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...

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...

We’re back from the National Western Stock Show, and we thought we’d exit January with mules (no…backside-of-things jokes today, though it was tempting).  Mules are some of our favorite animals, and not just because they have names like “50 Shades of Foxy.”  The aptly-named Foxy and her owner Tabitha Holland of Signature Equine take a moment to bring 50% horse, 50% donkey and 120% of gorgeous muleness out of the stall to speak with us about the combinations that make life wonderful.   We’ll...

Today, we’re speaking with Christy, who is an old friend of mine. This podcast came into being, because last October, Christy and her son Luke met up with us in Rhinebeck for the New York State Sheep and Wool festival.  On one of the evenings when we lifted our tired feet off the floor, we had a conversation about taxes and accounting, as often happens, and it migrated into the joys of the Schedule F – Farm Income, and went from there. I hope today’s content is a little bit interesting even...

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Well as you might know (or maybe not), Elara does let me get out on my own every once in a while. This past Fall, my brother and I went on a cross country road trip from San Diego, CA to Rhinebeck, NY.  We were headed back to New York to film the NY Sate Sheep and Wool Festival and I thought it would be great to do a brothers road trip. My brother has not gotten to see much of the west and so I wanted him to see some of this great country's sites. There are many that we visited from...

The New York State Sheep & Wool Festival was just last month, and it’s Thanksgiving already.  We’ve got a podcast for you from the wild and wooly, festive and colorful event.  If you’re in a work truck or jeans ad with all of those good looking farm people tossing bales of hay around, you might get the impression that anyone who produces food or fiber in America is…well, pretty vanilla.  And considering how many of our ag products are an amalgamation of cultures and peoples throughout...

We’re (almost) all back from the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival, aka “Rhinebeck,” to those in the fiber universe.  It was (largely) a success, as our Livestream event went (mostly) as planned.  You can watch the workshops, shows and other snippets for yourself on our YouTube channel if you missed the lively weekend, and see the fantastic Fall colors that were on display as a backdrop for the Camelid and sheep parades and cashmere goat judging (or was the cashmere goat jumping?  Nope...

This past weekend we attended the NY State Sheep and Wool Festival, also known as Rhinebeck...which of course is in Rhinebeck, New York. It has become an annual pilgrimage for Rick and I.  We love coming back to the Hudson Valley this time of year, there's a brisk in the air, the fall colors are beautiful, and the sheep people are in town...not only the sheep people, but the goats, angora rabbits, llamas, musk oxen, and alpacas too.  It's just wonderful!  Today's guest is Mary Badcock. Fiber...

This month is the traditional time to celebrate Halloween, so we have a creepy crawly podcast for you this time around.  Maia Holmes from The Bug Zoo at Colorado State University sits down to talk turkey with us.  Oops – that’s next month.  Maia sits down with us to talk about all things insects, what the Bug Zoo does, and why these poor critters are completely undeserving of the reputation they have and the reaction they engender.  She reminds us that it’s not just the bees that can be a...

Today we’re bringing you a conversation from the exotic location of…San Diego!  The American Sheep Industry Association’s annual meeting this year was held in our home city, and we managed to be at home to catch it.   Today, we’re speaking with Scott Stuart, Managing Director for the National Livestock Producers Association.  He discussed how this national nonprofit organization helps its members through one of the more prickly parts of agriculture – the financial side of the equation. ...

We’re back from our trip to the San Juan Islands, which can comfortably be said to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  It’s full of natural beauty and interesting creatures, so on the way over to geographical bliss, you’ll stand on the windswept deck of the Anacortes ferry, viewing and smelling glorious the forested stretches of Sitka spruce, western red cedar and shore pines which blanket the shoreline of the Salish Sea and the Olympic Peninsula.  You’ll be amazed by the...

Fall might seem to be the beginning of the end for some things - leaves, the start of move toward the final season of the year, and a dormant time.  But for some, it is a time of beginnings;  a new school year, and the move toward a new life.  What do I want to do and where will I go?  Like farmers, the decisions that a student makes might impact their path for the next 50 years. We have one of those with us today.  Kyley Abrams is just starting her second year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo...

David Kline is one of the Plain People, but to us he is anything but boring.  He’s a naturalist, writer, farmer and all-around interesting man.  He joined us at the 2021 Horse Progress Days exhibition in Mt. Hope, Ohio.   Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7UPDPK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 https://horseprogressdays.com   Support the show

Last fall Elara and I had the opportunity to travel to Colorado and go to CSU in Ft. Collins. There we met up with  Professor Frank Dayan who teaches and studies Plant Physiology, Biochemistry, Mode of Action,  and Biosynthesis. He had a 20-year career as a research plant physiologist for the USDA-ARS, before coming to Colorado State University.  He and the team at the weed lab (no not that kind of weed) are a fascinating bunch, who love what they do. So, please enjoy our conversation with...

This week's episode is with guest interviewer ABGA  Executive Director Katie Carruth, as she speaks with Judge Phil Myers about the ins and outs of grading livestock in the ring. Links: https://www.abga.org Support the show

James Reams (1956-2022) So many songs to sing; and so little time to sing them. That was the mantra of James Reams, beloved and well-known Bluegrass performer and song writer. Because of his driving promotion of Bluegrass and Americana music, he had earned several nicknames durning his lifetime that reflected his contributions to the genre; Kentucky Songbird, Father of Brooklyn Bluegrass, and Ambassador of Bluegrass.  Unfortunately for those of us who loved him, and the many people who were...

We won’t be bringing you our typical podcast for the next few weeks, because we’re doing a Bowman left.  Those of you who are regular listeners might remember that that’s the swerve in plans we tend to do if we find something interesting to pick up.  Sometimes that’s sudden, sometimes expected, but either way it’s a departure from our norm. We’re about to get on a plane to head to Grand Island, Nebraska, because this week is the 2022 American Boer Goat Association’s National Show.  Last year...

The Chowchilla FFA has earned the title of State Champions for Dairy Cattle Evaluation, and we have two of those proud titleholding individuals with us today.  Mr. Brad Bitter, FFA Advisor, and his student Sydney Alexander politely allowed us to waylay them for a quick conversation amid the bustling halls of the 2021 FFA Convention.   Staying true to the nature of Californians, there’s no shortage of topical variety - Though we are Californians, after all, so we did include drought, fire,...

We met up with Paul and Darlene  Miller from Windy Creek Farm in New York while we were at the  annual North American Suffolk Horse meetup at the Ashtabula County fairgrounds in Ohio. As usual we were on our way to Horse Progress Days and decided to take a Bowman left.  There aren’t that many Suffolk Punch horses around anymore.  It’s really a shame, because a rich history, smarts, and hardworking traits all in one compact package aren’t as common as you would hope anymore.  We enjoyed our...

Have you ever seen one of those commercials for an all-American heavy-duty truck, with an all-American cowboy or farmer?  They’re usually off-loading dirty-but-not-too-dirty hay into a field, parked on a majestic mesa, with the sun shining about. There’s not a lot of sweat, and perfectly-placed dirt on all the faces.  No dirt on the cows, either.  It’s lovely and stirs the patriotic soul.  But the glories that can be achieved with a model, perfect lighting and a 20-person crew are not the...

Every once in a great while you meet people who are just plain special. The Hostetler Family and the company they run, Mountain Meadow Wool, is a true family affair. Now, we aren't talking of just the related kind, but the Hostetler's run their business and treat everyone who works for them as family. Rick and I saw this first hand as we filmed there in Buffalo, Wyoming last week. So, today we bring you part two of our story from Mountain Meadow Wool. We speak with Karen's son Ben, as he...

We’re back from the cold and snowy north.  Our trip to Mountain Meadow Mill in Buffalo, Wyoming was delightful, and today we’re bringing you a conversation with Karen Hostetler, its founder – who is also the matriarch of a fast-growing clan of Hostetlers.   They were a truly nice bunch, and we’ll definitely want to go back again after this trip (even after next week’s podcast with Ben, aka Hostetler #2).  The Wyoming and Montana regions are full of many things, even though many people don’t...

We’re back on the road, and we’re celebrating this Spring burst of energy with a giveaway from Premier 1 Supplies.  Joe Putnam will give us a quick check in on the shipping news, and we tell you how to put your hat in the ring for the freebee.  And next time…not just the old run of the mill. ...

In honor of all of us surviving an overload of people, places and holidays in the news this month, we’re giving you another conjunction – the FFA and the Collegian FFA and Farm Bureau Chapter Ag Club at SUNY Morrisville.  And a Mustang.  And a tractor.  And 60,000 kids (okay, we didn’t have the 60,000 kids on the mic, but they were all there in the background somewhere in the building). The practice of agriculture is not just only a “raise either cows or pigs or wheat or corn” thing anymore...