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smallfarmsustainability's podcast

This show is a production of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Small Farm Sustainability program. We will be discussing all things small farm, acreage living, and sustainable agriculture related.
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Now displaying: 2023
Sep 22, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Andy Kellner, Wildlife Biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Tune in as they discuss some considerations folks can take when it comes to wildlife and depredation. There are resources for landowners who have problem wildlife that Andy mentions as well as advice on preventing problematic wildlife from inhabiting your land.

Episode Links

• Iowa Department of natural Resources: https://www.iowadnr.gov/ 

• Landowner Assistance from the Iowa DNR: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Landowner-Assistance 
Sep 13, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Adam Janke, Associate Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist for Iowa State University. Tune in to learn more about different invasive species around Iowa, whether that's plants, animals, or bugs, Adam is full of knowledge!

 

Episode Links

• Invasive Species in Iowa: https://naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/invasives

 
 
 
 
• Midwest Invasive Plant Network: https://www.mipn.org/
 
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources - Forest Invasive Species Guide:  https://www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Forest-Health/Invasive-Plants
 
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources - Aquatic Invasive Species:  https://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/About-Fishing-in-Iowa/Fighting-Invasive-Species
Sep 7, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Secretary Mike Naig about their Choose Iowa Program. Tune in to learn more about how you can become a member and/or if you could take advantage of the Choose Iowa Grant opportunity!

 

Episode Links

• Choose Iowa Homepage: https://www.chooseiowa.com/ 

• Become a Member: https://www.chooseiowa.com/user/register 

Sep 1, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Dan Fillius, Commercial Vegetable and Specialty Crop Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Listen in as they discuss the eighth annual Greenhouse Short Course that will be held September 13, 2023, in the Garden Room at Reiman Gardens in Ames!

 

Episode Links

• Registration: https://www.aep.iastate.edu/greenhouse/index.html 

• Dan Fillius: Email: fillius@iastate.edu Phone: 515-957-5791

Aug 18, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Christa Hartsook, Small Farms Program Coordinator with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the State Coordinator for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE). Listen in as they discuss the grant opportunities SARE offers, who is eligible, where to apply, and when applications are due!

 

Episode Links

• North Central Sustainable Agriculture and Education: https://northcentral.sare.org/ 

• Christa Hartsook: Email: hartc@iastate.edu Phone: 515-294-4430  

Jul 27, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Suzanne Slack, Fuit Crop Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Tune in as they discuss the Iowa State University Fruit and Vegetable Field day happening August 8, 2023, at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station (55519 170th St, Ames, IA 50010 from 2:00 pm until 5:30 pm with supper to follow!

 

Episode Links

• Registration: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelab/2023-isu-fruit-and-vegetable-field-day 

• Suzanne Slack: Email: slacksuz@iastate.edu Phone: 515-294-0035

• Ajay Nair: Email: nairajay@iastate.edu Phone: 515-294-7080 

Jul 10, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Dr. Jean Contina, Research Director with the Rodale Institute Midwest Organic Center. Tune in as they discuss the Rodale Institute Midwest Organic Center Field Day coming up in august!

 

Episode Links

• Registration: https://rodaleinstitute.org/midwest-organic-center-field-day/ 

Jul 7, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Maury Wills, Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association (ISCGA), Board President and Benji Deal, ISCGA Board Member and Head Cider Maker at Deal's Orchard. Tune in as they discuss the upcoming ISCGA Field Day that will be held July 27, 2023, and what participants can expect from the day!

 

Episode Links

• Registration Link: https://www.iowaspecialtycrop.org/events-2/#!event/2023/5/10/test-page-summer-field-day

• Orchard Questions: benjaminpdeal@gmail.com

• Registration Questions: ohanlon@iastate.edu

Jun 19, 2023

What are your favorite flowers?

In this episode, Olivia interviews Dan Brabec, Assistant Professor of Practice with Iowa State University Horticulture Department. Tune in as they discuss cut flower arrangements, how to make them last longer, and what you can find outside here in Iowa to create your own!

 

Episode Links

• Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Gardener Program: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/  

• Aaron Steil: ajsteil@iastate.edu, 515-294-8953

• Dan Brabec: dbrabec@iastate.edu, 515-294-2751

Jun 8, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Adam Janke, Wildlife Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Tune in as they share some sounds that may or may not be familiar to you, and learn how you can identify some common sounds of summer here in Iowa!

Episode Links:

Iowa State Extension Natural Resources

Iowa State University Habitat How To

May 26, 2023

In this episode, Olivia interviews Ajay Nair, Commercial Horticulture Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Tune in as the discuss what some of the benefits may be with tarping your vegetable plots, and what Ajay and his team are doing to research this topic!

 

Episode Links

• Sustainable Vegetable Poduction Website: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelab/ 

• Ajay Nair Email: nairajay@iastate.edu

• Ajay Nair Office Number: 515-294-7080

May 16, 2023

Tune in as Olivia interviews Aaron Steil, Consumer Horticulture Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. In this episode, they discuss a few different spring garden crops, including rhubarb, asparagus, and horse reddish!

 

Episode Links

• Horticulture and Home Pest News: https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/ 

May 11, 2023

In this episode, Christa interviews Matt Russell, State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Iowa. Tune in as they talk about the USDA FSA, the importance of having a relationship with your local FSA, and what opportunities they offer.

 

Episode Links

• USDA Website: https://www.usda.gov/ 

• USA Jobs: https://www.usajobs.gov/ 

Apr 28, 2023

If you have a private water well, do you get it tested every year? Did you know Iowa has a water well program that allows private well owners to have their private well water tested for free?

Tune in as Olivia interviews Catherine DeLong, Water Quality Program Manager for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. In this episode, they discuss the importance of having your private well water tested yearly, the things you would want to test for, and the resources to help.

 

Episode Links

• County Environmental Health Sanitarians for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources: http://www.iowasrf.com/media/cms/Sanitarians5_1A50952E9532E.pdf 

• Extension Staff by county: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/countyservices/ 

• The Private Well Class: https://privatewellclass.org/ 

• Iowa Department Of Natural Resouces: https://www.iowadnr.gov/ 

• State of Iowa Department of Health and Human Services: https://hhs.iowa.gov/ 

• State Hygienic Laboratory at The University of Iowa: http://www.shl.uiowa.edu/ 

• Drinking Water Quality in Iowa from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - Natural Resource Stewardship: https://naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/drinking-water-quality-iowa 

Apr 19, 2023

Do you know the best practices when mushroom foraging? Tune in as Olivia interviews Chelsea Harbach, Plant Disease Diagnostician in Iowa State University's Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic. They discuss tips when it comes to foraging for mushrooms and even growing your own at home. Chelsea also gives some great resources you can use!

 

Episode Links

• Iowa Mushroom Calendar: https://naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/mushroom-foraging-iowa

• Safe Mushroom foraging webinars by Lina: part 1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bdiEBwMzZI&t=534s

• Safe Mushroom foraging webinars by Lina: part 2- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNIPxbGbJtU&t=3s

• Safe Mushroom Foraging Book: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/Safe-Mushroom-Foraging

• Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic e-mail: pidc@iastate.edu 

Growing mushrooms at home resources from other universities:

• Pen State University- https://extension.psu.edu/forage-and-food-crops/mushrooms/production-and-harvesting

• University of Florida- https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/growing-mushrooms-at-home.html

• Cornell University- https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/projects/mushrooms/

• University of Vermont- https://www.uvm.edu/news/extension/growing-mushrooms-indoors

Apr 14, 2023

Do you have coyotes or foxes around your farm? Or maybe you even see/hear them around town! Tune in as Olivia interviews Andy Kellner, Wildlife Biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. They discuss why you may see these creatures around, what steps you can take if they become a problem, and some of the great benefits they can actually provide for us!

 

Episode Links

• Andy Kellner: (515) 975-8318

• Vince Evelsizer: (641) 231-1522

• University of Wisconsin Urban Canid Project: http://uwurbancanidproject.weebly.com/ 

• Iowa Department of Natural Resources: https://www.iowadnr.gov/ 

• The Red Fox in Iowa by Ron Andrews: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Hunting/book_red_fox.pdf 

Apr 7, 2023

We’re happy to share a podcast from our friends, Dan Fillius, ISU Extension Horticulture Field Specialist, and Dr. Justin Glisan, Iowa’s State Climatologist.  This episode is the pilot episode and gives a recap of weather this past winter, how it stacks up against past winters, and provides a climate outlook for the coming growing season. Typically this podcast will be for those who want to learn more about weather, its recent impacts on fruits and vegetables, and it’ll provide a climate outlook for the coming week. Stay tuned for details on how to subscribe and future weekly episodes!

Apr 7, 2023

In this episode of the Beginning Fruit Farm Series, Suzanne Slack, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University specializing in perennial fruit crops, Brandon Carpenter, Agriculture Specialist with Iowa State Horticulture Research Station, and Liv Meyer, a graduate student in the department of Horticulture at Iowa State University talk about getting your small fruit farm ready for spring! What needs to be cleaned up, when is the most opportune time to clean those things up, what sort of maintenance do we need to keep in mind, when to plant new plants, and MORE!

Apr 4, 2023

Do you have a backyard garden, or maybe a flower bed or two? Do you know what you should do in the spring to get them cleaned up and ready for planting?

In this episode, Olivia interviews Aaron Steil, Consumer Horticulture Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Aaron gives us great advice and insight on best spring practices to get your gardens and flower beds ready!

 

Episode Links

• Horticulture and Home Pest News: https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/ 

• Spring Garden Tasks: https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/spring-garden-tasks 

Apr 1, 2023

In this episode of the Beginning Fruit Farm Series, Suzanne Slack, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University specializing in perennial fruit crops, Randall Vos, Commercial Fruit Crop Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and Liv Meyer, a graduate student in the department of Horticulture at Iowa State University are discussing grape pruning. Tune in to learn all about pruning your grape vines!

Mar 27, 2023

We're bringing you a very special episode with guest host Dr. Kathleen Delate. Tune in as she interviews 4 organic farmers and an organic researcher engaged in organic technologies that may offer some value in organic operations. As with all technology, the benefits of technological innovations must be evaluated along with any trade-offs, which are explored in this podcast.

 
Seth Harbecke is a student at Iowa State University who farms organically with his family in western Illinois. Seth speaks with Dr. Delate on the advantages of utilizing data tracking technologies like FieldView in organic systems and provides guidelines on deciding if you should use them on your farm.
 
Levi Lyle farms organically in Washington, Iowa, and chats with Dr. Delate on all things organic weed management. From weed zapping to organic no-till, Levi highlights the latest tools and production practices he utilizes to help manage weeds in his organic system.
 
Scott Shriver, who farms 2,000 organic acres in Jefferson, Iowa, shares with Dr. Delate how he uses tractor steering guidance systems, like RTK, and provides a detailed explanation of how the technology works and how it can benefit larger organic operations.
 
Michael O’Donnell is a Crop Specialist with Grain Millers in Indiana, and the Farm Certification Manager for the 4,000-acre organic Living Prairie Family Farm in northwest Indiana, where he has been helping perfect organic strip tillage and other innovations. He takes Dr. Delate through the process and provides details on how to integrate this system on your farm.
 
Brad Heins is a professor of organic animal science at the University of Minnesota. He walks Dr. Delate through dairy management technologies from robotic milkers to sensors which improve breeding success and herd management for organic producers. He concludes with CowVacs for natural fly management and their research on automated calf feeders.
Mar 22, 2023

In this episode of the Beginning Fruit Farm Series, Suzanne Slack, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University specializing in perennial fruit crops, Brandon Carpenter, Agriculture Specialist with Iowa State Horticulture Research Station, and Liv Meyer, a graduate student in the department of Horticulture at Iowa State University are discussing Apple Tree pruning. Tune in to learn tips, tricks, and best practices when it comes to pruning your apple trees!

Mar 17, 2023

In this episode of the Beginning Fruit Farm Series, Suzanne Slack, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University specializing in perennial fruit crops, Brandon Carpenter, Agriculture Specialist with Iowa State Horticulture Research Station, and Liv Meyer, a graduate student in the department of Horticulture at Iowa State University discuss all things bramble (mainly raspberries and black berries) pruning. Tune in to learn tips, tricks, and best practices when it comes time to prune brambles.

Mar 14, 2023

Are you considering buying an acreage? You should keep a handful of things in mind before doing so! There are also plenty of resources you can research before committing to a property.

In this episode, Olivia interviews Ann Johanns, Extension Program Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Ann gives us some great advice and questions to ask ourselves before we make an acreage purchase. She also informs us of some great resources we can utilize to research a property and other surrounding properties!

 

 

Episode Links

• Ag Decision Maker: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/ 

•  Beacon Shneider: https://beacon.schneidercorp.com/

• Iowa Land Records: https://iowalandrecords.org/

 

Mar 11, 2023

Olivia is again joined by Suzanne Slack, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University specializing in perennial fruit crops, Brandon Carpenter, Agriculture Specialist with Iowa State Horticulture Research Station, and Liv Meyer, a graduate student in the department of Horticulture at Iowa State University and on this episode of our Beginning Fruit Farm Series, they discuss grape trellising. Tune in as they discuss the different trellising options and what options would best suit your grapes here in Iowa!

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