Tag Archives: Podcast

Deep Roots Radio interviews with ranchers, farmers, policymakers, teachers and scientists, film makers and chefs, authors and home-makers. They all help connect the dots between what we eat and how it’s grown.

Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week starts with a bang in Amery, population 2902

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Agritourism
Agritourism
Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week starts with a bang in Amery, population 2902
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Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week, Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2021

I grew up in Bronx, NY, in a city of 8 million, yet I couldn’t be more excited about Amery, Wisconsin’s launch of a special week dedicated to agricultural tourism. Agri what?

Looking for the Great Pumpkin

It’s a term that covers lots of things you’ve probably already done. If you’ve ever enjoyed an afternoon picking crisp apples or juicy strawberries, petted a little lamb or held a squirmy piglet, walked a corn maze or selected “just the right” pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, walked near grazing cattle, or sipped wine at a winery, helped gather eggs, or helped your farmer pick your CSA box — you’re an agricultural tourist. Maybe you’ve attended a wedding or special event at a repurposed barn, or fished at a trout or catfish farm, or cut down a Christmas tree.  That’s agricultural tourism, too.

Why am I excited? Because my husband Dave Toftness and I raise grass-fed-grass-finished just four miles from downtown Amery, and a major part of our mission is to welcome visitors to our farm, Bull Brook Keep. We chat with well over 200 people a year, every month of the year. We appreciate the opportunity for walks across our pastures, explaining why we’re committed to sustainable practices, introducing our moos, and learning about people’s food journey. It’s educational, fun and friendly.

Governor Evers’ Proclamation

In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Amery’s Mayor Paul Isakson describes how the city is marking the launch of this very special week set aside by proclamation by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. It runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, 2021. Many thanks to the Governor and to Sheila Everhart, Interim Executive Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, for working for this recognition of the contribution agritourism makes to people’s lives and local economies.

Earlier this year, the Mayor established a new page on the City’s website just for agricultural tourism, making it easy to find an ag-based adventure in and around Amery, www.amerywi.gov/703/Agritourism.  To find agricultural venues across the state, visit wiagtourism.com.

Happy cows at Bull Brook Keep

I hope you enjoy this interview. And I hope you’ll come visit us. The trees are turning glorious, and the moos would like to meet you.

Sylvia Burgos Toftness

John Govin welcomes thousands of visitors to cuddle new lambs and farm babies every spring.

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Agritourism
Agritourism
John Govin welcomes thousands of visitors to cuddle new lambs and farm babies every spring.
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If it fits on your lap, we’ll help you hold it.

Is there anything cuter than a new lamb? Or softer than a day-old chick? Well, maybe it’s the curly tail of a tiny piglet, or the agile jumps of a week-old kid.

All will be on display, and ready for a cuddle, beginning this weekend on John and Julie Govin’s farm in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It’s their annual Lambing Barn and Farm Babies event . “Our motto is – If it fits in your lap, we’ll help you hold it,” said John during our Deep Roots Radio chat. An easy drive from the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metro area, the Govins have welcomed thousands of visitors – young and old – to this event for the last 16 years.

The Lambing Barn runs four weekends in 2021:  March 20-21; March 27-28; April 2-3, and April 10-11.  This spring, he’s taken extra COVID-19 measures to promote wellness and fun on the farm.  If you’re into agritourism, the Govin’s farm offers many activities through the summer and fall.

I hope you enjoy this interview  with John, and go online to purchase tickets to this spring time event.  I’m going Saturday, March 20th, and hope to see your there!

Sylvia

Lisa Kivirist on 1st ever nat’l conference on cottage food biz and food freedom April 6-9

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Sourdough w roasted beets

The first time I handed over a fresh loaf of my artisan mild French sourdough and received cash in exchange, I was amazing satisfied and proud of the transaction. I’d done it. People had sampled my home-baked bread, found it to their liking, and purchased several loaves!

That was a few years ago, and at that time, I didn’t realize I was joining a countrywide community of home-based food entrepreneurs. It’s a sector that’s growing rapidly as a part of the food freedom movement. And, interestingly, it took a jump because of the pandemic. More and more consumers were searching for local food, including baked goods.  Who knew!?

Well, as it turns out, there’s a lot to know about, and to benefit from, when you decide to bake and sell hearth breads and muffins, or cook up and sell jams and pickles. Some states have really broad and welcoming regs, while a few others are somewhat restrictive. Still, both cases present lots of opportunity to build a cottage food business in your home kitchen.

The ins and outs, laws and opportunities are the focus of the first ever Home-based Food Entrepreneur Virtual National Conference, scheduled for April 6-9, 2021 wherever you have internet connection.

How to get started!

Lisa Kivirist, eco-innkeeper, author, and long-time advocate for home-based baking businesses, is one of the four conference keynote speakers. With husband John Ivanko, she has co-authored several books about building businesses on farm-based/environmentally-anchored foundations, including the popular Homemade for Sale.  In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Lisa describes the conference program, and reviews the current state of this sector.

I hope you enjoy this interview and sign up for the virtual conference. I hope to see you there.

Sylvia Burgos Toftness

 

GrowingStronger 2021 – break-the-mold, 5-in-1 virtual conf for people who grow and love sustainable and organic food

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What do you do when your annual conference is scheduled for February 2021, and COVID makes it impossible to gather the usual 3,000 attendees for three days of networking, workshops, shared meals, dancing, inspiring keynotes and more? Well if you’re MOSES (the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services nonprofit), you decide the break the mold.

This year, GrowingStronger2021 is a collaborative effort put on by five powerhouse organizations with deep roots, long histories, and credibility in the organic and sustainable farming sector.

I hope you enjoy this Deep Roots Radio chat with MOSES Executive Director Lori Stern as she describes this break-the-mold event. As a farmer, and food lover, I can hardly wait.

Sylvia

 

COVID exposes smaller-scale meat processing shortages – what to do

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Deep Roots Radio
COVID exposes smaller-scale meat processing shortages - what to do
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In spring 2020, consumers all across the country experienced shortages of fresh and packaged foods; and for most of us, this was a first in our lives. We found ourselves staring at sparsely-stocked grocery shelves, nearly empty dairy sections, and signs warning us that we were limited to the number of poultry or beef packages we could add to our carts.

News stories told of COVID outbreaks at the very large scale meat plants, and the resultant dramatic cuts to production. We became familiar with pictures of vegetable fields being plowed under, and of farmers emptying milk tanks to the ground.

The lack of capacity in the big factories trickled down to the small-scale livestock producers because more and more consumers began searching for locally-grown beef, pork, lamb, and poultry. All that protein had to be handled at smaller-scale processors – and they quickly became swamped.

Now, we find ourselves with over-burdened processors and the need to build capacity. But can we?  A smaller-scale processing plant is an expensive enterprise to upscale, refurbish, or start-up. Are there options? What about the policies that might help this along?

In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Lauren Langworthy, Special Projects Director for the Wisconsin Farmers Union, describes the issue and the series of farmer/processor/policy maker conversations and webinars now being held to address the challenge.

The next five webinars will be held at noon, Central Time, on January 14, January 28, February 11, March 11, and April 8, 2021. They are free, register here.

I hope you enjoy this very informative interview.

Sylvia Burgos Toftness

 

Agricultural tourism – what it is, how to start on your farm, and how to find a farm to visit. Three-part series

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The growing season is in full swing: new calves are running across the pastures, the first CSA boxes have been delivered, corn is knee-high, and vegetables are growing more than an inch a day.

This year, most of us have been stressed and isolated by COVID-19, and we’re eager to enjoy the sights, smells, and open spaces of nearby farms. Visiting working farms – agritourism – is a rapidly growing interest all across the country. What does the term encompass? How can farmers enter this growing field? And how can you find a farm to visit for a couple of hours or a weekend?

This three-part series features Sheila Everhart, President of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association (WATA). Although the focus is Wisconsin, there’s lots of information for farmers and food lovers in any state.

In Part 1, Sheila defines agritourism and describes how WATA provides useful info to farmers, advocates for agritourism regulations and policies, and helps the public find farms and activities throughout the state.

Part 2 is for farmers: the questions and issues to consider before launching an agricultural tourism activity.

Part 3 is for individuals and families searching for a farm to visit. How to find a nearby farm, and how to prepare for a successful visit.

Enjoy these informative conversations, and visit a farm soon!

Sylvia

Medicinal herbalist Nancy Graden – boosting health and immunity in time of COVID-19

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Medicinal herbalist Nancy Graden - boosting health and immunity in time of COVID-19
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By the time we were halfway through our first week of “shelter in place,” I knew I had to touch base with Nancy Graden, a neighbor, farmer, and very knowledgable medicinal herbalist. What could I do to brace myself for the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Nancy’s response is captured in this Deep Roots Radio interview, recorded March 28, 2020. I hope you find it informative and encouraging. And don’t forget to download the eight-page resource Nancy developed in light of the pandemic: Notes on the COVID-19 VIRUS from an Herbalist’s Perspective 1

pasture herbs

I’m so grateful Nancy’s helping us navigate these rough waters. And I’m so glad her farm and business, Red Clover Herbal Apothecary Farm, is just a few miles down the road in Amery, WI. She starts, nurtures and harvests 50 types of medicinal plants on her certified organic five-acre farm. She also forages an additional 20 varieties for her broad product line. Nancy consults with customers and clients locally and from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.

Nancy began exploring the world of medicinal plants over 30 years ago while living in the Ozark Mountains. When she returned to Minnesota, she studied herbalism at the Australasian College of Health Sciences; anatomy and physiology at the University of Minnesota; and earned an associate’s degree in Western Clinical Herbalism from Minneapolis Community College.

Nancy and I will chat again in three weeks to focus on the medicinal herbs growing just outside your door.

Sylvia

Clay Coyote CEO Morgan Baum on the beauty and function of clay cooking vessels

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Clay Coyote CEO Morgan Baum on the beauty and function of clay cooking vessels
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I’ve baked my sourdough hearth loaves in covered clay pots for years, and recommend that same strategy to the many baking students that travel to my Bull Brook Keep teaching kitchen. Why? because the covered vessels provide a blast of heat and moisture-saving enclosure that yields high rises, crisp crusts and tender crumb laced with glossy holes.

That said, I’m a newbie when it comes to cooking and roasting in clay, a culinary tradition that spans a couple of thousand years (at least) and is used in nearly every country on the globe.

My first attempt was making a whole chicken.  I followed advice gleaned from a couple of cookbooks and comments on the Cooking with Clay Facebook group. It was also there that I became aware of Clay Coyote, and Minnesota pottery maker renown for its beautiful and functional clay cookware.

I hope you enjoy this Deep Roots Radio interview with Clay Coyote CEO/Owner Morgan Baum. She grew up amid the clay and firing at  Clay Coyote and is taking it into the future.

About the chicken? Well, as I said, I followed instructions pulled from old books and offered by fellow enthusiasts.

First, I soaked the bottom and lid of my terracotta roaster in a deep sink of water. After draining the pot, I placed sliced fennel bulb (another thing I don’t use much) onions and sweet peppers in the pot. I then added a couple of herbs I haven’t used much – tarragon and marjoram – and a good glug of very dry white wine. The whole chicken nestled on top of the veggies. I put on the lid and placed the pot in a cold – yes cold – oven.

I set the dial to 300F and let the oven sit there for five minutes. I then upped the oven to 450F and let her go for 1.5 hours.

The result? Every piece of that chicken was moist. The skin was crisp. The veggies were delicious. I was sold!

Since then, I’ve dived into making beans in clay, and to poaching eggs in savory sauces. It makes such sense: great ingredients cooked in pots shaped from the earth.

Sylvia

 

 

Ag economist John Ikerd – how better policies and smalls farms can move American farming to better food, soils, and economy

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Ag economist John Ikerd - how better policies and smalls farms can move American farming to better food, soils, and economy
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In this Deep Roots Radio conversation, internationally-respected agricultural economist John Ikerd describes how America’s farming model isn’t set in stone, how fence-row-to-fence-row planing isn’t manifest destiny, and how farmers don’t have to “get big, or get out” to thrive.

John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist

Recorded February 1, 2020, this chat is a quick preview to the keynote presentation Ikerd will deliver at the 31st annual Organic Farming Conference, hosted by MOSES in La Crosse, WI, February 27-29, 2020. (MOSES stands for the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service.)

From a childhood on a Missouri dairy farm, Ikerd earned his undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. in agricultural economics at the University of Missouri. He has taught at four universities, has authored several books, and scores of papers and presentations. Among his books are Sustainable Capitalism: A Matter of Common Sense and Small Farms are Real Farms, and  Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture.

In 2014, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization had Ikerd develop the North American report for the International Year of the Family Farm. In it, he made the case for multifunctional farms that protect and renew natural ecosystems and create and nurture caring communities that provide economic livelihoods for farm families.

For more information about Ikerd, visit johnikerd.com.  To register for the Organic Farming Conference, and to learn more about MOSES, visit mosesorganic.org.

I hope you enjoy this interview.

Jewelltown Roastery: brewing coffee, building community and raising music in farm country Wisconsin

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Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Jewelltown Roastery: brewing coffee, building community and raising music in farm country Wisconsin
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I haven’t done it often, but when I take Deep Roots Radio on the road, I’ve always loved it. This episode was filled with the sounds of a busy new coffee shop and music venue called Jewelltown Roastery, Star Prairie, Wisconsin, population 561.

Just 15 minutues from our farm, Bull Brook Keep, my husband Dave and I became fans with the first jingle of their front door. We stepped into a place where the espresso machine was busy, lunches were freshly made, and live music was captured by the tall tin ceilings and burnished wooden floors. We’ve become regulars for the excellent coffee, delicious meals, and growing sense of community rooted in friendly faces, local music and commitments to local foods and friendships.

Saturday morning jam session

Quinn Wrenholt and Liana Bratton at Jewelltown Roastery

 

 

 

JewelltownRoastery1 (tap for video of a recent session)

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy this Deep Roots Radio interview with Quinn Wrenholt and Liana Bratton, and make a point of visiting Jewelltown Roastery.

Sylvia