🔊 “Is This Really A Dairy Farm?” Ask-a-Farmer with Greg Galbraith
In this episode of Perennial AF, hear my conversation with Greg Galbraith, a Wisconsin dairy farmer. Greg began dairy farming after college, and switched from conventional to grass-fed, as he put it, “to survive”. After some initial resistance to going organic, he also converted his farm to an organic dairy and although Greg retired a few years ago, a new generation of organic dairy farmers is keeping the farm in operation.Â
Greg spent most of his life managing a dairy farm in Marathon County, Wisconsin. His farming career involved shifting his dairy operation to a grazing-based system, transitioning to organic practices, and finally passing on the farm to a new generation of organic dairy graziers.
By the end of his farming tenure, his farm had so much perennial cover that people would often ask him, “Is this really a dairy farm?”
Greg is now working to launch a podcast for the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, a nonprofit organization that helped inspire our own Agroforestry Apprenticeship Program.Â
But Greg is more than a former farmer and aspiring podcaster. He’s also a writer, poet, painter, and musician. Greg and I already knew each other from some of our past work in the grazing world, so I started by asking him what he’s been nerding out about lately.
Before you plant your perennial crops, ask yourself this one question:
“Who are my partners?”
Check out some of these stories to find unique partnerships that might appeal to you.
More from Perennial AF
🔊 “You Can’t Believe It Grows Here” – Project Pawpaw with Adam D’Angelo
Adam D’Angelo is the founder of Project Pawpaw, a crowdfunded plant breeding effort focused on North America’s forgotten fruit: the pawpaw. In the latest episode of the Perennial AF podcast, Adam talks about why the pawpaw is a perfect candidate for plant-breeding efforts.
🔊 A Thorny Topic: Black Locust and Honey Locust for Agroforestry
A lot of people hate black locust and honey locust trees, but some people think they hold great potential for agroforestry. Greg Judy, Austin Unruh, Steve Gabriel, Brett Chedzoy, Eliza Greenman, and others share their perspective in this episode.
PFG2023 Recordings Now Available for Free on YouTube
In 2023, the Perennial Farm Gathering brought together 600 people, 60 presenters, and 20 sponsors online over three days of community-building for perennial agriculture. Keynotes by authors Robin Wall Kimmerer and Ross Gay kept us rooted in Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the creative joy that tending a garden can bring. Now, you can watch PFG2023 videos on our YouTube Channel for free.
🔊 “You Can’t Believe It Grows Here” – Project Pawpaw with Adam D’Angelo
🔊 A Thorny Topic: Black Locust and Honey Locust for Agroforestry
🔊 “Spreadsheets on the Radio” – Farm Viability and the Fruit & Nut Compass with John Hendrickson
🔊 Getting Started with Forest Farming – Ingrid Daudert, Karam Sheban, and Robin Suggs
🔊 Agroforestry for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation – with Nate Lawrence and Monika Shea