In episode 5 of Season 5, we get to visit with Katie Jagger, who co-owns Saltwater Seeds and serves as a Field Research Assistant with Anna Galvez, Assistant Director of Education at the Organic Seed Alliance. Katie shares about her research work at OSA and how it connects to running a small seed company, while also reflecting on her experience as a beginning farmer balancing learning, research, and seed stewardship. Anna supports organic farmers in building practical data skills for organic seed production, helping strengthen knowledge and decision-making in the field. Together, they discuss the intersection of farmer education, research, and the next generation of organic seed growers.

In the first episode of Season 5, we get to talk with Brent and Kira Olsen of Olsen Farms and Smokey Ridge Meats. Olsen Farms is a small family farm located in a mountain valley in Northeastern Washington, just north of Colville. They produce high quality meats from their sustainably raised farm animals. All of their beef, pork and lamb is processed at Smokey Ridge Meats, our own USDA facility in Chewelah, WA. They also grow over 20 varieties of potatoes of various colors, textures, and culinary uses.

In episode 2 of Season 5, we get to visit with Shadow of Ramstead Ranch located in Ione, WA to hear about their regenerative practices and relationships with their customers. Ramstead strives to create a pasture-based ecosystem that works with nature and honors its abundance. They raise Grassfed/Grassfinished beef and lamb, pasture-raised Berkshire pork, and pasture-raised poultry including meat chickens and turkeys and deliver direct to their customers in the Pacific Northwest via a growing number of pickup locations.

In episode 3 of Season 5, we get to visit with Paul Beveridge, owner of Wilridge Vineyard, Winery & Distillery and Abraham Gonzalez, Vineyard Manager of Naches Heights Vineyard. Paul and Abraham are mentor and mentee through the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) Mentorship Program. Listen as Paul and Abraham explore the benefits of becoming certified organic, the unique challenges of making organic wine, and much more!

In episode 4 of Season 5, we get to visit with Maynard Mallonee of Mallonee Family Farms LLC. Mallonee Family Farms has been certified organic for more than 20 years and continues a dairy legacy that began in 1949, when Maynard's grandfather first purchased the farm. His commitment to soil health, increasing biodiversity, and building a healthy ecosystem that will thrive for generations is an undercurrent for his on-farm decisions. Listen in as Maynard explores his role as a Transitioning to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) mentor, being part of Organic Valley, the importance of organic certification in the dairy industry, and much more.