In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Local Food Systems Specialists Maura Henn and Molly Kirkham talk with Indigenous Food Sovereignty Consultant Cheyenne Robinson about their project, “Understanding Through Listening: Connecting with Native Food Ways in Montana.”

The project focused on holding listening sessions in Native American communities in Montana, primarily on Indian reservations, to learn if community members would be interested in developing an Indigenous Harvest of the Month program. Harvest of the Month is a farm-to-school educational framework designed to promote locally grown food in Montana schools and communities.

Maura, Molly, and Cheyenne talk about what they learned conducting the sessions, the process of developing the listening-session framework, and what their next steps will be.

Related ATTRA Resources:
• Farm to School

Project Partners:
• Grow Montana
• Montana Cooperative Development Center Distribution Study – Challenges and Opportunities for Grocers in Rural and Tribal Communities
• No Kid Hungry
• Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger

Other Resources:
• Understanding Through Listening
• Harvest of the Month
• Montana Harvest of the Month
• Menominee Harvest of the Moon
• Nebraska Harvest of the Month Indigenous Foods and Training
• National Farm to School Network

Contact Maura Henn at maurah@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 Bonnetta Adeeb, founder of Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, a nonprofit collective of BIPOC growers, farmers, and gardeners who cultivate and distribute heirloom seeds and grow culturally meaningful crops.

Gabriella and Bonnetta talk about the cultural role of seed saving and heritage crops as well as the importance of agriculture in defining and protecting cultural identity.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· Specialty Melon Production for Small and Direct-Market Growers

· Improving Seed Viability and Germination

· Local Food Systems

Other Resources:

· UJAMAA Cooperative Farming Alliance

· UJAMAA Seeds

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez at gabriellas@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 Chris Lent has a conversation with Crystal Hampton-Davis, co-owner of Davis Grown, a Pennsylvania livestock and produce farm. They discuss how Crystal and her husband, Bradley, diversified the farm and made the move toward selling to local schools. Crystal is also passionate about educating children and others in the community about local foods.

Related ATTRA Resources:

Local Food Systems

Business and Marketing

Other Resources:

Davis Grown

Pennsylvania Preferred

Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Farm to School Grant

Pennsylvania Department of Education Fruit Tree and Vegetable Program

The Food Trust Farm Tour: Davis Grown

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 Agriculture Specialist Gabriella Soto-Velez sits down with Dr. Saleh Azizi, Director of the Hawai'i Food Hub Hui and the Islands & Remote Areas Regional Food Business Center. Together, they delve into the historical context of Hawaii's food system, exploring the impacts of colonialism and the resulting health challenges faced by the native population. Saleh explains the critical role of food hubs in supporting local agriculture and food security, and he and Gabriella discuss the unique collaboration between Hawai'i's Regional Food Business Center, the Good Food Alliance Hawaii, and the US Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition. Tune in to learn more about how these partnerships are shaping a more resilient and sustainable food system for island communities.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· Food Hubs: A Producer Guide

· Feasibility Study for a Texas Organic Food Hub

· Episode 194. Kansas City Food Hub and KC Farm

· Farm to Food Hub to School

Other Related Resources:

· Hawai’i Food Hub Hui

· Hawai’i Good Food Alliance

· US Virgin Islands Good Food

· Islands & Remote Areas Regional Food Business Center

Contact Gabriella Soto-Velez at gabriellas@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 Tyler Jenkins takes listeners on a journey through the natural-dye supply chain with three industry experts. Max Holden is a grower based in Washington state with a passion for cultivating dye plants. Bradley Todd is a fellow NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist who resides in North Carolina and is a processor skilled in dye extraction. Courtney Lockemer is an organizer and market builder based in North Carolina who is dedicated to advancing natural dyes in modern markets. Together, they discuss a pilot project that explored opportunities for farmers to produce natural dye plants and how these efforts can scale to meet growing market demand.

Related ATTRA Resources:

• Business and Marketing
• Fiber
• Specialty Cut Flower Production and Marketing
• Herbs: Organic Greenhouse Production

Related Resources

• TS Designs

Contact Tyler Jenkins at tylerj@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 Audrey Kolde talks with Timothy Gipson, co-owner and co-founder of The Great Mississippi Tea Company in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Their conversation touches on the challenges and successes the company has had growing this popular specialty crop in the Magnolia State.

Related ATTRA Resources:

· Agroforestry

· The Unsung Heroes of the Plants We Drink: Tea

· Farm Branding: Selling Your Products Through Story

Other Resources:

· The Great Mississippi Tea Company

Contact Audrey Kolde at audreyk@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 Local Foods Specialist Molly Kirkham talks with Erin Austin of Abundant Montana. Abundant Montana is a nonprofit that helps create a more resilient and reliable food system by developing educational campaigns about local foods, providing digital marketing and promotion assistance, and fostering business-to-business connections for Montana food and farming businesses.

Erin and Molly talk about Abundant Montana’s recent online producer-buyer “meet-up event,” Abundant Connections. Molly and Erin discuss the need Abundant Montana saw that led to creating the event, the event’s format, what went well, who connected at the event, and what the future looks like for Abundant Connections.

This podcast is part of the “Farm to School Technical Assistance-Cooperative Agreement, Bringing the Farm to School through New Connections” project. In this project, NCAT is collaborating with producer organizations to expand producer-focused training and technical assistance using NCAT’s widely adaptable Bringing the Farm to School curriculum, which helps local producers engage in the child nutrition programs market.

Related ATTRA Resources:

Episode 288. Using the Abundant Montana Local Food Directory as a Marketing Strategy

Business and Marketing

Local Food Systems

Other Resources:

Bringing the Farm to School

AERO

Abundant Montana

Contact Molly Kirkham at mollyk@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.

This episode of Voices from the Field is part of our Soil-to-Skin podcast series, in which NCAT Carbon Farm Planners Allison Agee and Danielle Duni explore the relationships between soil health, fiber production, and market solutions.

It is part of NCAT’s Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership with Colorado State University, Carbon Cycle Institute, Fibershed, Seed2Shirt, and New York Textile Lab. The Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership is funded by USDA’s Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities.

Today, Allison and Danielle talk with Laura Sansone from New York Textile Lab about the intersection of fiber growers and designers.

Related ATTRA Resources:

Episode 356. Soil to Skin: Tameka Peoples of Seed2Shirt Shares Her Journey

Episode 355. Soil to Skin: Rebecca Burgess of Fibershed on Building Community

Episode 330. Meet NCAT: Carbon Farm Planner Allison Cooley-Agee of Montana

Episode 331. Meet NCAT: Danielle Duni, Carbon Farm Planner for Woolgrowers in Wyoming

Other Resources:

Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership

Seed2Shirt

Fibershed

New York Textile Lab

Contact Allison Cooley-Agee and Danielle Duni at allisonc@ncat.org and danielled@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.