Kudzu Goats

Who knew a pesky weed could cause so much problems?? Kudzu is a non-native species that came to the U.S. from China back in the late 1800’s. It was originally used for livestock forage and then for erosion control, but the wet, humid, hot climate in the southeast made for the perfect breeding ground for this noxious pest.

I had never even heard the word kudzu before working on this story, much less knew it was a problem plant for farmers. I was amazed to see how this “miracle vine” as they sometimes call it, took over the land…wrapping itself on and around everything in sight.

The University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture partnered with Barry and Virginia Arnett to use their goats (and farmland) to help eradicate this fast-growing vine. The idea…let the goats eat the kudzu (they like it and it’s good for them) and we solve two problems at the same time. Goats now have a new food source and farmers get rid of kudzu. Of course, all of this will be monitored as part of a 2-year study to see how many goats are needed per acre to either manage or deplete the kudzu.

If this works, the University of Kentucky will then expand the program to include other farmers and they may have solved the kudzu conundrum once and for all.

The Arnetts were an interesting couple as well. Barry worked as a corporate executive for years traveling around the world. When he retired, he and his wife decided to spend their golden years on her family’s historic farm in Rockholds, Kentucky. It took some time for them to get used to farm life, but Barry drew on his “research background” to gather information on goat farming. Today they are one of 3,000 meat goat producers in the state of Kentucky. Meat goat has quickly become a worthwhile agricultural option after the decline of tobacco production in Kentucky. The Arnetts treated their goats like family, calling each one by their given name. It was fun to tour their property, but what tickled me to death was when Barry did his half-yodel/half-caterwaul scream to call out to the goats. They responded by coming to his side….and he seemed to be thrilled by all the attention. Of course, it probably helped that he had a little food in his hand. Barry and Virginia are doing what most people hope to do when they retire….work a little when they want to, have a little fun and relax amongst family and friends (or a few hundred goats)!

Yolanda Vazquez

Another Behind the Scenes Interview

Let's meet Jim Finnerty, the series producer for America's Heartland. 

Clamming in Alligator Harbor - 415

This was some of the most fun I've had on a shoot in a while. We could have done a half hour show on the clammers working the waters of Alligator Harbor. A.D. Folks and Tanglefoot have been working the water their entire lives in one way or another. So when we climbed aboard A.D.'s small pontoon boat I knew we we're in good hands. Although I was a little concerned about the boat supporting all of the people on board.

Here's a rundown: Myself, photographer Steve Riggs, production assistant Tyler Bastine, A.D., A.D.'s wife, Tanglefoot and two other friends of A.D.'s who came along for the ride. I wasn't concerned about one of us falling in and getting wet as much as Steve falling overboard with the camera. Our week-long shoot in the "Forgotten Coast" would have turned into a vacation (not that anyone would have minded too much).

Fortunately the only people going into the water were clammers and not the intrepid teevee crew.

Our day on the water was only made better when we got to enjoy a paella dish cooked up by Chef Chris Hastings of the "Hot and Hot Fish Club." We're talking about fresh clams, shrimp, vegetables here...great stuff.

Jason

Large Animal Vet

I seem to notice a trend. Anything relating to cows requires early morning work. So again, we met our large animal vet, Dr. Frederick Hess, at the crack of dawn at his home in Amherst, MA. Hess is a likable guy, no-nonsense and good at what he does.

I’ll be honest before this story I never thought twice about large animal veterinary medicine. I mean, it only makes sense. There has to be someone who’s caring for the cows that provide milk for us and eventually become part of the food supply chain. There are so many issues that can come up…and you don’t want a sick cow anywhere in the midst of it.

Dr. Hess is a busy man. On the day we visited with him, he had more than a half-dozen house calls to make within a 100-mile radius and he told me that’s a light day for him. I got to see the birth of a new foal (well, we were within hours of the birth), a lame cow who needed to have its hoof trimmed down and removed of disease, a sick cow with a DA (that’s short for displaced abomasum) You learn this lingo as you go through the day, and a last-minute C-section on a pregnant cow. Now that is one thing I surely wasn’t expecting. Thank goodness Dr. Hess had some smelling salts on hand because that is a one amazing surgical procedure to witness. Well, I got to see most of it before I half-fainted. Betcha didn’t even know cows needed c-sections, did ya?

Dr. Hess was fortunate to have two intern/resident techs in tow to help him out, but he’s part of a dwindling breed. There aren’t many large animal vets practicing these days and it’s a huge issue for the American Veterinary Association. They are working hard to recruit new large animal vets while in vet school, but the interest just isn’t there. That’s part of the reason why, after 40 years, Dr. Hess is still practicing. He has so many farmers that rely on him for his services and expertise that it would be difficult for him to retire. He also loves what he does…and that shows on his face and his work. I truly enjoyed spending time with Dr. Hess and his crew…and have a newfound admiration for large animal vets and the tremendous work they do in keeping our food supply safe.

Yolanda Vazquez

Young Farmer

I can honestly say that Andrew Orr is quite a remarkable, young man. I have never met a more dedicated, hard-working teenager in my life. I just knew he was the kind of kid that played video games, talked trash with his friends…and maybe took a daring spin down a deserted road in his hometown. No, you won’t find that Andrew Orr in Westport, MA.

Last year Andrew, with the help of the community and several organizations, purchased a 13-acre parcel of land for growing fruits and vegetables for his local farm stand. He had already spent most of his teen years working on a friend’s farm and couldn’t wait to do it for himself. Andrew told me he was fully aware of the realities of his chosen profession, but pressed on saying, “this is what he feels he was born to do.” I got a kick out of watching Andrew plow his field and ready it for planting. He worked so meticulously, riding on his newly-bought tractor, making sure each row had equitable spacing. I practically had to beg him to interview with me. He’s a little camera shy, but he would rather be tending to the land than talking into a microphone.

As a result of being the town’s youngest farmer, Andrew garnered a lot of media coverage, including a nice spot on NBC’s Today Show. The lanky teen was non-plussed about his celebrity status, focusing instead on removing rocks from his plowed land. He talked about the huge learning curve he endured during his first harvest and how he planned on doing things a little differently this time around. We also talked about the financial side of things: how to finance his first tractor, expensive cost of seeds and hiring helping hands.

I tried to find out if there was anything that excited Andrew beyond farming and he really didn’t reveal much. He works the farm with his girlfriend and they sometimes hang out with friends and watch a movie. But that’s about it. Safe to say, he’s not your typical teen, but that’s what makes Andrew such a great farmer. He’s got a lot of support from the community and I think with his strong focus and determination, he’ll become one of the best farmers in this quaint, little town.

Yolanda Vazquez

Some great photos

One of the best things about our program is the videography. We've got a team of talented photographers. It also helps that we often are shooting in truly beautiful areas.

We also take some really great photographs on our shoots, most of which don't end up being seen by viewers...until now! We want to share some of these great photos with you. To do that, we've created a page on flickr.com. We'll keep adding more photos to the site as we shoot more stories across the heartland.

Check it out!
Jason

Rhody Fresh

Dairy farmers are some of the most ingenious people I know. Talk about milking a product for all its worth. There are so many by-products you can make from milk: cheese, ice cream, butter -the list goes on and on. The story behind Rhody Fresh is not uncommon. Dairy farmers all across the country are facing the same situation: loss of farmland to urban development, competition against huge dairy processing plants and the generational decline of family members who are unable to support/run the farm. Some farmers succumb to their dwindling prospects, but others rise to the occasion by demonstrating their entrepreneurial spirit.

The Rhode Island dairy farmers, worried about their future, decided to pool their resources together to create their own brand of milk, but what makes Rhody Fresh so special is that the idea actually worked. And it worked big time.

I’m not much of a morning person so the idea of heading to a dairy farm at 5am was not too appealing. However, the cows are on such a milking cycle (they have to be milked every 12 hours) that there’s no way to avoid expelling them of all the creamy, white stuff at this early morning hour. Fortunately, I got to try my hand with the milking apparatus and I was pleased as pie that good ‘ole Bessie didn’t try to kick me in the process. In case you don’t know, cows are pretty finicky animals. And they’re smart, too.

I spoke with some local townspeople about the Rhody Fresh brand and they seemed to be big fans. The cartons come in these nicely-designed packages and the milk does taste a little different from the traditional, store-bought brand. The chocolate milk was my personal favorite!
There were a lot of lessons to be learned at the very beginning of Rhody Fresh, but now the RI Dairy Co-op seems to be on a roll with dozens of stores (including large chains) selling their product. They hope to expand their line into cheeses and other products, but in the meantime they’ll take it one day at a time - thankful for the tremendous support they get from the local community.

Yolanda Vazquez

Ambush interviews continue

We're continuing our look at the people behind the scenes who make this show happen.  Today we're meeting production assistant Tyler Bastine.

Mushroom Mania - Episode 419

This, by far, was one of the most fascinating stories I’ve ever covered. How does a spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus end up being a diner’s delight in restaurants across the country? You do know mushrooms are a fungus?

For our story, we spent the day with the Webb family in Salt Lick, Kentucky. Their 200-acre commercial mushroom farm is located in the heart of Daniel Boone Forest. It is a wonder to see. It’s taken several years for them to build up their log operation, but in the process they discovered an even, better way to grow their organic mushrooms---inside a temperature-controlled greenhouse-style facility. The humid temperatures and misty sprays made for a bad hair day. Oh, and if you’re an asthma sufferer, please bring along your inhaler as the spores will get you good!

The one thing you quickly discover about Billy, Becky and their brood of boys is that they love working on the mushroom farm. There are so many daily tasks at hand and each one of them handles their chores with excitement. The older boys have even started to sell their mushrooms at local farmers markets….conjuring up the entrepreneurial spirit of their father.

My new favorite word that I learned while shooting this segment was “mushroom spawn.” It’s similar to mushroom seed, but has a much better ring to it. I could say it all day….mushroom spawn….mushroom spawn. As someone who has only eaten a single button mushroom in her lifetime, I can now say that I have a greater sense of appreciation for this versatile food source.

Yolanda Vazquez

America's Heartland on Facebook

It seems everyone has a social-network page these days. One of the most popular is facebook.com. So in our effort to keep up with the times here at America's Heartland we have joined the herd.

We now have a facebook page for the show.   If you are a viewer (and a member of facebook) you can become a "fan" of the show and link to our site.  We'll keep it updated with photos from the road, blog entries and other cool stuff.  

Check it out!

Jason

Rhody Warm Blanket - Episode 415

I love a good, warm, wool blanket!! To be honest, I purchase them by the dozens each winter, but I never thought twice about all the work that goes into crafting such a simple covering. Rhody Warm is a locally grown, handmade, all-natural wool blanket that is produced by sheep farmers in Rhode Island. Sadly, the textile mills have closed up in New England and wool prices were so low that most farmers chucked the wool instead of doing anything useful with it.

Working with several state agencies, the RI sheep farmers figured out a way to turn their leftover wool into a useful product. This is another story where we spent several days shooting at various sheep farms, textile mills and learning the do’s and don’ts of spinning and weaving. I felt like I had just passed a course in blanket-making 101 by the time it was all said and done. The behind-the-scenes process is absolutely amazing…from shearing a sheep to seeing how all that discarded wool gets turned into material. Let’s just say I will never look at my favorite blankey the same way again.

In their first year, (2006) the RI sheep farmers collected 1,400 pounds of wool from 20 farmers. They were able to turn that wool into 370 blankets, most of which were sold right back to the local community (and given to friends as gifts). The best part is for the first time in years, sheep farmers were paid for their donated fleece. It wasn’t much, (somewhere around 40-50 cents a pound), but they were grateful for the extra cash.

The state-funded program for Rhody Warm comes to a close at the end of this year….so hopefully folks in the area will continue to support their local sheep farmers…turning their fuzzy fleeces into a homegrown favorite. I know what I’ll be using this winter to keep me warm and toasty!

Yolanda Vazquez

A new blog feature!

I'm starting up a new feature on the America's Heartland blog. We're "ambushing" staff members. We want to find out more about the people who make this show happen.

Some people call this "video blogging" or "vlogging." I'll just call it a video. Our first video is of Jenna Cederburg, an associate producer for the show.

Jason

When visiting Apalachicola...

In episode 411 I visit Crescent Moon Organic Farm in Sopchoppy, Florida.   It's a small operation run by a couple of non-farmers who decided to try their hand at working the soil.  They've found success selling their produce at local farmers markets and restaurants in the region. 

One of those restaurants is "Avenue Sea" in Apalachicola, Florida. (side note: how about those town names in the Florida panhandle?  Sopchoppy.  Apalachicola.)  The restaurant is located inside the Gibson Inn hotel.  

We met the owners  of Avenue Sea David and Ryanne Carrier on our first night in Apalachicola.  David hails from New York City. Ryanne near Pittsburgh via Chicago.    Both have very impressive culinary resumes...we're talking "The French Laundry" in California and "Blackbird" in Chicago.  But we didn't find out about their passion for excellent cuisine until the second night.  Our first impression was David's karaoke skills at a nearby neighborhood bar.  This town of 3000 knows how to have a good time, and a big part of that involves impressing friends and neighbors with singing prowess.    

We visited the restaurant after spending the day harvesting Tupelo Honey (episode 403).  Ryanne is the pastry chef for the restaurant and she features the honey in her delicious delicacies.   David uses fresh vegetables from Crescent Moon in his dishes.   After we spent an hour or so in the crammed kitchen shooting footage, we decided it would be best to get out of the way...and eat.  

I can honestly tell you that this was one of the best meals I've ever eaten.  And I've eaten quite a few places traveling for this show!   If you are a "foodie" you need to make your way down to Apalachicola and check it out.  

Why is the restaurant named "Avenue Sea", you ask?  Any ideas?  

Jason