Episodes

  • Welcome to The Chestnut Blueprint

    Welcome to The Chestnut Blueprint
    Feb 5 2026
    While much of American agriculture is stuck in debt and overproduction, a quiet revolution is growing beneath the canopy of chestnut trees. In this episode, Roger Smith of Prairie Grove Chestnut Growers joins United Chestnuts to share how his network of seven-state growers has broken free from the commodity system — and built a model where farmers are price makers, not price takers.

    From “street-corner retail” to standardized genetics and cold-chain precision, Smith’s story is proof that specialty crops can rewrite the rules of farm economics. Host Kim Douglass unpacks how Smith and other innovators like Greg Miller and Mike Nave are leading the shift from survival to legacy — and why the chestnut industry’s playbook may hold the blueprint for the future of regenerative specialty farming.

    Tune in if you’re ready to:
    • Understand how specialty crops are outpacing commodities
    • Learn practical steps to reclaim pricing power
    • Hear what modern cooperatives are doing to protect grower margins
    • See how small farms can scale through innovation and collaboration
    For more episodes, insights, and grower resources, visit www.unitedchestnuts.com or join the United Chestnuts Community on Facebook and LinkedIn.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.
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    37 mins
  • Branching Out Growing Together OffShoot Edition -Messy Middle

    Branching Out Growing Together OffShoot Edition -Messy Middle
    Jan 30 2026
    Messy in the Middle: What It Really Looks Like to Build a Chestnut Orchard (and an Industry) What happens after the excitement of planting trees fades—but before everything feels established? In this Messy in the Middle episode of Branching Out: Growing Together, Melanie Jones reflects on the often-unseen middle phase of chestnut farming and industry-building. Inspired by the idea of the “messy middle,” this episode explores what it really looks like to grow a perennial crop—and a community—when progress is real but unfinished. From uneven harvests and learning curves to orchard decisions that don’t come with a playbook, this conversation is about staying planted through uncertainty. Melanie shares perspective from EBB Farms in Western Kentucky, parallels from other perennial crops like pistachios, and why patience, learning, and shared experience matter more than hype. This episode is for:
    • Chestnut growers in the early or mid stages
    • Landowners considering planting trees
    • Anyone building something long-term that doesn’t offer quick feedback
    Chestnuts aren’t “coming back” overnight. They’re being built—orchard by orchard, season by season. This Messy in the Middle episode is part of an ongoing series within Branching Out: Growing Together, highlighting real-world, in-progress experiences from EBB Farms and the broader chestnut community. 👉 Learn more and explore resources at unitedchestnuts.com/resources

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.
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    8 mins
  • Roger Blackwell on Growing a National Chestnut Movement

    Roger Blackwell on Growing a National Chestnut Movement
    Oct 9 2025
    Melanie Jones sits down with Roger Blackwell, President of Chestnut Growers of America, to talk about the momentum building in the U.S. chestnut industry. Together they explore what’s changed, what’s ahead, and how growers across the country are uniting to shape the next chapter of this remarkable tree crop.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.
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    32 mins
  • What the Heck is SEO (and Why Chestnut Growers Should Care)

    What the Heck is SEO (and Why Chestnut Growers Should Care)
    Sep 20 2025
    🌐 What the Heck is SEO (and Why Should Chestnut Growers Care?)

    Hi friends—Melanie Jones here with United Chestnuts, and today we’re breaking down a big, messy topic in a way that makes sense for farmers: 👉 SEO (Search Engine Optimization) If you're a grower who wants to sell more chestnuts, trees, or host visitors to your orchard—but don’t have time to become a digital marketing expert—this episode is for you. We’ll cover:
    • Why chestnut growers need SEO—even if you’re not “online people”
    • Simple ways to get your orchard found in Google, Facebook, and TikTok
    • What terms like AEO and GEO actually mean (and how they help)
    • How United Chestnuts is making this easy with tools, templates, and support
    💻 Learn more and join the movement: unitedchestnuts.com/resources 🌰 Chestnuts are coming back—and we’re building the system to support them.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.
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    9 mins
  • Ecdysis at EBB Farms: Inside the 1000 Farms Initiative

    Ecdysis at EBB Farms: Inside the 1000 Farms Initiative
    Aug 29 2025
    Today we’re out in the orchard with Nora D’Antuono from the Ecdysis Foundation, talking real‑world regenerative agriculture: soil health that sticks, biodiversity that pays back, and farmer‑led research through the 1000 Farms Initiative. We dig into tools like the BugBox and Xerinx, why insects are powerful indicators of farm health, and how community + data help farmers move from “hope” to “proof.” Recorded at EBB Farms (Western Kentucky)—the chestnut-growing testbed powered by the United Chestnuts movement. You’ll hear:
    • What 1000 Farms is measuring—and why it matters to your bottom line
    • Simple biodiversity practices that fit real schedules and budgets
    • The role of the BugBox/Xerinx in tracking ecosystem health
    • How growers are sharing data, stories, and momentum
    Resources: unitedchestnuts.com/resources
    Resources: ecdysis.bio
    Connect: United Chestnuts Community (FB), Ecdysis Foundation, Blue Dasher Farm Tags: #RegenerativeAgriculture #SoilHealth #Biodiversity #1000Farms #Ecdysis #Chestnuts #UnitedChestnuts #EBBFarms

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    43 mins
  • OffShoot Edition - Reserve Chestnut Seedlings and Chestnuts Now

    OffShoot Edition - Reserve Chestnut Seedlings and Chestnuts Now
    Aug 16 2025
    🎙️ Branching Out: Growing Together

    At EBB Farms, our Grow-Bag Strategy makes all the difference. We raise each seedling in a three-gallon breathable grow bag inside protected nurseries. They’re watered daily, weeded, and carefully staked — building a dense, fibrous root system that establishes quickly once planted. Before shipping, we gently shake off the soil and send the tree dormant, so you get the very same strong, orchard-ready trees we plant ourselves. In this episode, we explain why it pays to reserve your chestnut trees early. Demand is high, and these bare root seedlings are already in motion. Learn how they’re raised, what sets them apart, and why they often show faster growth in the field. 👉 Reserve now, and be ready to plant success. Details at unitedchestnuts.com/ebb-farms

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.
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    6 mins
  • Regenerative Roots: Willie Huston on Farming, Music, and Land Legacy

    Regenerative Roots: Willie Huston on Farming, Music, and Land Legacy
    Aug 16 2025
    At Pick N Grin Farm in western Kentucky, Willie Huston is doing more than raising crops—he’s cultivating a way of life rooted in observation, resilience, and joy. From silvopasture to biomimicry, mob grazing to music, Willie shares how tending the land has shaped his livelihood, his family, and his community. This episode is a reminder that restoring the earth begins with paying attention to what’s already there. What you’ll hear in this episode:
    • How Willie blends chestnuts, livestock, and wildflowers into a thriving farm ecosystem
    • The role of curiosity and observation in regenerative farming
    • Why diversity—of crops, community, and skills—creates resilience
    • The link between music, creativity, and land stewardship
    • Tips for starting your own small-scale farm with purpose
    Listen in, and let’s grow together.

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    53 mins
  • Finding Your Why: The Deeper Reasons We Grow Chestnuts

    Finding Your Why: The Deeper Reasons We Grow Chestnuts
    Jul 31 2025
    What drives you to grow chestnuts—not just in year one, but year ten? In this episode, Melanie revisits a question that keeps surfacing in our orchard, at conferences, and in every email from new growers:

    “What’s your why?” Drawing from personal experience and stories from growers like Brad and Sandy Russell, we explore what happens when you follow your reasons all the way down. Plus, Melanie shares a simple, powerful reflection tool you can download to clarify your own path. In this episode, you’ll learn:
    • Why your “why” matters more than your business plan
    • How surface reasons often evolve into deeper ones
    • Real motivations that keep chestnut growers going
    • What to ask yourself when things get hard
    • How to use the 7-question “Find Your Why” exercise
    More Resources to Explore
    • Listen to: Finding Our Why: Why Chestnuts, and Why Now
    • Download the Seven Whys Reflection Tool
    • Read: The Advantages of Tree Crops
    • Watch: Brad + Sandy Rusell on The Branching Out: Growing Together podcast or Brad Russell on The Branching Out: Growing Together podcast


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/branching-out-growing-together--5924771/support.
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    8 mins