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April 12, 2006

Nature Stories podcast: Farming the Desert

June 15, 2006 07:04 AM EDT (Updated: June 15, 2006 07:11 AM EDT)

views: 118 | rating: 8.8/10 (4 votes) | comments: 5

Nature Stories podcast: Farming the Desert
Produced by Ross Chambless

When the pioneers were first trecking out into the arid western states, it was commonly believed that the rain would follow the plow. Hard work would create green pastures. It hasn't.

This piece tackles the complex issues surrounding farming in dry country with courage, fair-mindnedness and kindness. It's rare to hear a piece where the voices of farmers and ranchers are given the same amount of weight as the voices of academics and government officials.

Listen to this week's Nature Stories podcast (mp3).

You can also subscribe to our podcast (rss, iTunes) or visit our archive of all Nature Stories podcasts to find earlier shows in the series.

The Nature Conservancy's Nature Stories audio podcast is produced by Atlantic Public Media, with assistance from the Public Radio Exchange, and is sponsored by Visa.

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Tags: dry, farm, weather, environment, farming, rain, west, biodiversity, podcast, living, conservation, western, ross chambless, life, nature, farmer, deserts, atlantic public media, aridlands, public radio exchange, nature conservancy, itunes, agriculture, tnc, desert, rancher, arid, ipod, people, plow

To Groups: Nature Stories, Global Ethnography, Social Consciousness, Sustainability for Real People, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Living a sustainable life, Earth Day, Podcasting, Global Village, World Community - A Forum, Minnesota Gardener

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Comments: 5

Mariana T. Jun 15, 2006, 8:58am EDT

Thank you for bringing this article to our attention, Jonathan. I'll mark it for reading at a later time but it would be nice to hear the voices of ranchers and farmers above the others. Salud,

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Vicky P. Jun 15, 2006, 12:01pm EDT

This reminds me of a special I saw a few years back, called The farmers wife. I never realized just how hard they work to bring us food and goods. Thanks for the info.

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Jonathon D. C. Jun 16, 2006, 7:59am EDT

Thanks, Mariana, this story actually starts out with the voice of a local farmer in Utah talking about a long-standing drought. Their voices continue throughout the story.

Vicky, you're spot-on -- there's a line in this story stating that Utah's ranchers "can lose up to $300 million a year in lost crops and cattle" due to drought and infestations.

Folks, what do you think small farmers and ranchowners can do to produce in balance with nature?

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Dan B. Jun 17, 2006, 1:17am EDT

40 yeares. Wandering.how many gallons are in 333.3333//////pounders
and why is a barrel of oil only 40 gallons of Gaias blood?

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Diana Raabe Jun 18, 2006, 5:19pm EDT

I can really appreciate this having lived in the country for a few years. One year was so dry the farmers barely survived. The next year, we were overwhelmed with floods and even trees were several feet under water. Rotating crops and acquiring farm animals were a couple of things the farmers did to supplement their vulnerable incomes.

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