From 'Shovel and Rototiller' to Conservation Champ

In this episode, Madelynn Nelson, an AmeriCorps member serving with Energy Corps as a sustainable-agriculture farm-energy educator at NCAT's headquarters in Butte, Montana, talks with West Virginia farmer and beekeeper Eric Grandon.

Eric, an alumnus of the Armed to Farm training for veterans offered by NCAT's ATTRA sustainable agriculture program, runs Sugar Bottom Farm in Clay County, West Virginia. After farming for just five years, Eric and Sugar Bottom Farm won the Conservation Farm of the Year for 2018 in West Virginia's Elk Conservation District.

Eric and Madelynn talk about farm energy conservation and using solar power on the farm as well as water and other kinds of conservation. He also discusses the work and learning curve that came along with the decision to pursue sustainable energy.

Related ATTRA Resources

Crop Insurance Options for Specialty, Diversified, and Organic Farmers

Energy-Efficient Lighting for the Farm

Federal Conservation Resources for Sustainable Farming and Ranching

Renewable Energy Opportunities on the Farm

Solar-Powered Livestock Watering Systems

Farm Energy Alternatives

Other Resources

Sugar Bottom Farm Facebook

Sugar Bottom Farm website

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