In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Northeast Coordinator and Agriculture Specialist Chris Lent talks to Matt Steiman, the Farm Energy and Livestock Manager at Dickinson College Organic Farm in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, about the farm’s new biodigester.

A farm-based biodigester can turn cow manure and food waste into natural gas to produce electricity for the farm to use and to sell to the utility grid.

Matt and Chris discuss Matt’s research over the past 14 years on turning waste streams into biofuels and how that research led to the new biodigester’s design and its installation at the farm.

The discussion covers the unusual scale of the project, which was designed to manage the manure from 150 dairy cows and up to three tons of food waste daily. The project is meant to demonstrate to mid-sized farms across Pennsylvania and elsewhere that it is possible to manage waste streams in an environmentally sound way by
transforming them into a source of carbon-neutral energy.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· Biodiesel Use, Handling, and Fuel Quality

· Micro-Scale Biogas Production: A Beginners Guide

· Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Waters: Factors to Consider

Other Resources:

· Biogas – Dickinson College Organic Farm

· Dickinson College YouTube Channel

· USDA Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy
Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants

· USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) On-Farm Energy Initiative

Contact Chris Lent at chrisl@ncat.org.

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted,
practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other
resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez talks with Nate Olive, the owner of Ridge to Reef Farm on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Nate talks about the innovative market- diversification strategies that have contributed to his farming success and the challenges and opportunities of the St. Croix market.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· ATTRA Internship Hub

· Subtropical Soil Health Initiative

· Cover Crops for Hot and Humid Areas

Other Resources:

· Ridge to Reef Farm

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez at gabriellas@ncat.org.

Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.

You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted,
practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other
resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Kandi Williams of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Small Farms Program talks with Arkansas farmer Michael Henegan about his farming heritage and some of his methods to reach markets that others don't by wildcrafting local herbs and plants, including mullein and poke salad.

Kandi also works with the Silas H. Hunt Community Development Corporation, which partnered in producing this podcast.

This podcast was also produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology
through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative
agreement with USDA Rural Development. This podcast was also made possible in
part by funding from the Southern Risk Management Education Center, USDA
National Institute of Food and Agriculture, through the University of Arkansas.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· Business and Marketing

· Risk Management

Other Resources:

· Milliesbarn Veggie Farm

Contact Justin Duncan at justind@ncat.org.

Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.

You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted,
practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other
resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.