Greenhorns Radio

Ruthie King is the Farm Site Coordinator for the brand new Grange Farm School in Willits, California. She arrived in this position after cultivating a rich diversity of experiences ranging from design to agriculture. Upon graduating from Columbia University with a degree in Architecture and Sustainable Development, Ruthie moved back to the West Coast to practice sustainable and natural building techniques. Moving from farm to farm working with owners on historic rebuilds, sustainable retrofits, and natural building projects instilled in her a passion for holistic and diversified management of farm operations. She began by redeveloping a small historic raw milk dairy and immediately fell in love with cows and intensive grazing systems. Animal welfare and sustainable livestock management became her new focus, but her design background and creativity continues to influence her work. A proud member of three different Granges in the past few years, she is invigorated by local action and communal solutions to the crisis we are facing in agriculture. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.

“I feel like everything I’ve done in my life has led up to this extremely eclectic opportunity.” [2:45]

–Ruthie King on Greenhorns Radio

This week’s featured farmer: Rebecca Burgess

Rebecca Burgess is the Executive Director of Fibershed. She has 15 years of experience writing and implementing hands-on curriculum in ecologically focused textile subject matter. She is the author of the best-selling book Harvesting Color, a bioregional look into the natural dye traditions of North America. She owns and operates the first North American temperate climate indigo project, which currently provides the raw material for our nation’s first 90-mile radius denim supply chain. She has built an extensive network of farmers and artisans within our region’s fibershed to spearhead prototype development of bioregional textiles. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA

“Once you know the lay of the landscape then you have an understanding of what’s missing and what needs to be fulfilled.” [10:00]

“Support industrial hemp research in your community!” [21:00]

–Rebecca Burgess on Greenhorns Radio

This week’s featured farmers are Marada Cook and Leah Cook, Owners of Crown O’ Maine Organic Cooperative. This cooperative provides distribution services to farms in Maine, delivering local and organic food to food stores, institutions, restaurants, and buyers clubs. Their innovative distribution model has helped realize their goal of improving access to locally grown products in Maine. Leah and Marada also both own Northern Girl and Fiddlers Green Farm. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

Annie Salafsky has been farming for over half her life now. She graduated from The Evergreen State College’s Sustainable Agriculture program in 1991 and has been farming ever since. In 1993 she and Susan Ujcic took over Helsing Junction Farm and have grown the business from a 75 member CSA to one that has over 1200 members and an online store for other locally raised products such as mushrooms, honey and meat. They remain true to the concept of CSA, in that everything they grow goes to their CSA and everything in their vegetable CSA boxes is grown on the farm. By focusing on developing healthy soils, their farm produces deeply nutritious produce, while maintaining higher yields and improved pest resistance. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“We’re trying to focus more on the quality of produce that we grow…and we try to grow the most nutrient-dense product that we can.” [38:15]

–Annie Salafsky on Greenhorns Radio

Greg Schundler is an innovative and experienced sustainability professional. He founded the Cascadia Cargo Cooperative, which delivers fresh, local produce in and around Olympia, WA by boat. Prior to this, Greg worked for DHA Energy as a highly successful Business Development Specialist, leading their expansion into renewable energy markets. He worked for Fungi Perfecti, also out of Olympia, WA, selling mushrooms nationwide. A Renaissance Man of sorts, Greg has experience woodworking, foraging, gardening, managing livestock, studying neuroeconomics, among others. Today’s program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“We have a choice every day when we buy our food how to nourish the land and how to nourish people in a thoughtful way.” [10:45]

Greg Shundler on Greenhorns Radio

Valerie Segrest is a native nutrition educator who specializes in local and traditional foods. As an enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, she serves her community as the coordinator of the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project and also works for the Northwest Indian College’s Traditional Plants Program as a nutrition educator. In 2010, she co-authored the book “Feeding the People, Feeding the Spirit: Revitalizing Northwest Coastal Indian Food Culture”. Valerie received a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University in 2009 and a Masters Degree in Environment and Community from Antioch University. She is a fellow for the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy. Valerie inspires and enlighten others about the importance of a nutrient-dense diet through a simple, common sense approach to eating. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“Many tribal communities are experience epidemic levels of totally preventible diseases.” 04:00

–Valerie Segrest on Greenhorns Radio

This week’s featured farmer: Garl Germann, Montana Meat Collaborative, Bozeman, MT.

Garl Germann was raised on a small family cattle ranch in the Madison Valley of Montana. Having seen the cattle market decline over the course of four generations of producing calves for public auction, in 2005 Garl and his family decided to stray from the conventional path and entered into the niche market of grassfed beef. Though it has been a rocky road in learning how to market and sell wholesale and retail beef, this path has led Garl to create a new company called the Montana Meat Co. – a grassfed collaborative. Under this company, Garl has banded together many farms and ranches that use sustainable practices and produce grassfed beef, pork, and lamb without any of the nasty stuff (hormones, antibiotics, GMO’s). He networks with local processors in turning these animals into salable product, and procures local markets in distributing these wholesome meats.

Though raised in the most conventional means of cattle ranching, Garl has adopted Holistic Management principles in managing grazing lands. Last year he spearheaded The Rodear Initiative – an attempt at creating a new way of managing upland range in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem using a combination of livestock herders and temporary electric fence. This project has continued to make progress and is showing great promise.

Garl now lives in Bozeman, MT with his wife Kaelin and son Owen on a small acreage where they enjoy keeping chickens, family dairy cows, and producing their own food.

This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA

Michael Stenta is a computer programmer with a passion for farming, cultivation, and information. He has worked on farms in Connecticut, Maine, and Washington state, and is now settling into his own little homestead in Connecticut, helping local farmers set up their own websites and developing open source farm management and record keeping software. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA

For those unfamiliar with the concept of open source, it’s an idea that by sharing plans – from software to real world devices and tools – everyone benefits.” [08:30]

–Michael Stenta on Greenhorns Radio

This week’s featured farmer: Dan McManus, Common Hands Farm, Hudson Valley, NY.

Dan has lived much of his life in and around biodynamic farm communities, first during his early years in South Australia, and then as a teen in New York, working on and apprenticing under numerous farms. After working and managing his own masonry business for ten years, he desired to put these skills to a more creative use, and began traveling with mentor and teacher Johannes Matthiessen building social sculptures all over the world. He has also studied tracking and primitive skills in VT and holds a certificate in Permaculture Design. Through his studies in associative economics, social-threefolding and peer-lead learning models, Dan’s passion for working and learning with others continues to grow. Now the owner and head farmer of a large CSA outside of Hudson, Common Hands Farm, he works with his partner Tess on 20 acres of land growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, small grains. Together they supply 5 farmers markets, local restaurants and wholesale accounts, and a 140 member CSA locally and in Brooklyn. There is so much beauty and possibility in merging organic farming with the health of our local communities, and Dan feels blessed to be part of this movement. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“The goal behind our entire farm is to help pave the road for not just our farms but many farms — to serve our most local communities.” [01:00]

–Dan McManus on Greenhorns Radio

Jan Lundberg is a former oil industry supply analyst who left the industry to immerse himself in the environmental movement with an emphasis on energy issues. He founded the Fossil Fuels Policy Action Institute in 1988. Projects included the Alliance for a Paving Moratorium, the Auto-Free Times, Pedal Power Produce, and CultureChange.org. The organization formed in 1999 its most enduring project, Sail Transport Network (STN), promoting the use of sail for cargo and passenger transport. STN is now a Partner of SAIL MED. Jan sailed from California to Greece decades ago, and after touring Europe in 2012 realized that the continent is currently at the center of driving forward the new sail transport movement. He lives in Greece, where he is building projects and aligning interests for SAIL MED. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.