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NOFA Podcast

Organic farming, sustainability and equitable food systems. For those who care about food, where it comes from and how it's grown. Brought to you by the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA/Mass).

Recent Episodes

Agroforestry in the Northeast

Agroforestry in the Northeast

September 26, 2025 1:02:01

Join us in a discussion about Agroforestry in the Northeast! 

RESOURCE LINKS:

 

Fields Without Fences

https://www.fieldswithoutfences.org/?srsltid=AfmBOop8HobWBjPjxs54H6cWn29s92Uk29BQulAvPbYK94kgctW0kALs

 

Northern Forest Foods

https://www.northernforestfoods.com/

 

Eric Toensmeier

https://www.perennialsolutions.org/

https://drawdown.org/

 

Climate Model App

https://fitzlab.shinyapps.io/cityapp/

 

MUSIC BY:

https://tonyandthetrees.com/

 

Farm Workers PART 2 (recursos para trabajadores agrícolas)

Farm Workers PART 2 (recursos para trabajadores agrícolas)

March 20, 2025 59:29

This episode's continues the farm workers discussion from both the positions of employer and employee.  We'll focus on navigating the hiring of H2A workers as well as resources for documented & undocumented workers.  Hear real stories and experiences from our panel of farm allstars and prepare for your seasons to come! 

RESOURCES:

 https://labor.vermont.gov/sites/labor/files/doc_library/Vermont-Farm-Labor-Wage-and-Hour-and-Housing-Fact-Sheet.pdf

www.roxburyfarm.com 

Farm Labor Dashboard https://www.uvm.edu/aglabor/dashboard

https://agriculturaljusticeproject.org

https://www.goodfoodjobs.com

Farm Workers & Resources PART 1

Farm Workers & Resources PART 1

March 20, 2025 49:58

This episode's discussion is centered around both the farm employer and employee.  From resources on where to find job postings, to understanding different models of operating a farm business.  Hear real stories and experiences from our panel of farm allstars and prepare for your seasons to come! 

RESOURCES:

 https://labor.vermont.gov/sites/labor/files/doc_library/Vermont-Farm-Labor-Wage-and-Hour-and-Housing-Fact-Sheet.pdf

www.roxburyfarm.com 

Farm Labor Dashboard https://www.uvm.edu/aglabor/dashboard

https://agriculturaljusticeproject.org

https://www.goodfoodjobs.com

"Soil Microbes & Citizen Science: Farming from the Ground Up"

"Soil Microbes & Citizen Science: Farming from the Ground Up"

November 5, 2024 49:44

Join our host, Tony Kennette, our staff soil scientist Ruben Parilla, and guests William Padilla-Brown and Jake Tulius in a discussion about Soil Microbes & Citizen Science!  From tardigrades, and algea, to mycorrhizal networks, this crew will get you salivating for successful soil!

 

This Episode has been brought to you by MDAR 

 

PERTINENT LINKS:

https://microbiometer.com/

www.R-Soil.com 

https://www.mycofest.net/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLLc79M4OqQ 

www.nofa.org 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b1P8jCbjIg&list=OLAK5uy_mmECE0x8KPzkhCh_pDZmjnYb3GV7CpYi0 

www.TonyAndTheTrees.com 

SEASON 7: Ep1: Voices of The Winter Conference

SEASON 7: Ep1: Voices of The Winter Conference

April 2, 2024 35:20

This episode is a culmination of voices and stories of our NOFA community members that visited the in person Winter Conferences.  For those of you who don't already know, most of the NOFA state chapters host an annual Winter Conference.  Some are jam packed single days, others are weekend long intensives, and others have been held in a more virtual online format.  None-the-less the Winter Conference is filled with workshops, presentations, and experiences for Farmers, Gardeners, Foodies, Chefs, and Agricultural and Environmental Policy advocates.  And it's one of the greatest places to connect with other people who are equally, and sometimes even more passionate about the work we're all doing.  Hear the stories and intentions of people like YOU from NY, NJ, CT, VT, MASS, RI, NH, PA and MA!

Season 6 Ep. 2 Closing the Mushroom Production Loop

Season 6 Ep. 2 Closing the Mushroom Production Loop

November 26, 2023 34:37

Closing the Mushroom Production Loop: Evaluating Soil Microbe Changes Following Field Application of Compost Inoculated with Spent Mushroom Substrate with host, Tony Kennette, Ruben Parilla Soil Tech Coordinator and Education Dir NOFA MASS and Elizabeth Almeida of Fat Moon Farm. 

In this episode we discuss the use of compost inocullated with "spent" mushroom substrate, and the scientific discoveries found regarding increased fungal activity in the soil when applied.

This podcast episode is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number ONE20-378. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To find out more about Fat Moon Farm visit https://fatmoonmushrooms.com/

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at https://nofa.org/ 

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.  https://www.nofamass.org/ 

 

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

Music By Tony & The Trees

https://tonyandthetrees.com/ 

 

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Tony Kennette of

https://nofanj.org/ and https://martenettefarms.com/ 

 

 

 

Season 6 Ep. 1 Grass-Fed Cattle Are Solving Problems

Season 6 Ep. 1 Grass-Fed Cattle Are Solving Problems

July 26, 2023 53:15

In this episode I am joined by Central Massachusetts cattle farmer, Ridge Shinn to discuss the amazing possibilities that good management of cattle can have on soils and land as a whole.

Ridge Shinn is the founder of Big Picture Beef in Hardwick Mass. Big Picture Beef is an aggregator of grass-fed cattle and an educational resource for cattle farmers interested in a Grass-Fed paradigm. 

Ridge is also frequent and long time contributor with us at NOFA and most recently co-author with Lynne Pledger of the book Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World. 

This podcast episode is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number ONE20-378. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

More information on Ridge and Big Picture Beef you can visit the website bigpicturebeef.com 

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

 

Season 5 Ep. 11 Clover As Living Mulch

Season 5 Ep. 11 Clover As Living Mulch

December 22, 2022 1:04:28

In this episode I am joined by my colleague Ruben Parilla our NOFA/Mass Soil Tech Coordinator and together we interview Lincoln Fishman of Sawyer Farm in Worthington, MA.

Lincoln is presenting at our upcoming NOFA/Mass Winter Conference happening the weekend of January 14th & 15th, 2022. 

Lincoln Fishman is co-owner/operator of Sawyer Farm. In 2010 they started raising vegetables and livestock, and using only draft power. In 2020, Sawyer Farm started experimenting with no-till systems and an the spring of 2022, sold their team and bought a tractor to allow them to fully explore tillage-reduced systems. They currently grow most of their crops in perennial Dutch White Clover, with some high value crops in other no-till systems. 

More information on Lincoln and Sawyer Farm you can email him at sawyerfarmshare@gmail.com or visit their website at sawyer.farm 

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt

Season 5 Ep. 9 Farming for Biodiversity

Season 5 Ep. 9 Farming for Biodiversity

December 22, 2022 1:05:45

In this episode I interview Mary Sage Napolitan and Evan Abramson about their collaborative work on re-establishing ecologically diverse landscape to the properties of Island Grown Initiative in the town of Vineyard Haven on the island of Martha's Vineyard. 

Mary Sage and Evan are presenting their work on this project at our upcoming NOFA/Mass Winter Conference happening the weekend of January 14th & 15th 2022. 

Mary Sage Napolitan is the Regenerative Landscape Manager at Island Grown Initiative. Born and raised on the island, her work focuses on collaborative design, farms as an intersection of social & environmental issues in the landscape, and perennial and native foods for ecosystem health and food sovereignty.

Evan Abramson is the Founder and Principal of Landscape Interactions, creating functionally diverse and ecologically resilient landscapes for campuses, conservation properties, farms, municipal parks, and more and is responsible for over 300 acres of habitat installed in the Northeast United States, specifically targeting at-risk bee, butterfly and moth species.

You can find more information on Mary Sage and Island Grown Initiative at igimv.org

More information on Evan Abramon and Landscape Interactions as well as the downloadable .pdf of this project and others, visit landscapeinteractions.com

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and engineered by Jason Valcourt

Season 5 Ep. 9 Winter Cover Crop Killing Strategies

Season 5 Ep. 9 Winter Cover Crop Killing Strategies

November 9, 2022 28:27

NOFA/Mass Winter Conference Highlight - When and How To Kill (Winter) Cover Crops

With Arthur Siller

In this episode we're drawing another highlight from our annual NOFA/Mass Winter Conference that happened remotely in January 2022. We join University of Massachusetts at Amherst PhD student Arthur Siller as he outlines four different cover crop killing strategies that we can employ, and he also overviews our primary winter cover crops and their management strategies.

Arthur Siller is a PhD student in the Hashemi lab at University of Massachusetts at Amherst's College of Natural Sciences Stockbridge School Agriculture. They have extensive experience in sustainable farming practices, doing current research on cover crop termination strategies to reduce off-farm resources and improve soil health. 

You can find more information on Arthur Siller and the programs of UMass Amherst's College of Natural Sciences Stockbridge School of Agriculture at stockbridge.cns.umass.edu

To find more information on the Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter in your state please visit us at NOFA.org

For additional information on upcoming workshops, articles and NOFA/Mass project updates, please follow our NOFA/Mass Facebook page and join our mailing list.

NOFAmass.org

Music by Matt Jatkola

https://mattjatkola.com/

https://mattjatkola.bandcamp.com/

https://jatk.bandcamp.com/

Music by Jason Valcourt

https://www.jasonvalcourt.com/

JV on YouTube

NOFA Podcast produced and edited by Jason Valcourt