VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE 175
AIR DATE 05 21 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Cows
((SOT))
((NATS))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
There is so much that we can tell the world about salvation
through the soil.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Sheep
((SOT))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
As a shepherd, I look over the sheep, I protect them. We
have coyotes. We have a lot of different things that sheep
just naturally want to get themselves into trouble.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Dates
((SOT))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
I’m still dating around, keeping my options open. Dating took
a toll just because everybody was scared to come out and
just meet.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) SALVATION THROUGH THE SOIL
((TRT: 07:20))
((Topic Banner: Salvation Through the Soil))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Knoxville, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub character: 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
I was five years old when my father bought the farm here.
We moved over the winter of 1966, ‘67. Father moved here
because of church work. He was a preacher and this was
hillbilly country.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
My dad and I went into partnership when I was 18. He gave
me five cows and that’s kind of how I got started. Farming is,
it’s not a job. It’s a lifestyle. As I look back over my life, it was
great to be in connection with the creation, okay. And that
put me in connection with the Creator God.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
This farm here is 118 acres [48 hectares] and we try to
utilize everything. We totally graze this farm. We have about
70 or 80 mature cows. We milk the cows and then we raise
the baby calves up to five months old here on this farm.
I had heard some teaching in the early 90’s and it was, “How
do you give God the farm and let him direct the path?”
The organic came along and I sensed God saying, “Look at
this.” I began to understand how the cows and grass worked
together. And so, in a conventional world, where they are
feeding 20 pounds [9 kilos] of grain, and they computerize
their rations to produce as much milk as they need,
and it changes actually the components in the milk. Her
omega-6, the bad fat, it goes up and it might go 1 to 10. If
they are really heavy grained, it’s 1 to 20.
((NATS: Michael Busselberg))
Come on sweetie.
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
So, God made a cow to eat grass. Whenever you feed all
grass, the omega-6s and omega-3s are balanced at 1.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
It’s nothing for their cows to give a 100 pounds [45 kilos] of
milk a day. That’s normal. Ours might be averaging 40 [18
kilos]. We have more quality, not as much quantity. So, it
does make our product stand a little bit out from the norm.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
When this whole grazing thing came in, I began to
understand the biology in the soil and how the conventional
farming were killing off some biology. I began to look and
say, “Is this the best we can do?”
On this farm, we start our rotation at a certain place, so that
we can set a pattern for the year. So, we are either grazing
one acre [0.4 hectares] a day. We definitely switch them
every 12 hours. In the heavy growth times, we’re actually
switching them every hour or two. We’re giving them new
grass.
As she slobbers across that grass as she is lapping in grass,
it’s full of bugs. Same way, the cow’s rumen, her stomach, is
full of bugs. And they don’t know too much about this, but
they are learning more: how they talk to each other and the
biology in the soil, the bugs we can’t see and the bugs in
their saliva. They interreact with each other ‘til it actually
speeds up the grass growth. It’s just the next new thing. It’s
cool.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
Been laying in the barn, huh. We got a big brush in the barn.
They like to go scratch on it.
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
When you’re dealing with animals, they are a creature of
habit. They all have different personalities. Most of them are
pretty friendly. Certain cows will be a little bit more jumpy.
When they are given the opportunity to actually play, they
will play with you.
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
The cow that we were looking at, she basically just has a
very strong, forward personality and she wants to be up
close to you and she wants to be touched. She wants to be
petted. She wants you to know and acknowledge she’s
there.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
We want them to be stress free. I’m not hitting them. I’m not
pressuring them. And if we have animals that are under a
high level of stress, they are going to perform less as far as
their milk production because those stress hormones are
released and that affects their ability to be able to make milk
the highest quality as far as butterfat and protein.
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
You push your way around. You’re almost like a pet says, “I
don’t want to be told what to do, huh?” Don’t take out the
tripod.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
Regenerative farming can be more profitable too. It’s like any
other business. You have to watch your inputs. But for us,
we don’t cultivate the land, so we’re not spending money
doing that. We’re not spraying, so we’re not spending money
on chemicals. We’re not fertilizing. So we are selling cows.
We are selling dairy cows. We’re selling beef cows. We’re
selling cows as we make replacements because every year,
we raise replacements, animals.
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
We’re trying to maximize the income from the land-base we
have. We want to direct market our product. We feel like we
can still stay small. We can still provide a living for two
families. That way, it’ not stressful for anybody.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
There is so much that we can tell the world about salvation
through the soil. Every spring like we have right now, it’s a
new birth, just like we were born again with his spirit. And I
really enjoy it when I get connected with God because he is
the one that created it. And so that puts me back in
connection with the soil.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Farm Life Continues
((SOT))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
Smile. Bow for me. Bow. Back. That wasn’t very much, was
it, huh?
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) SHEEP FARM
((TRT: 02:58))
((Topic Banner: The Spinning Shepherd))
((Reporter: Maxim Moskalkov))
((Camera: Dmytri Shakov))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Purcellville, Virginia))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
This one is Zeus. So, I can go up to him and go, “Hey,
Zeus.” And once one gets attention, they’re all kind of
curious, but there are the certain ones that will stay back.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
I grew up in the Midwest on a farm and I was the youngest,
so there were always animals that, there were orphans and
different things. Just like on Charlotte's Web, there was the
animals that needed special care and nurturing. And I was
really the one that did that when I was young. I was, you
know, five years old.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
It was a toss-up at first when we started looking at, you
know, livestock. And actually, it's between horses and sheep
and I was thinking I was going to get both of them and start,
you know, once we got the barn built. And I got two horses
and quickly decided that was enough. It's like, it's a lot of
responsibility to take care of animals and to train them.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
Smile. Bow for me. Bow. Back. That wasn’t very much, was
it, huh?
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
As a shepherd, and I do think of myself as a shepherd
because I look over the sheep. I protect them. You know, we
have coyotes. We have a lot of different things that sheep
just naturally want to get themselves into trouble, just like a
lot of livestock.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
I looked at different breeds, and a long time ago, I had
decided on a completely different breed. I was looking for the
qualities of wool. And since I did have some time to go back
and look at different breeds again, there's a couple of them
that are never really very friendly, but there are other ones
that are, you know, just, they're almost pets. And I do make
the mistake of naming them because, but it’s just like, it
does. It helps me, you know, care for them.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
I had gone to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, one of
the first years we were here, and I bought a raffle ticket and
actually won that spinning wheel. So, from there, the fiber
journey started. And I started spinning and weaving and just
doing things with fiber.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
This is some of the yarn that I've had, and just look at the
way the light comes off of that. It’s just, there's something
about the quality of that wool.
It's great for felting. It's great for spinning. It's great for
weaving. It's great for knitting and crochet. All the different
things.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((PKG)) YARN BOMB
((Previously aired October 2020))
((Banner: Blooms in East Harlem))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Writer/Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub characters: 6 female; 2 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
My name is Naomi Lawrence, also known as NaomiRAG.
I'm a fiber artist, yarn bomber and I live here in East Harlem.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, right now, we are on Second Avenue, 109th street. This
is a fence I've used before. I'm going to install these. They
were somewhere else and they got taken down. So, I'm
going to put them up here and see how long they last.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Speaker 1))
This is amazing.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Aw, thanks. Thank you. Oh, it's so good to see you. She got
so big! Do you like…..
((Speaker 2))
My grandma, mine, she does everything like these.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah?
((Speaker 2))
Yeah.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Is that grandma?
((Speaker 3))
Yeah, my mom.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Oh really?
((Speaker 2))
Yeah, she does it.
((Speaker 3))
And I.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
You do it, too? You can make this, yeah.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, I was originally from Liverpool and I moved to London in
my twenties and then found myself in Cambridge with my
husband when he was at seminary. He was offered a job in
Spanish Harlem. So, we emigrated here in 2014 with our two
children.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So right now, we're on the corner of 104th Street and
Lexington Avenue and I live just around the corner and this
is Lexington Academy and we've used this fence many,
many times. The principal asked me to do a monarch
butterfly because the school is full of immigrants and he
wanted to respond to how beautiful migration is.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, we installed the monarch in November and it's now been
ten months. It's pretty grubby and it's actually started to get a
little baggy. I'm going to have to move across. I'm hoping
she's going to go somewhere like Mexico. She was going to
go to Mexico, but then COVID. I hope she can finish her life
somewhere in Central America and do the actual path that
monarchs actually follow. But she's got plenty of life left in
her. So, just fingers crossed, hope for the best.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Speaker 4))
Woo!
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Woo!
((Speaker 4))
Woo!
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Oh my God. Just look how dirty my hands are.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
It's taken me a while to say that I make art because at first I
was just yarn bombing and covering things in the street with
yarn. But I do it because it makes people smile. I do it
because it brings people joy. And it makes me happy too.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, this is El Barrio Loves You. I think, El Barrio Loves You.
((Speaker 4))
El Barrio Loves You.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
We put this up by Metropolitan Hospital during COVID. Six
different people work on this, five women and one guy, all
who live in this part of East Harlem.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
You know, I'm going to put these two together to save zip
ties.
((Speaker 5))
Oh, okay. Yeah.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
And we just wanted a message to the hospital to say, you
know, "We support you. You're having a rough time. We're
all in this together. Thank you for your hard work."
((NATS))
((Speaker 5))
Did you bring any…..
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
There's yarn and needles. I'll show you where the needles
are. So, you have no idea?
((Speaker 5))
I don't know what I'm doing.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
It’s the usual story. Plus two.
((Speaker 5))
Do you have.....
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
I have this color yarn. You can just like make it up.
((Speaker 5))
Okay yeah, yeah.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
My ears are sore. Okay, so this is crochet and I would
consider myself to be a crochet fiber artist who uses the
street as my gallery, I guess. I'm a very slow knitter and I use
knitting to make garments, but it would take way too long to
do this in knitting, so.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, well, I've had 30 contributors to send these flowers
and, oh this one was Flo. But people from like all over, they
take some of the patterns I’ve sent them.
((Speaker 6))
This one’s really nice.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, that was one of the patterns I sent. That's clematis.
But some people just sort of did whatever they felt like and
this is what survived. So, I'm going to need help to sew it
together and then obviously, to pull it up. And it's going to
take a couple of hours to pull it up.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, that was Christie. I've got Kay here. So, I guess, I'll
just put these on afterwards. So…..
((Speaker 6))
You should glue them on there.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Glue them on! I think there will be a bit of gluing.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Speaker 7))
I teach here. I teach 7th and 8th grade Special Ed
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
and we love this and we're starting to put it into the
curriculum. I think it's cool.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber)))
Oh, you are? Oh, that's wonderful.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, we'll all be set for Sunday, five o'clock I think people said
they could make.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So for years, I’ve worked on the large flowers on my own,
but I’ve been very keen to work in collaboration with others
from the neighborhoods, women who were either born here
or from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, or who’ve
emigrated here just like me.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
And it's much easier as long as you don't sew it to the grass.
Yeah, your O's are round. They're great.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
And then we'll get some funny pictures again, like we did last
time.
((Speaker 7))
Cool.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
That's always fun at the end of it, to have some silly pictures.
Okay. Let’s just check.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, they're all supposed to be 40 inches [1 meter]. So, I
think, we're pretty much almost done.
((Speaker 8))
Yes, one more, I think.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Okay. Just finish that row then. Thank you. Yeah, it's great
that you're involved.
((Speaker 8))
Thank you.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
We're always trying to get new people to join our collective.
((Speaker 8))
And then we put the letters, right?
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yes.
((Speaker 8))
Perfect.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Sew them on top. That's it, I think.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
This quote is by Lady Bird Johnson.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
"Where flowers bloom, so does hope. And hope is the
precious, indispensable ingredient without which the war on
poverty can never be won."
When I came across the quote, it just stood out to me
because it really is just about hope. It's about the passerby
walking down the streets, stumbling across something that
they never expected to be there. And it just gives them a
sense of, "I'm cared for, my neighborhood's cared for, and
there's love, there's love out there.” And it makes you smile.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Dating During the Pandemic
((SOT))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
When I meet them in person, obviously the faces are
covered. All I would see is the eyes. Don’t get me wrong. I
love eyes and it tells a lot of personality, but I still want to
see the rest of your face.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) DATING DURING THE PANDEMIC
((TRT: 03:08))
((Topic Banner: Pandemic Dating))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Dunn Loring, Virginia))
((Main Character: 1 male))
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
Before the pandemic, I would meet girls at coffee shops,
bars, etc., just a public place. After the pandemic, that all
stopped. All of sudden, it’s just a state of confusion and
isolation, kind of blend in together.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
Definitely took a toll because everybody was scared, and I
was kinda scared too, you know, just meeting people in
general. But it really affected my social life as well as just
overall well-being. Because everybody was so confused at
the moment that you don’t know what the next day was
going to look like or the day after that.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
Dating took a toll just because everybody was scared to
come out and just meet. Instead of meeting in person, I was
talking more online, on the apps and so on, Bumble and
Match and so forth. So, it was good and bad in a way
meaning that the good part was getting to know and weeding
out the girls that I had, topics in common or interest in
common, including this whole coronavirus, where being safe
is a huge concern.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
But then, you know, a short while later, things started
opening up a little bit more and, you know, little bit of sense
of social, just being a social person, social life was coming
back, but in tiny little increments. So, I felt that, okay, this is a
time where I can step out once more but do it really carefully
and once in a while. And really meet the potentials that are
on the same page.
((NATS: Dating Montage))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
When I meet them in person, obviously the faces are
covered. All I would see is the eyes. Now, don’t get me
wrong. I love eyes and it tells a lot of personality, but I still
want to see the rest of your face. But I think a couple of
minutes later, when we’re into the date, you know, we’d be
comfortable enough to take off our mask and carry on the
conversation. So, it worked out fine. It’s just a little bit of
readjustments you got to make just to be safe.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
I’m still dating around, keeping my options open. Ultimately
what I would like, in the future, is, you know, a sense of
connection. All the little things I look for in a partner, that’s
there, that should be there. The person should be your best
friend and ultimately a family.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
The advice that I would give somebody that’s looking to date
during the pandemic, if you’re a little confused, if you’re
skeptical, if you’re like, ‘Well, I’ll just wait it out. I’ll wait out
until the pandemic is over.’ Well, good luck, because nobody
knows when it’s going to be over.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
I think time is of the essence. There’s only so much time
that’s in everyone’s grasp. So, I’d say pandemic wise, just go
for it. Whether or not you meet in person or all the other
technology tools, you know, if you really do connect with
somebody over the phone or on text, I’d say just be safe,
meet in person, keep the distance, because if you don’t, then
you don’t know what you're going to miss out.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
NEXT WEEK/GOOD BYE ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In coming weeks…..
((Topic Banner))
Pandemic Family Diary
((NATS))
((SOT))
((Gabrielle Weiss, Mother))
I can’t believe we’re leaving this place after all these years.
((Adela, Daughter))
Bye-bye, home. I won’t miss you because you’re so small.
((Camilo, Son))
Alaska, here we come.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rafael de la Uz, Father))
How many days it’s going to take us to get to Alaska.
((Camilo, Son))
I think it’s going to take 13.
((Adela, Daughter))
15.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Gabrielle Weiss, Mother))
Here is the beginning of the Alaska Highway, the world-
famous Alaska Highway.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Camilo, Son))
This is amazing. Oh my God, baby bisons.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Topic Banner))
Cicadas!
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAKTHREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE 175
AIR DATE 05 21 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Cows
((SOT))
((NATS))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
There is so much that we can tell the world about salvation
through the soil.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Sheep
((SOT))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
As a shepherd, I look over the sheep, I protect them. We
have coyotes. We have a lot of different things that sheep
just naturally want to get themselves into trouble.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Dates
((SOT))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
I’m still dating around, keeping my options open. Dating took
a toll just because everybody was scared to come out and
just meet.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) SALVATION THROUGH THE SOIL
((TRT: 07:20))
((Topic Banner: Salvation Through the Soil))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Knoxville, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub character: 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
I was five years old when my father bought the farm here.
We moved over the winter of 1966, ‘67. Father moved here
because of church work. He was a preacher and this was
hillbilly country.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
My dad and I went into partnership when I was 18. He gave
me five cows and that’s kind of how I got started. Farming is,
it’s not a job. It’s a lifestyle. As I look back over my life, it was
great to be in connection with the creation, okay. And that
put me in connection with the Creator God.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
This farm here is 118 acres [48 hectares] and we try to
utilize everything. We totally graze this farm. We have about
70 or 80 mature cows. We milk the cows and then we raise
the baby calves up to five months old here on this farm.
I had heard some teaching in the early 90’s and it was, “How
do you give God the farm and let him direct the path?”
The organic came along and I sensed God saying, “Look at
this.” I began to understand how the cows and grass worked
together. And so, in a conventional world, where they are
feeding 20 pounds [9 kilos] of grain, and they computerize
their rations to produce as much milk as they need,
and it changes actually the components in the milk. Her
omega-6, the bad fat, it goes up and it might go 1 to 10. If
they are really heavy grained, it’s 1 to 20.
((NATS: Michael Busselberg))
Come on sweetie.
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
So, God made a cow to eat grass. Whenever you feed all
grass, the omega-6s and omega-3s are balanced at 1.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
It’s nothing for their cows to give a 100 pounds [45 kilos] of
milk a day. That’s normal. Ours might be averaging 40 [18
kilos]. We have more quality, not as much quantity. So, it
does make our product stand a little bit out from the norm.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
When this whole grazing thing came in, I began to
understand the biology in the soil and how the conventional
farming were killing off some biology. I began to look and
say, “Is this the best we can do?”
On this farm, we start our rotation at a certain place, so that
we can set a pattern for the year. So, we are either grazing
one acre [0.4 hectares] a day. We definitely switch them
every 12 hours. In the heavy growth times, we’re actually
switching them every hour or two. We’re giving them new
grass.
As she slobbers across that grass as she is lapping in grass,
it’s full of bugs. Same way, the cow’s rumen, her stomach, is
full of bugs. And they don’t know too much about this, but
they are learning more: how they talk to each other and the
biology in the soil, the bugs we can’t see and the bugs in
their saliva. They interreact with each other ‘til it actually
speeds up the grass growth. It’s just the next new thing. It’s
cool.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
Been laying in the barn, huh. We got a big brush in the barn.
They like to go scratch on it.
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
When you’re dealing with animals, they are a creature of
habit. They all have different personalities. Most of them are
pretty friendly. Certain cows will be a little bit more jumpy.
When they are given the opportunity to actually play, they
will play with you.
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
The cow that we were looking at, she basically just has a
very strong, forward personality and she wants to be up
close to you and she wants to be touched. She wants to be
petted. She wants you to know and acknowledge she’s
there.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
We want them to be stress free. I’m not hitting them. I’m not
pressuring them. And if we have animals that are under a
high level of stress, they are going to perform less as far as
their milk production because those stress hormones are
released and that affects their ability to be able to make milk
the highest quality as far as butterfat and protein.
((Michael Busselberg, Assistant Farm Manager))
You push your way around. You’re almost like a pet says, “I
don’t want to be told what to do, huh?” Don’t take out the
tripod.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
Regenerative farming can be more profitable too. It’s like any
other business. You have to watch your inputs. But for us,
we don’t cultivate the land, so we’re not spending money
doing that. We’re not spraying, so we’re not spending money
on chemicals. We’re not fertilizing. So we are selling cows.
We are selling dairy cows. We’re selling beef cows. We’re
selling cows as we make replacements because every year,
we raise replacements, animals.
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
We’re trying to maximize the income from the land-base we
have. We want to direct market our product. We feel like we
can still stay small. We can still provide a living for two
families. That way, it’ not stressful for anybody.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Myron Martin, Dairy Farmer))
There is so much that we can tell the world about salvation
through the soil. Every spring like we have right now, it’s a
new birth, just like we were born again with his spirit. And I
really enjoy it when I get connected with God because he is
the one that created it. And so that puts me back in
connection with the soil.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Farm Life Continues
((SOT))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
Smile. Bow for me. Bow. Back. That wasn’t very much, was
it, huh?
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) SHEEP FARM
((TRT: 02:58))
((Topic Banner: The Spinning Shepherd))
((Reporter: Maxim Moskalkov))
((Camera: Dmytri Shakov))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Purcellville, Virginia))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
This one is Zeus. So, I can go up to him and go, “Hey,
Zeus.” And once one gets attention, they’re all kind of
curious, but there are the certain ones that will stay back.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
I grew up in the Midwest on a farm and I was the youngest,
so there were always animals that, there were orphans and
different things. Just like on Charlotte's Web, there was the
animals that needed special care and nurturing. And I was
really the one that did that when I was young. I was, you
know, five years old.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
It was a toss-up at first when we started looking at, you
know, livestock. And actually, it's between horses and sheep
and I was thinking I was going to get both of them and start,
you know, once we got the barn built. And I got two horses
and quickly decided that was enough. It's like, it's a lot of
responsibility to take care of animals and to train them.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
Smile. Bow for me. Bow. Back. That wasn’t very much, was
it, huh?
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
As a shepherd, and I do think of myself as a shepherd
because I look over the sheep. I protect them. You know, we
have coyotes. We have a lot of different things that sheep
just naturally want to get themselves into trouble, just like a
lot of livestock.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
I looked at different breeds, and a long time ago, I had
decided on a completely different breed. I was looking for the
qualities of wool. And since I did have some time to go back
and look at different breeds again, there's a couple of them
that are never really very friendly, but there are other ones
that are, you know, just, they're almost pets. And I do make
the mistake of naming them because, but it’s just like, it
does. It helps me, you know, care for them.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
I had gone to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, one of
the first years we were here, and I bought a raffle ticket and
actually won that spinning wheel. So, from there, the fiber
journey started. And I started spinning and weaving and just
doing things with fiber.
((NATS))
((Rebecca Brouwer, Sheep Farm Owner))
This is some of the yarn that I've had, and just look at the
way the light comes off of that. It’s just, there's something
about the quality of that wool.
It's great for felting. It's great for spinning. It's great for
weaving. It's great for knitting and crochet. All the different
things.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((PKG)) YARN BOMB
((Previously aired October 2020))
((Banner: Blooms in East Harlem))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Writer/Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub characters: 6 female; 2 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
My name is Naomi Lawrence, also known as NaomiRAG.
I'm a fiber artist, yarn bomber and I live here in East Harlem.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, right now, we are on Second Avenue, 109th street. This
is a fence I've used before. I'm going to install these. They
were somewhere else and they got taken down. So, I'm
going to put them up here and see how long they last.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Speaker 1))
This is amazing.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Aw, thanks. Thank you. Oh, it's so good to see you. She got
so big! Do you like…..
((Speaker 2))
My grandma, mine, she does everything like these.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah?
((Speaker 2))
Yeah.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Is that grandma?
((Speaker 3))
Yeah, my mom.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Oh really?
((Speaker 2))
Yeah, she does it.
((Speaker 3))
And I.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
You do it, too? You can make this, yeah.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, I was originally from Liverpool and I moved to London in
my twenties and then found myself in Cambridge with my
husband when he was at seminary. He was offered a job in
Spanish Harlem. So, we emigrated here in 2014 with our two
children.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So right now, we're on the corner of 104th Street and
Lexington Avenue and I live just around the corner and this
is Lexington Academy and we've used this fence many,
many times. The principal asked me to do a monarch
butterfly because the school is full of immigrants and he
wanted to respond to how beautiful migration is.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, we installed the monarch in November and it's now been
ten months. It's pretty grubby and it's actually started to get a
little baggy. I'm going to have to move across. I'm hoping
she's going to go somewhere like Mexico. She was going to
go to Mexico, but then COVID. I hope she can finish her life
somewhere in Central America and do the actual path that
monarchs actually follow. But she's got plenty of life left in
her. So, just fingers crossed, hope for the best.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Speaker 4))
Woo!
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Woo!
((Speaker 4))
Woo!
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Oh my God. Just look how dirty my hands are.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
It's taken me a while to say that I make art because at first I
was just yarn bombing and covering things in the street with
yarn. But I do it because it makes people smile. I do it
because it brings people joy. And it makes me happy too.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, this is El Barrio Loves You. I think, El Barrio Loves You.
((Speaker 4))
El Barrio Loves You.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
We put this up by Metropolitan Hospital during COVID. Six
different people work on this, five women and one guy, all
who live in this part of East Harlem.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
You know, I'm going to put these two together to save zip
ties.
((Speaker 5))
Oh, okay. Yeah.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
And we just wanted a message to the hospital to say, you
know, "We support you. You're having a rough time. We're
all in this together. Thank you for your hard work."
((NATS))
((Speaker 5))
Did you bring any…..
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
There's yarn and needles. I'll show you where the needles
are. So, you have no idea?
((Speaker 5))
I don't know what I'm doing.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
It’s the usual story. Plus two.
((Speaker 5))
Do you have.....
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
I have this color yarn. You can just like make it up.
((Speaker 5))
Okay yeah, yeah.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
My ears are sore. Okay, so this is crochet and I would
consider myself to be a crochet fiber artist who uses the
street as my gallery, I guess. I'm a very slow knitter and I use
knitting to make garments, but it would take way too long to
do this in knitting, so.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, well, I've had 30 contributors to send these flowers
and, oh this one was Flo. But people from like all over, they
take some of the patterns I’ve sent them.
((Speaker 6))
This one’s really nice.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, that was one of the patterns I sent. That's clematis.
But some people just sort of did whatever they felt like and
this is what survived. So, I'm going to need help to sew it
together and then obviously, to pull it up. And it's going to
take a couple of hours to pull it up.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, that was Christie. I've got Kay here. So, I guess, I'll
just put these on afterwards. So…..
((Speaker 6))
You should glue them on there.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Glue them on! I think there will be a bit of gluing.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Speaker 7))
I teach here. I teach 7th and 8th grade Special Ed
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
and we love this and we're starting to put it into the
curriculum. I think it's cool.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber)))
Oh, you are? Oh, that's wonderful.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So, we'll all be set for Sunday, five o'clock I think people said
they could make.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
So for years, I’ve worked on the large flowers on my own,
but I’ve been very keen to work in collaboration with others
from the neighborhoods, women who were either born here
or from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, or who’ve
emigrated here just like me.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
And it's much easier as long as you don't sew it to the grass.
Yeah, your O's are round. They're great.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
And then we'll get some funny pictures again, like we did last
time.
((Speaker 7))
Cool.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
That's always fun at the end of it, to have some silly pictures.
Okay. Let’s just check.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yeah, they're all supposed to be 40 inches [1 meter]. So, I
think, we're pretty much almost done.
((Speaker 8))
Yes, one more, I think.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Okay. Just finish that row then. Thank you. Yeah, it's great
that you're involved.
((Speaker 8))
Thank you.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
We're always trying to get new people to join our collective.
((Speaker 8))
And then we put the letters, right?
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Yes.
((Speaker 8))
Perfect.
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
Sew them on top. That's it, I think.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Naomi Lawrence, Fiber Artist, Yarn Bomber))
This quote is by Lady Bird Johnson.
((Photo Courtesy: Naomi Lawrence))
"Where flowers bloom, so does hope. And hope is the
precious, indispensable ingredient without which the war on
poverty can never be won."
When I came across the quote, it just stood out to me
because it really is just about hope. It's about the passerby
walking down the streets, stumbling across something that
they never expected to be there. And it just gives them a
sense of, "I'm cared for, my neighborhood's cared for, and
there's love, there's love out there.” And it makes you smile.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Dating During the Pandemic
((SOT))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
When I meet them in person, obviously the faces are
covered. All I would see is the eyes. Don’t get me wrong. I
love eyes and it tells a lot of personality, but I still want to
see the rest of your face.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) DATING DURING THE PANDEMIC
((TRT: 03:08))
((Topic Banner: Pandemic Dating))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Dunn Loring, Virginia))
((Main Character: 1 male))
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
Before the pandemic, I would meet girls at coffee shops,
bars, etc., just a public place. After the pandemic, that all
stopped. All of sudden, it’s just a state of confusion and
isolation, kind of blend in together.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
Definitely took a toll because everybody was scared, and I
was kinda scared too, you know, just meeting people in
general. But it really affected my social life as well as just
overall well-being. Because everybody was so confused at
the moment that you don’t know what the next day was
going to look like or the day after that.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
Dating took a toll just because everybody was scared to
come out and just meet. Instead of meeting in person, I was
talking more online, on the apps and so on, Bumble and
Match and so forth. So, it was good and bad in a way
meaning that the good part was getting to know and weeding
out the girls that I had, topics in common or interest in
common, including this whole coronavirus, where being safe
is a huge concern.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
But then, you know, a short while later, things started
opening up a little bit more and, you know, little bit of sense
of social, just being a social person, social life was coming
back, but in tiny little increments. So, I felt that, okay, this is a
time where I can step out once more but do it really carefully
and once in a while. And really meet the potentials that are
on the same page.
((NATS: Dating Montage))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
When I meet them in person, obviously the faces are
covered. All I would see is the eyes. Now, don’t get me
wrong. I love eyes and it tells a lot of personality, but I still
want to see the rest of your face. But I think a couple of
minutes later, when we’re into the date, you know, we’d be
comfortable enough to take off our mask and carry on the
conversation. So, it worked out fine. It’s just a little bit of
readjustments you got to make just to be safe.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
I’m still dating around, keeping my options open. Ultimately
what I would like, in the future, is, you know, a sense of
connection. All the little things I look for in a partner, that’s
there, that should be there. The person should be your best
friend and ultimately a family.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
The advice that I would give somebody that’s looking to date
during the pandemic, if you’re a little confused, if you’re
skeptical, if you’re like, ‘Well, I’ll just wait it out. I’ll wait out
until the pandemic is over.’ Well, good luck, because nobody
knows when it’s going to be over.
((NATS))
((Gavin Sethi, Global Business Developer, Virtuality
Concepts))
I think time is of the essence. There’s only so much time
that’s in everyone’s grasp. So, I’d say pandemic wise, just go
for it. Whether or not you meet in person or all the other
technology tools, you know, if you really do connect with
somebody over the phone or on text, I’d say just be safe,
meet in person, keep the distance, because if you don’t, then
you don’t know what you're going to miss out.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
NEXT WEEK/GOOD BYE ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In coming weeks…..
((Topic Banner))
Pandemic Family Diary
((NATS))
((SOT))
((Gabrielle Weiss, Mother))
I can’t believe we’re leaving this place after all these years.
((Adela, Daughter))
Bye-bye, home. I won’t miss you because you’re so small.
((Camilo, Son))
Alaska, here we come.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rafael de la Uz, Father))
How many days it’s going to take us to get to Alaska.
((Camilo, Son))
I think it’s going to take 13.
((Adela, Daughter))
15.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Gabrielle Weiss, Mother))
Here is the beginning of the Alaska Highway, the world-
famous Alaska Highway.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Camilo, Son))
This is amazing. Oh my God, baby bisons.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Topic Banner))
Cicadas!
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAKTHREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
