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First Aired - 06/28/2012 01:00PM
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This week on The Farm Report, Erin Fairbanks continues her exploration into the world of agricultural fiber. First on the show, Virginia Scholomiti of Yellow Farm describes the process of breeding and managing flock to produce fleeces of superior quality for hand-spinners and crafters. From artificial insemination to sheep coats, learn about everything it takes to produce high end fiber from sheep. Later on, Andy Rice of Hogget Hill Farm joins the conversation to talk about his work with the Swiss Village Foundation, the process of retaining heritage breed genetics and concerns of parasite control and diversity. Learn how the process of shearing has been perfected in New Zealand and why what's good for the sheep is good for the shearer. This program was sponsored by International Culinary Center.
"We are always there when our lambs are born, because our sheep are very rare and we can't afford to lose any of them."
--Virginia Scholomiti of Yellow Farm on The Farm Report
"The idea behind preserving rare breeds is that some of these breeds, for instance the Santa Cruz breeds in California, have developed some of their own natural parasite control. If we can use some of these genetics in our modern breeds and not have to use drugs [to fight parasites], it would be a whole lot better."
"The better a shearer gets the more relaxed the animal gets. It has nothing to do with the sheep, it's all dependent on the shearer and how you control them. Whether the sheep like it or not is very hard to say."
"A good blade shearer can shear 200 sheep in a day."
--Andy Rice of Hogget Hill Farm on The Farm Report
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Virginia Scholomiti of Yellow Farm (21:00)
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The Fiber Series, Virginia Scholomiti, fiber production, Albany, grazing animals, heritage breeds, coloring, curly, Rastafarian, sheep, yarn shop, sheep and wool festival, shearing, hand spinning, organic, coating, hands-on, rare breed, live auction market, genetic stock, Wensleydale, foundation ewe, Teeswater, The YellowFarm, shepherds, laparoscopic surgery, www.toprams.com, artificial insemination, large breeders, rams, mating, lambs,To comment on this episode click here. There are currently Comments
First Aired - 07/05/2012 01:00PM
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On the final installment of The Farm Report's Fiber Series, Erin Fairbanks is checking in with Mary Jeanne Packer of Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill. On this episode, Erin and Mary Jeanne are talking about all of the different processes involved with harvesting fiber from animals and turning them into value-added products, like yarn and textiles. Tune in to learn more about the growing demand for locally-produced fiber, and how fiber is processed on different scales. Hear about the importance of maintaining a proper level of lanolin during the scouring process, and at what point in the production the fiber get dyed. If terminology like 'carding' and 'batting' is lost on you, tune in to this episode of The Farm Report, and get educated in the fiber arts! This program has been brought to you by The Heritage Meat Shop.
"Too much lanolin will hold in the dirt, and you'll have a sticky, gooey mess throughout the [yarn-making] process. The scouring process can remove up to 100% of the lanolin, but at that point you also risk reducing the moisture in the fiber. We always want to leave just a little [lanolin]."
"I'm really optimistic about the near future of the locally-produced natural fiber market. I think people have really become aware of how the things- that they are making, the clothing they are wearing, the things they are using in their homes- have been processed on the other side of the globe and the amount of energy that has gone into that and the working conditions of the people who are producing it." -- Mary Jeanne Packer on The Farm Report
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Recycle Your Shrunken Sweaters (16:06)
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fiber, Crif Dog Classic, Mary Jeanne Packer, knitting, value-added agriculture industry, fleeces, yarn stores, locally-sourced yarn, Vermont, fiber farms, customers, cotton, pickles, hand spinning, carbon fiber, pillows, dyed yarn, Andy Rice, sheep shearing, skirting, open fiber, scouring process, lanolin, emulsify the lanolin, industrial waste, greywater, cosmetics, lotion, detergent, wool color, fiber animals, sheep, superwash wool, baby clothes, blankets, felt, wool sweater, shrinking in the wash, recycling textiles,Hand-Spinning and Hand-Painting (17:00)
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humidity, moisture content, drying wool, static electricity, blending fibers, nylon, single-origin fiber, batting, carding, aligned fibers, cloth, cotton balls, carding machine, drum carder, combing fiber, wool suiting, silk, drape, Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill, heritage breeds, scratchy wool, microns, Merino, spinning wheel, fairy tales, spindles, drafting, fishing line, yarn strength, twists per inch, weavers, hand-painting, kettle dyeing, commercial yarn, fiber artist, skein dyeing, indie dyers, Vogue,To comment on this episode click here. There are currently Comments
First Aired - 08/02/2012 01:00PM
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On this week's installment of The Farm Report, Erin Fairbanks is joined by Janisse Ray to talk about the importance our seed supply. Janisse is the author of the new book, The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food. Tune into this episode to learn about genetic diversity in seed stock, as well as different types of pollination. How has industrialization and urbanization affected the range of seeds in our food system? Learn how to harvest and save seeds, and hear about the two different types of scientifically-enhanced seeds that are on the market today. Later, Erin gets a Market Update with Liz Carollo, the Publicity Manager for New York City's Green Market. Listen in to hear about what's happening this week in Green Markets in all five boroughs! Today's episode has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.
"I have two main passions in my life- one is writing, and the other is my love of nature and the environment."
"Every morsel of food that we put into our mouths is dependent on seeds."
"We have no idea what kind of climate conditions we are going to need to prepare our foodstuffs for."
-- Janisse Ray on The Farm Report
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The Importance of Genetics (19:18)
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Janisse Ray, seeds, poet, The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food, nature, writing, relationships with food, sustainable agriculture, organic, Georgia, diversified farm, orchard, hogs, cows, grassfed meat, peak soil, peak oil, seed supply, poppy, taco, bean, genetics, genetic erosion, farmers, urbanization, industrial agriculture, mechanization, commodity crops, truck farming, seed varieties, seed laboratories, morning glory, climate variability, climate crisis, heirloom, cantaloupe, mono cultures, corporations, Seed to Seed, Suzanne Ashworth, fermentation, pollination, insects, wind pollen, hybridization,The Science of Seeds (19:54)
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The Four Lincolns, seed catalog, F1 hybrid, saving seeds, ancestral strains of seeds, plant breeding, genetically modified seeds, GMO, seed patents, Israel, zucchini, Malabar spinach, seed pricing, sustainable seeds, local economics, global economy, Seed Savers Exchange, microclimates, apple seeds, grafting, growing from cuttings, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Liz Carollo, okra, peppers, tomato, winter grains, fall crops, nectarines, apples, pears, ground duck, summer solstice, fall equinox, pickling, preserving, canning demonstrations, EBT, 30 Rock, Midtown,To comment on this episode click here. There are currently Comments
