The Cornell Small Farms Program’s monthly podcast, Small Farms Radio, centers on stories of the diversity and resilience that come from producing food on a small scale. Small Farms Radio is a hub of conversation for farmers to share the stories of why they farm, what they struggle with, and how they see the future of the food system.
Episode 12 - What is the value of a student farm? 30 years at Dilmun Hill
What is the value of a student farm at an academic institution? In this episode of Small Farms Radio, we celebrate 30 years of Dilmun Hill Student Farm at Cornell University.
Ryan Maher, Organic Coordinator for the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station and Staff Manager at Dilmun Hill, talks with Small Farms Program staffer, farmer, and former student leader Erica Frenay about the farm's student-led beginnings, the challenges it overcame, and how it became a lasting part of Cornell's agricultural education. Their conversation explores the power of hands-on learning and why student farms continue to matter for the future of agriculture.
24 Jun 2026
Episode 11 - Raising Pollos Under Elderberry: A Bilingual Conversation with Wilber de la Rosa
Wilber de la Rosa operates Jubilo Farm in Minnesota, a regenerative poultry business. He has also recently launched Tortillas La Mayzteca, a vertically integrated company that produces traditional tortillas. In a conversation with Tim Shenk from Cornell Small Farms Program’s bilingual Futuro en Ag project, Wilber discusses his approach to starting businesses that prioritize healthy living and his commitment to regenerative practices. The conversation was conducted in Spanish with translation in English by Small Farms staff member, Garrett Quade. The goal is to provide our listeners with a language experience.
Wilber de la Rosa es propietario de Jubilo Farm en Minnesota, una operación agropecuaria regenerativa. Además, recientemente ha lanzado Tortillas La Mayzteca, una empresa integrada verticalmente dedicada a la producción de tortillas tradicionales. Wilber conversa con Tim Shenk, del proyecto Futuro en Ag del Cornell Small Farms Program, sobre su enfoque de crear empresas comprometidas con un estilo de vida saludable, así como sobre su compromiso con los métodos regenerativos. Este episodio ofrece una experiencia lingüística a nuestros oyentes. A la conversación original de Wilber con Tim en español, le hemos agregado una traducción al inglés leída por Tim y por Garrett Quade, miembro de nuestro equipo.
20 May 2026
Episode 10 - Wisdom of the Elders with New Leaf Farm
Welcome to the first episode of Wisdom of the Elders, a new series featuring conversations with pioneering farmers whose lives and work have shaped sustainable agriculture.
In this episode, our director, Anu Rangarajan, travels to Maine to reconnect with Dave and Chris Colson of New Leaf Farm, where she worked in the early 2000s. Farming just four acres, the Colsons became early innovators in bringing fresh salad greens to the East Coast and helped influence a generation of small-scale growers.
Together, they reflect on decades in agriculture: the risks they took, the values that guided them, what truly mattered in the end, and what simply didn’t.
There is always something to learn from listening to your elders.
6 Mar 2026
Episode 9 - Pee is for Plants
Cornell professor Rebecca Nelson joins us to discuss circular economies in agriculture—and the surprising potential of human urine as a low-cost fertilizer for small farms.
15 Jan 2026
Episode 8 - The power of trees: Yellowbud Farm
Agroforestry specialist Connor Youngerman interviews Yellowbud Farm co-founder Jesse Marksohn about selecting, breeding, and propagating trees for agroforestry, highlighting the value of high-quality nursery work.
21 Oct 2025
Episode 7 - Hidden Pearls: Contemplating Healing in Ag
Brett Grant discusses how his farm in upstate New York cultivates education, healing, and collaboration, offering insights into agriculture as a therapeutic environment in this interview.
17 Jul 2025
Episode 6 - Fungi on the Farm
Agroforestry specialist Connor Youngerman explores urban indoor mushroom farming in Queens, revealing how growers manage the entire process from spore to table in this interview episode.
13 Jun 2025
Episode 5 - Fungi In The City
Agroforestry specialist Connor Youngerman explores the urban mushroom life cycle in New York City, highlighting efforts to close the loop of food and food waste with farmers, chefs, and business owners.
7 May 2025
Episode 4 - Farm Transitions at Northland Sheep Dairy
What do you do when don’t have family to take over your farm? We talk with Donn and Maryrose of Northland Sheep Dairy in Marathon, NY about how they negotiated the transition of ownership with the previous owners of their farm and how they are making decisions about their own retirement based on their experience.
24 Apr 2025
Episode 3 - Founding the West Branch Commons Part 2
The West Branch Commons is a land access project in the Catskill region of NY that provides one of the most holistic approaches to supporting beginning farmers in the country. In the second part of this two part series we talk with Tianna Kennedy and Francis Yu, two farmer founders of this project about how this project came to be.
10 Mar 2025
Episode 2 - Founding the West Branch Commons
The West Branch Commons is a land access project in the Catskill region of New York that provides one of the most holistic approaches to supporting beginning farmers in the country. In this first part of our two-part series we talk with Sea Matais, one of the first farmers to access land through the project, and Rhiannon Wright, a collaborator and part of the team that helped get this project off the ground. Watch the documentary Tom and Sea https://youtu.be/I0YkC15W49M?si=oX2-DGZQKPxBe_5J
9 Feb 2025
Episode 1 - Who Is A Farmer?
Who can call themselves a farmer? Depending on where you sit in the food system, you may answer this question very differently. In this first episode of Small Farms Radio, hosted by Cornell Small Farms Program, we hear a range of perspectives on this question from a diverse group of stakeholders. Why does it matter who is called a farmer? This conversation encourages reflection about who is served by different definitions of the term.
Who has been a guest on Small Farms Radio
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jesse Marksohn
Brett Grant
Connor Youngerman
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
6,130,347
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 34 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
18
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
32
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