Harvesting Wisdom: Exploring ATTRA Programs

Discover the heartbeat of sustainable agriculture with Audrey Coldy from the National Center for Appropriate Technology, as she brings her rich farming heritage and knowledge to our latest conversation. Her passion for intertwining nature with history to promote food equity and environmental stewardship is nothing short of inspiring. As we navigate the narratives of food safety, local production, and marketing strategies, Audrey's insights shed light on the transformative power of hope and history in reshaping our agricultural landscape.

Step into a world where sustainable farming programs flourish and initiatives sow the seeds of community and innovation. From the evolution of ATRA's outreach efforts to the creation of a digital hub for farmers through the "Voices from the Field" podcast, our discussion navigates the advancements in sharing knowledge and fostering connections. The Arm to Farm program stands out, offering veterans a new mission in sustainable agriculture, while farmer networks and conferences bridge the gap between cultures, enhancing resilience and learning. And when it comes to nurturing the next generation, the Farm to School initiative is a testament to the robust link between local agriculture and youth education, guaranteeing a fresh, healthy future for our children and our planet. Join us as we celebrate the collective efforts that are cultivating a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

 https://attra.ncat.org/about/staff/

https://attra.ncat.org/events/

 https://www.latinofarmersusa.com/

 https://www.notillgrowers.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hello everyone and welcome to our latest episode of Fresh Take brought to you by Florida Organic Growers. 2024 Organic Food and Farming Summit. Summit passes are currently on sale. Find out more information about the summit and get your tickets at wwwfoginfoorg. And now on to the show.

Speaker 2: 0:26

Welcome everyone to another insightful episode of Fresh Take. Today we're honored to have Audrey Coldy, a true champion of sustainable agriculture, joining us from the National Center for Appropriate Technology to explore the various programs in this field that are serving farmers, ranchers and agriculture educators alike. Welcome to the show, audrey.

Speaker 3: 0:47

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to get to dive in.

Speaker 2: 0:52

We're excited as well, and with such a rich background spanning food equity, local foods, food safety and marketing, your journey reflects a deeply rooted passion for shaping a more sustainable future. So, Audrey, I'd love for you to share with us how your diverse experiences and keen interests in history and nature have shaped your perspective on sustainable agriculture today.

Speaker 3: 1:20

Yeah, I really grew up from a small child loving nature and as I grew up I got to learn about the history of agriculture as well in the South, and the harm it has done and as well as the hope we can find in it, just from the environment, to the people as well. I went on to farm in West Virginia, alabama and most recently my home state of Louisiana, where I managed organic market gardens. Outside of my farming experiences, I also got to work with farmers, markets and food hubs and aged as well, so really trying to not only receive that history and that hope but also spread the history and hope for a brighter future to those around me and those working in agriculture.

Speaker 2: 2:31

Yeah, I really love how you phrase that in spreading history and hope. I think that's a really powerful phrase, because we often know in working in the agricultural fields that there is really deeply rooted history and trying to reshape the narrative, in maybe forming a more just future, a more equitable future, sustainable future, those are really great ideas and concepts that I think are wonderful to push forward. So I'd love to learn more about your role as a sustainable agricultural specialist. What does your day to day look like and what responsibilities does this entail?

Speaker 3: 3:17

Yeah, so I get to do a lot of work with farmers and food system work. One way I like to put it is that I have time and knowledge that I can donate to farmers and donate to food system work in the United States. I need to focus here in the Gulf South as well so I can answer calls and emails, do site visits and help farmers find the best solution for their farm. That sites specific and because I'm still a farmer to this day, I farm specialty fruits and vegetables. I am also in touch still with what is happening in the climate of farming here and so it helps, I hope, to help bring that knowledge into the space where I can talk about those droughts and talk about the flooding on both sides of it with experience and empathy.

Speaker 3: 4:23

And I know I have so much love for our extension offices. They bring so much knowledge and research into the farming space. And I know as well though sometimes I'll call for a solution, for an organic solution to a pest problem, and the solutions just aren't complete because that extension agent doesn't have a ton of experience so with organics or what is possible with organics, and so with being a sustainable agro-specialist, I can go in as someone that has the experience of doing organics and, we hope, bring that technical assistance of how you can sustainably farm into those spaces as well, and so really using our network of sustainable agriculture specialists across the country to find sustainable solutions whenever the other technical assistance are still dealing with major crops and still needing to spray and things like that.

Speaker 2: 5:33

Right. So you know I have so many questions about this. It seems that you have a really great you know team working towards finding the right solutions and, with your diverse background and working at markets and still being a farmer, you know, you bring really great experience first hand at you know, the real life problems right that you face in the agricultural world. And so I want to further understand the National Center for Appropriate Technology, also known as NCAT, how it plays a pivotal role in promoting sustainable practices for both agriculture and energy, and understanding what it actually means when we talk about appropriate technology and that being at the core of its mission.

Speaker 3: 6:25

Yeah, ncat has a really beautiful history. As you alluded to, it came out of the movement starting in the 1960s. So there was a lot of you know technology booming coming out of World War II and at the same time, you know, we were slipping slowly towards energy crises and towards a world that was saying like get big or get out, and NCAT was really able to jump in front of that and to really fight for technology that is more usable and more feasible for people everywhere. It's thought that, you know, gandhi is to be the father of the appropriate technology movement. He advocated for those small, local technologies, from his farming practices to even, you know, weaving his own clothing. That is just like such a cool history to that appropriate technology movement.

Speaker 3: 7:42

And so what do we think of as appropriate technology today?

Speaker 3: 7:47

You know the key to it would probably be like small scale, simple to use and operate, so like less of the GPS precision technology, more of the you know, small scale row crops, low cost and labor intensive.

Speaker 3: 8:09

And then you know we're really trying to localize the tools and the seeds and the animal stocks and things like that in order to decentralize where all of that is coming from, to make it more environmentally sound, more sustainable for the future, and so it really is a beautiful movement that I think, even with it having started, you know, in the 70s, we are continuing to feel the need for appropriate technology, like that phrase still rings true to this day for farmers and to those who are looking for a new but old way to farm. You know something so new that it's old and you know we can look to it with our low cap tunnels and insect netting, shade cloths and drip tapes. But it really, you know, and oftentimes talking about our indigenous, first Nation farming systems is where a lot of this is coming from as well, and so recognizing that land and the history of it, all the way back and the way that farming was founded, and continuing technology to advance that, but being mindful, mindfulness of farming I'm sure there's a podcast about that somewhere.

Speaker 2: 9:45

Honestly, that sounds like a great topic for another episode, but I really love the idea of decentralizing this kind of system and I'm wondering what that? What does that look like in different parts of the country? Are we paying more attention to the different types of soil in different regions? Is there attention paid to, you know, the climates and all the changing factors moving across the landscape? What are some of those examples of appropriate technology that you would find, for instance, on the East Coast versus the West Coast? Or you know just different regions across the nation?

Speaker 3: 10:25

Yeah, so I haven't gotten to farm all over the US, sadly. One day I would love to get to see more farms, but from all the farming you know resources I've gotten to see and all these amazing farmers that come from the areas I really think about the climate strife I guess is really what we're dealing with that are so regional. You know, here in the south we have droughts coming and floods coming and, you know, hurricanes happening and that can bring its own unique needs into our system. So, as you're putting in a high tunnel, will high winds destroy that and instead should a low tunnel a cat, you know, low cat tunnel be a more appropriate use so that if you have a high wind storm, there's a better way to manage that Versus, you know, the sandy soils of another region could mean that your water loss is very different than it is in the south. So, like you're more frequently watering, which means you can continually drip tape Instead of deep watering, that you can do with the clay soil here in the south we are still in the movement of seed saving and really having a seed saving source for us, right.

Speaker 3: 12:03

So you know there's a lot of collaboration happening. You know the Southern seed exchange has set such an amazing example for seed, for seed company that is cooperative and bringing lots of different farmers into it. But really that is one of the crux pieces. It feels like to me to have regional, culturally specific foods growing is the ability for us to get those seeds from that area and be able to pull seeds that are able to manage our specific climates. Which again goes back to like why we have organic seeds is non organic seeds is that those seeds need to be able to know how to handle the weed pressure or the insight pressure that not spraying will have that pressure on it.

Speaker 2: 13:01

And I appreciate you mentioning seed saving, because that's something that we we find to be a really crucial topic as well, and we actually I had the honor of having Ira Wallace on our podcast last year and so that was a really, really powerful conversation about seeds and grounding us, I think, in agriculture again, and those you know indigenous ideology, so those, those you know concepts are really, I think, important to bring back and and really shed light on how they can improve our food systems. So I really want to move into Atra, which is the appropriate technology transfer for rural areas, and understanding this as the agricultural side of NCAT. Could you share, you know, with our audience the genesis of this program and how it supports key agricultural actors across the nation as well?

Speaker 3: 14:06

Yeah, atra is, of course, near and dear to my heart.

Speaker 3: 14:12

It was my first encounter with NCAT Because it hosts like a ton of farming opportunities, jobs and internships across the country, and so I know whenever I was a farmer looking for a place to learn how to farm as not like a generational farmer I really got to encounter Atra and have loved it ever since.

Speaker 3: 14:45

And so it really started in the 1987, whenever the Rural Development Program was looking for a way to expand their reach into rural America and the recognition that in the United States that agriculture is one of the lynchpins of our economy in rural America, and so to this day there is still so much growth that happens in rural communities based upon farmers and what they're doing there and really bringing people out of that urbanization back into the rural communities.

Speaker 3: 15:30

And so NCAT was able to create ATRA from that and to really try and create ways to communicate and to reach these farmers in places that are less centralized as well. And so having a farm that was in the farming community and all over the country was really beneficial to their mission. And from that 1987 start we have made public like hundreds of publications on how to be a more sustainable farm, how to graze your sheep and cows and doing it in a way that is regenerating the soil and creating a future for agriculture in rural America that can really benefit the future as well. So it's really amazing to see the growth of ATRA over the years and as our society has transitioned from paper copies to digital copies, from in-person workshops and to webinars.

Speaker 3: 16:51

We still host all of these abilities, and even telephone, like the telephone line at ATRA, used to be one of the ways that farmers would reach out and was ringing off the hook, and now we get so many more fields that are asking us how to best deal with certain pests or certain plant varieties to do, and so we've gotten to expand our reach because of technology and, at its core, we're still working one-on-one with farmers, hearing the needs of farmers and then trying to respond by creating research, by working with universities and USDA and things like that to meet the needs of these farmers. So getting to be their advocate to other organizations in the farming community, as well as continuing forward with making it a farming community that is sustainable, so that rural America can really be a thriving place that we hope for in the future. And so these webinars and workshops and everything are all part of that movement of creating a cool place in the rural America.

Speaker 2: 18:21

Yeah, and it's interesting to see how technology is being adapted and adopted into the agricultural realm. And, speaking of new waves of technology, you guys also have ATRA's podcast, voices from the Field and this. We're speaking on a podcast right now and it's a fun new way, I think, to get information out there for people that are doing work but able to listen in and learn about these different topics. So I'm curious to know what inspired that podcast and what topics and guests you guys have had thus far.

Speaker 3: 19:07

Yeah, the history of the podcast is probably the fact that I feel like farmers just love podcasts.

Speaker 3: 19:16

It is such an amazing thing to listen to while you're weeding or milking or doing farm chores, to be able to feel like you're educating yourself on your future and things like that, and to create a community feeling in this siloed world you can get into in farming because there's no office, because it's rural.

Speaker 3: 19:46

So I feel like part of the agriculture podcast movement is trying to create collaboration in a lot of ways, and the Jesse Frost was the original person who started the no Till podcast, but I know now they even have a collaboration podcast and things like that because farmers collaborating with cities, with communities, with each other is really it feels like the heart of where young farmers, beginning farmers, are looking to and so on our voices from the field podcast you can hear a lot of these stories from farmers that are finding new and creative ways to feed and have farming systems done, as well as our experts, our sustainable ag experts, all over the country talking about agroecology and grazing and climate smart agriculture and the ways that they are coming into the sphere and things like that.

Speaker 3: 21:01

So we'll bring farmers onto the podcast and talk to them about their agroecology system and we hope it sparks new ideas for those listening and we hope that it also gives a little bit of connection where it's like I also have issues with those darn parasites in my sheep. We hope it brings a connection as well.

Speaker 2: 21:32

Absolutely. I think the idea of collaborating through podcasts is such a wonderful thing, and I mean we're doing it as we speak because we are able to have people like you to shed light on some of this innovative work that's happening. And speaking of that, I'd love to dive into the remarkable programs offered by Atra, and I'd love to start with Arm to Farm. Could you enlighten us on how this sustainable agricultural training program has been empowering veterans and what they typically learn throughout the program?

Speaker 3: 22:10

Yeah, arm to Farm is definitely one of our flagship programs that happen all over the country.

Speaker 3: 22:20

We've done armed farms in 47 states since it was first started and so pulling veterans into agriculture.

Speaker 3: 22:35

Oftentimes they're beginning farmers and, from the get go, giving them that community of veterans and a lot of our flagship programs do this.

Speaker 3: 22:44

Where it's very intentional gathering of like people, so the other way to say it is intentional exclusion or inclusion, and so bringing these veterans together to move forward into sustainable agriculture and they'll have lessons in, you know, business planning and in soil health and things like that, and then they'll tour. They'll spend the rest of their week just like touring farms in the region, getting inspired and having that space together with these other beginning farmers who are veterans as well, and you know the success rate of these veterans. Farming with that foundation is like really crucial because they are building these farmer to farmer peer networks, which I think young farmer coalition has talked about, where it's like that really is. The way that most farmers are learning is by talking to other farmers and talking to each other, and that's how new systems are adapted and that's how decisions, you know, are really heard out sometimes, and so creating a network of farmers really goes a huge step forward in helping these veterans. You know make a successful business from that.

Speaker 2: 24:10

And it sounds like you're creating spaces for many social groups. So, you know, in addition to the veterans, you also host the Latino farmer conference. That happens yearly and it sounds like a fantastic opportunity for networking and learning. So I'd love to hear about, you know, the unique challenges faced by Latino farmers and how this conference addresses them specifically.

Speaker 3: 24:39

Yeah, so we have our Latino farmer conference in California and so really, again, creating that intentional space together to work with farmers that have this, have a shared identity and are really so often, you know, I feel, like the people that are feeding our country for a huge part, and so really giving them a space where they are comfortable and that the programming is like specific for them, is such an amazing thing to be able to do, as well as making sure that you know the language you know they can speak in their most comfortable way. So speaking in Spanish at these conferences so that they can really delve into the deeper level because it's in their primary language, is like just opens the world for the depth of conversation they can go into and they're learning a bit capacity. It is so amazing. We also have a Hispanic farmer conference in Texas as well. So definitely dealing with like two communities of farmers and making sustainable agriculture the front runner in that world is really exciting.

Speaker 3: 26:06

I don't believe there are very many Latino specific like farming conferences, given the proportion of farmers that are from there and so are from that identity. So it is a really exciting thing we get to do at Atra and talking about labor and being specific about like. I know Manoí Ola works in our region With Latino farmers and he has a whole book on conservation agriculture and it's all about agriculture in like sustainability in the five senses of talking about, like the sense of smell and like how you know something you know listening for the bees and smelling the tomato plants, to like know more about their health and things like that and so it's using your five senses to really commune with nature and be able to know what sustainability is, and so definitely worth a check out as well to check out Manoí Ola's awesome curriculum.

Speaker 2: 27:16

And definitely I'd love to share that, you know, with our audience members and we we are, you know, constantly sharing resources and how more people listening to fresh shake can get involved in the agricultural world and learning more about just the different tenants and topics that can be discussed, because, as you know, there's tons of different things that people can become experts in. And we want to shed light also on a couple more initiatives you guys are doing with the Soil for Water project and the bringing the farm to school initiative, which we've seen tons of movement happening for the youth and making an impact on that in population. So I definitely want to know, with those initiatives, how do they contribute to the expansion of a farm to school? But then also with the Soil for Water project, enhancing resilience and the face of such persistent drought conditions, you know touching on on those two topics as well, yeah, no, they're really amazing programs.

Speaker 3: 28:25

The Soil for Water came out of Texas during the 2010 drought it was like 2010 to 2015 or something along those lines and so Texas has a long history of drought. We, you know, like the northwest corner of it was part of the dust bowl and you know droughts are, you know, five-year long things, and so, as we think about what our farmers need through droughts, it really goes back to soil health and to that soil as a living system that, yes, requires moisture, but even its full health and full ability is so resilient and I'm able to, like we can mitigate these drought disasters by adapting grazing practices that are building organic matter or you know doing, you know, limited tillage in order to continue to have that soil connection and things you know thus disturbed, and so it really. It really brings in new ways to use less water but to have a thriving farm in the midst of, you know, multi-year droughts, and so that's a really amazing thing as we continue to face droughts in new places. I know in Louisiana, we're in the midst of a drought, so this is our third year of it and so hopefully it'll end soon, but, who knows? Also are bringing farm to school. So the school system is just like such an amazing ability for us to help farmers have outlets that are local and that are also thriving and, like will continue to need. So it helps.

Speaker 3: 30:18

You know we see it as a way to see farmers move to middle ag instead of just direct to consumer ag, and so really assisting those farmers in scaling up is an important part of it, and I think at this point most states also require that your agriculture product still goes through like a distributor and so making sure you have, you know, your gap certification and you're able to, like you know your traceability that you need with that gap certification so it really goes into how you can farm in order to work with an aggregator is part of that system, of that we work on for farm to school and you know training the experts in states as well to be able to help those farmers create that network in that system to scale up and to provide to schools, and you know there's so many people that are able to help those schools know what to do with.

Speaker 3: 31:22

You know fresh salad and fresh green beans and things like that, and so it's an amazing system that we get to work with with the national farm to school network and the USDA to you know, help students have fresh produce in their schools all year round.

Speaker 2: 31:41

Right. Well, that sounds really wonderful and I think you guys are doing such fantastic work really touching on so many different areas in the farmers life of being able to sell, being able to network, learning about the different you know complexities and challenges with soil and different technologies. So there really is so many things that farmers can benefit from and I'm wondering what is the best way for anyone to get involved in atras programs.

Speaker 3: 32:12

We love working with farmers, so reaching out to a local in-cat agent and getting to like plan a site visit with them is always really exciting for us to see if we can collaborate on your farm or like give you a chance to work with other farmers in our network.

Speaker 3: 32:34

We also host workshops and events all over the country. So, as we're thinking about, like Florida, we have our you know, transitioning to organic programs and so we'll have workshops in Florida and Georgia and Alabama all over the Gulf South and office hours, if you're transitioning to organic as well, with Felicia Bell, a huge wealth of knowledge. She has just like so much knowledge on farming organically in the south and on helping you set up your SOPs or, you know, being someone who can assist you in that. So if you go to our in-cat events page, you can find Felicia's office hours. With the zoom link you can find our webinars that we're hosting with qcs or, you know, if you're a livestock, we're doing a women's and livestock and land system. You can find all these events on our events page and, you know, I invite you to come to those and introduce yourself and we're just really excited to continue to form new connections and to, you know, collaborate.

Speaker 2: 33:55

Yes, always, and we we will definitely have that. You know those links available in the about text for this episode for anyone interested in attending the upcoming events for this year. And Audrey, before we wrap up the show, I want to ask you one last question, which is what is the best advice you can provide for farmers who want to transition into more sustainable farming practices?

Speaker 3: 34:21

Yeah, I was really lucky at one point to just like see sustainability in a new way, to see sustainability of farmers as something that is really important and the opportunities that you know transitioning to organic can give you as far as like business help and resources that are specific to organic producers or sustainable producers is really growing and amazing.

Speaker 3: 34:57

And it's for sure it feels, you know, it feels that we are continuing to grow that sphere and grow our knowledge base and so it is such a financially feasible future for farmers and that hopefully, the most important part to those farmers is their sustainability and that they are able to continue to farm. And I think that organics can often give you. You know, feeding your community is so huge and then being able to feed your community food that you know is GMO free and is without chemicals or you know it is something another level of joy that you get to give. And so going to a market and being like I can say this is organic but I didn't spray it, and being able to have that trust is really huge because we just want to provide high quality food to our community and I think organic is definitely one of the pathways that will get us there.

Speaker 2: 36:12

Absolutely. I wholeheartedly agree with that and I think that you know the work, the mission and the opportunities you are providing for these folks who are interested really paves the path forward for spreading more joy in the world of food. So you know, thank you so so much, audrey, for sharing your experience, your expertise and shedding light on the impactful work of the National Center for Appropriate Technology. I really enjoyed having you on the show today.

Speaker 3: 36:45

Thank you so much for having me, and I can't wait to collaborate.

Speaker 2: 36:50

Us too, and to our listeners. We hope today's episode has inspired you to explore sustainable agriculture practices further. Don't forget to tune in for our next episode, where we'll continue to uncover stories of innovation and sustainability. Until then, stay curious and stay sustainable.

Speaker 1: 37:11

We hope you enjoyed today's episode. Florida Organic Growers is a 501C3 nonprofit organization, so to keep our content available and free to the public, we need your help. Please subscribe, rate and review wherever you listen, and consider making a tax deductible donation or become a sponsor. Learn more about our work and how you can become a sponsor from our website, wwwboginfoorg.