In this episode, host Taylor Muglia dives into the details of a creative land access model with Poudre Valley Community Farms Executive Director Stacy Lishka and one of the program’s lessees Evanne Caviness, who also happens to be the Western Organizing Manager for the National Young Farmers Coalition. The two guests talk about what can go right and wrong with cooperative land leasing, and share insights they’ve gained along the way. These insights can help beginning farmers and ranchers find hope for land access in extremely expensive parts of the West, and inform public and private land managers to think about leasing land with an equitable and holistic mindset.

Find Poudre Valley on Facebook and Instagram. Find NYFC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Music attribution:
Wanderlust by Scott Buckley

1:20 Taylor introduces and welcomes today’s guest Emily Brown
2:45 Emily talks about growing up and working on a multi-generational farm in the San Juan Valley
8:35 Emily talks about her degrees (a bachelors in communication and a masters in public health) and her career after college
14:20 How was it moving home with your family to farm and ranch?
21:30 Some of the management practices Emily tries to use on the farm
29:38 Emily talks about succession planning and taking over from her parents
45:00 Women in farming and ranching
49:45 Emily’s work at Rocky Mountain Farmers Union