Episodes
Andrea Tibbets of Clover Brooke Farm is our guest on today’s podcast.  We usually see her at the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival (Rhinebeck), but since at that fine event we see her running the Camelid Barn and running the Leaping Llama contest and running the Spitters’ Club and…well, just plain running, we decided it was way past time to visit her home turf.  For a walk. One of the most peaceful things you can do, we found, is to take a hike through Hyde Park with a llama on a...
Published 03/01/24
Published 02/13/24
It’s another stop on our Devon Pre-Tour run.  This time, we’re bringing you the sights and sounds from a delightful and delicious visit to Lakota Ranch in Remington, Virginia.  Lakota is the home of Jeremy Engh, President of Red Devon USA, Dr. Jerry Engh, the founder of the herd itself (and Jeremy, for that matter), and Patty Engh, who runs them both, we’re fairly sure.  We had a visit that included pasture rotation avec spicy herding dogs and spicier cows, a 30-year old Devon cow with calf...
Published 02/13/24
Don’t you love talking to people who know their stuff?  While crashing the Kilnsey Show in Yorkshire on our UK trip last August, we came across Clive Richardson, Field Officer for the Jacob Sheep Society.  It was a spontaneous tailgate conversation, but we magically ended up with not only someone who raises some of the most interesting-looking sheep you’ll ever lay eyes on, but he was a truly well-spoken and well-researched man.  He has more than one book on his author creds page, and we’re...
Published 01/26/24
It’s the Devon Congress 2024 - Coming soon to an east-coast back road near you (if you live on the east coast and are there in April, that is).  This April, people are coming from all over the world to celebrate the Devon Cattle breed and all of its many shapes and sizes.  And if you live in the U.S., 400 years of Devon history is something even more amazing to celebrate. Red Devon USA is the host organization for this amazing road trip, and they gave us a little taste of the families and...
Published 01/10/24
It’s time for the mashup!  The Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Growers’ Association once again hosted 30,000 (plus) attendees at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, and we were there to see (and interview, and livestream, and…everything) all of it! Maybe lots of it.  Part of it.  Okay, so we got what we could again this year, but this is the kind of wonderful occasion that we still haven’t seen most of, no matter how much we run or how many relatives we co-opt to help out. You can...
Published 12/14/23
Here at Backyard Green Films, we’re getting ready to celebrate the 400-year anniversary of the Devons coming to America with our Plymouth to Plimoth documentary.  In preparation for this event (and our film!), we spoke with Tom Begley, Deputy Director for Collections Research and Public Engagement at Plimoth Patuxet Museum.  Doesn’t the site of the Pilgrim connection seem like a wonderful podcast for today’s Thanksgiving holiday?  We thought so, too. In addition, we hope you join us in April...
Published 11/23/23
Our podcast guests today are Jeri Robinson Lawrence and daughter Irina Lawrence Mathias.  This hardworking mother/daughter team has contributed a few soundbites in between Points A, B, C and X in the rush of the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival every year, but as they’re the ones that everyone needs something from at all times, a relaxed moment has been hard to come by with these two. So we went to the mountain (so to speak, although it’s southern Pennsylvania just west of the...
Published 11/09/23
You know how there’s always someone who not only goes the extra mile, but looks good while they do it?  And does it with a genuine smile, to top it off.  That’s Christine Hulse, from Hulse Hill Farm.  Just outside of Cooperstown on a little slice of heaven, this tireless woman has set up shop (and her farm shop).  She excels at all things she puts her mind to:  She runs a blissful farm stay B&B and is a hostess extraordinaire; she’s a businesswoman and the co-owner of her fiber company...
Published 10/18/23
On today’s podcast, transport yourself to the lonely, glorious green pastures of the eastern side of Scotland.  We have a lovely conversation with Jillian McEwen of Lunan Bay Farms, and among many of our topics, we spoke of the joys of farming on the shores of the North Sea, the differences between her Cashmere and Boer goats (two of her three varieties), some out-of-the-box ideas to diversify goat farming, and the ways goats can contribute to education.  Never thought those words might go...
Published 10/09/23
Elara and I met Phil Pass last month on our travels in Scotland at the House of Tartan in Crieff. We struck up a conversation with him and noticed that they had a Go Fund Me campaign that said Keep Scottish Bonnets Alive in Scotland. He described what it was for and so we grabbed our camera and mics and said this is too important and you need to tell us all about this. THE STORY: We've just lost Scotland's last Bonnet production line. The one that's been making Traditional Scottish Headwear...
Published 09/25/23
As we continue the Tartan & Tweed tour in the United Kingdom, Elara follows up last week's interview with Barry's partner Chris Sander. Chris takes Elara on a tour of the farm and their prized rams and ewes. Chris discusses the different colors of the Leicester Longwool and his affinity for the black color.   The group is getting ready for a couple of shows in Buck County and Dorset over the weekend. If you notice the picture of Chris, I believe they did fairly...
Published 09/12/23
We're excited to announce that we're in the midst of our Tartan and Tweed Tour 2023!  The one stop we couldn't miss along the M-1 was a visit to Leicester, home of Robert Bakewell - the man who transformed agricultural practices as we know them today. Our conversation is with Barry Evans, custodian of a flock of one of the most famous examples of Robert Bakewell's efforts:  The Leicester Longwool Sheep.  Barry talks with us about the history of this breed and the organization that is...
Published 08/31/23
The big UK trip is almost here, and we’re prepping for the Edinburgh Castle Tattoo with a visit to the National Western Stock Show, and the Scottish Highland Cattle show.  Those bagpipes and tartans get us every time, no matter what the event. In today’s podcast, we grabbed a moment in the cattle barns with Audra Hall of Clearwater Spring Highlands in Brighton, Colorado.  Audra was somewhere between the fluff and fold cycle that goes on in a mad rush before the annual show and sale.  Elara...
Published 07/31/23
Today we have a (Elara-has-had-too-much-coffee-and-dirt) podcast interview with Andrew Conroy, B.S., M.S., PhD, who is a two-time Fulbright Scholar, professor at the University of New Hampshire, and man who can claim way too many other accomplishments to mention here.   Dr. Conroy has wrote the book on oxen (Really.  He wrote more than one, and you can follow the link below to buy them for yourself).  On more than one continent, he is the guy that everyone mentions when someone wants to know...
Published 07/13/23
So first...today you'll be hearing from Anne DeRousie, a board member of the breed organization known as Red Devon USA, who also happens to be the resident history buff.  We love those. Our conversation took place on a beautiful balmy and slightly breezy day, straight from the lush green pastures of her Adventureland Farm, in the Fingerlakes region of New York State. You'll hear more from other members of Red Devon USA this year, and more about their Bowman Left, in terms of breeding...
Published 06/28/23
In all of the mad rushing about around the country, sometimes we forget that there are some really fantastic things close to home.  This week’s podcast celebrates that with a trip to nearby Ramona for the Family Farm Expo, put on by the folks at Roobeez.  As holds true to many of the critters you’ll find there, this event is a combination of things.  Chicken meetup and poultry swap, sure, but also filled with little booths displaying lovelies like handcrafted soaps, fresh herbs, honey...
Published 06/11/23
Straight from the Clairmont neighborhood Garden Walk, growing maven DeLayne Harmon will join us today on our podcast to tell us more about the how one earns the title “Master Gardener.” It’s a happy and sad one for us today, but especially in this month, reminders of growth and regrowth are ever-present. Happy May Day to the ladies of our lives – flowers, feathers, and...
Published 05/22/23
Today we speak with Dale Cunningham, who is the patient and personal man responsible for training the equine portion of the patrol.  Second, we have Officer Emily Herbpst, who rides a mustang and is a small but mighty person who I have the feeling “don’t take no guff off a bartender.”  (Thank you, Mr. McMurtry). We got to meet them and their horses Ollie and Maverick at this year's National Western Stock Show in Denver. They were very gracious with their time to speak with us about the...
Published 05/05/23
This week Rick is in England filming on our upcoming docu-series Plymouth to Plymouth.  Unfortunately I couldn't go with him, as some of you may have heard that I broke my foot and had to have surgery, but I hope to get to visit there soon. He met up with John and Bonnie Hall from the American Milking Devon Cattle Association and they set out to speak with some of the farmers  about the Red Ruby Devon, which is where the Milking Devon cattle originated from in the Devon area of England.  In...
Published 04/23/23
It’s the season!  Okay, so it could be many seasons, but the Easter holiday is upon us and everything is bursting with life, so we’ll concentrate on the cute stuff like Spring and fluffy sheep.  And the one we have today is definitely fluffy, but only if unshorn. Today we’re talking with Erin Bradt of Helder-Herdwyck Farm about the Herdwick Sheep.  This sturdy little creature has a different look, a perpetual smile, and some serious survival creds.  Viking lore, Beatrix Potter, the National...
Published 04/06/23
In honor of Spring, lambing season and all things herding, today we’re welcoming Tayen Albrandt and Willow the Border Collie to our podcast.  It’s only fitting to return the favor, since we met them when Willow did a stint as the door greeter at the Event Center during the National Western stock dog trials.  Tayen and Willow spoke with us for a quick moment before their cattle herding moment in the sun (Okay so it was freezing snow, but you know what we mean).  Willow was not only extremely...
Published 03/22/23
We hail our friend, the tireless vet A humbler man we’ve never met And praise he’ll very rarely get  From cow or sheep or avocet John Ewing is the dear man’s name The Stock Show is his claim to fame (And cheetahs and some real wild game) But fields a fearsome rugby game  We leave you with this kindly man (with bison he has also ran) We now are veterinary fans The whole darn agri-Culture clan Links: https://nationalwestern.com https://bisoncentral.com Support the show
Published 03/09/23
Jim Matheson, Executive Director of the National Bison Association, took a few moments to speak with us during the Buffalo and the Bison loadouts (No, we’re just being goofy – both are now accepted in common speech, as you’ll hear).  We don’t know if he knows Ted Turner, but he does know his marketing stuff, and is a great representative of this wild and wooly breed of livestock.  They might seem like the new kids on the block in the world of protein, but they’ve been on this continent longer...
Published 02/24/23
There were many exciting things at this year’s National Western Stock Show, but one of the highlights was the group meeting up on the side pens of the Event Center.  The Bison people were there in force, and the critters they came with stole the show, even if it was 25 degrees and snowing.  Especially since it was that cold, because in the frigid air the already impressive and feisty beasts were breathing out steam from their nostrils like something out of The Hobbit.   Today, we’re sharing a...
Published 02/10/23