Down to Earth: The Planet to Plate Podcast

Trevor Warmedahl's new book, Cheese Trekking: How Microbes, Landscapes, Livestock, and Human Cultures Shape Terroir, documents natural cheesemaking practices in traditional communities. Warmedahl is a cheesemaker, educator, and founder of the Sour Milk School, where he teaches natural methods of milk fermentation suitable for the home, farm, restaurant, or commercial operation. The book recounts his travels to Mongolia, India, Norway, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Georgia, and Spain, where he met cheesemakers using practices that go back generations and result in cheeses with flavor and "terroir" far beyond anything he'd ever encountered. And the pastoralists who make them have deep connections to their land and animals, and are doing a kind of agriculture that heals the land and promotes biodiversity.

Steve Glass is board chair of Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, which is hosting the annual Land and Water Summit: March 4-6 of this year at the at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Albuquerque, New Mexico. This year's theme is "Reciprocity with Nature," and it's all about turning even the most arid cities into oases of stewardship where every drop that falls from the sky is used for to nourish the soil, wildlife, and people.

Charlie Shultz is back on Down to Earth to update us on the thriving greenhouse programs in Santa Fe—and the explosion of interest around the world. He teaches aquaponics and hydroponics at Santa Fe Community College, and is helping people around the world not only to learn to do indoor agriculture, but also to run successful businesses.

Joe Heinrich comes from a multi-generation Iowa farming family. As executive director of the non-profit Farm-to-Power, he's helping farmers to navigate the new world of renewable energy. Solar and wind developers are looking for land, which farmers have; farmers are looking for extra income steams, which energy can provide. But what happens to land with utility-scale energy installations? Some farmers are making sure that the panels are high enough off the ground that cattle can graze under them—and take advantage of the shade they provide. Others are grazing sheep under the panels, providing landscaping services and keeping the land healthy. Still others are growing crops. All of these are examples of agrovoltaics, or what Heinrich calls "double cropping"—harvesting food and energy at the same time.

Dr. Caitlin Youngquist started out wanting to be a veterinarian, but then discovered soil science and was so taken by it that she got a PhD, and has devoted her career to serving farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. A practitioner and promoter of regenerative agriculture, she has worked with Conservation Districts, non-profit orgs, Extension, and her own small business, Dirt Works Wyoming, a company that provides compost statewide. She uses science as a tool to solve on-the-ground problems, which range from crops and livestock issues to mental health, family dynamics, and food insecurity. She also guides hunting programs for women, is a volunteer firefighter. TIMELINE 2'22 how Caitlin discovered agriculture and soil science 3'33 the value of applied science for solving real problems 4'23 what is Extension 4'52 the non-elitist focus of extension, taking academic research to the people 6'54 how extension actually works 8'40 food insecurity and food deserts in an agricultural state, starting a food garden 11'30 making sure initiatives last beyond their founder 13'17 taking the holistic/social work perspective as an extension educator 14'39 people get isolated on their farms 16'31 the importance of letting go of a scarcity/competition mindset and sharing knowledge 18'28 difficulty making generational transition of management 20'12 the difficulty in calling for help with family conflicts 22'17 the difference between complicated and complex systems 24'59 analogies between soil health and community health 27'17 efficiency vs resiliency 29'37 the one nation that feeds itself has high biodiversity and regenerative ag 30'21 making sure local food is not an elite activity 32'40 becoming a hunter 34'21 why hunting is so powerful for women in particular 40'05 whether hunting supports species conservation 42'29 compost company Dirt Works Wyoming 44'14 agriculture and soil science as a great career for young people to consider 45'47 drcaitlinyoungquist.com