Our Natural Life » Farming http://ournaturallife.com/blog Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:23:59 +0000 en hourly 1 Searching for accurate information and provocative discussions about living a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life? Join hosts Jon and Cathy Payne for informative interviews with local and national experts, authors, farmers, filmmakers, and chefs. A bimonthly podcast of varied length that focuses heavily on the principles of Weston A. Price Foundation, Slow Food, sustainable agriculture, and buying local food. Reported through the lens of the hosts lives in rural Georgia. Jon and Cathy Payne no Jon and Cathy Payne jppaynesr@gmail.com jppaynesr@gmail.com (Jon and Cathy Payne) © Alchemy New Media LLC - All Rights Reserved Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Weston A. Price, sustainability, sustainable food, holistic health, farming, organic, nutrient dense food, slow food, biodiversity, locavore, pastured meat, raw milk Our Natural Life » Farming http://ournaturallife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/itunes144x144.jpg http://ournaturallife.com/blog/category/farming/ TV-G Elberton, GA Monthly Living in the Land of Milk and Honey Podcast ONL075 http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/04/living-in-the-land-of-milk-and-honey-podcast-onl075/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/04/living-in-the-land-of-milk-and-honey-podcast-onl075/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 16:07:04 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=573 Rashel and Andrew Harris are a young homesteading couple in Texas expecting their first baby in June. Rashel discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation and nutrient-dense food after buying a copy of Nourishing Traditions. After a period of seeking out nutritious food from local farmers throughout Texas, they decided to start producing their own closer [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/04/living-in-the-land-of-milk-and-honey-podcast-onl075/feed/ 4 Homesteading,Lifestyle,Local Food,Price,raw milk,Real Milk,Weston Price Rashel and Andrew Harris are a young homesteading couple in Texas expecting their first baby in June. Rashel discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation and nutrient-dense food after buying a copy of Nourishing Traditions. Rashel and Andrew Harris are a young homesteading couple in Texas expecting their first baby in June. Rashel discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation and nutrient-dense food after buying a copy of Nourishing Traditions. After a period of seeking out nutritious food from local farmers throughout Texas, they decided to start producing their own closer to home on their 66 acres. They are eating great now, becoming self-sufficient, and loving their new lifestyle. Jon and I really enjoyed talking with them and hearing about their journey. It was so exciting to hear from Rashel and Andrew about how Sally Fallon's book literally changed their lives as they began to think about where their food came from and purchase directly from farmers. In their frustration in finding nutrient dense food, they realized that they could take charge of their food by producing it on their land. In a community where free ranging cows are the norm, growing vegetables, meat chickens, and keeping a milk cow is not. They have been inspired by Podcasts and learned to make their own soap and other needs on the farm. One thing I really admire about Rashel and Andrew is the way that they have embraced and applied their new found information and they way they are eager to share with and teach to others. Rashel followed a pre-pregnancy diet rich in vitamins A and D in order to achieve health prior to conception. For example, Sally Fallon states that pastured eggs contain 8x more Vitamin D than a grocery store egg. And vitamin K2 from the green grass Rashel's cow is eating puts K2 into the raw milk. This prevents calcification of arteries and improves brain function, Sally says. Real foods are those that you hunt, pick, fish, dig, or milk. Rashel is doing her share of these activities! Rashel attributes the easy pregnancy she is experiencing to eating real, nutrient dense food and tells her friends she will be hoeing the garden with baby in tow like a real farm woman soon! Nothing is going to slow her down. Rashel and Andrew recently started a website where you can track their journey. Be sure to book mark it so you can check back in the future. I encouraged Rashel to consider serving as a chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation in her part of Texas. She would be a great resource for the community and such an articulate and passionate spokesperson. Jon and I have been very busy this spring. We're planting our first large garden - 1/10th of an acre - with organic vegetables. I'm replanting our raised bed gardens. We now have three breeds of heritage rabbits in a 16X24 foot lattice rabbit barn. They are reproducing nicely and selling quickly. We're excited at the prospect of helping other heritage farms get started with rabbits. We're learning about biodynamic methods and permaculture principles to apply to the farm. And we attended a vermiculture class to learn how to incorporate worm beds under our rabbit cages. Such fun! Our English Shepherd Cody and shelties Nicky and Sheila were recently treated to a special bath thanks to Natural Affinity Soap. Our groomers loved the way the soap lathered and it left their fur clean and soft. Even better, we have not seen any fleas or ticks on them in a month! This is a small company that makes quality products artisan style. You can follow them on facebook. The big struggle for me right now is record-keeping and book keeping. It is hard to find time to get into my office and get organized when there is so much to do outside in the fresh air and sunshine. By the time it is dark I am exhausted and ready for bed. We were fortunate to get an intern to move into our new barn apartment to help with the garden and chores so hopefully I'll apply some discipline to these tasks soon and get a handle on things. I was recently reflecting on how much my life has changed in the last 11 months. It is almost a year since I retired from my teaching career and began farming. I have learned so much, Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:15:52 Georgia Organics Conference 2011 and Gearing up for Spring (ONL074 Podcast Show) http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:56:37 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=566 In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, their new rabbit barn, clicker training their English Shepherd dog, and building housing for a future intern and apprentice.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/feed/ 2 English Shepherds,Heritage Rabbits,Homesteading,Local Food In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, their new rabbit barn, clicker training their English Shepherd dog, and building housing for a future intern and apprentice. Last week I attended my fifth Georgia Organics Conference. I did not think I'd be able to budget for a trip to Savannah or have time to leave the farm. So imagine my surprise when I received an email from Georgia Organics saying that my registration was paid for and that I could stay in a host home for free! As a recipient of this year's Georgia Organics Farmer-to-Farmer mentoring program, I get these perks and mentoring from three fantastic farmers. Russ Green of Greendale Farm is helping me with the business of running a farm profitably. His farm is a showcase of sustainability and diversity, with his artisan cheese dairy, and "beyond organic" beef, lamb, pork, and egg production. Michael MacMullan of McMullan Family Farm is helping me with the use of organic fertilizers, cover crops, and growing produce. He is a fifth generation farmer. Finally, Mac Wade, fifth generation farmer working with his mother Tink of Tink's Grassfed Beef, is helping with pasture development and mineralization. I think this team is awesome! Each of the mentors has visited the farm and given me homework to do. And I thought that was behind me when I finished my doctoral program seven years ago! A highlight of the conference for me was a workshop titled, "Biodynamics is the New Organic" with Daron Joffe aka Farmer D of Farmer D Organics. Daron took a somewhat esoteric subject and made it so much more accessible to me. In order to have a sustainable farm there is a cycle of soil - plants - animals - compost. The first priority is to nurture the soil. I already have a small library of books on biodynamics and doubled it by the end of the conference. Time to crack the books! Friday afternoon I visited Hope Grows Farm in Sylvania, Georgia. This two year old, 5 acre farm produces chicken, eggs, pork, produce, and pecans. They have a unique CSA program. People pre-pay the amount they want to support the farm, then shop for the items they want in a mix-and-match program. The farm was started with a budget of only $300 and a lot of hard work. The farmers, Arianne and Elliott, are only 25 years old. Saturday I attended several workshops, the members meeting with a speech by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, and the Farmer's Feast. In the past, we've enjoyed keynote speakers at the Farmer's Feast including Joel Salatin and Michael Pollan. This year Vandana Shiva was on the docket. Unfortunately, a family emergency required her to be in India and there was no time to replace her on 24 hours notice. However, sharing dinner with my friends Tim and Lucy Heil, Jessica Lara, bottles of wine and delicious farm-to-table food was still quite a treat. Broad River Rabbitry is growing its heritage breed rabbits. We're building a rabbit barn to house our Silver Fox, Beveren, and now American rabbits. By the end of the summer we will add a fourth breed, Lilac. As we grow, my friend Krystal Beers and her husband Tom of Two Hunnyz Rabbitry have been a great resource. As owners of two English Shepherds, they've been a support with Cody as well. Jon and Cathy Payne no 52:54 Pets Need a Natural Life, Too! (Podcast ONL073) http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/pets-need-a-natural-life-too-podcast-onl073/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/pets-need-a-natural-life-too-podcast-onl073/#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:53:07 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=528 Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, veterinary naturopaths and co-hosts of the popular Podcast, Animal Talk Naturally, spent an hour talking with Jon and me about their journey in promoting naturally health care for pets. Just as humans thrive on a holistic approach to health care and eating traditional, real foods, pets thrive [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/pets-need-a-natural-life-too-podcast-onl073/feed/ 0 Homesteading,raw milk,Real Milk,Weston Price Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, veterinary naturopaths and co-hosts of the popular Podcast, Animal Talk Naturally, spent an hour talking with Jon and me about their journey in promoting naturally health care for pets. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, veterinary naturopaths and co-hosts of the popular Podcast, Animal Talk Naturally, spent an hour talking with Jon and me about their journey in promoting naturally health care for pets. Just as humans thrive on a holistic approach to health care and eating traditional, real foods, pets thrive on a species specific diet and a holistic approach to wellness over treating of symptoms. Their passion for healthy, whole animals is reflected in our conversation as well as in the work they do for holistic health through a variety of venues. Our interview can be downloaded from the link below or on iTunes, Zune, Tivo, or Stitcher. Podcast ONL073 It's been a couple of years since we talked about holistic pet care. While many of our listeners may not (yet) have farm animals to tend to, the average American is a pet owner of one or more species. Pets are part of the family and cared for as such. I see a huge parallel between the health issues in our pets and those of the pet owners. Diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart disease, joint issues, and thyroid problems are way too common in cats and dogs these days. Many if not most of these issues could be linked, as in human health, to inappropriate diet, vaccinations, and chemical exposure. Our newest house dog, Cody, is a five month old English Shepherd. While he is a family companion, he is also a working dog on the farm, expected to help with herding, vermin control, keeping livestock from getting to rough with us, and guarding livestock and family. He needs to be sound, of good temperament, and athletic to perform his duties. We are helping him develop the best of his potential with training, a species appropriate diet, and minimal exposure to chemicals and toxins in his environment. Kim Bloomer and Jeannie Thomason have been teaching about natural animal care since 2004. They were pioneers in the areas of chat, blogging, webinars, and audio podcasting. Kim and Jeannie are adjunct professors in the animal health program of Kingdom College for Natural Health. They recently founded the American Council of Animal Naturopathy. Their primary focus is on prormoting health versus disease management and in empowering pet owners to rear naturally healthy dogs through proper diet and holistic care. They require their clients to use a species appropriate raw diet for carnivores. Their motivation and passion stem from a love of animals and education. Kim has written two books including Whole Health for Happy Dogs: A Natural Health Handbook for Dogs and Their Owners , co-written with Jill Elliott, DVM. Visit their websites at www.aspenbloompetcare.com and www.thewholedog.org. You can download past episodes of Animal Talk Naturally on iTunes. Be sure to listen to our Podcast interview with these knowledgeable practitioners! Jon and I will be guests on Animal Talk Naturally February 9th. Broad River Pastures Farm Updates Our first Silver Rabbit doe's litter has 4 healthy kits, age 18 days now. They are out of the nest box, fully furred, and hopping about with their eyes open. It is very rewarding to see the life process unfold from breeding to birth and maturation in such a short span of time! I've added a rare white Beveren doe to the rabbitry. She came bred and we are looking for a litter in mid February. Jon brought home an additional trio of rabbits from Maryland via Whitmore Farm. One of those does is also expecting a litter in mid February. We are adding additional room to our barn to help with feed storage and to allow us to remodel the rest of the building and apartment. Things are developing quickly and professionally. We will have an apartment ready for our next intern very soon! Our 13 Orpington and Orpington-cross hens are all laying medium to large eggs now. Our 8 Black Copper Marans hens began laying small eggs recently, too. The ducks continue to lay extra large and Jumbo sized eggs. Jon and Cathy Payne no 45:26 Cooking Tender Grassfed Meat (Podcast ONL072) and a GIVEAWAY! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/cooking-tender-grassfed-meat-podcast-onl072-and-a-giveaway/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/cooking-tender-grassfed-meat-podcast-onl072-and-a-giveaway/#comments Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:00:03 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=515 Today’s show is an interview with Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat: Traditional Ways to Cook Healthy Meat. Stanley shares his remarkable story of healing with traditional foods and how a lawyer became a researcher and cookbook writer. We share some updates from the farm as well. You can download the show [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/cooking-tender-grassfed-meat-podcast-onl072-and-a-giveaway/feed/ 29 Giveaway,Homesteading,Lifestyle,Local Food,Low-Carb,Price,Recipes,Weston Price Today's show is an interview with Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat: Traditional Ways to Cook Healthy Meat. Stanley shares his remarkable story of healing with traditional foods and how a lawyer became a researcher and cookbook writer. Today's show is an interview with Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat: Traditional Ways to Cook Healthy Meat. Stanley shares his remarkable story of healing with traditional foods and how a lawyer became a researcher and cookbook writer.... Jon and Cathy Payne no 54:52 Saving an American Heritage Breed http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/12/saving-an-american-heritage-breed/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/12/saving-an-american-heritage-breed/#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:00:19 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/12/saving-an-american-heritage-breed/ It may seem counter intuitive, but the best way to save a heritage breed is to consume it. This week Broad River Pastures Rabbitry had its beginning with the purchase of Cassanova and Francesca, critically endangered Silver Fox rabbits.

I first got an itch to raise rabbits a couple years ago when I listened [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/12/saving-an-american-heritage-breed/feed/ 8 ONL071 Selina DeLangre Naturally Knows about Real Food http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/12/onl071-selina-delangre-naturally-knows-about-real-food/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/12/onl071-selina-delangre-naturally-knows-about-real-food/#comments Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:41:46 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=501 Selina DeLangre, CEO of Selina Naturally spoke to us at length recently about her personal story that led to her lifelong passion to discover “healthy new products that not only improve wellbeing, but enhance the quality of life.” She spent some time sharing information and background on many of the “products to inspire ultimate wellbeing” [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/12/onl071-selina-delangre-naturally-knows-about-real-food/feed/ 1 Gift Ideas,Homesteading,Lifestyle,Low-Carb,Low-Carb Lifestyle,Price,Weston Price Selina DeLangre, CEO of Selina Naturally spoke to us at length recently about her personal story that led to her lifelong passion to discover "healthy new products that not only improve wellbeing, but enhance the quality of life. Selina DeLangre, CEO of Selina Naturally spoke to us at length recently about her personal story that led to her lifelong passion to discover "healthy new products that not only improve wellbeing, but enhance the quality of life." She spent some time sharing information and background on many of the "products to inspire ultimate wellbeing" featured in her current Selina Naturally line. At the end of this blog look for a coupon code to get free shipping from Selina Naturally, exclusive to Our Natural Life readers, from December 6-20, 2010. Happy shopping! Jon and I love Selina's products. When we first started using them, the company, then run by Selina's Father-in-Law, was known as the Grain and Salt Society. I have enjoyed seeing the product line grow under Selina's leadership. She is obviously dedicated to promoting total health, and supports product lines for people dedicated to following diets such as those endorsed by the Weston A. Price Foundation, The Maker's Diet, GAPs diet, the Body Ecology Diet, and raw diets. It is obvious that she makes it her business to stay informed and involved with her product lines. Her staff is also well trained and informed. In the spirit of full disclosure, I need to let you know that Our Natural Life (Alchemy New Media) is an Affiliate of Selina Naturally and other stores found on our "Go Shopping" page. That means if you click our link prior to making a purchase, we get a percentage of the sales. This allows us to purchase the equipment we need to keep our podcast going and the server space to host this blog. I like to put together little gift baskets for relatives at holiday time. I found some great items for this in the recent catalog. The ones I chose included a set of three Organic Fresh Gomasio Toasted Sesame Seed Salt Grinders, our favorite creamy Really Raw Honey, and some amazing organic Raw Chocolate Truffles. She also has tools for food preparation, natural health and beauty products, and bath salts and soaps. I decided to join the Buyer's Club in order to save 10% off all products purchased for the next year. I have my eye on a new nine-tray Excalibur food dehydrator, and the savings on that alone will be significant. If you are a regular listener to our podcast, you've probably heard me mention that we take Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil as a supplement. We get this from Selina Naturally, as well. If you'd like to take advantage of FREE SHIPPING between December 6 and December 20, please shop through our Go Shopping affiliate page and use the coupon code ONLSHIP. Thank you so much for your support of us and Selina Naturally! Farm Update By the time this podcast airs we will have our first three rare meat rabbits for breeding. We will be raising Silver Fox and white, blue-eyed Beveren. These rabbits are good-tempered, in danger of extinction, and valued for both furs and meat. They are very hard to find here in the southeast, so we hope to be the ones to bring them to Georgia. Jon worked hard all week to get my rabbit hutch finished, and put in his longest day today to get it done. He is amazing! We are driving to North Carolina to get our custom cages from Charles Bryant at Wooleyboogers, then coming back south to South Carolina to Garden Gate Rabbitry to get the bunns from Loretta and Gloria Hayward. I'm sure we'll have photos to share with our next post. We'll need to add some of pup Cody and the milk goat, Frannie, as well. Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:12:36 ONL070 Neal Foley, Rennaisance Man http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl070-neal-foley-rennaisance-man/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl070-neal-foley-rennaisance-man/#comments Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:57:09 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=495 Neal Foley is a master of many skills. Although he once dreamed of veterinary school, an apprenticeship at a raw milk dairy inspired him to look at agriculture. He is now an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, media host, blogger, videographer, educator, butcher, food photographer, homesteader, and “accidental agrarian”. He has influenced and inspired me through [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl070-neal-foley-rennaisance-man/feed/ 2 English Shepherds,Gift Ideas,Homesteading,Lifestyle,Local Food Neal Foley is a master of many skills. Although he once dreamed of veterinary school, an apprenticeship at a raw milk dairy inspired him to look at agriculture. He is now an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, media host, blogger, videographer, educator, Neal Foley is a master of many skills. Although he once dreamed of veterinary school, an apprenticeship at a raw milk dairy inspired him to look at agriculture. He is now an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, media host, blogger, videographer, educator, butcher, food photographer, homesteader, and "accidental agrarian". He has influenced and inspired me through his various social networks and is always ready to give a word of encouragement when needed. We recently had an extensive conversation about his journey, farming, raising Silver Fox Rabbits, and English Shepherds. I first connected with Neal on twitter, where he tweets as Podchef. This led me to his podcast, The Podchef's Gastrocast, available on iTunes. The first episode I listened to was about raising rabbits. I remember coming home to Jon and asking him if we could keep a few in the basement or back yard. The more I learned about Neal, the more impressed and fascinated I became. So I was thrilled when we finally sat down in October and connected for an early morning interview. It was great because we learned more about how his background and what brought him back to the East coast and to Claddagh Farms. Neal embraces the Farm to Table concept as a producer of heritage breeds, processor/butcher, and "nose to tail" gourmet chef. His farm includes Jersey cows, pastured pigs, Silver Fox rabbits, English Shepherd dogs, and Roen ducks. He is also an accomplished gardener. With twenty years of experience, he generously shares his expertise through videos and workshops. For example, this week and in December he is hosting a two day Porkshop that will include slaughtering and processing a pig and making blood sausage, head cheese, pate, bacon, ham, and lard. Next week he hosts Duckfest, a chance to learn how to turn ducks into confit de canard, terrine de foie naturale, and le grande cassoulet. Neal shared with us that the fuel keeping him going is the dire state of our food system and his motivation to teach others to live, farm, and eat more sustainably. Letters from appreciative fans let him know that he is making an impact in people's lives. I steered much of the discussion in this show selfishly to the raising of Silver Fox rabbits. I first learned about this breed from Neal and am excited about the opportunity to help preserve this critically endangered heritage American breed. Rabbit meat, or lapin in French, is very high in protein. With correct cooking it can be very delicious with a rich depth of flavor and texture. With only 1/4 acre of space, a doe can produce about 120 pounds of meat in a year. If her daughters are also bred, the meat produced in a year with the meat produced by a steer in two year's time. The rabbit manure can be used to side dress garden vegetables, assist in vermiculture, make compost tea, or benefit vermiculture. In addition, produce from the garden can feed your rabbits, resulting in a harmonious cycle. Rabbits are easily dressed out at home. Parts not consumed such as entrails, heads and feet make healthy food for canine and feline companions. The pelts can be cured and made into bags and garments. Absolutely nothing is wasted. In the 1940s both my father and Jon's uncle raised rabbits along with victory gardens during World War II. We also discussed English Shepherds. Our clear sable and white ES puppy is now 3 months old and already demonstrating early skills in herding, hunting, and guarding, the three hallmarks of this landrace breed. We hope that Cody's conformation and temperament will make him eligible to contribute to the continuation of this rare and important American breed. You can find out more about Neal by following him on facebook, or at his blogs including The Gastrocast, Claddagh Farms & The Kitchen Garden Company, and The Accidental Agrarian. If you're looking for a unique holiday gift, consider purchasing the Gastrocast Cookbook. More Holiday Shopping Ideas: Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:21:21 ONL069 Stop the Frankenfish Nightmare! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:28:20 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/feed/ 5 Lifestyle Jeffrey M. Smith, expert on Genetically Modified Organisms and author of Genetic Roulette and Seeds of Deception spoke to us recently about his campaign to ban the release of genetically engineered fish into our food system. Jeffrey M. Smith, expert on Genetically Modified Organisms and author of Genetic Roulette and Seeds of Deception spoke to us recently about his campaign to ban the release of genetically engineered fish into our food system. Jon and Cathy Payne no 58:04 ONL068 Dreaming of Animals http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/10/onl068-dreaming-of-animals/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/10/onl068-dreaming-of-animals/#comments Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:04:43 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=430 How often do you dream of animals? What do they mean? How do animals impact your life on a conscious or unconscious level? These are some of the issues explored by Valerie Harms in her Eco-psychology book entitled, Dreaming of Animals: Dialogue between Self and World. Jon and I chatted with her about our [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/10/onl068-dreaming-of-animals/feed/ 1 Eco-psychology,Ecology,Lifestyle How often do you dream of animals? What do they mean? How do animals impact your life on a conscious or unconscious level? These are some of the issues explored by Valerie Harms in her Eco-psychology book entitled, How often do you dream of animals? What do they mean? How do animals impact your life on a conscious or unconscious level? These are some of the issues explored by Valerie Harms in her Eco-psychology book entitled, Dreaming of Animals: Dialogue between... Jon and Cathy Payne no 50:33 ONL067 Birke Baehr Speaks out for REAL Food! GIVEAWAY http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/10/onl067-birke-baehr-speaks-out-for-real-food-giveaway/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/10/onl067-birke-baehr-speaks-out-for-real-food-giveaway/#comments Sun, 17 Oct 2010 15:04:01 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=449

Birke and Bill Keener at Sesquatchie Farms, Tennessee

What a joy it was interviewing Birke about his passion! He is an amazing voice for the real food and sustainable farming movement. By now you have probably seen his YouTube video, but even more moving is to hear him live and unrehearsed sharing his [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/10/onl067-birke-baehr-speaks-out-for-real-food-giveaway/feed/ 9 Giveaway,Lifestyle,Weston Price What a joy it was interviewing Birke about his passion! He is an amazing voice for the real food and sustainable farming movement. By now you have probably seen his YouTube video, but even more moving is to hear him live and unrehearsed sharing his sto... What a joy it was interviewing Birke about his passion! He is an amazing voice for the real food and sustainable farming movement. By now you have probably seen his YouTube video, but even more moving is to hear him live and unrehearsed sharing his story. Jon and I talked with him about his family's lifestyle choices, his concern about healthy food, his message, and his future plans. This is a young man who wants to leave his mark on the world. I'm so encouraged by his leadership for the next generation! In our blog we have a GIVEAWAY for 3 copies of the new  Our Natural Life - Podcast App for your iPhone.  Good luck! Recently I blogged about a conversation with Birke's mother about how he came to make his speech at Tedx Next Generation in Asheville North Carolina. Several people have commented to me that they had assumed, as I had, that Birke was heavily impacted by his family. In fact, the opposite is true. Birke is consumed with healthy eating and the slow food movement and has been the one influencing the adults and other kids in his circle. Some farmers who have influenced Birke include Bill Keener of Sequatchie Cove Farm, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, Jason Mann, director of Full Moon Farm Cooperative, and Jeff Poppen, aka the barefoot farmer, farm manager of Long Hungry Creek Farm. He runs in good company! Birke volunteers on farms while his family travels, supplements his home school curriculum with independent study, and recently took a cheese making class. He is not afraid of hard work and wants his life to make a difference in the world. He is interested in saving money and take part in a future apprenticeship or intern opportunity in farming. In the meantime, he is sharing his message on his facebook page and offering his services as a public speaker to adults or children. Birke appealed to our listeners to oppose Senate Bill S510, entitled the Food Safety and Modernization Act, due to the negative impact this bill would have on small farmers as it is currently written. Since Birke will not be of voting age for another 7 years, he has asked those who can influence their congressmen to do so. I think we will be hearing much more from Birke Baehr! We've had a busy week at Broad River Pastures with sales of duck eggs, garden produce, and Lucky Dog liver treats. We had a farm tour for 4 people on Saturday, and processed parts of two deer shot behind our farm to use as dog food. I wrote a guest post for the Agriculture Society blog.  I'm leaving in the morning to visit a South Carolina rabbitry that raises Silver Fox rabbits, to visit grandkids, and to bring home our English Shepherd puppy and 11 French Black Copper Marans. We just processed 8 cockerels and have chicken in the freezer. Jon and I have a GIVEAWAY this week for the Our Natural Life - Podcast App. We will have 3 winners! This is the most convenient way to access Our Natural Life Podcast on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode. Instant access, just touch and play! This App contains the following features: Streaming access to play episode from anywhere Always updated with the latest episodes- and an archived back catalog Download the episodes and play them when offline Playback resume (when interrupted by a call or other distraction) Favorites (mark the episodes you want to return back to over and over) Quick access to all the contact methods for the show We will also have bonus content available only through this app in the future. The app is available on the iTunes store for $1.99. Be sure to choose the Wizzard Media version in the Lifestyle category, released October 4. (Or just click this link!) Up to 10 chances to enter our GIVEAWAY! Blog about this giveaway and Birke Baehr and link back to this page on your blog. Post a comment below with a link to your blog. (2 entries) Sign up for the Our Natural Life newsletter or RSS feed. Jon and Cathy Payne no 48:00 Birke Baehr Inspires his Family and a Movement http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/birke-baehr-inspires-his-family-and-a-movement/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/birke-baehr-inspires-his-family-and-a-movement/#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:22:03 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/birke-baehr-inspires-his-family-and-a-movement/ By now, many if not most of our readers will have viewed the TedX speech Birke Baehr made in Asheville August 28, 2010. The YouTube was just released last month. What you may not know is the remarkable story about how Birke influenced the shopping and eating habits of his close-knit family. I learned [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/birke-baehr-inspires-his-family-and-a-movement/feed/ 9 ONL065 Putting up Field Fence with Howard Athas http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/onl065-putting-up-field-fence-with-howard-athas/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/onl065-putting-up-field-fence-with-howard-athas/#comments Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:47:17 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=417 In this episode we talk to Howard Athas, distributor sales manager of the Stay-Tuff Fence Company in New Braunfels, Texas. He spoke with us about how to properly install a quality field fence. In particular, he represents his company’s high tensile, fixed-knot fences. This is the kind we decided to erect on the perimeter of [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/onl065-putting-up-field-fence-with-howard-athas/feed/ 4 Homesteading,Lifestyle In this episode we talk to Howard Athas, distributor sales manager of the Stay-Tuff Fence Company in New Braunfels, Texas. He spoke with us about how to properly install a quality field fence. In particular, he represents his company's high tensile, In this episode we talk to Howard Athas, distributor sales manager of the Stay-Tuff Fence Company in New Braunfels, Texas. He spoke with us about how to properly install a quality field fence. In particular, he represents his company's high tensile, fixed-knot fences. This is the kind we decided to erect on the perimeter of our farm. Completing this fence was the first step toward adding livestock to our farm. Click on the link below to listen to the interview or download from iTunes, Zune, Stitcher, or Tivo. Who knew how important the topic of fencing was going to become to us? As a city dweller most of my life, my only experience with fencing was something to keep rabbits out of my garden and my dogs inside my yard. Those basic needs are the same on the farm - you need a fence around the perimeter that will keep predators out, and livestock in. How you achieve those goals is what makes it complicated. Every farmer we visited or asked had a different response. Many of them were not thrilled with the field fences they actually had on the farm and had experienced both losses from predators and the escape of animals. Since installing the fence was going to be a large expense of funds, labor, and time, I wanted to make sure that it was a good decision. However, since I had never done this and had varying advise, it was very difficult for me. We didn't even own any livestock to base a decision on. I was thinking about raising horned meat goats, though, and reasoned that any fence effective for that type of animal would be effective for any other livestock we may get. I joined a Yahoo Group for meat goats and asked about what kind of fences they used. I got a few responses, but more than one recommended the Stay-Tuff Goat-Tuff fence. When I checked out the website, I was intrigued with the heavy-duty look of the fence and reassured with charts that matched various fence models with their purpose on the farm. And they had local distributors. One was less than an hour's drive from us. When I contacted him, he offered to deliver our fence wire and posts at no charge! That was an offer too good to refuse. And the Stay-Tuff website included step by step instructions to assist in installation. Our UGA summer interns provided the manual labor to install our field fence. Once we knew what kind of fencing we would use, we needed to plan out our fence line and determine where to locate the gates and braces. It is always better to have more gates than less for easy access. We are actually using different kinds of fencing on the farm. The first, most essential in my opinion, is the perimeter fence. I have seen farms without a perimeter fence but they have problems with predators and must keep their animals in confined housing or portable fences only. The perimeter fence can be high tensile electric, barbed wire, woven wire hinged, or high tensile fixed knot. There are various spaces between the wires that keep animals from entering or escaping from your property. Cross-fencing is an interior fence within the perimeter or field fence that keeps animals within a designated part of your property. Its purpose is primarily to keep animals in. This can be a woven wire or portable electric wire or electric netting fence. Portable fencing wire with step in posts allows you to move animals frequently onto clean pasture to increase nutrition, prevent erosion, and minimize parasites. Creep fencing allows smaller animals to enter but keeps larger animals out. In the case of sheep, a creep feeder gate allows lambs to leave their mother and eat grass uncontaminated by their mother's parasites. In the case of chickens, it allows them to eat grower feed rather than a lower protein layer mash. We used portable poultry netting around the chicken coop when we first let our pullets on pasture so they could leave the pen to eat bugs but the big chickens could not enter and steal their food. Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:14:31 Local Food Goes Gourmet! Osso Buco with Fennel and Orange from Grass Fed “Meaty Bones” http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/local-food-goes-gourmet-osso-buco-with-fennel-and-orange-from-grass-fed-meaty-bones/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/local-food-goes-gourmet-osso-buco-with-fennel-and-orange-from-grass-fed-meaty-bones/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:37:52 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/local-food-goes-gourmet-osso-buco-with-fennel-and-orange-from-grass-fed-meaty-bones/ Cooking real food on a budget? Since retiring, setting up infrastructure on the farm, and still waiting for a sale on our house in the suburbs, we are, too. However, we are not willing to compromise on quality or nutrition. Jon finished building our pantry last week, and I quickly filled it up with my [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/local-food-goes-gourmet-osso-buco-with-fennel-and-orange-from-grass-fed-meaty-bones/feed/ 5 ONL064 Feeding your Family the Local, Humane, and Nutrient Dense Way http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/08/onl064-feeding-your-family-the-local-humane-and-nutrient-dense-way/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/08/onl064-feeding-your-family-the-local-humane-and-nutrient-dense-way/#comments Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:44:37 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=397 http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/08/onl064-feeding-your-family-the-local-humane-and-nutrient-dense-way/feed/ 4 Price,raw milk,Real Milk,Weston,Weston Price Here is a podcast conversation with Kimberly Hartke, Publicist of Weston A. Price Foundation, on the health benefits of eating farm fresh foods. We also cover the controversy surrounding the USDA dietary guidelines. Here is a podcast conversation with Kimberly Hartke, Publicist of Weston A. Price Foundation, on the health benefits of eating farm fresh foods. We also cover the controversy surrounding the USDA dietary guidelines. Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:04:48 ONL063 GIVEAWAY Ann Marie Michaels cooks Surf and Turf. You can, too! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/08/onl063-giveaway-ann-marie-michaels-cooks-surf-and-turf-you-can-too/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/08/onl063-giveaway-ann-marie-michaels-cooks-surf-and-turf-you-can-too/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:26:02 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=381

Ann Marie Michaels aka CHEESESLAVE spoke to us today about her exciting new online class, Surf and Turf: Cooking Wild Seafood and Grass-fed Meats. Have you ever wondered about the difference between farm-raised and wild caught fish? Are you afraid to prepare fish because you don’t know what to do with it? Did you [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/08/onl063-giveaway-ann-marie-michaels-cooks-surf-and-turf-you-can-too/feed/ 49 Ann Marie Michaels aka CHEESESLAVE spoke to us today about her exciting new online class, Surf and Turf: Cooking Wild Seafood and Grass-fed Meats. Have you ever wondered about the difference between farm-raised and wild caught fish? Ann Marie Michaels aka CHEESESLAVE spoke to us today about her exciting new online class, Surf and Turf: Cooking Wild Seafood and Grass-fed Meats. Have you ever wondered about the difference between farm-raised and wild caught fish? Are you afraid to p... Jon and Cathy Payne no 46:38 ONL062 Conversation with Jimmy Moore – Living the Low-Carb Life http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/onl062-conversation-with-jimmy-moore-living-the-low-carb-life/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/onl062-conversation-with-jimmy-moore-living-the-low-carb-life/#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:18:39 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=373 Jimmy Moore is the energetic host of the wildly popular podcast show, Livin' La Vida Low-Carb. In this show we talk to him about his 180 pound weight loss, the lessons he has learned through personal experience and his interview guests, and his two books. We also discuss the USDA proposal for the 2010 dietary guidelines. Jimmy does not mince words, and I think you will enjoy the interview.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/onl062-conversation-with-jimmy-moore-living-the-low-carb-life/feed/ 4 Jimmy Moore,Low-Carb Lifestyle,raw milk,Real Milk,Weston Price Jimmy Moore is the energetic host of the wildly popular podcast show, Livin' La Vida Low-Carb. In this show we talk to him about his 180 pound weight loss, the lessons he has learned through personal experience and his interview guests, Jimmy Moore is the energetic host of the wildly popular podcast show, Livin' La Vida Low-Carb. In this show we talk to him about his 180 pound weight loss, the lessons he has learned through personal experience and his interview guests, and his two books. We also discuss the USDA proposal for the 2010 dietary guidelines. Jimmy does not mince words, and I think you will enjoy the interview. Jon and Cathy Payne no 57:38 Everything is Ducky in Elberton! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/everything-is-ducky-in-elberton/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/everything-is-ducky-in-elberton/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:21:31 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=363 Life on our new farm is busy and hot, but Jon and I consider ourselves "lucky ducks" because we have our first livestock on the farm. You guessed it - ducks! Sunday morning we picked up nine Khaki Campbell ducks that are six weeks old. Hens of this breed are notoriously good egg layers, excellent foragers on pasture, and hardy. Duck eggs are nutrient-dense and rich in protein, fat, cholesterol, and calcium. People who are allergic to chicken's eggs can often enjoy eggs of other layers such as ducks.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/everything-is-ducky-in-elberton/feed/ 8 ONL061 From Suburb to Farm http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:58:31 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/ A misty morning on the walking trail.

Jon and I have been very busily transitioning from suburb to farm. It has been quite an adventure! Thanks to all of you who have been following us on facebook or Twitter, send encouraging emails, and listening to the archives of our Podcasts. I finished my last [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/feed/ 3 Jon and I have been very busily transitioning from suburb to farm. It has been quite an adventure! Thanks to all of you who have been following us on facebook or Twitter, send encouraging emails, and listening to the archives of our Podcasts. Jon and I have been very busily transitioning from suburb to farm. It has been quite an adventure! Thanks to all of you who have been following us on facebook or Twitter, send encouraging emails, and listening to the archives of our Podcasts. I finished my last day of my 33 year teaching career Friday, May 28, so we hope to get back to regularly scheduled blogs and Podcasts again. Thank you for your loyalty and patience. Since our last Podcast on April 2, we have completed so many projects at Broad River Pastures! In spite of the busyness, Jon religiously walks the farm each morning with his coffee and takes time to enjoy the beauty here. On the left is a photo of the woods near Kelley Creek one misty morning in May. I'll see if we can post more of his morning walk photos on the Our Natural Life Podcast page on facebook. We have been greatly blessed this month to become grandparents once again! This time we have a grandson. Mom, Dad, big sister and baby are doing fine. Another blessing on our farm is the arrival of interns Andrew and Patrick. They have provided invaluable skills, ideas, and labor for us as we get things started. They've used scrap lumber to build our square foot gardens, built a duck coop/schooner style, removed our barbed wire fences, and built compost bins. Not bad at all for their first 10 days on the job! Better Bilt Homes erected our Garage Workshop/Apartment building in only 8 days in April. We need to add HAC, electric, plumbing, and insulation, but we are very glad to have the storage space and workshop for Jon. The construction short movies are on YouTube here. We welcomed our first farm animals this weekend! Cici and Pearl are rescued Great Pyrenees who have been working as Livestock Guardian Dogs on a farm with goats, chickens, and ducks. They are anxiously awaiting a new flock to protect. In a few days we will be bringing up some Khaki Campbell duck layers for them to work protect. They will be providing the border patrol we need to keep coyotes, wild boar, foxes, and feral dogs off the farm. Our neighbors the Youngs at Natures Harmony Farm are raising a thousand broilers on pasture with no losses thanks to their hard working livestock guardians. We are grateful to all the servicemen who risked or lost their lives to serve their country, and those who continue to serve. We hope that you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Thank you for all your support, letters, donations, and support by shopping our Amazon Store, Selina Naturally, and other affiliates. Jon and Cathy. Live "Farm Cam" Broad River Pastures blog. All images (c) 2010 Alchemy New Medial LLC, all rights reserved. Jon and Cathy Payne no 37:57 Raw Milk Issues in the News! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/04/raw-milk-issues-in-the-news/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/04/raw-milk-issues-in-the-news/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:38:34 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/04/raw-milk-issues-in-the-news/ Do you and your family drink fresh raw milk from your local farmer for health and nutrition? Jon and I do. However, the dairy farmers who produce your favorite beverage are struggling with multiple threats to their business right now. Keep reading for more information.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/04/raw-milk-issues-in-the-news/feed/ 2 ONL060 – Why we Follow Nathan Winters http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/04/onl060-why-we-follow-nathan-winters/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/04/onl060-why-we-follow-nathan-winters/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 21:12:10 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=330 Nathan winters traveled by bicycle coast to coast to listen to the voices of American farmers. Along the way he made many friends while growing in wisdom beyond his years. We will continue to follow Nathan's adventures, including his work on a Vermont farm and the community-supported publishing of his upcoming book. You will want to follow Nathan, too.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/04/onl060-why-we-follow-nathan-winters/feed/ 0 Nathan winters traveled by bicycle coast to coast to listen to the voices of American farmers. Along the way he made many friends while growing in wisdom beyond his years. We will continue to follow Nathan's adventures, Nathan winters traveled by bicycle coast to coast to listen to the voices of American farmers. Along the way he made many friends while growing in wisdom beyond his years. We will continue to follow Nathan's adventures, including his work on a Vermont farm and the community-supported publishing of his upcoming book. You will want to follow Nathan, too. Jon and Cathy Payne no 57:29 ONL059 Nature’s Harmony Farm Tour http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/02/onl059-natures-harmony-farm-tour/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/02/onl059-natures-harmony-farm-tour/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:09:46 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=294 http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/02/onl059-natures-harmony-farm-tour/feed/ 1 We're very excited about our latest Podcast! Last fall, on our farm tour to Nature's Harmony Farm with Tim and Liz Young, we were inspired to make the transition from suburb to country. Our new place, Broad River Pastures, We're very excited about our latest Podcast! Last fall, on our farm tour to Nature's Harmony Farm with Tim and Liz Young, we were inspired to make the transition from suburb to country. Our new place, Broad River Pastures, is about 7 miles from Nature's Harmony. We think you will be inspired as we were. You can listen to the Podcast on the link below. Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:19:34 ONL057 OMG, We Bought the Farm! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:16:11 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/ Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, we are only hours away from a [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/feed/ 6 413 Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, we are only hours away from a blue moon and lunar eclipse. While New Year's Eve is always a time for celebration, this one is especially dear for Jon and me, even in addition to celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary on January 1. Here is the teaser (with apologies for the cliches): our goose is cooked, we bought the farm, and I'm going out to pasture in June! Keep reading to find out more! You can listen to our Podcast by downloading ONL057 from iTunes, Zune, Tivo, or Stitcher or by clicking on the embedded link below. On October 9, 2009, Jon and I took a weekend to spend some quality time together. We stayed at Fair Havens Plantation, an historic Bed and Breakfast in rural Arnoldsville. This was in order to be close to Elberton on October 10 to attend Tim and Liz Young's Local Food Camp Out at Natures Harmony Farm. Relaxing in the country settings away from our everyday responsibilities prompted one of us to comment, "Wouldn't it be great to live out here and raise some of our own food?" Wind forward 11 1/2 weeks to December 30, 2009. Just a few days after enjoying our Christmas Eve goose we are proud owners of an 11 acre farm and historic farmhouse near the Broad River just a few miles down the road from Natures Harmony Farm. I've decided to retire from teaching at the end of my 33 year career this May, and will spend my time with pastured livestock on our new homestead! Of course, it all happened with lightning speed, changing from a fleeting comment to reality once we applied our skills of expressing gratitude, setting intention, scripting to manifest abundance, and accessing our inner guidance systems. Looking back one year (or even 3 months) we can see how powerful these tools were when we applied them to our lives. These are all topics which we have covered in past podcasts. Even though we never really discussed farming as a career alternative, it seemed like a natural progression due to where we've focused our energies the last two years. Jon is fortunate to work from home most of the time, so we'll both be working on the homestead. Yesterday after our closing we took our first truckload of items to the new house (Jon traded in his hybrid SUV for a Ford F150). The first item off the truck and put into our new home was my copy of Julia Child's The Way to Cook. After unloading the truck, I looked out the living room window to the south pasture and was amazed to find a covey of Bobwhite Quail grazing on our lawn! I've heard the call of the male Bobwhites before, but have never seen one because they are so reclusive. Here were at least 30! We also have deer, turtles, owls, and wild turkeys on the property. We'll be sprucing up our lovely home in Johns Creek soon to sell to a new family in a few months. I will start my retirement June 1 in our Elberton home. Once we hit the ground running this summer, we'll be blogging about our progress, what we learn, and sharing videos with you. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and Podcast so you don't miss a thing! If we're successful with growing our own pastured rabbits, chickens, eggs, goats, and sheep, we'll open a farm store to supply friends and community. If you want to see more photos of Broad River Pastures, go to our facebook page at Our Natural Life Podcast and look at our album, "Introducing Broad River Pastures." Jon and Cathy Payne no 24:08 ONL055 The Liberation Diet http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/11/onl055-the-liberation-diet/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/11/onl055-the-liberation-diet/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:32:19 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=76 In this show we turn the diet experts on their heads. Annette Presley, co-author with Kevin Brown of The Liberation Diet , refutes the mainstream doctrine of weight loss and promotes the eating of real, traditional foods. Annette Presley RD LD NSCF-CPT is a dietician, personal trainer, and adjunct professor. She purports a return to [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/11/onl055-the-liberation-diet/feed/ 0 393 In this show we turn the diet experts on their heads. Annette Presley, co-author with Kevin Brown of The Liberation Diet , refutes the mainstream doctrine of weight loss and promotes the eating of real, traditional foods. In this show we turn the diet experts on their heads. Annette Presley, co-author with Kevin Brown of The Liberation Diet , refutes the mainstream doctrine of weight loss and promotes the eating of real, traditional foods. Annette Presley RD LD NSCF-CPT is a dietician, personal trainer, and adjunct professor. She purports a return to the diet our ancestors ate before the advent of processed foods. The Podcast can be found on the link below or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Stitcher. Would you like to eat real, fat-filled, natural foods such as butter, eggs, steak, and coconut oil and still lose weight and regain your health? The Liberation Diet, like Sally Fallon and Mary Enig's Eat Fat, Lose Fat , states that you can. Their claims are backed up by many readers who have done just that. This "diet" does not include counting calories, and is safe and healthy enough to adopt for a lifetime rather than a temporary fix. Acceptable foods include nutrient-rich bone broths, organ meats, fresh vegetables, and small amounts of fruit and soaked grains. The book has a very easy-to-read style full of interesting historical facts. It is very accessible to the average reader. I'm sure it will spark some controversy. Please feel free to leave your comments! For many of you, the diet might seem very strange or difficult for you to implement, as it involves avoiding processed foods. For Jon and I, this kind of eating is part of our daily life. When we stray from this, our body soon reminds us to return to healthier habits. For breakfast this morning I made organic (traditional but not local) coffee with raw heavy cream from grass fed Jersey cows, some local bacon from pastured pigs, and a lightly scrambled egg from local pastured heritage hens topped with chevre made by a local farmer from raw Saanen goat milk. I chased it down with a cup of raw goats milk. This is a typical breakfast in the Payne household (lucky us!) and one that would be endorsed on The Liberation diet. With this high fat, normal carb meal, there are no spikes in insulin so I can get by without snacking for the next 5 hours until lunch. Worried about cholesterol? Listen to the interview with Chris Masterjohn on cholesterol facts and myths. Wise Traditions Conference I've heard from several of our listeners who are going to the Wise Traditions Conference in Illinois next week. I'm so sorry Jon and I won't be joining you! Jon will be tied up in business meetings all week and I'll be teaching. We're hoping that next year circumstances will allow us to join you - in Maryland, I think. I'm sure you'll network with some wonderful people and learn a lot. And eat great food! A Listener's Suggestions As you know, we enjoy receiving email, facebook comments, tweets, and phone messages from our listeners. We like to know what you like and what you want to hear more of. I want to thank the listener, whoever you are, who recommended us to Jimmy Moore. He is now recommending us to his listeners and we have several new facebook fans. I think Jimmy would endorse Annette and Kevin's diet plan. Margaret Auld-Louie with Optimum Choices recently wrote to us with suggestions about our sound quality. We pride ourselves on doing the best job we can with our available equipment. We'd love to purchase a phone bridge to give you a better listening experience. By leaving us a tip in the tip jar or shopping from our affiliate pages, you can support us in continuing this Podcast. Thank you, Margaret, for starting the contributions. Here are the comments from Margaret regarding soy. Soy is also discussed in interviews with Lierre Keith and Robyn O'Brien. I'd like to hear a podcast on the problems with soy (ideally an interview with Kaayla Daniel, author of the Whole Soy Story, which I have read). As a WAPF member, I'm well aware of the problems but find that few people outside of WAPF are aware of the toxicity of soy. Jon and Cathy Payne no 50:33 ONL050 In Defense of Omnivores http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl050-in-defense-of-omnivores/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl050-in-defense-of-omnivores/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:41:55 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=81 In this Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability. Lierre, a vegan for 20 years, makes compelling arguments for eating meat and counters challenges that shunning meat is healthier, more humane, or better for the planet. The interview can be downloaded below or from iTunes or [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl050-in-defense-of-omnivores/feed/ 0 365 In this Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability. Lierre, a vegan for 20 years, makes compelling arguments for eating meat and counters challenges that shunning meat is healthier, In this Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability. Lierre, a vegan for 20 years, makes compelling arguments for eating meat and counters challenges that shunning meat is healthier, more humane, or better for the planet. The interview can be downloaded below or from iTunes or Zune. Keith nearly destroyed her health while clinging fiercely to her vegan lifestyle. Now she assists others who are making the transition from vegan and vegetarian to omnivore. Even though the vegan or vegetarian reader is her targeted audience, the book resonates strongly with promoters of healthy, traditional and sustainable food, such as Sally Fallon Morrell, founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Lierre heavily researched issues of diet and nutrition, agriculture, our food system, and the destruction of the ecosystem. Parts of the book read like a screenplay for Food, Inc, even though Keith has yet to see the film. She covers the fallacy of feeding grain to ruminants, the benefits of polyculture, and how a vegan diet designed to do no harm leaves thousands of life forms destroyed in order to produce a single meal. She also outlines the grave damage that can be caused by eating large quantities of heavily processed soy made into fake foods. This topic has been widely explored by the Weston A. Price Foundation. Physician Michael Eades, whose work is cited in the book, recently featured a review on his blog. It was a pleasure to have Lierre on our show, and we hope that you enjoy the interview as much as we enjoyed speaking with her. Jon and Cathy Payne no 58:20 ONL049 Sustainable Farmer Lynn Pugh http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl049-sustainable-farmer-lynn-pugh/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl049-sustainable-farmer-lynn-pugh/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:43:54 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=82 In this Podcast we interview Lynn Pugh. She and her husband Chuck are proprietors of Cane Creek Farm in Forsyth County, Georgia. You can download the show on iTunes or Zune or listen from the website below.

We’ve been buying produce from Lynn and Chuck since we discovered their CSA through Local Harvest 3 [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl049-sustainable-farmer-lynn-pugh/feed/ 0 In this Podcast we interview Lynn Pugh. She and her husband Chuck are proprietors of Cane Creek Farm in Forsyth County, Georgia. You can download the show on iTunes or Zune or listen from the website below. - In this Podcast we interview Lynn Pugh. She and her husband Chuck are proprietors of Cane Creek Farm in Forsyth County, Georgia. You can download the show on iTunes or Zune or listen from the website below. We've been buying produce from Lynn and Chuck since we discovered their CSA through Local Harvest 3 seasons ago. When we first contacted them, we were put on a waiting list. However, one shareholder had toddler triplets. The trip to the farm along with three sets of car seats was just too much for the young family. We were able to buy out their share mid season, when produce was at its peak. It seems inconceivable now that we were uninformed about Community Supported Agriculture for so long, and we learned about it from a surprising source. My friend Tammy Billups told me about her favorite charity, Heifer International. It soon became our favorite charity, too. After donating to Heifer, we were subscribed to their wonderful journal, World Ark. World Ark is a wealth of information about sustainable food and how it can ease hunger world wide. It was one of their articles that informed me about CSAs and the Local Harvest website. World Ark also introduced us to Will Allen of Growing Power, the urban farmer in Milwaukee who raised our red wigglers. Lynn, a former science teacher, not only helps feed 75 families on 3 acres of her 17 acre farm, but is also the curriculum director for Georgia Organics, leads educational field trips of her farm, and teaches classes in organic farming methods. She strongly values the camaraderie of these activities, which involve sharing the work, sharing meals, and building community. I took one of Lynn's food preservation classes a couple summers ago and enjoyed the communal experience of working in the kitchen with several other women on July evening putting up tomato sauce using Barbara Kingolver's recipe from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. We are proud to feature sustainable farmers on our show because they are our heroes. We support them any way we can. Our favorite means of support, is of course, to enjoy their food on our plate three times a day! Lynn talks with us about how she became a farmer, her various activities, and the benefits of eating organically raised food. We hope you enjoy listening to it. Weston A. Price Membership Drive and 2009 Conference News Help Jon and me get to the Wise Traditions Conference November 13-15 and become a member today! We will earn one registration for each 15 people we recruit. Be sure to contact us and let us know that you listed us as your referral. We hope to meet many of you at the conference. Scholarships are also available. This year's conference them is "Honoring the Sacred Foods." To hear Sally Fallon Morrell, president talk about reasons for joining the foundation, go here. Become a Food Renegade. Vote with your dollars 3 times a day. Purchase your food from local farmers using sustainable methods. Prepare your food nutritiously at home. Eat real, nutritious food, not processed imitation substitutes. You will be rewarded with great taste, good nutrition, and radiant health. This post is an entry to Fight Back Friday on the Food Renegade website. Jon and Cathy Payne no 57:12 ONL047 FRESH: The Movie Interview with Producer/Director Ana Sofia Joanes http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/07/onl047-fresh-the-movie-interview-with-producerdirector-ana-sofia-joanes/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/07/onl047-fresh-the-movie-interview-with-producerdirector-ana-sofia-joanes/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:47:49 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=85 In this week’s Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Ana Sofia Joanes, producer and director of the recently released documentary FRESH: The Movie. FRESH is a call to action, intending to inspire viewers to positive change and portray a hopeful message about possibilities for sustainable food. Local screenings are followed by a panel discussion with local [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/07/onl047-fresh-the-movie-interview-with-producerdirector-ana-sofia-joanes/feed/ 0 In this week's Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Ana Sofia Joanes, producer and director of the recently released documentary FRESH: The Movie. FRESH is a call to action, intending to inspire viewers to positive change and portray a hopeful message abou... In this week's Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Ana Sofia Joanes, producer and director of the recently released documentary FRESH: The Movie. FRESH is a call to action, intending to inspire viewers to positive change and portray a hopeful message about possibilities for sustainable food. Local screenings are followed by a panel discussion with local representatives from the sustainable food movement. Be sure to download the Podcast at the end of this blog to hear about the movie in Ana's own words. She exhibits great passion for the subject and dedication to the cause. You can also download Podcast ONL047 from iTunes. Fresh: The Movie Readers of our blog and listeners to our Podcast know that Jon and I are passionate about knowing where are food comes from, having personal relationships with our farmers, and assuring that the food we eat has been sustainably and healthily raised, preferably from heritage or heirloom stock. Joanes' documentary does a superb job of highlighting farmers throughout the country who are doing things right. Because of high interest, FRESH is getting lots of media attention from sources such as the Huffington Post, and bloggers Cheeseslave and FairFoodFight . Also receiving attention are featured farmers Will Allen of Growing Power and Joel Salatin of Polyface farms. Will Allen performs miracles on 3 acres in the middle of urban Milwaukee while changing the food system to provide everyone equal access to healthy food. Joel Salatin respects the design of nature to leave his Virginia acreage richer each year rather than depleted, as in conventionally farmed land. Michael Pollan's authoritative voice also lends credibility to the film. Many of you have read his landmark book The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan asserts in the film that "Cheap food is an illusiion" paid for with tax subsidies, environmental damage, and poor health. The story that impacted me most, however, was about Russ Kremer, the formerly conventional pig farmer from Franenstein, Missouri who exterminated his herd after an accident led to an antibiotic resistant strep infection that almost cost him his life. His revelation that what he learned in college went against nature's plan is similar to the story shared with us recently by Bill Hodge. Russ, however, required a life-threatening condition to make the transition. He is now a respected leader in sustainable pork. I also greatly admire the efforts made by small farmer Diane Endicott and her creation of Good Natured Family Farms, an alliance of 75 farms in the Kansas City area. This coop bands together to find purchasers for their products. Many of their fresh, local food is taken to Ball Grocery Stores. Some enlightening information in the film is that if farmers stopped feeding grains to herbivores that do better on grass, 70% of our farm land would be available for development. Andrew Kimball from the Center for Food Safety reported that current data shows medium sized organic farms to be more productive than larger, conventional ones. When asked what parts of the film could not be included in the final cut, Ana conceded that the "elephant in the room" was GMO food. As huge an issue as GMO is to sustainability, she was unable to do it justice in a 72 minute film. The leading authority on GMO is Jeffrey M. Smith, author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette. Next month we will be interviewing Jeffrey for a future Podcast , focusing mainly on Genetic Roulette. Ana Sofia Joanes, soon to be a new mother, has dedicated several years and personal resources to making this documentary. She continues to tour and promote the sustainable food movement. We hope that our listeners support her project and take its message to heart. "Every decision you make at the supermarket is creating a different future for land, farmers, diversity of crops, health of bodies, and communities. Vote with your dollars. Change happens one person at a time." - FRESH, the Movie Jon and Cathy Payne no 43:38 ONL046 Producing Beef in Harmony with Mother Nature: An Interview with Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch, LLC http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:12:57 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/ This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal “revelation” and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, improves the land, saves money, and has hardy, long-lived stock.

Our Natural Life Podcast ONL046

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/feed/ 0 This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal "revelation" and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal "revelation" and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, improves the land, saves money, and has hardy, long-lived stock. Our Natural Life Podcast ONL046 We hope you enjoy the Podcast of our interview. It can be found at the bottom of this blog or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Tivo. We'd love to hear your comments or have you review our show on iTunes. This blog is not meant to duplicate the information in the interview, but to be used as a vehicle to provide links with more information and to encourage you to give a listen! Grass Finished Beef We've been buying beef from Bill and Di Hodge for the past 7 years and have never been disappointed with their product. Bill is the first farmer we purchased from directly and developed a relationship with. We admire the work he is doing with rotational grazing . According to Hodge, a beef cow is kept for an average of 6 years before making a profit in regard to breeding. However, most cows in the industrial system do not live past the age of 5. Hodge's cows live 15-18 years and when Cathy visited his ranch she saw one who was 19. If you have seen recent films such as Food, Inc , FRESH: The Movie , or classics such as King Corn , you may be aware of problems with grain-finished beef. If not, Food Renegade has published some good articles here and here . Other good resources are Jo Robinson's book Pasture Perfect and the Eat Wild website. Supporting Sustainable Farmers On twitter, Cathy has noticed a movement that associates itself with sustainable food called "Meatless Monday." Michael Pollan recommends eating less meat. However, we concur with Lisa M. Hamilton: In order for pasture-based livestock to become a significant part of the meat industry, we need to eat more of its meat, not less. As it is, grass-fed beef accounts for less than one percent of American beef consumption, and numbers for chicken and pork hardly register. Even where the industry is growing, it is stunted by inadequate infrastructure. The greatest challenge is a lack of small-scale slaughterhouses ...but the industry also suffers from a dearth of research, outreach for new producers, and investment in breeding for pasture-based systems. And those things will change only as the market grows. So if you want to use your food choices to impact climate change, by all means follow Dr. Pachauri's suggestion for a meatless Monday. But on Tuesday, have a grass-fed burger-and feel good about it. You can read the rest of Hamilton's article and view her links here . We choose to eat pastured beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat, and milk from pastured cows and goats on a daily basis. We also consume eggs from pastured chickens. Although we do have meatless meals, we rarely have a meatless day, as we are both "protein types ." We prefer to go one additional step and give preference to farmers raising heritage breeds on pasture, something that Nature's Harmony Farm has committed to. By "voting" with our food dollars three times a day in this manner, we are supporting our local sustainable farmers, saving heritage breeds from extinction, improving our local environment, supporting the humane treatment of animals, and eating the most nutritious and delicious meals. It is definitely a win-win situation! Resources You may be wondering where to buy pastured meats in your area. My first recommendation is to contact your local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation . The chapter leaders keep lists of local, sustainable food. We are continuing our membership drive and chance to win registration at the fall conference. If you want to join, use this membership application form and contact us so we can enter you in the drawing. Other resources include Eat Wild, Local Harvest , Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:06:28 ONL037 – Sustainable Food – Georgia Organics Conference http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:36:15 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/ We talk about the 2009 Georgia Organics Conference held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur Georgia. We discuss what we learned at the various breakout sessions, the famous person who sat with us, our new ‘livestock herd’, the great meals we ate, and highlights from Michael Pollan’s keynote address.

Show Links Slow Food USA High [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/feed/ 0 We talk about the 2009 Georgia Organics Conference held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur Georgia. We discuss what we learned at the various breakout sessions, the famous person who sat with us, our new 'livestock herd', the great meals we ate, We talk about the 2009 Georgia Organics Conference held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur Georgia. We discuss what we learned at the various breakout sessions, the famous person who sat with us, our new 'livestock herd', the great meals we ate, and highlights from Michael Pollan's keynote address. Show Links Slow Food USA High Mowing Organic Seeds Seed sales are booming Watershed Media: Dan Imhoff Vermont Feed Farm to School Program White Oak Pastures Grass Fed Beef is Better Nature's Harmony Farm Lasagna Gardening Square Foot Gardening Gutter Water LLC - Products Growing Power The White House Blog - Spring Gardening Michael Pollan All New Square Foot Gardening Lasagna Gardening: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding! //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 51:04 ONL030 – Farm to Table http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/02/onl030-farm-to-table/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/02/onl030-farm-to-table/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:26:58 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=220 In today’s podcast, Cathy interviews Rives Elliott and Joshua Smith from Local Roots Cafe in Roanoke, Virginia. LRC is a farm-to-table restaurant that serves gourmet food produced locally and seasonally using sustainable methods. Most of today’s links relate to local, sustainable food.

Show Links:

Local Roots Cafe Eat Well Guide: Localguide YouTube – Mountain Run [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/02/onl030-farm-to-table/feed/ 0 In today’s podcast, Cathy interviews Rives Elliott and Joshua Smith from Local Roots Cafe in Roanoke, Virginia. LRC is a farm-to-table restaurant that serves gourmet food produced locally and seasonally using sustainable methods. In today’s podcast, Cathy interviews Rives Elliott and Joshua Smith from Local Roots Cafe in Roanoke, Virginia. LRC is a farm-to-table restaurant that serves gourmet food produced locally and seasonally using sustainable methods. Most of today’s links relate to local, sustainable food. Show Links: Local Roots Cafe Eat Well Guide: Localguide YouTube - Mountain Run Farm: Summer 08 Farm Tour Valhalla Vineyards - Award winning wines from the Blue Ridge Mountains New York farms & farming, information on NY Farms Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food Sustainable Food - Change.org: Local Food Should Be For Everyone Cornography: A Video You Need to See articles.mercola.com Coca-Cola Sued for Marketing Vitaminwater as Healthy mercola.com Five Smart Strategies to Lower Your Blood Pressure mercola.com Edible British Columbia, for Food lovers to experience BC’s culinary scene Buy the Tableland DVD at Edible BC YouTube - Tableland DVD Trailer //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 39:12 ONL017 – A Conversation About Sustainable Farming http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/10/onl017-a-conversation-about-sustainable-farming/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/10/onl017-a-conversation-about-sustainable-farming/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:10:55 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=155 Recently we toured the Natures Harmony Farm in Elberton Georgia. This operation is less that 2 years old and it is owned by Tim & Liz Young. Cathy & I sat down with Tim & Liz after the farm tour and asked them to tell us their story. We did the interview in the backyard [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/10/onl017-a-conversation-about-sustainable-farming/feed/ 0 Recently we toured the Natures Harmony Farm in Elberton Georgia. This operation is less that 2 years old and it is owned by Tim & Liz Young. Cathy & I sat down with Tim & Liz after the farm tour and asked them to tell us their story. Recently we toured the Natures Harmony Farm in Elberton Georgia. This operation is less that 2 years old and it is owned by Tim & Liz Young. Cathy & I sat down with Tim & Liz after the farm tour and asked them to tell us their story. We did the interview in the backyard so there are some background noises such as the animals, airplanes, and rifle shots (it was the first day of hunting season). Here are the links we talked about on today's show. Eat Wild Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food Chicago High School Raises Crops, Career Hopes : NPR The Problem is the Solution | Seventh Generation Mexico City Plants Green Roofs : Red, Green, and Blue Rodale Institute, Leaders in Organic Solutions for Global Warming GoodGuide | Home //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 27:04 ONL016 – Farm Tour http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/10/onl016-farm-tour/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/10/onl016-farm-tour/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:09:11 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=154 In this episode we discuss what we saw during our tour of the Natures Harmony Farm in Elberton GA. This farm is a great representation of a new farming model that is part of the sustainable and clean food revolution.

In this show we will share what we learned about Nature’s Harmony Farm about:

Slow [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/10/onl016-farm-tour/feed/ 0 In this episode we discuss what we saw during our tour of the Natures Harmony Farm in Elberton GA. This farm is a great representation of a new farming model that is part of the sustainable and clean food revolution. In this episode we discuss what we saw during our tour of the Natures Harmony Farm in Elberton GA. This farm is a great representation of a new farming model that is part of the sustainable and clean food revolution. In this show we will share what we learned about Nature's Harmony Farm about: Slow Food Philosophy Animals raised on grass Mimicry of nature's biodiversity within an agricultural model Challenges and benefits of raising heritage breeds Managing a farm by working with the animals Links to websites we discussed; Natures Harmony Farm Polyface Farms Local Farms Save Local Communities Lisa Ling Investigates Treatment of Animals on Farms Jon and Cathy Payne no 33:10 E-Garden Success in Germany http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/08/untitled-10/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/08/untitled-10/#comments Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:45:04 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/08/untitled-10/ Jon’s sister Hilary, living in Germany, is an avid gardener and ONL subscriber. Here is an update from a recent e-mail. She hasn’t had the challenges with rabbits that we have. The comment to Jon is due to his childhood aversion to carrots. We love to hear from our listeners. Feel free to tell [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/08/untitled-10/feed/ 0 ONL001 – Our Journey Begins http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl001-our-journey-begins/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl001-our-journey-begins/#comments Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:29:24 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl001-our-journey-begins/ This is our first show. Cathy and I introduce ourselves and explain why we are producing this podcast. See the About Us page for more about our reasons.

First, apologies for the audio quality of this 1st episode. This podcasting gig seemed simple but there are a lot of little technical things that can trip [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl001-our-journey-begins/feed/ 0 This is our first show. Cathy and I introduce ourselves and explain why we are producing this podcast. See the About Us page for more about our reasons. - First, apologies for the audio quality of this 1st episode. This is our first show. Cathy and I introduce ourselves and explain why we are producing this podcast. See the About Us page for more about our reasons. First, apologies for the audio quality of this 1st episode. This podcasting gig seemed simple but there are a lot of little technical things that can trip you up. I'm sure the shows will get progressively better as I learn the technical stuff. (This lesson learned was about the importance of adequate microphone input volume.) Links to topics we discussed. Al Sears, MD - Drugs can rob you of more than money. Al Sears, MD talks about how popular prescription and OTC medications rob your body of vital nutrients producing even more side affects that the ones they tell you about. For example, aspirin makes it harder for your body to absorb vitamin C and Statins (for lowering cholesterol) can affect sexual performance. On the same website you will also find the article we discussed about inflammation and hidden food allergies. Look for the June 2008, issue 28 article. SPERTI - The KBD D/UV lamp that we use to get proper levels of Vitamin D. ENLITA the elimination diet we are following to find hidden food allergies or sensitivities that might be causing inflammation. STEVIA - The natural herb that is sweeter than sugar, and better for you! also read this article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia and notice the section headed Political Controversy. This is a classic example of what is wrong with the food and medicine supply in this country. If a corporation can't patent it and make money off it, they get it outlawed! The Daily Green - has the article about organic labeling. Videos that we found enlightening! King Corn Future of Food Fast Food Nation Supersize Me Sicko The Real Dirt on Farmer John All of them can be rented from Netflix or purchased from our Amazon store. Broken links? I can't fix them if you don't email me Jon and Cathy Payne no 32:35