Ep 236 Susan's Shire: Introduction

We made it! We have completed our cross-country trip west to east for the first leg of The Great American Cattle Drive (“GACD” has a distinctive ring to it, don’t you think?). We start the film shoot with the American Milking Devon Cattle Association in New England today, but it was fitting that we began our run with a podcast recorded halfway across the country, in Monument, Colorado. We stopped for 24 hours to have a conversation with Rollie and Paula Johnson of Thr...

13 Juli 202035min

At last, we’re on the road. We’re going to interview wonderful people doing important conservation work, who also strive to ensure our food supply. And we chose a name for our new (used) trailer. It’s a natural fit, as it all started with The Holstein Dilemma. There’s will be challenges — especially over 7,000 miles for a road trip in July during a pandemic — but life is good. Thank you for being a part of it. Links: Www.backyardgreenfilms.com Www.milkingdevons.org Support the ...

6 Juli 202012min

Maps? Check Masks? Check Gloves? Check Disinfectant foot bath? Check Disinfectant for surfaces? Check Remote clip-on mics? Check Press passes? Check MPAA Safe Filming Protocol List? Check A month’s worth of food and supplies? Check Bathroom in the trailer?......Check. Goodbye, dear and faithful Maggie (our beloved teardrop trailer). Thanks for your good and faithful service, and we will miss you on The Great American Cattle Drive 202...

29 Juni 202012min

The behavior of individuals and groups seems to be in the news a lot these days. The same concept in the natural world might not hit the news quite as often, but it’s just as important. Any farmer or rancher will tell you that the more you know about what your plants and animals are telling you, the more effective your response can be, and the more you both can produce together. Leaves wilting usually means, “Water, please.” Ears back on the horse usually means “I’m un...

22 Juni 202044min

Off to New Mexico. High desert all around, blue mountains behind, dry breezes, and the infamous sheep-pig. All of that and more are found in this podcast, even if some parts of that last sentence sound less than plausible. It was there that we met Zach and Ethan, two brothers who raise the rare but deliciously fatty Mangalitza (or Mangalica or Mangalitsa, depending on who you ask). This is a Hungarian breed of pig that is well-known for hitting the top of the pork cha...

15 Juni 202037min

Here’s a list for you: - Hobbits Otters Wedding shawls Ragnor Dogs Killer Whales Archeological ruins Oil Puffins 80’s rock bands (okay, this one is a little loose) The Ikea catalog Ponies So, what do these things have in common? This podcast, and the Shetland Islands, way, way (way) North of the North Scotland mainland (Did we mention it was up North?). In fact, the Vikings - Scandinavians, if you’re politically correct – made a pit stop in the 8th and 9th century on their way to ...

8 Juni 202026min

Belgium is a beautiful place in the Low Countries of Western Europe. Rich with art, culture and a globalized economic worldview, it has had more than it’s fair share of trauma throughout its history. It has been known as both the Crossroads and the Battlefield of Europe, and the strategic importance of this country has caused it to be used as either a tactical objective or a runway throughout its history (Just ask the Romans, the French, the Germans, the British, the Americans, th...

1 Juni 202050min

As we come to you on this Memorial Day 2020, we would like to pay remembrance to not only the men and women who have given their lives in service of our country, but also to the animals who did as well. Up until the last century, horses probably took the brunt of the wartime hit, and most severely in World War I. Though they were used primarily in cavalry units in prior wars, and still used in that way later, they were most commonly used for logistics - supply wagons, draft horses for ambulan...

25 Maj 202015min