“The Growing Season,” a monthly agricultural podcast from Arkansas PBS, will follow the stories of six Arkansas farmers as they work through the year on their farms with actor and musician Ben Dickey. Learn about the stresses and struggles that come with being a farmer today, and what it truly means to be a farmer today.
“The Growing Season” begins in March when farmers start working in the fields, barns and greenhouses, planning for the upcoming year.
As the soil warms in the spring, the season begins to take shape. And just as the farmers are becoming more comfortable with our producers, the challenges of the season are starting to arise – broken equipment, underperforming crops, heavy loans, and other stresses.
As the summer heat sets in, Arkansas farmers’ work only gets tougher. The simple complications of springtime have grown into full-on shortcomings for the season, but the work doesn’t let up. Summer months are all about keeping your head above water for troubled farmers.
The end of summer means harvest – a final, exhausting push to the finish line. Tired and worn out, it is only now that the farmer realizes how his growing difficulties will impact his everyday life.
Winter means putting everything away and putting your mind to planning to avoid pitfalls from last year. A farmer must at the same time always look forward to the expectations of the next season and look back at the complications of the last. We will ask ourselves, “What did we learn this year?” – not just about herd strength or crop rotation, but also about self-care and mental wellness.
A new episode will be available every second Friday.
https://www.myarkansaspbs.org/podcasts/podcasts/the_growing_season/the_growing_season