Super Smart Farm Show

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're sowing seeds of knowledge by asking how do farmers know how deep to plant their seeds. It's time to get seeds in the ground, but hang on a second. What's the right right depth for planting corn? What about carrots? How do farming keep track of it all? Is there a special farm school where they can learn this kind of thing? Join host Elmer and Sammy the scarecrow as they discuss how farmers plant seeds at the right depth. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com! For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, host Elmer explores the science of seed planting depth during peak spring planting season, answering a listener question from Juniper about how farmers know how deep to plant seeds. With help from Sammy the Scarecrow, the show explains that seed size, stored energy, and soil type all play critical roles in proper planting depth—larger seeds like corn and beans are planted deeper because they have more energy to reach sunlight, while smaller seeds must stay near the surface. The episode highlights how farmers rely on a combination of agricultural knowledge, experience, seed packet guidelines, and modern tools like planters and seed drills to ensure successful germination and crop growth. It also introduces young listeners to agricultural education, farm technology, and real-world farming practices, reinforcing that correct seed placement is essential for healthy crops and a successful harvest.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're springing into action to find out if dandelions are really that bad or if they just get a bad rap. Dandelions are one of the first signs of spring, but many people see them as annoying weeds that need to be removed from yards, fields and gardens. But why all the hate? Could those little yellow flowers actually provide some benefits? Join host Elmer and Beatrice the bee as they discuss dandelions and why it might be a good ideas to let them grow. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com! For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer explores the surprising benefits of dandelions in lawns and agriculture, reframing the common weed as a valuable part of the ecosystem. With help from Beatrice the Bee, the show explains how dandelions support pollinators like bees and butterflies by providing early spring nectar and pollen, especially in urban and suburban areas with limited flowering plants. Listeners also learn how dandelions benefit wildlife and livestock, serving as food for birds, rabbits, deer and farm animals, while even contributing to nest-building for species like hummingbirds. The episode highlights the plant's role in soil health, explaining how deep taproots bring nutrients to the surface and improve soil aeration, helping surrounding plants grow. It also covers the history of dandelions as a nutritious food source for humans, including uses like dandelion root tea.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're putting away our winter coats and rolling up our sleeves to figure out how farmers know when it's time to plant corn. If farmers plant corn too early, cold weather will keep it from growing. But if they wait too long, they won't be able to grow as much. So how do farmers know when the time is right to get those seeds in the ground? Join host Elmer and Sawyer the soil scientist as they dig down to the truth about how farmers know when the time is right. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com! For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here This episode of the Super Smart Farm Show explores how farmers grow corn, breaking down the science behind planting crops in a fun, kid-friendly way. The show highlights the critical role of soil conditions in agriculture, explaining that corn planting depends on soil temperature reaching at least 50°F, proper soil moisture levels, and favorable weather patterns. Farmers use tools like soil thermometers, why seeds are planted at specific depths, and how timing — typically in April and May — varies by region. The episode emphasizes the importance of patience, environmental awareness, and smart decision-making in farming, while reinforcing key concepts like preventing seed rot, avoiding frost damage, and maximizing crop yield—making it an engaging educational resource on corn production, spring planting, and modern farming practices.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're looking for early signs of spring — specifically the arrival of spring flowers like daffodils. There's nothing like seeing the first daffodils, crocuses or aconites popping up to signal that spring has arrived. But how do those flowers know it's time to start growing? Do they have tiny, underground calendars? Or is there something else going on in the soil? Join host Elmer and farmer Clementine as they talk about how these kinds of flowers know when to start growing. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com! For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this spring-themed episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer explores the science behind how flowers like daffodils know when to bloom, diving into the fascinating world of bulb plants and seasonal growth cycles. With help from farmer Clementine, listeners learn that bulbs act as underground storage units packed with energy, allowing flowers to grow at just the right time. The episode explains key concepts like plant dormancy, where bulbs rest throughout winter, and vernalization, the cold-weather process (35–45°F) that resets a bulb's internal clock and triggers spring growth. Young listeners also discover how temperature, sunlight, moisture and soil conditions signal bulbs to sprout, and how stored carbohydrates fuel early growth before leaves appear. The show highlights why proper gardening practices—like planting bulbs in fall and allowing leaves to recharge energy after blooming—are essential for healthy plants, making it an engaging and educational guide to spring flowers, plant biology and beginner gardening science.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, it's about time we settled the debate: Does daylight saving time actually help farmers? Why do we set the clock forward an hour in the spring and backward in the fall? Does it really have anything to do with farming? Or, could it be that daylight saving time doesn't really help farmers at all? Join host Elmer and Bessie the cow as they figure out why we insist on messing with the clocks twice a year. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com!

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're holding our noses and diving into a stinky subject: managing manure on the farm. The truth is, cows, chickens, horses and other farm animals poop and it can pile up quickly if farmers don't take care of the situation. But what do they do with all that manure? They can't flush it away! Instead, farmers use a variety of techniques to manage manure so their farms stay clean and safe for the animals and people living and working on them. And get this, farmers have figured out how to use manure to help them farm! Join host Elmer and farmer Wendy as they talk about how farmers manage all that manure. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com!

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're taking a break from having snowball fights to talk about how snow helps farmers. When some people see snow, they think about fun things, like snowmen and sledding. Others see snow and think about all the extra work that comes with it, like shoveling. But how do farmers feel about snow? Does it just mean a lot of extra work or could there be some benefits? Could it be that snow is actually good for the farm? Join host Elmer and farmer Clementine as they discuss all the ways snow is good for farms and farmers.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're venturing into the dark to shed some light how farmers grow mushrooms. Most plants and crops need sunlight to grow, but not mushrooms. Mushrooms thrive in the dark, so the farmers who grow them keep them in special buildings where they can control the amount of light. But that's not the only thing that makes growing mushrooms different than growing corn or wheat. Join host Elmer and Millie the mushroom as they discover how mushrooms are grown on farms. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com!

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're taking a trip to the library to check out one of our favorite farming books, 'Charlotte's Web,' by E.B. White. Generations of children have loved the story of Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider, but just how realistic is the farm portrayed in 'Charlotte's Web?' How did E.B. White know how to write about farm animals? Do pigs really go to county fairs? Join host Elmer and Lucy the librarian as they dive into the world of 'Charlotte's Web' to discover what makes E.B. White's writing so terrific. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com!

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're stopping by the chicken coop to learn why chickens and roosters are such a chatty bunch. Chickens and roosters make all kinds of sounds, but what are they trying to say? What's the difference between a gentle cluck and an ear-splitting squawk? And did you know that chickens and roosters make different noises in different languages? Join host Elmer and Roy the rooster as they get to the bottom of this listener-submitting question of why chickens squawk, cackle and cluck. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com!

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're heading out to the barn to learn all about how tractors power the tools they pull behind them, from balers to tillers. Tractors pull a variety of tools behind them, but tractors engines, the source of these tools' power, are all the way up front. So how does the power from the engine travel all the way back to those tools? The answer lies in a tractor part called the power take-off. But what is a power take-off and how does it work? Join host Elmer and Frank the farmer as they figure out the answers and learn how power take-off keeps those mowers mowing and tillers tilling.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're getting our gobble on and looking at why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Nowadays, turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving table. But did you know that at the very first Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag in 1621, turkey was nowhere to be seen! What was eaten instead? And who do we have to thank for introducing turkey as our go-to Thanksgiving meal? Join host Elmer and Wendy the farmer as they figure out the answers and learn about how Thanksgiving became what it is today.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're going underground to find out how soil helps plants grow. Listen as host Elmer and Sawyer the soil scientist talk about the tiny organisms and networks alive under our feet and learn the difference between soil and plain old dirt.