Stewarding the Land

In todays episode I speak with Asher Wright. Asher is the agricultural operations director for Hickory Nut Gap, a pastured meat farm and regional grass-fed meat aggregator here in Western North Carolina. We discuss what regenerative farming means and what metrics are being used to measure regenerative outcomes at Hickory Nut Gap, as well as their partner farms. We also get into some nitty gritty grazing ecology and how animal agriculture isn’t inherently driving climate change, outcomes are all about proper management.

Hickory Nut Gap

@hickorynutgap

https://www.hickorynutgap.com/

A Growing Culture

@agrowingculture

https://www.agrowingculture.org/

In this episode I chat with Mark Krawzcyk, permaculture designer, educator and author of the book Coppice Agroforestry: Perennial Silviculture for the 21st Century. We talk about his work designing, implementing, and tending to perennial agricultural systems that mimic natural patterns across a variety of scales from urban homesite to large rural holdings. I hope you enjoy this episode of Stewarding the Land!

In this episode I talk with Jess Laggis, the Farmland Protection Director with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC). We get into how land trusts function and how conservation easements can be used to keep farmland protected from development pressure. We talk about the practical aspects of putting your land into an easement as a landowner as well as the nitty-gritty legal structures involved, and how land trusts like SAHC help guide the process for land owners.

In this episode I interview Peter Kleinhenz, the Aucilla Watershed Coordinator with Tall Timbers Research Station. He works to make sure the land around this ancient river in the Florida Panhandle is protected from development and invasive species as well as working to ensure the ecology of the surrounding landscape is healthy and vibrant. An incredible herpetologist, birder, and all around naturalist, Peter has had a deep love of the natural world since he can remember. He is also an educator by training and has brought the same sense of awe into many people's lives. I hope you enjoy!

The story of the Appalachian mountains could not be adequately told without diving into the history of dispossession in the region. Since early settlement the class of peasant farmers, many of whom were fleeing dire circumstances in Ireland and Scotland, that inhabited the southern mountains faced an elite class that wanted them to assimilate into the new government and economy of the United States. Their simple makeshift lifestyles did not fit the mold of what those in power saw as progress. As a result, they were driven from their land through centuries of calculated policy and action on the part of both government and industry. In this interview I speak with author Steven Stoll, a scholar on the topic of dispossession in southern Appalachia. In his book, Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia, he offers a thorough history of land use patterns and human geography in the region. In this episode, we dig into some of the most potent and currently relevant topics from the book from the role of capitalism in rural lives to what policy can be put in place to begin to put land back in the hands of small-holder farmers rather than large corporations. I hope you enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Theo Witsell, co-founder and chief ecologist with Southeastern Grasslands Initiative (SGI). North America was once largely covered by vast grasslands, rich with wildlife, immense plant diversity, and deep topsoil. With the onset of development and agriculture, these ecosystems were often the first to be destroyed. However, SGI is working to understand and protect on southeastern grasslands, as well as provide education and opportunities to get involved. In our conversation we dive deep into the unique nature of grasslands, prairies, and wetlands in the Southeast and the work of SGI.

In this episode I chat with Sarah Alexander, the executive director with Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) about their efforts to support the local organic farming scene in Maine.

In this episode I talk with conservation biologist, Aimee Tomcho, about bird conservation, land use ethics, and the wonder of the natural world. Through her work with Audubon NC and ForestHers NC, Aimee is at the forefront of connecting bird conservation issues with private land use in Western North Carolina

This episode features Charlie Menefee, an urban planner with the City of Missoula. Drawn into planning from his roots as a lifelong skateboarder and biker navigating urban spaces, Charlie is involved in designing urban spaces that are more environmentally, socially, and economically viable. In their current form, cities can be forces that are destructive to rural landscapes as they encroach upon farmland and other natural spaces, but Charlie envisions a future in which human needs can be met in cities with a high quality of life without damaging their rural surroundings. 

Strong Towns Podcast:

https://www.strongtowns.org/podcast

In this episode I talk to Will Harlan, author, biologist, community leader, and homesteader about his experience communicating with the public and galvanizing community efforts on conservation issues in Western North Carolina.

In this introduction episode I share what I hope to learn and offer through this resource. I detail the types of people that will be interviewed and topics to be discussed. I invite you to join in on this experience of mutual learning and engagement with some of the folks directly involved in restoring the land and communities of rural America.