FarmHouse

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking to Julia Inslee, owner of Locust Hollow Farm in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Inslee has lived on the farm since her parents purchased the property in the late 1970s. At the time, it was home to a farmhouse, a few rundown barns and several acres of untended land. Over the next few decades, Inslee's family transformed the property. In 2010, Inslee started a dairy sheep operation and now raises East Friesians for milk and fiber. "One of the major misconceptions about sheep is that they're all the same," Inslee said. "Every single ewe has a very different personality, and when you're with them on a daily basis, that really comes out." Though Locust Hollow sells fiber from its sheep, Inslee's main focus is dairy: sheep's milk, yogurt and cheese. Inspired by childhood trips to cheese shops in Philadelphia, Inslee taught herself how to make cheese with her sheep's milk, which she saw as an opportunity for additional income. "I started experimenting and those first batches of cheese, they were terrible," Inslee said of the learning curve. "I think it took about five years to really get a good routine down and really figure out which cheeses worked for me." Inslee now makes and sells a variety of sheep's milk cheeses, including feta and a Manchego-style cheese rubbed with rosemary grown on the farm and named "Rosy Morning." Inslee sells her products at several local markets and enjoys the opportunity to educate the public about sheep's milk products. "I think we're on the cusp of the general public being a little bit more aware of sheep's milk products," she said. "People in general, customers now are looking for something other than cheddar."

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're ushering in the holiday season with a special seasonal episode featuring an interview with Kelly Piccioni, Penn State's Christmas tree-focused Extension educator. Piccioni comes from a family with roots in selling Christmas trees. Her great-grandfather began selling trees he bought off the Orange Car—a railway-side produce stand that opened in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the 1930s. Her grandparents continued the tradition when they bought what is now the family's Christmas tree farm, Geissler Tree Farms. "Christmas trees is pretty much where our family story really began," Piccioni said. As Pennsylvania's sole Extension educator who specializes in Christmas trees, Piccioni's work takes her all over the state as she works with growers to overcome challenges like recent droughts. "I've been out in Christmas tree fields more than I've really been in an office," Piccioni said, adding that she enjoys knowing her work contributes toward people's holiday traditions. "People are excited this year to find that joy in Christmas," she said. "And Christmas tree growers think so hard all year long about what they can add to their farm or the customer experience to make it magical." In addition to talking with Piccioni, we discuss family cookie-baking traditions, including German-inspired chocolate chip meringues and a debate over the correct thickness for sugar cookies. We'll also touch on a couple holiday traditions from around the world, so join us for the tales of the Belsnickel and St. Lucia.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking to Casey Wisch, co-owner of Long Stone Farm in Lovettsville, Virginia. Wisch's interest in farming began in college. After graduating, she spent time in New Zealand and Australia where she first encountered permaculture and experienced being part of an agricultural community. When she returned to the U.S., she and her now husband began working toward founding Long Stone Farm. "We wanted to start this grazing operation and we wanted to produce good clean meat for our community, and we wanted to pursue a better path forward for our own farm," said Wisch. "And so it was kind of those values and ideas that drove us to start Long Stone Farm." At Long Stone Farm, Wisch and her husband raise pastured beef, pork, poultry and eggs with a focus on sustainability. They were recently honored for their hard work with a Grand Basin Clean Water Farm Award. The award is given to Virginia farmers who have implemented conservation practices to protect water quality. "This is a lifetime achievement award for me," said Wisch. A meeting with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation further inspired Wisch to continue sustainable farming efforts. "They showed the different watersheds and we got a really clear understanding of exactly where our runoff goes and what that day-to-day work really means in terms of watershed health," Wisch said. "And it was really amazing to know that those day-to-day decisions are really impacting our overall region." When she's not focused on keeping her farm sustainable, Wisch is busy marketing the operation and raising the family's four children. She wears many hats but knows she's doing what she was meant to do. "There's multitasking happening all the time. There's things that need care and attention and details. And I think women are set up for this. We were made to do this," Wisch said.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're returning to the haunted farmhouse for some seasonal fun and spine-tingling tales from the farm. In this episode, we'll be sharing four spooky stories that take place on farms or in rural communities because, let's face it, scary stories from the city just don't have quite the same chilling effect as those set out in the country. For our first tale, we'll travel to Robertson County, Tennessee, where the Bell family came to farm in the early 1800s. Unfortunately for the Bells, a spirit that would become known as the Bell Witch wasn't happy with them and wasn't afraid to let them — and anyone else who visited the farm — know about it, including a future president. Next, we're stopping by the Brinton Lodge in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. The lodge is currently home to the Hidden River Brewing Co., but the building has been a host to plenty of spirits long before beer. Then we'll hear a spooky parable about a stingy farmer who refuses to rebuild his dilapidated barn, despite his wife's requests. When a stranger appears and offers the farmer a deal that seems to good to be true, it's up to his wife to save the day — and potentially his soul. Finally, we're headed to Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to hear the legend of the hounds of Colebrook Furnace. Mistreated by their cruel ironmaster owner, the hounds allegedly pursue their revenge in the afterlife. According to local lore, you can still hear them howling around the area at night.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Tonya Van Slyke, the longtime executive director of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association. Van Slyke grew up on her family's 250-cow dairy farm in New York. "I think my quest to be a leader in the industry came from my involvement in both 4-H and FFA," she said. "That's really where my desire to utilize my voice and be an advocate for the industry came from." After working at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine as a project manager, Van Slyke joined the Northeast Dairy Producers Association as its first full-time executive director. During her tenure at NEDPA, Van Slyke helped launch the Ag Workforce Development Council and a labor roadshow, initiatives designed to strengthen farm labor education and communication. Van Slyke's work has also involved advocacy and making sure farmers have a seat at the table. A memorable event from her time partnering with the Grow New York Farms coalition involved parking a tractor on the front lawn of the New York State Capitol and welcoming hundreds of farmers to talk about the future of agriculture in the state. "Empowering people to have a seat at the table and to use their voice and be solutions-based," she said. "That's really what the success of NEDPA has been founded on." Recently, Van Slyke received the Leaving It Better Award from the New York State Fair, recognizing her lasting impact on the agricultural community. "What that award means to me is that it was a recognition of the partnerships that I've been part of throughout the last 13 years," she said. "And that is more meaningful to me than I can express in words because so many of my colleagues have become friends and we've done some really good work together, and it hasn't all been easy, but it's been meaningful."

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Aubrey Fornwalt, the founder and owner of Full Circle Bioconversion in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Full Circle uses black soldier flies to convert food waste from the surrounding community into manure and compost. Fornwalt also sells the black soldier fly larvae as feed to poultry operations. It's the first bioconversion operation of its kind in the state. Fornwalt didn't always want to be in the decomposition business. She began her career as a graphic designer, and although she was composting her own food waste, she felt she could be doing more. Fornwalt began researching permaculture and soon bought her first fly larvae. "I just looked up where to buy larvae online and the first batch came from eBay. That was in 2017, I think. And I just didn't stop. I didn't get grossed out. I thought it was pretty cool," she said. Fornwalt now collects food waste from several local restaurants and over 20 households and has become locally known for her bioconversion operation. "I do have the nickname 'The Fly Lady' around town," she joked. "And I wear that as a badge of honor." Once collected, the food waste is processed through a grinder and then fed to the fly larvae. The operation can manage between 250-300 pounds of food waste each day. While the larvae will eat any kind of food waste, Fornwalt noticed they have a preference for junk food. "The larvae themselves eat everything. They eat meat and cheese and bread, like the great American carby diet. They're not picky," Fornwalt said. "But they're more excited about the fat and the protein and the carbs. Definitely the higher fat content, they like that." Since its founding, Full Circle has successfully diverted over 200,000 pounds of food waste from landfills. While that waste would have eventually decomposed on its own, Fornwalt argues bioconversion is the better option. "I think the return on investment with the insects versus mechanical utilization, nature is so much more efficient than we are," she said. "And if we take the time to watch how it works and take cues from it and not necessarily try to outsmart it, I think we could do a lot of really cool things." You can watch the video about Full Circle Bioconversion mentioned in the interview here.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Kathy Smith, the program director for the Ohio Woodland Stewards Program at Ohio State University. Smith knew early on that she wanted to work outside and was interested in natural resource management. Forestry felt like a natural fit. "I appreciate being able to understand the trees and how we can utilize trees to solve problems, make things better, and also help landowners to deal with the issues that they have," Smith said. Smith spent the first 11 years of her career working as a watershed forester with the Ohio Division of Forestry before coming to Ohio State in 2001. As the program director, Smith works closely with farmers on how they can integrate trees into their operations. "A lot of times you're looking at things like windbreaks that would, if placed properly, increase crop production. Or riparian buffers where we can filter out nutrients and pesticides before they hit the body of water," Smith said. She also advises landowners, particularly farmers, on how to use trees to strike a balance between protecting wild animals and limiting their damage to crops. "Different tree species provide different things for wildlife. So you kind of have to think about is this something that is going to be highly desirable by certain species? Maybe that's not what I want to put in this location," Smith said. "You do have to pay attention to what the tree species are and what those benefits are." The key, according to Smith, is appreciating that woodlands are a living ecosystem. Living systems change over time, and property owners need to be prepared to tackle new challenges that may come up, like invasive species. She advises farmers to think of their long-term goals for their land and use those to direct their decisions. "I always tell landowners, whether it's on a napkin or a piece of paper or just in your head, you kind of need to think about what you want from the woods," Smith said.

This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Yemi Amu, the founder and director of Oko Farms, an outdoor aquaponics farm and education center in Brooklyn, New York. Amu is originally from Nigeria and belongs to the Yoruba ethnic group. Her Yoruba roots have influenced much of her work in the U.S., from the name of her operation to the style of farming. Oko is a Yoruba word that loosely translates to farm, but in fact has a deeper tie to agriculture. "The true meaning is a place where agriculture is the center of life and activity," Amu said. "And that's sort of what we're trying to to build at Oko Farms." Amu was drawn to aquaponics in part because water conservation, which is a pressing issue in Nigeria, is inherently integrated into its farming methods. "I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and water conservation was huge for us," Amu said. "So type of aquaculture that centered as a type of agriculture, food production that centered water conservation, was a big deal for me." Oko Farms grows a variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs, which are sold at farmers markets. It also grows fiber-producing plants like flax, which, along with indigo and dye plants, has drawn people interested in textile and fiber arts to the farm. The other side of the aquaponics operation is the fish. Oko Farms features a variety, including carp, catfish and tilapia. Some of the fish are used solely for farming while other are used for food, sometimes at farm-to-table meals or given away to community fridges. Community is at the heart of Oko Farms, which strives in its mission to educate the public. The farm offers classes on wellness, culinary education, textile arts and, of course, aquaponics. Amu and her team welcome visitors to the farm for tours and classes on how they can use aquaponics to grow food for themselves — even if it's on their windowsills or countertops. It's all about sustainability and addressing food justice. "Anyone, anywhere in the world should be able to grow food for themselves if they choose to," said Amu.