Barn & Soul by Dalby Farm cover art

Barn & Soul by Dalby Farm

Barn & Soul by Dalby Farm

Written by: Dalby Farm
Listen for free

About this listen

Welcome to Barn & Soul, a podcast brought to you by Dalby Farm - where we will explore the heart of "pet farm" life, learn about critically populated (if not outright) endangered farm breeds, and highlight the deep connections between animals and humans which we strive to encourage and preserve.

The farm has been Kendall's (your host) family since 1861 but it wasn't always a sanctuary for endangered farm breeds or an educational venue for the community. This podcast will touch upon aspects of the farms history, offer insight and advice as it pertains to owning farm animals as pets- and arguably most importantly - share vital information about these endangered farm breeds; what their roles are in our past AND why they're needed in our future.

New Episodes: Wednesdays at 9PM EST
#barnandsoul #farmlife #weloveanimals #petfarm #hobbyfarm #educationalfarm

🔔 Subscribe for more farm life insights, rare breed conservation, and the behind-the-scenes of running a small farm! Remember, all the animals on our farm our PETS! They live out their days as educational ambassadors to our community far & wide! Please follow us here on Youtube!
Find us on Instagram & Facebook @DalbyFarm
Shop our Online Country Store! https://www.dalbyfarm.com/country-store
At least 50% of all shop revenue directly helps fund the care & upkeep of our 160 year old educational family farm and all the endangered breeds who live there.

© 2026 Barn & Soul by Dalby Farm
Episodes
  • Barn & Soul Podcast: Episode 33 - The Ones Who Stay: Why Some People Don't Leave Farming and Why Some Start
    Jan 29 2026

    Send us a text

    🎙 Barn & Soul — Episode 33

    The Ones Who Stay: Why Some People Don’t Leave Farming, and Why Some Start

    Why would anyone choose farming, especially now?

    In this episode of Barn & Soul, Kendall takes a grounded, first-hand AND data-informed look at one of the most enduring questions in agriculture: why some people stay in farming despite the odds, why others leave, and why new people continue to begin anyway.

    Using the latest U.S. agricultural census data, income reports, and research on farm structure and wellbeing, this episode explores the realities behind romantic ideas of farming and the quieter truths that don’t always make it into the conversation.

    This episode isn’t about glorifying hardship or offering easy answers. It’s about seeing farming clearly- as work that is relational, meaningful, demanding, and deeply human.

    Whether you farm, hope to someday, or simply care about where food comes from and who produces it, The Ones Who Stay offers context, compassion, and clarity for a system that holds more people together than we often realize.

    📚 References & Sources

    • USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
      2022 Census of Agriculture Highlights: Farms and Farmland (March 2024)
    • USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
      2022 Census of Agriculture Highlights: New and Beginning Producers (2024)
    • USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
      2022 Census of Agriculture Highlights: Farm Producers (Average Age Data)
    • USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)
      Farm Household Income Estimates (January 27, 2025)
    • USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)
      Farm Household Income Forecast (September 3, 2025)
    • USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)
      Charts of Note: Direct-to-Consumer and Other Direct Marketing Sales, 2022 Census (March 21, 2024)
    • USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)
      Access to Farmland by Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers: Issues and Opportunities (AP-096, 2022)
    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
      Suicide Rates by Industry and Occupation — MMWR (2023)
    • CDC / NIOSH
      Farm community mental health and occupational risk research collections
    • National Young Farmers Coalition
      2022 survey and reporting on beginning farmer challenges, land access, and priorities

    Support the show

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Barn & Soul Podcast : Episode 32 - Why We Save What We Love: Human Psychology Behind Conservation
    Jan 22 2026

    Send us a text

    Why do some animals, places, and species inspire fierce protection… while others quietly disappear?

    In this episode of Barn & Soul, Kendall explores the real psychology behind conservation - not just the statistics and extinction charts, but the emotional bonds that actually move people to care, act, and protect. Drawing from conservation psychology, environmental research, and lived experience on a heritage-breed farm, this episode asks a deceptively simple question: why do we save what we love?

    From biophilia and nature connectedness to empathy, storytelling, and sense of place, we unpack why facts alone rarely change behavior... and why love, identity, and relationship are doing far more work than we tend to admit. You’ll hear how childhood experiences shape lifelong environmental values, why naming animals changes how people respond to conservation, and how heritage livestock breeds offer a powerful case study in saving what we understand.

    This episode blends research-backed insight with farm stories, offering a grounded, human-sized approach to conservation - one that doesn’t rely on guilt or fear, but on connection, memory, and care.

    Whether you’re a parent, educator, farmer, animal lover, or someone feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to save everything... you just have to love something enough to protect it.


    📚 Sources & Further Reading

    Whitburn, J., Linklater, W., & Abrahamse, W. (2019). Meta-analysis of human connection to nature and pro-environmental behaviour. People and Nature.

    Kirkey, J. R. (2024). What’s love got to do with it? A biophilia-based approach to conservation. Frontiers in Conservation Science.

    Raymond, C. M. et al. (2025). The effect of empathy with nature and humans on conservation behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology.

    Chawla, L. (2020). Childhood nature connection and constructive hope. People and Nature.

    Oh, R. Y. Y. et al. (2021). Connection to nature predicted by family values, social norms, and experiences. Journal of Environmental Psychology.

    Castillo-Huitrón, N. M. et al. (2020). The importance of human emotions for wildlife conservation. Frontiers in Psychology.

    Batavia, C. et al. (2021). Emotion as a source of moral understanding in conservation. Conservation Biology.

    van Eeden, L. M. et al. (2025). Why do (or don’t) people protect nature? Global Environmental Psychology.

    Richardson, M. et al. (2020). Applying pathways to nature connectedness. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education.

    The Livestock Conservancy. Conservation Genetics & Heritage Breeds.

    Farm Flavor (2024). What Are Heritage Breeds and Why Are They Important?

    CFSPH. Heritage Livestock Breeds – Why Are They Important?

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sense of Place Supports Climate and Drought Resilience.

    Craig, G. (2023). Fight for the Wild: Emotion and place in conservation. Taylor & Francis.

    Fabien Cousteau interview (2017). “People protect what they love…” LUXUO.

    Support the show

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Barn & Soul Podcast: Episode 31- Still Here at 165: Scituate, Stewardship, and the Future of Dalby
    Jan 15 2026

    Send us a text

    🎙 Barn & Soul Podcast - Where farming meets heart, history, and a mission to preserve the past for a more sustainable future. Episode 31 - Still Here at 165: Scituate, Stewardship, and the Future of Dalby

    Dalby Farm turns 165 years old in 2026.

    Founded in 1861, this family farm has weathered generations of change in Scituate, Massachusetts. In this re entry episode, Kendall reflects on what it truly means to still be here, and why endurance is not the same as ease.

    This episode zooms out to place Dalby within the longer history of Scituate and the South Shore, then zooms back in to the daily realities of keeping a family farm and an endangered heritage breed mission alive in the modern world. Through real data, lived experience, and honest reflection, Kendall explores how farming has changed since the 19th century, why land pressure and aging producers matter, and what is quietly at risk when small farms disappear.

    Rather than romanticizing farm life, this conversation looks directly at responsibility, repetition, and care. It considers how stewardship evolves over time, why rare breeds require active commitment, and how shared responsibility may be the only sustainable path forward for farms like Dalby.

    This episode is for anyone who has ever looked at something they love and wondered how much longer they can carry it, and then chose to keep going anyway.

    Resources

    Dalby Farm. Our Farm and Friends.
    https://www.dalbyfarm.com/our-farm-and-friends

    United States Department of Agriculture. National Agricultural Statistics Service.
    2022 Census of Agriculture Executive Briefing.
    https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/index.php

    United States Department of Agriculture. Economic Research Service.
    Farms and Land in Farms Summary.
    https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-structure-and-organization/

    Choices Magazine.
    Analysis of the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
    https://www.choicesmagazine.org

    Mass Audubon. Losing Ground.
    2003 and 2020 Editions.
    https://www.massaudubon.org/our-work/advocacy/land-protection/losing-ground

    The Livestock Conservancy. Conservation Priority List and Breed Definitions.
    https://livestockconservancy.org/conservation-priority-list/

    Scituate Historical Society.
    History of Scituate, Massachusetts.
    https://www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org

    Support the show

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
No reviews yet