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ROBYN METZGER
robynm@ncat.org

A reddish-brown pig stands with face to the sun, almost seeming to be smiling.
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Working the Woods with Pigs — Practical Tips for Silvopasture Success

By Mike Lewis, NCAT Agriculture Specialist  The forest is not merely a backdrop for raising pigs in silvopasture. The forest is a living partner in the cycle of growth and renewal. When pigs are raised thoughtfully among the trees, they become…
Two people in bee suits on either side of an open Langstroth beehive, one of them adding smoke to the hive.
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Mastering Smoke and Serenity: Tips for Beginning Beekeepers

By Eric Fuchs-Stengel, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Back in the olden times, hardscrabble beekeepers worked their hives in the hot sun with no suits or gloves. They would puff on cigars, blowing smoke up around their faces, filling the air underneath…
Light and dark pink cosmos in the field.
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Sales Bloom for Local Cut Flowers

By Audrey Kolde, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Growing up, the only cut flowers I ever saw were the ones handed out at dance recitals: a rose from a proud parent or a carnation from the teacher. These classic blossoms—roses, carnations, and…
Photo of a pile of black biochar.

Congress Members Reintroduce Biochar Research Network Act

The Biochar Research Network Act has been reintroduced in the US House as HR 4764  and in the US Senate as S2450. The legislation has a long list of bipartisan sponsors including Senators Chuck Grassley (IA-R) and Martin Heinrich (NM-D), as…
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The Weight of Water in Every Melon

By Darron Gaus, NCAT Agriculture Specialist  A Taste of July  When I was farming in San Antonio, Texas, one of my favorite crops to grow was watermelon. I would often stop during harvest to sit on the sun-warmed soil, cut open a 10-pound source…
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True Love, Tomatoes, and Trouble: Managing Heat Stress in Tomato Production

By Andy Pressman, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Program Director “Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes, What’d life be without homegrown tomatoes? Only two things that money can’t buy And that’s true love and homegrown…
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The Full Circle of Local Food Systems  

By Maura Henn, NCAT Local Food Systems Specialist  What do farmers markets, locally owned grocery stores, and community compost centers have in common?    If you answered they are all part of a functioning local food system, you would be…
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The Conservation Equation: Water, Wildlife, and Working Lands

By Darron Gaus, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist  Across the arid West, the choices producers make about how they graze, plant, and manage their soil ripple far beyond (and below) the fence line. When producers choose to implement water…
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When Giants Fall: A Story of Service, Soil, and the Long Arc of Belonging

By Mike Lewis, NCAT Senior Manager and Farmer Veteran   https://attra.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/61025-Redwood-Tree.mp4 It was quiet when it happened. Not the kind of quiet that feels empty, but the kind that wraps around you like…