Farms for Tomorrow

Apr 20 2024 2

Farms for Tomorrow Podcast artwork

Welcome Farmers and Farm Advocates. This podcast has been created for you. It is a practical resource for land-use planning. Our intention is to facilitate communication and idea-sharing that will benefit your farm, your community, and your future. The podcast addresses: Farmland Ownership and Preservation, Land Use and Stewardship, Community Building, and Farm Succession Planning. Your peers — fellow farmers and farm advocates — tell their stories and offer useful working models for addressing the critical issues of modern farming. Learn how farmers and farm advocates are designing successful farm operations. We are grateful for everyone who shared their perspectives and experiences and look forward to bringing more voices into this conversation. Join us.

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

s03e03 – Sally Witkowski – Food as Medicine

Apr 20 2024 50 mins

Rancher Sally Witkowski describes how she and her husband Jim Witkowski got their entire family into grass-fed, grass-finished organic cattle ranching. Includes a look at regenerative practices, humane animal care, revenue streams, market trends, and the importance of a mission-driven mindset.

s03e02 – Jim Koan – Almar Orchards

Dec 05 2023 51 mins

Organic grower Jim Koan reflects on the mindset needed to succeed with perennial crops like apples that require longer-term investments of labor and capital.

s03e01 – Joe Scrimger – Nitrogen, Water, and the Farm

May 30 2023 67 mins

Joe Scrimger connects the dots between nitrogen use on the farm, soil health and water quality.

s02e05 – The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor

Jun 14 2022 66 mins

Amanda Sweetman describes how a small farm on the hospital campus of Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor is having a big impact on food, medicine, community health, and local agriculture. Cultivating relationships (in addition to vegetables, flowers, and hay), The Farm at Trinity Health features a CSA that connects people with fresh produce from local farms.

s02e04 – Argus Farm Stop

Jan 10 2022 132 mins

Imagine a year-round, 7-day farmers market that sells only locally produced foods. With the opening of Argus Farm Stop in 2014, Kathy Sample and Bill Brinkerhoff made that happen, creating a win-win for the whole community: Customers have convenient access to fresh local food supplied by over 200 producers while producers receive 75 cents on every dollar sold by Argus on consignmen

S02e03 – Barry Lonik – Buy-Protect-Sell + Leadership = Saving the Aprill Farm

When an exceptional piece of farmland became available in Scio Township, Michigan, longtime land conservation specialist Barry Lonik and township officials found a way to protect it through an innovative “Buy-Protect-Sell” transaction strategy.

S02e02 – Eric Kampe – Green Things Farm Collective

Organic no-till farmer Eric Kampe speaks to the practices that he and his farm partners have used to maintain the integrity and viability of small farm operations in their community.

S02e01 – Eric Kampe – Green Things Farm Collective

Organic no-till farmer Eric Kampe shares experiences and perspectives on launching a small farm enterprise with a focus on both personal values and farm economics.

S01Ep11 – Wali Via – Winter Green Farm

Feb 15 2020 10 mins

Wali Via of Winter Green Farm in Oregon shares about farm leadership succession in the context of an LLC. The older farmers wanted to take a step back while ensuring the continuity of their successful land stewardship practices, and to remain in residence on site. The subdivision and sale of the larger business enabled stakeholders to balance economic benefits and responsibilities

S01Ep10 – Bob Bower – Angelic Organics

Feb 15 2020 14 mins

Bob Bower describes the challenges and strategies of a community coming together to assist in the farm succession process at Angelic Organics farm in Illinois, where he worked from 1995-2010. A nonprofit organization emerged as a vehicle for community engagement that supported the longtime farmer through leadership transition.