On-Farm, Episode 005: Phil Specht – Pearlmaker Holsteins
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
Release Date: 06/09/2017
On-Farm, Episode 022: Jorgen Rose
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
In this episode, we talk with Jorgen Rose, who is the habitat and policy coordinator for Practical Farmers of Iowa. We talk a little about what PFI is up to in the habitat world, why we started doing habitat programming at PFI, and how people can get involved. You can learn more about creating wildlife habitat on farms by checking out Bringing Back the Edges on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/PFIvideos.
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On-Farm, Episode 021: Adam Janke
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
In this episode, we talk with Adam Janke, who is the Wildlife Extension Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. We talk a little about what wildlife habitat actually means, how the landscape has changed and how that has affected wildlife, and a few things that landowners or farmers can do to improve wildlife habitat on their farms. You can learn more about creating wildlife habitat on farms by checking out Bringing Back the Edges on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/PFIvideos.
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On-Farm, Episode 020: John Rock
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
In this episode, we talk with John Rock, who raises cattle and row crops in northwest Iowa near near the picturesque Little Sioux River. We chat about his experience grazing cattle on neighboring land owned by The Nature Conservancy and cedar tree removal and native prairie restoration on his own farm. John was just featured in a new video series from PFI - Bringing Back the Edges: Creating Wildlife Habitat on Farms. You can check out the video on grazing native plants here: https://youtu.be/tj_FdU-a7CY.
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On-Farm, Episode 019: Mark Quee
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
In this episode, we talk with Mark Quee, the Farm Manager at Scattergood Friends School, a boarding school near West Branch. The farm there raises organic fruits, vegetables and animals that the staff and students eat. We talk about beneficial insects, integrated pest management, flowers and the wonderful mysteries of ecological processes. Mark was just featured in a new video series from PFI - Bringing Back the Edges: Creating Wildlife Habitat on Farms. You can check out the video on beneficial insects here: https://youtu.be/p8lySv3oHkc.
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On-Farm, Episode 018: Dick Sloan
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
In this episode, we talk prairie strips with northeast Iowa farmer Dick Sloan. We talk about why Dick decided to plant prairie strips, what they are, and what it takes to install and manage them. He was just featured in a new video series from PFI - Bringing Back the Edges: Creating Wildlife Habitat on Farms. You can check out the video on prairie strips here: https://youtu.be/NSCxiIQ7mI8
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Bonus Episode: Consider the Soil
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
In this special bonus episode in three acts, PFI member Gina Nicholas weaves together the fiction and the non-fiction, science and art, past and future to paint a portrait of one of farming’s most important resources in “Consider the Soil.” If you’re curious about the soil, and you like a good story, you’re going to love this episode.
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On-Farm, Episode 017: Maria and Ron Rosmann – Rosmann Family Farms
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
For the final episode of the first season of On-Farm, we visited the farm of Maria and Ron Rosmann of Rosmann Family Farms near Harlan. The Rosmanns have been instrumental in many of the most important agricultural movements of the last 30 years: They were pioneers in organic livestock and row crops, and were among the core of farm families that helped Practical Farmers of Iowa get off the ground in the mid 1980s. On today’s show, we’ll talk about the history of their farm, their upcoming field day on
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On-Farm, Episode 016: Jamie Hostetler – Rolling Meadows Farm
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
This week on the show, we have Jamie Hostetler of Rolling Meadows. Jamie farms with his family near Bellevue in eastern Iowa, where they raise 100% grass-fed beef and sell Red Devon cattle for seed stock. In 2010, shortly after moving to the area, they seeded row crop ground down to pasture and have been practicing high-density grazing to regenerate the soil and produce gourmet-quality, grass-finished beef. On September 16, the Hostetlers will be hosting a field day on their farm focused on all things grass
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On-Farm, Episode 015: Earl Canfield – Canfield Family Farm
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
This week on the show, we have Earl Canfield of Dunkerton in northeast Iowa. Earl farms with his wife Jane and their four children. The Canfield Family has spent the last two years relearning how to grow small grains in Iowa and they have researched machinery, production strategies and varieties, in addition to seeking potential market streams. One opportunity is to direct-market small grains to small-scale livestock owners as either whole grains or as part of complete mixed feeds. We'll talk about that and
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On-Farm, Episode 014: Chris Teachout
On-Farm: Conversations with Practical Farmers
This week on the show, we had Chris Teachout, who farms near Shenandoah in southwest Iowa with his wife Janenne. Chris is a fifth-generation farmer, and he and his family have been using conservation practices on their farm since the mid-80s. He raises corn, soybeans and small grains, and has been using no-till practices for over 20 years. Ultimately, his goal is to regenerate his soil with cover crops and biology. On this show, we talk with Chris about how he got started with cover crops, what soil health
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Phil Specht
Phil Specht of Pearlmaker Holsteins was our guest this week on the show. Phil farms with his wife Sharon near MacGregor in northeast Iowa. He’s been running a grass-based, rotationally grazed dairy in the hills of Clayton County since the 1970s, and conservation has always been important to him. In 2013, his brother Dan passed away in a farm accident, and Dan’s friend Mary Damm purchased Dan’s farm. Since then, Phil and Mary have been conducting on-farm research on the links between pasture management, plant and soil diversity and grassland birds. On the show, we range from the practical to the esoteric – talking with Phil about the politics of conservation, grazing management, Facebook poetry, ways of knowing and much more.
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On June 22, Phil Specht and Mary Damm will host a field day at Dan’s farm focused on grazing, grassland birds and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). You can RSVP for the field day, which will include dinner and camping for those interested, and learn more here.
In the episode, Phil shares this poem, “The Delta” (originally published on his Facebook page in March of 2014.) The poem is part of his “tagging a railcar” project on Facebook, contributing ephemeral art to an online community. He explains more in the podcast episode. Here’s the poem:
The Delta
We all live on the delta
of Noah and care
soil washed from the mountain stream
blues in the air.
Garden growing, grown
bounty, blessing, sorrow and pain
Gifts given and taken
by flood and the rain.
Earth, the dirt warming
arms open waiting seed
and the rains will soon come,
regardless of need.
We are here in the Garden
It came before Time
Offer pipe all directions
for seasons in rhyme.
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