NCAT Southeast staff members. Back row, left to right: Linda Coffey, Livestock Specialist; Luke Freeman, Horticulture Specialist; Margo Hale, Southeast Regional Office Director. Front row, left to right: Nina Prater, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist/Outreach Coordinator; Robyn Metzger, Program Assistant; Guy Ames, Horticulture Specialist. The NCAT Southeast Regional Office NCAT opened an office in Fayetteville, Arkansas,… Continue Reading
Horticulture Specialist
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to help people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources. NCAT is seeking a Horticulture Specialist to work on local and national sustainable agriculture projects. NCAT works to foster and… Continue Reading
Novel Nutrient Management Method: Applying Poultry Litter in Subsurface Bands
By Nina Prater, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Getting nutrients right in farming is a balancing act. When planning to apply fertilizers and soil amendments, farmers must consider their soil type, climate, the time of year, the crops they are raising, water availability, soil health, water quality concerns, and the nuances of the many different macro- and micronutrients that plants require. The way nutrients are applied is also an important consideration.… Continue Reading
Welcoming Carlos Vences, NCAT’s New SARC Program Assistant
We are excited to have a new staff member in NCAT’s Southeast office—and not just because he owns dairy goats and we’re looking forward to a farm visit during kidding season. Carlos Vences joined us recently as NCAT’s new Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Communities (SARC) Program Assistant. Although he’s based in NCAT‘s Fayetteville, Arkansas, office, Carlos will lend a hand to NCAT programs across the U.S. As the… Continue Reading
Fruit and the Freeze of 2021
Better Than I Feared but Worse Than It Looks By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Photo at right: Peach flowers from a previous spring, a sight we won’t be seeing much of this year because of the deep freeze. A dipping polar vortex delivered a cruel and chilling Valentine’s gift to the Midwest and… Continue Reading
Providing Water to Livestock in Frigid Weather
By Linda Coffey, Margo Hale, and Dave Scott, NCAT Livestock Specialists Weather events bring all sorts of challenges to livestock producers, but perhaps none more than severe winter weather. The bitterly cold temperatures in February 2021 sparked a conversation among NCAT Livestock Specialists about how we provide water to stock during such times. Since spring… Continue Reading
Juneberry: the Delicious Native American Fruit with a Thousand Names
By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist At right: Juneberry fruits look quite like medium-sized blueberries, but the juneberry is actually much more closely related to apples and pears. Photo: Guy Ames, NCAT. Of the many names for this plant, “chuckleberry” is certainly my favorite, but I’ve only seen it in writing, never heard it… Continue Reading
Getting Started in Livestock: Lessons Learned
By Linda Coffey, NCAT Livestock Specialist Thinking back to 1986 and our first farm is a fun thing to do. From then until now, we’ve raised a lot of livestock and have done several types of enterprises—feeder to finish, dairy, eggs, breeding stock, birth to finish. NCAT Southeast Regional Director and Livestock Specialist Margo Hale… Continue Reading
Farm Equipment and Infrastructure
By Margo Hale, NCAT Southeast Regional Director, Armed to Farm Program Director, and Agriculture Specialist Last week, I shared a few thoughts about getting started with livestock. In the Getting Started with Livestock Podcast, NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey and I discussed our farm goals, how our livestock enterprises help us meet those goals, and… Continue Reading
Getting Started with Livestock
By Margo Hale, NCAT Southeast Regional Director, Armed to Farm Program Director, and Agriculture Specialist My day begins with a hot cup of coffee and a quick check of our farm. What a thrill to find a new baby calf from our Belted Galloways, to watch the antics of our pig, to have my girls… Continue Reading