the link between animal and human health.
Broken Ground: The Changing Culture of America’s Dairyland - Dan Smith
December 15, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBThis episode features the first of Grassland 2.0's Digital Dialogue series, with a presentation by Dan Smith, President and CEO of the Cooperative Network. Dan discusses the changes dairying has experienced over the last 50 years and explore the economic, social and cultural impacts these changes have had through poem.
Broken Ground: The Changing Culture of America's Dairyland - Dan Smith
December 15, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBThis episode features the first of Grassland 2.0's Digital Dialogue series, with a presentation by Dan Smith, President and CEO of the Cooperative Network. Dan discusses the changes dairying has experienced over the last 50 years and explore the economic, social and cultural impacts these changes have had through poem.
Measuring perennial agriculture's impact on water quailty - Research by Jacob Henden
November 15, 2021 18:00 - 11 minutes - 8.29 MBEvery couple of weeks, Grassland 2.0 participants meet on Zoom for a project-wide lab meeting. This episode features an edited recording of one of these meetings, in which UW-Madison graduate student Jacob Henden presents his research design and responds to comments from attendees. We'll hear how tricky it is to separate the influence of perennial groundcover from other related factors, and why making promises about improving water quality could backfire in the short-term. GrassCast is supp...
Measuring perennial agriculture’s impact on water quailty - Research by Jacob Henden
November 15, 2021 18:00 - 11 minutes - 8.29 MBEvery couple of weeks, Grassland 2.0 participants meet on Zoom for a project-wide lab meeting. This episode features an edited recording of one of these meetings, in which UW-Madison graduate student Jacob Henden presents his research design and responds to comments from attendees. We'll hear how tricky it is to separate the influence of perennial groundcover from other related factors, and why making promises about improving water quality could backfire in the short-term. GrassCast is supp...
”I’m big on farmer dates” - Marie Raboin on the importance of farmer networks
October 01, 2021 15:00 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MBMarie Raboin is a Conservation Specialist for Dane County, Wisconsin. In this episode, you'll hear about Marie’s work with a new farmer network called the BFFs (Biological Farming Friends), why she’s big on farmer dates, and why you maybe shouldn’t invite everyone to the meeting. You can see more from this conversation on the Grassland 2.0 YouTube channel. Stories on Pasture is supported by the Grassland 2.0 project. This project is made possible thanks to a Sustainable Agricultural System...
"I'm big on farmer dates" - Marie Raboin on the importance of farmer networks
October 01, 2021 15:00 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MBMarie Raboin is a Conservation Specialist for Dane County, Wisconsin. In this episode, you'll hear about Marie’s work with a new farmer network called the BFFs (Biological Farming Friends), why she’s big on farmer dates, and why you maybe shouldn’t invite everyone to the meeting. You can see more from this conversation on the Grassland 2.0 YouTube channel. Stories on Pasture is supported by the Grassland 2.0 project. This project is made possible thanks to a Sustainable Agricultural System...
"What are these hairy beasts?" - Kevin Oppermann shares his most common questions from customers
August 30, 2021 17:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBKevin Oppermann is a beef farmer south of Madison, Wisconsin. In this episode, Kevin describes how he started farming after growing up in the suburbs, how selling at farmers markets has made him a better cook, and how managed grazing made his farming dreams possible. You can see more from this conversation on the Grassland 2.0 YouTube channel! Stories on Pasture is supported by the Grassland 2.0 project. This project is made possible thanks to a Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated...
”What are these hairy beasts?” - Kevin Oppermann shares his most common questions from customers
August 30, 2021 17:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBKevin Oppermann is a beef farmer south of Madison, Wisconsin. In this episode, Kevin describes how he started farming after growing up in the suburbs, how selling at farmers markets has made him a better cook, and how managed grazing made his farming dreams possible. You can see more from this conversation on the Grassland 2.0 YouTube channel! Stories on Pasture is supported by the Grassland 2.0 project. This project is made possible thanks to a Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated...
Stories on Pasture: Kevin Oppermann shares his most common questions from customers
August 30, 2021 17:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBKevin Oppermann is a beef farmer south of Madison, Wisconsin. In this episode, Kevin describes how he started farming after growing up in the suburbs, how selling at farmers markets has made him a better cook, and how managed grazing made his farming dreams possible. You can see more from this conversation on the Grassland 2.0 YouTube channel! Stories on Pasture is supported by the Grassland 2.0 project. This project is made possible thanks to a Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated...
Sharing the "In Her Boots" Podcast
July 30, 2021 18:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBThis episode provides a sneak peek of the first three episodes of the new season of the "In Her Boots" podcast, hosted by Tiffany LaShae. Produced by the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), the re-boot of this popular podcast highlights the stories of Black and Brown women who traditionally have not had a platform to share their voices. Learn about the life and work of other women in agriculture through their conversations with new host Tiffany LaShae. Details at https:...
Introducing the "In Her Boots" Podcast
July 30, 2021 18:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBThis episode provides a sneak peek of the first three episodes of the new season of the "In Her Boots" podcast, hosted by Tiffany LaShae. Produced by the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), the re-boot of this popular podcast highlights the stories of Black and Brown women who traditionally have not had a platform to share their voices. Learn about the life and work of other women in agriculture through their conversations with new host Tiffany LaShae. Details at https:...
Bees decline as crop diversity declines: New research by Claudio Gratton and Jeremy Hemberger
June 30, 2021 16:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBClaudio Gratton's entomology research focuses on how our agricultural landscapes influence the lives of beneficial insects. In this podcast, Claudio sits down for a conversation with a former student of his, Dr. Jeremy Hemberger. Hemberger, Gratton, and their colleague Michael Crossley have just released a paper showing that it is not necessarily the amount of land in agriculture, but the diversity (or lack thereof) of agricultural crops that has the greatest impact on bumblebees. Their rese...
Stories on Pasture: Edgar Navarro shares about the benefits of grazing from the farm worker perspective
December 18, 2020 19:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MB**Este episodio esta disponible también en español. Lo encontraras en el feed o aqui.** Edgar Navarro is a farm worker with lots of experience working on dairy operations. He started helping his mother and stepfather with their small farm as a teenager, and has spent most of the last decade as an employee at dairy farms in the Dodgville area. In 2015, he found his way to Scott Mericka at Green Dairy and Uplands Cheese, the first dairy grazing farm he’d ever seen. And, he’s been there ever s...
Historias sobre la Pastura: Edgar Navarro comparte sobre los beneficios de pastoreo para el trabajador agrícola
December 18, 2020 19:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MB**This episode is also available in English. You can find it in the podcast feed or here.** Edgar Navarro es un trabajador agrícola con mucha experiencia en granjas lecheras. Él empezó ayudando a su madre y padrastro en su finca como adolescente, y ha trabajado la mayoría de los 10 años pasados en diferentes granjas lecheras cerca de Dodgville. En 2015, él conoció a Scott Mericka, el dueño de Green Dairy and Uplands Cheese, lo cual fue la primera granja de pastoreo que había visto. Él ha si...
Historias sobre la Pastura: Edgar Navarro comparte sobre los beneficios de pastoreo para el trabajador agrícola
December 18, 2020 19:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MB**This episode is also available in English. You can find it in the podcast feed or here.** Edgar Navarro es un trabajador agrícola con mucha experiencia en granjas lecheras. Él empezó ayudando a su madre y padrastro en su finca como adolescente, y ha trabajado la mayoría de los 10 años pasados en diferentes granjas lecheras cerca de Dodgville. En 2015, él conoció a Scott Mericka, el dueño de Green Dairy and Uplands Cheese, lo cual fue la primera granja de pastoreo que había visto. Él ha si...
Stories on Pasture: Serge Koenig shares about a shift to grazing happening in Sauk County
November 09, 2020 17:00 - 23 minutes - 16.1 MBSerge Koenig has served for more than 25 years as a Conservation Technician for Sauk County in Wisconsin. He is passionate about his work--helping land owners think about how to best preserve the natural resources (especially water and soil!) that they steward. In recent years, Serge has turned to promoting grassland-based systems as a way to get to the root of the conversation problems that Sauk County faces. And, in our conversation, he shares about his approach, as well as the obstacles a...
Stories on Pasture: Jon Lee shares about working hard and getting by
October 05, 2020 17:00 - 20 minutes - 14.5 MBJon Lee is proud to be the fifth generation stewarding the 150 acres outside Coon Valley that his ancestors started farming more than a century ago. Today, he raises beef at Lee Farms, which he sells through the Wisconsin Grassfed Beef Cooperative. Jon is also an educator with more than two decade experience teaching locally and abroad AND a talented artist. In our conversation, Jon shares about his experience balancing many different jobs to keep the farm afloat. If you want to learn more...
Stories on Pasture: Lois & Sandi Schwert share about the joy and struggles of a new beginning
September 04, 2020 14:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBLois and Sandi Schwert are the mother-daughter duo behind The Sand Farm—a new mixed vegetable and grassfed beef farm in the Driftless region of Wisconsin. They come from a long line of dairy farmers and have spent decades involved in their family's conventional dairy operation, Schwert Farms. They are also the innovators transitioning some family land away from dairy and into new enterprises. We spoke at length about the sometimes subversive way they've gone about making changes to Schwert F...
Stories on Pasture: Greg Galbraith shares about grazing and change
August 21, 2020 11:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBGreg Galbraith is a former grazier and dairyman turned columnist and contributor for the farming publication Agri-View. He studied Dairy Science at the University of Illinois and, after graduating in 1981, went on to work as the Assistant Manager on two farms. Eventually, Greg before bought his own farm in eastern Marathon County Wisconsin, where his ancestors began farming in 1890. Together with his family, they ran the 120-cow grazing-based dairy operation for more than two decades. In our...
Stories on Pasture: Jacob Marty shares about coming home
August 07, 2020 17:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBJacob Marty is a young farmer based in Monticello, Wisconsin. He's spent the last 5 years converting his family's 150+ year-old dairy operation into Green Fire Farm, where he now raises beef cattle, poultry, and pigs, and is working on putting in fruit & nut trees. In our conversation, Jacob shares about why he decided to return to the home farm, what it's been like working with his father, and the challenge that is re-entering a community. Stories on Pasture is based on oral history interv...