In this episode of Talkin’ Dirt, I sit down with Grace, the owner of Briscot Farm and Sanctuary here in Washington State.

Briscot was recently hit hard by the historic floods that left their entire farm underwater, and Grace shares what that experience was like — from the immediate impact to the long road of recovery. When I visited to record, the farm was in the middle of a community cleanup day. It was incredible to see so many people show up to get their hands dirty for such a meaningful mission.

We talk about how Briscot began, the animals they rescue and care for, what it takes to sustain a sanctuary day-to-day, and how community support makes all the difference. We also get into agro-tourism, USDA funding challenges, and an interesting workaround Grace shares for farms that rely on on-farm experiences to keep going.

This is a powerful conversation about resilience, rebuilding, and the people doing the work of caring for animals and keeping small farms alive.

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In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Taya Brown to unpack the hidden world behind one of the most familiar drinks on the planet - coffee. While Taya isn’t a coffee farmer herself, she has spent years working closely with smallholder coffee farmers in Central America, listening to their experiences and studying how global systems shape their livelihoods.

We talk about coffee as a plant, an agricultural product, and a complex global system — from seasonality and growing practices to pricing, certification, and distribution. Along the way, we explore why coffee costs what it does, how it moves from farm to cup, and what it really means to be a conscientious coffee drinker. This conversation makes it clear that the cup of coffee you’re holding is just the tip of the iceberg.

To learn more about Taya’s work and the Del Fuego Project, visit delfuegoproject.org.

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In this episode of Talkin’ Dirt, I sit down with my longtime friend Richie Stephenson, who’s been growing a home garden for his family for the past several years. Richie isn’t a farmer by trade, but we talk about what first got him into gardening, what his early years looked like, and how long it took before things really started to click. He shares what he’s learned through trial and error, why he’s considering raised beds, and how growing food at home has changed the way his family thinks about what they eat.

We talk about how Richie got into canning his food and preserving harvests for later in the year. Along the way, we talk about how gardening fits into family life with his wife and son, and how even a small backyard garden can shape habits, values, and perspective around food. This conversation offers a grounded look at what it’s really like to grow a little food at home—and why you don’t need a farm to get started.

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Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TalkinDirtPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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