If you have ever stared into the coals of a fire pit, you have witnessed the powerful chemical reaction between heat and organic matter. But what if the blackened remains of a bonfire could be used to grow better food, prevent catastrophic wildfires, and slow the acceleration of climate change?
It’s hard to believe such a low-tech innovation could have so many benefits, but that’s the power of a material called “biochar.”
The charcoal-like substance is made by burning organic material from agricultural and forestry wastes (wood chips, logging slash, manure, or other plant byproducts) in a low-oxygen environment. This process, called pyrolysis, heats biomass with the absence of oxygen. It traps the carbon in the biochar itself, converting it into a solid form rather than letting it escape into the atmosphere.
Far from a new concept, biochar is as old as agriculture itself. Adding charred organic waste to fields has been done effectively by Indigenous people for millennia. Still, the idea that biochar could be perfected to maximize soil productivity and mitigate climate change has been around for less than 20 years.
While biochar isn’t a fertilizer, research indicates it supports healthy soil biology. It can help retain nutrients and water in the soil due to its charged surface, which allows it to absorb nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and other essential elements. It can last in the environment anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years, making it an effective tool to sequester carbon.
From waste to energy
Gordon West, founder and CEO of Silver City-based Trollworks LLC, has worked for 35 years experimenting with alternative uses for wood waste and forest products. He grew from operating his own woodworking business to researching forest restoration, then pivoted to using wood chips in commercial products like concrete and erosion control systems. One day in 2012, a local inventor introduced him to biochar cooking stoves, and the wheels started turning.
“We were trying to turn that waste material into an asset, and so my approach changed from making biochar to making heat with biochar as a co-product,” he said.
West believes the biochar byproduct is cheaper than natural gas and roughly as clean when burned correctly. “The energy is actually free, carbon-negative energy created by restoring the environment,” he said. “It’s a clean renewable from a liability. I call it reverse coal mining. Plants remove carbon from the atmosphere. We convert the plant biomass to carbon and a flammable gas (smoke), burn the smoke for energy, and put the carbon in the soil to improve plant growth.”
Biochar producers find that forest and farm waste are excellent free carbon sources. Alternative materials like rice stalks, weeds, pecan shells, and cotton stalks have become popular in New Mexico. Only 1% of the cotton plant is used for cotton. The rest is waste.
The continued evolution of biochar has innovators like West thinking big. “We can replace huge amounts of fossil fuels,” he said. “Because of pyrolysis, you’re still getting a flammable gas to drop into traditional kinds of heaters or even to fuel electrical generators.”
West is currently focused on soil regeneration, thermal fuels, and coupling biochar pyrolysis units to existing boilers and HVAC systems to meet consumer heating needs. He said the greatest interest he’s seen in biochar has been as an energy source–he recently won a grant to heat a classroom building at Northern New Mexico College while making biochar.
He’s optimistic about transforming biomass waste into “bioenergy” while sequestering carbon and creating jobs in rural communities. “Biochar is a new thing, so it’s like trying to grow a market from scratch,” he said. “We hope to grow both things incrementally.”
Accelerating Biochar
To realize biochar’s potential, America needs a coordinated research program. Congress is crafting the 2023 Farm Bill, which presents a big opportunity to ensure the promise of biochar is realized.
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is asking Congress to invest in biochar research through the Farm Bill, specifically under the Biochar Research Network Act. It will authorize the USDA to establish a national-scale research program to test different biochar types in different soils and circumstances. With better research will come innovation and practical tools for farmers, ranchers, foresters, and businesses to lean into biochar as a climate solution.
The continued evolution of biochar has innovators like West thinking big. “For many people, biochar is new, so it’s like trying to grow a market from scratch. But I believe we can replace huge amounts of fossil fuels and transform waste into “bioenergy” while sequestering carbon and creating jobs in rural communities.”
Real-world applications
Biochar improves soil health by reducing acidity, upping water and nutrient storage, and providing better drainage and aeration. Biochar can invigorate soils by increasing microbial activity, nutrient availability, and reducing heavy metal toxicity. When using biochar, some farmers have been able to reduce their phosphorus use by 100% and nitrogen by 85% after a few years.
According to West, farmers use biochar and compost as an extract, brew it in water like a teabag, and spray it on fields as a liquid input. It can also be used as a clay-like seed coating to give seeds a microbial head-start in their growth.
As for alternative uses, biochar can be incorporated as aggregate into concrete, used as a component in asphalt road construction, or as a replacement for activated charcoal to filter and absorb contaminants. Forest Service scientists are researching how applying it to soils at abandoned mines can improve water quality, bind heavy metals, and decrease toxic chemical concentrations while improving soil health to establish sustainable plant cover.
West says the ultimate goal of his work is “giving people things they can do every day” to fight the effects of climate change. “Everybody feels pretty hopeless about these large problems. These ideas have been around forever, and there’s nothing complicated about the technology. It’s just thinking about things differently.”
Montana Partnership Reduces Food Waste and Supports Sustainable Gardening and Food Production Through Biochar
If you live in Missoula, Montana, you’ve probably seen the blue e-bikes transporting food scraps around town. The nonprofit Soil Cycle began when Missoula resident and backyard gardener, Caitlyn Lewis, saw a nexus between reducing organic waste to divert valuable materials from landfills and improving her neighborhood gardens’ growing potential by making biochar.
“I think about food a lot because I love to eat and value the effort and beauty of the growing process. Wasted food is a big issue, and I think we should honor our food enough to return it to its natural cycle,” Lewis said.
Six years later, Soil Cycle has gone from Lewis picking up scraps from a few clients to six bikers transporting upwards of 60,000 pounds of compost per year. With a bigger staff and a new executive director, they also educate the community, create quality natural fertilizers, and take compost to a new level, all while remaining human-powered.
Turning a Concept into a Product
Mark Vander Meer, the founder of Bad Goat Forest Products, has been practicing and stewarding long-term sustainable forest management in Montana. Soil Cycle team members use the discarded wood shavings from Bad Goat in their 900-degree kiln.
The result is a fine, charred mixture, called biochar, a type of charcoal produced for use in soil by heating biomass in limited oxygen.
Biochar is a very porous, high-carbon form of charcoal that, when mixed into soil, increases airflow, water retention, and nutrient-holding capacity. Its unique structure provides the perfect home for beneficial bacteria, which protects and defends plant roots. Using biochar in the soil allows for continual nutrient and mineral exchange to feed plants and, over time, supports a biologically active carbon storage system, which could help capture the excess carbon in our atmosphere. Biochar provides the most durable form of soil carbon. When produced at high temperatures, it lasts for hundreds to thousands of years in soil.
“We are excited to showcase the potential of biochar because when added to soil, it is one of nature’s many miracles,” said Lewis. “Storing carbon in our soil is also a powerful tool against climate change. It is cost-effective, highly efficient, and designed to work with nature. This unique structure provides the perfect home for beneficial bacteria, which protects and defends plant roots.”
Soil Cycle blends its particular biochar mix with worm castings, Montana volcanic minerals, Azomite, kelp meal, raw sugar, and sand. These materials support plants in homes and gardens to improve overall plant growth, yield, resilience, and nutrient-holding abilities while improving soil moisture retention.
“Our partnership with Bad Goat Lumber has shown us how a waste product – both from wood products and food scraps – can become a rich and valuable source of nutrients when placed under pressure – the diamonds of the soil. This partnership has allowed us to create a product that we couldn’t otherwise by using their facility and biochar-making setup,” said Lewis.
Their Biochar Blend is sold in several nurseries around Missoula and is most popular for house plants. Even though they work with biochar on a small scale, the Soil Cycle team sees potential for backyard gardeners and urban farmers so everyone can experience using it and see its potential application on a larger scale.
Accelerating Biochar
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is asking Congress to invest in biochar research through the Farm Bill, specifically under the Biochar Research Network Act. It will authorize the USDA to establish a national-scale research program to test different biochar types in different soils and circumstances. With better research will come innovation and practical tools for Montana farmers, ranchers, gardeners and foresters to improve soil health and productivity, as they help solve climate change by storing carbon in soil.
The continued evolution of biochar has entrepreneurs like Lewis thinking big.
“We know it will take time to educate our customers (and future customers) about the incredible benefits biochar can give their soil. Even though biochar has been used for centuries, it is still new to most people,” Lewis said.
NCAT’s Sustainable Agriculture Publications Now Available in Spanish
The National Center for Appropriate Technology’s sustainable agriculture program, ATTRA, now has more than 100 trusted publications available in Spanish. These practical publications for producers are available to read or in audio format.
ATTRA’s online resources include more than 300 publications as well as podcasts, videos, databases, and forums. NCAT’s team of Sustainable Agriculture Specialists across the U.S. are working to make these resource available in Spanish.
“We are committed to providing practical information that is easily accessible and understandable for people of diverse backgrounds, all of whom are contributing mightily to sustaining a healthy food system,” said California-based Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Ann Baier.
Latino producers play a crucial role in advancing sustainable agriculture, and language shouldn’t be a barrier for them to access resources. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, there were 112,451 Hispanic/Latino producers in the United States, and this number continues to grow.
“We strive to improve our service delivery to the entire community of Latino farmers, whether they can read English or not,” said Texas-based Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Robert Maggiani.
“Knowledge should be accessible to everyone regardless of language, having our content be bilingual is a step closer on making sustainable agriculture tangible to people along the food chain,” said Texas-based Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez.
NCAT’s ATTRA is committed to making these resources available and accessible. Spanish-speaking producers can sign up for our monthly newsletter, Cosecha Mensual, to get monthly sustainable agriculture resources delivered to their inbox. Bilingual (Spanish and English) ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture Specialists are available through chat, email, and phone to answer any producer questions.
ATTRA is administered by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in partnership with the USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service. (USDA RBCS). Founded in 1987, ATTRA is a trusted source of sustainable agriculture information and maintains a knowledge base of practical multimedia resources for farmers, ranchers, and educators.
To see all ATTRA’s Spanish resources, go to its website at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG/ES/.
Connecting a Tempeh Producer and Northeast Health Care Groups to Get Local Protein in Hospitals
The word soybeans might conjure up pictures of fields with rows upon rows of the popular commodity crop. But for Sarah Speare, a founder of Tootie’s Tempeh in Biddeford, Maine, soybeans are the protein in a traditional meat substitute that offers plenty of health benefits.
Not everyone has heard of tempeh. “It’s a super food,” Sarah says. It’s incredibly high in protein and nutrients. It’s fermented, so it’s good for your gut. And it’s made from just three simple, clean ingredients: soybeans, vinegar, and starter culture. So, people need to eat it!”
NCAT’s sustainable agriculture team and two other organizations – Health Care Without Harm and the Plant Forward Future Project – partnered to form a producer cohort in the Northeast to develop and market plant-based proteins to hospitals. The project is funded by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant, and Sarah is part of the producer cohort.
“NCAT/ATTRA has been a great partner and advocate for our work through a podcast we did with them and especially through their programs that support the sourcing of organic grains and legumes from Maine farmers,” Sarah says.
“Their work with the Hospital Without Harm initiative has also helped us get more visibility as a healthy locally sourced protein in front of potential customers who make decisions for what workers and patients are offered at hospitals. We have also enjoyed working with them to make a Maine event happen that includes sampling our food and a tour of our facility.”
Tootie’s Tempeh developed a method for fermenting its product in metal pans instead of single-use plastic bags, which is the practice of much of the industry.
The company uses organic soybeans and sources them regionally, and it is developing a franchise structure that creates a network of other regional production facilities. That allows the tempeh from Tootie’s to have regional suppliers regardless of where its stores are created.
Tootie’s Tempeh reflects Sarah’s values – that “essential food can help support the well-being of people, animals, and the planet.”
It’s also organized as a worker-owned cooperative, as Sarah puts it, “to help support a more democratic economy where workers are the decision makers and share in the profits.
“I viewed (tempeh) as a sleeping giant ready to be woken up,” she adds. “Plant-based protein are skyrocketing, and consumers are eating more for their health and to decrease their carbon footprint. It really seemed like the right time to help tempeh become a household staple.”
Sustainability Project Transforms Cafeteria Waste into Usable Compost
Remember scraping off your tray in the lunchroom as a kid? Did you ever think about where that waste was going or if it could be more than just garbage? One nonprofit in Silver City, New Mexico is getting its hands dirty and helping kids and school districts reduce lunchroom waste into a valuable learning experience.
The New Earth Project is developing compost processes to create a symbiotic relationship and benefit the community. Carol Ann Fugagli, Education and Outreach Director for the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance and the New Earth Project, explained how they use everyday materials to teach students about climate change and sustainability.
“The looming climate and biodiversity crisis is a real existential threat, and we want to create community resilience,” Fugagli said. “We are focused on educating, inspiring, and empowering youth in our community through educational activities and employment opportunities.”
Carbon capture through composting
New Earth collects food surplus from three school cafeterias and combines it with woody biomass, agricultural byproducts, and biochar in Johnson-Su compost bioreactors. Every week, they fill these bioreactors with this waste and divert approximately 1200 pounds of food waste from the local landfill. The Johnson-Su composting method is a static, aerobic process that produces a diverse, fungal-dominant mix that interacts with plants to sequester carbon in soils, increase water infiltration and retention, fix nitrogen, and increase plant growth.
Students participating in the New Earth Project biochar effort in New Mexico.
To increase the value and effectiveness of the compost, they add 10% biochar into the mix. Biochar is a charcoal-like substance made by burning organic material from agricultural and forestry wastes (wood chips, logging slash, manure, or other plant byproducts) in a low-oxygen environment. This process, called pyrolysis, turns into pure carbon, converting it into a solid form rather than letting it escape into the atmosphere.
While biochar isn’t a fertilizer, research indicates it can help retain nutrients in the soil due to its high porosity, allowing it to absorb nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. Think of a housing complex for billions of needed microbes. It can last in the environment anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years, making it an effective tool to sequester carbon.
After three months of experimenting with the amount and type of biomass and biochar, New Earth found just the right mix to yield the best result. Now that the project has perfected its compost “recipe,” they plan to experiment using other waste streams such as salt cedar, cardboard, and compostable plastics.
Accelerating Biochar
The New Mexico Legislature recently gave a vote of confidence to New Earth’s activities, approving a $100,000 general appropriation to the project in the 2023 spring legislative session.
“Young people are freaked out about the climate crisis. Our project is all about instilling the ethic of restoration and hope in young people. We hope to get a composting system into every school so students can have a project to plug into, giving them real power.”
To realize biochar’s potential, America needs a coordinated research program. Congress is crafting the 2023 Farm Bill, which presents a big opportunity to ensure the promise of biochar is realized.
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is asking Congress to invest in biochar research through the Farm Bill, specifically under the Biochar Research Network Act. It will authorize the USDA to establish a national-scale research program to test different biochar types in different soils and circumstances. With better research will come innovation and practical tools for farmers, ranchers, foresters, and businesses to lean into biochar as a climate solution.
Real-world applications
Biochar-enhanced compost can improve soil health by reducing acidity, upping water and nutrient storage, and providing better drainage and aeration. By increasing pH, biochar can invigorate soils by increasing microbial activity, nutrient availability, and reducing heavy metal toxicity.
Fugagli explained how costly fertilizer may be doing more harm than good. “We’ve killed all the microbiology in the way we grow food. Biochar in the ground makes it a little apartment complex for these microorganisms to give them their housing so they can live in this soil.”
New Earth Project staff grind cafeteria food waste for biochar.
“Many biochar producers are not finding a market to sell to because, for many, biochar is new,” Fugagli said. “We work with Trollworks here in the state and have bought them out more than once. Combining biochar with compost makes sense because we can keep carbon at the roots of our plants where it’s needed rather than in the atmosphere where it causes so much damage.”
The New Earth Compost sits for one year before it can be used. December 2023 is when the first batch will be ready. Marketing their product is their next step. Fugagli said she is contacting larger buyers like a local mine and the New Mexico Department of Transportation to gauge interest in soil remediation projects. They also know that revitalizing agricultural land is a big part of the equation.
“There is no solving our climate crisis without solving the agricultural emissions problem,” she said. “We are working to educate users because you don’t apply it as regular compost – which is what people are used to. You can, but a little goes a long way. Biochar-enhanced compost can help transform ag soils into living soils.”
The ‘Black Gold’ that Can Save Soils, Fight Forest Fires, and Power the Planet
It’s hard to believe such a low-tech innovation could have so many benefits, but that’s the power of a material called “biochar.”
The charcoal-like substance is made by burning organic material from agricultural and forestry wastes (wood chips, logging slash, manure, or other plant byproducts) in a low-oxygen environment. This process, called pyrolysis, heats biomass with the absence of oxygen. It traps the carbon in the biochar itself, converting it into a solid form rather than letting it escape into the atmosphere.
Far from a new concept, biochar is as old as agriculture itself. Adding charred organic waste to fields has been done effectively by Indigenous people for millennia. Still, the idea that biochar could be perfected to maximize soil productivity and mitigate climate change has been around for less than 20 years.
While biochar isn’t a fertilizer, research indicates it supports healthy soil biology. It can help retain nutrients and water in the soil due to its charged surface, which allows it to absorb nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and other essential elements. It can last in the environment anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years, making it an effective tool to sequester carbon.
From waste to energy
Gordon West, founder and CEO of Silver City-based Trollworks LLC, has worked for 35 years experimenting with alternative uses for wood waste and forest products. He grew from operating his own woodworking business to researching forest restoration, then pivoted to using wood chips in commercial products like concrete and erosion control systems. One day in 2012, a local inventor introduced him to biochar cooking stoves, and the wheels started turning.
West believes the biochar byproduct is cheaper than natural gas and roughly as clean when burned correctly. “The energy is actually free, carbon-negative energy created by restoring the environment,” he said. “It’s a clean renewable from a liability. I call it reverse coal mining. Plants remove carbon from the atmosphere. We convert the plant biomass to carbon and a flammable gas (smoke), burn the smoke for energy, and put the carbon in the soil to improve plant growth.”
Biochar producers find that forest and farm waste are excellent free carbon sources. Alternative materials like rice stalks, weeds, pecan shells, and cotton stalks have become popular in New Mexico. Only 1% of the cotton plant is used for cotton. The rest is waste.
The continued evolution of biochar has innovators like West thinking big. “We can replace huge amounts of fossil fuels,” he said. “Because of pyrolysis, you’re still getting a flammable gas to drop into traditional kinds of heaters or even to fuel electrical generators.”
West is currently focused on soil regeneration, thermal fuels, and coupling biochar pyrolysis units to existing boilers and HVAC systems to meet consumer heating needs. He said the greatest interest he’s seen in biochar has been as an energy source–he recently won a grant to heat a classroom building at Northern New Mexico College while making biochar.
He’s optimistic about transforming biomass waste into “bioenergy” while sequestering carbon and creating jobs in rural communities. “Biochar is a new thing, so it’s like trying to grow a market from scratch,” he said. “We hope to grow both things incrementally.”
Accelerating Biochar
To realize biochar’s potential, America needs a coordinated research program. Congress is crafting the 2023 Farm Bill, which presents a big opportunity to ensure the promise of biochar is realized.
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is asking Congress to invest in biochar research through the Farm Bill, specifically under the Biochar Research Network Act. It will authorize the USDA to establish a national-scale research program to test different biochar types in different soils and circumstances. With better research will come innovation and practical tools for farmers, ranchers, foresters, and businesses to lean into biochar as a climate solution.
The continued evolution of biochar has innovators like West thinking big. “For many people, biochar is new, so it’s like trying to grow a market from scratch. But I believe we can replace huge amounts of fossil fuels and transform waste into “bioenergy” while sequestering carbon and creating jobs in rural communities.”
Real-world applications
Biochar improves soil health by reducing acidity, upping water and nutrient storage, and providing better drainage and aeration. Biochar can invigorate soils by increasing microbial activity, nutrient availability, and reducing heavy metal toxicity. When using biochar, some farmers have been able to reduce their phosphorus use by 100% and nitrogen by 85% after a few years.
According to West, farmers use biochar and compost as an extract, brew it in water like a teabag, and spray it on fields as a liquid input. It can also be used as a clay-like seed coating to give seeds a microbial head-start in their growth.
As for alternative uses, biochar can be incorporated as aggregate into concrete, used as a component in asphalt road construction, or as a replacement for activated charcoal to filter and absorb contaminants. Forest Service scientists are researching how applying it to soils at abandoned mines can improve water quality, bind heavy metals, and decrease toxic chemical concentrations while improving soil health to establish sustainable plant cover.
West says the ultimate goal of his work is “giving people things they can do every day” to fight the effects of climate change. “Everybody feels pretty hopeless about these large problems. These ideas have been around forever, and there’s nothing complicated about the technology. It’s just thinking about things differently.”
Choose Local, Shop Your Montana Farmers Market
Montana joins markets across the country in celebrating National Farmers Market Week, August 6-12, 2023. The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), which coordinates the Montana Farmers Market Network, encourages everyone to celebrate by shopping at local farmers markets this week and every week. Farmers markets connect community members with the people who grow our food, which can work to create a more fair and sustainable food system.
“Farmers Markets in Montana are hubs of economic development, often acting like new business incubators,” says Tammy Howard, an agriculture specialist at NCAT. “Farmers markets create opportunities for vendors to expand their marketing platforms through product development, testing, and brand recognition.”
National Farmers Market Week is an annual celebration of farmers markets proclaimed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and coordinated by the Farmers Market Coalition, a membership-based nonprofit organization that supports farmers markets nationwide through training, technical assistance, and network-building. This year, the campaign is centered around the essential role that farmers market operators play, both in our local food systems and in our communities. For more than 50 years, farmers markets have influenced the way we eat, shop, and connect to our food, farmers, and each other.
“Over the last three years, I have seen firsthand how farmers markets provide a place for small operations to grow into thriving businesses,” says Maura Henn, Community Food Systems Specialist at NCAT. “Farmers markets not only help communities understand where their food and farm products come from, but also encourage more people to grow and prepare their own food,” says Henn.
In a 2022 report, Montana Farmers Markets were found to provide an average of 250 full-time jobs. In addition to this, the report found that nearly 5,000 individuals work to produce the goods and services offered each week during Montana farmers market season.
There are 76 farmers markets in Montana operating in 2023 according to the Abundant Montana Directory. Of those markets, 29 accept SNAP benefits making fresh, locally produced products accessible to more Montanans and 20 farmers markets also participate in the Double SNAP Dollars Program which matches a customer’s SNAP benefit. The Double SNAP Dollars program has served nearly 9,000 Montanans and has recirculated more than $1 million to local farmers, ranchers, and farmers markets.
In addition to special events like music, cooking classes, or yoga, some markets provide educational opportunities to learn about local food through the Montana Harvest of the Month Program. This year, five markets offer Harvest of the Month activities. Farmers markets are also important partners in the SNAP-Ed program. In 2022, 19 farmers markets participated in SNAP-Ed which helped increase access to and promotion of fruits and vegetables to youth and adults in Montana.
Montana farmers markets are also important for vulnerable populations to access nutritious foods. Almost 200 farmers statewide accept Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons which provide almost $50 in coupons to help seniors purchase Montana grown fresh fruits, vegetables, and raw honey. In 2023, 88 farmers are authorized to accept the Women, Infant, and Children Farmer Market Nutrition Program (WIC FMNP) vouchers, many of whom operate at farmers markets.
To find a farmers market near you visit AERO’s Abundant Montana Directory.
The Montana Farmers Market Network is a coalition of partners coordinated by NCAT, including farmers market managers, the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, AERO, and the Montana Department of Agriculture.
NCAT Announces its New Executive Director
The National Center for Appropriate Technology’s (NCAT) Board of Directors today announced it has selected Fred Bahnson to lead the organization.
Bahnson joins NCAT after a competitive national search.
“Fred brings to NCAT two decades of leadership experience in regenerative agriculture and climate advocacy,” said NCAT Board Chairperson Jackie Hutchinson. “His depth of knowledge, and passion for our work, will benefit NCAT as it leans into its next chapter.”
Created as a result of the energy crisis of the 1970s, NCAT’s mission to build a more sustainable future is focused today on providing trusted and practical tools for communities, farmers, local governments, and other nonprofits working toward regenerative agriculture and renewable energy efforts. With staff in 12 states, NCAT is headquartered in Butte, Montana. Bahnson lives in southwest Montana and will work in a hybrid capacity, connecting regularly with the Butte office while also traveling to connect with NCAT’s many partners and field staff around the country.
Bahnson is the founding director of two environmental nonprofits. In 2005 he co-founded and directed a congregation-supported agriculture project in North Carolina to support local food security, and in 2012 became the founding director of the Food, Health, and Ecological Well-Being Program at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, a program that trains faith and nonprofit leaders to create more just and healthy food systems.
Bahnson is also a journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker. His work has been published in venues like Harper’s, Christian Science Monitor, Orion, and Best American Travel Writing, and has been supported by journalism grants from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Boston University’s Religion and Environment Story Project fellowship. He was awarded a two-year W.K. Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellowship, which allowed him to research small-scale regenerative agriculture practices. That work culminated in his first book, Soil & Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir of Food & Faith (Simon & Schuster, 2013). Most recently he worked for a climate tech company helping catalyze nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.
“I’m hugely honored to be joining NCAT at this pivotal moment in the organization’s history,” Bahnson said. “From the Soil for Water and Armed to Farm programs, to its AgriSolar Clearinghouse and energy assistance work, NCAT is known nationally as a trusted and reliable partner that helps underserved communities become more resilient. In the face of a changing climate, that work has never been more vital and necessary. I’m excited to help share NCAT’s story with wider audiences, grow our partnerships, and expand our funding base to better support the communities we serve.”
To learn more about NCAT and its mission visit, NCAT.ORG.
CBS ‘Saturday Morning’ Features AgriSolar
CBS Saturday Morning featured NCAT’s AgriSolar Clearinghouse and one of the farmers who is partnering with an energy company to graze his sheep among their solar panels during a six-minute piece that aired nationwide.
Pairing farming with solar energy production offers many “stacked benefits,” according to CBS.
“This is going to be a game changer,” NCAT Energy Program Director Dr. Stacie Peterson told CBS. “This is taking off all across the country. We’re here to help you figure out what’s best for your area and connect you with the right people to help you do this if you want this on your farm or in your community.”
“We’re producing food, fiber, and energy all from the same acre of land,” said Solar Shepherd Founder Dan Finnegan. “It’s a smarter way to use this land.”
To learn more about agrisolar, or agrivoltaics, visit NCAT’s AgriSolar Clearinghouse.
Harvesting Helena Workshop to Showcase ‘Montana Harvest of the Month,’ Community Food Programs
An August workshop in Helena will offer a day of training and tours for anyone interested in getting more Montana grown and raised food into their community.
The event, Farm to School Workshop: Harvesting Helena, will provide general training on farm to school programs and Montana Harvest of the Month, which promotes Montana foods in Montana communities. Each month, sites taking part in Harvest of the Month spotlight a product grown in the state and serve it in at least one meal, snack, or à la carte offering.
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) coordinates Montana Harvest of the Month in collaboration with Montana Team Nutrition. Helena Food Share, Old Salt Co-op, St. Peter’s Health, and Helena Public Schools are among the other partners hosting the August workshop.
“Helena has a lot going on in the local food space,” said NCAT Local Foods Specialist Molly Kirkham. “Not only do they have their very own Harvest of the Month Community Coordinator, but there are also many Helena-based organizations implementing the program. Folks are especially excited to learn more about the organizations increasing access to local food.”
Kirkham said anyone with an interest in locally grown food is encouraged to attend the event Thursday, August 10, at Central Elementary School, located at 402 North Warren Street. It will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
The workshop will include tours of Old Salt Co-op’s new processing facility, school gardens, Helena Community Gardens, and Helena Food Share’s pantry and mobile kitchen. Along with the tours and training opportunities, there will be time for networking, tasting local foods, and action planning.
The cost for the Farm to School Workshop: Harvesting Helena is $25 for an individual, and some scholarships are available. Registration includes lunch and snacks made with local foods.
For more information on the conference and scholarships and to register, go here: https://mtharvestofthemonth.org/harvestinghelena/ .
NCAT Releases New Guide to Saving Water, Energy for Irrigators
Responding to water shortages and uncertainties throughout the western United States, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) has released a new edition of its popular The Irrigator’s Pocket Guide.
“With growing conflict over water supplies, and with irrigators feeling the pinch to save water, energy, and money, we wanted to come up with a concise and super-useful guide to water and energy conservation,” said Mike Morris, NCAT’s Southwest Regional Director, who headed up the project.
Irrigation experts from more than 20 states have weighed in on The Irrigator’s Pocket Guide over the years, and more than 30,000 copies have been distributed.
This new edition was developed through NCAT’s Soil for Water project, with funding from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
“In this new edition of The Irrigator’s Pocket Guide, we decided to go beyond pump and motor maintenance and irrigation scheduling and incorporate recent advances in soil science,” Morris said. “When soil gets healthier, it catches and holds more water. Taking care of soil health therefore needs to be a priority for all irrigators.”
The Equipment Maintenance half of the book features clear and detailed maintenance and troubleshooting procedures for pumps, motors, engines, control panels, and distribution systems. The Water Maintenance section of the book covers soil health and gives step-by-step instructions for running all common types of irrigation systems efficiently — matching water applied to crop needs.
The compact 150-page book includes dozens of diagrams, tables, and handy conversions and formulas for calculating things like flow rates, area, pressure, power, friction losses, and how long to run a system to apply a given volume of water. With its small 4-inch by 6-inch size and durable waterproof covers, the book is a friendly companion to carry in your hip pocket or the glove box of your truck.
Free copies are available by mail or online at the ATTRA website.
Along with the updated edition of the original The Irrigator’s Pocket Guide, new state-specific editions are also available for irrigators in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as an updated version of the popular The California Microirrigation Pocket Guide. All these books can be found on the ATTRA website.