LISTEN: Sustainable Animal Husbandry & Fiber Farming with Bugtussle Farm

We recently hosted a 2-part webinar series with Eric and Cher Smith of Bugtussle Farm with support from Southern SARE. They shared about their livestock management strategies and the process of producing fiber products in the context of their regenerative, biodynamic, diversified family farm.

These webinars were incredibly interesting and educational, but since Zoom calls are not really fun to re-watch, we turned the recordings into podcasts! We hope you enjoy this opportunity to learn from Eric and Cher.

Meet Eric Smith

In 1993, Eric Smith arrived in Tennessee from Pennsylvania. He apprenticed on a medicinal herb farm and soon crossed paths with Jeff Poppen—whose homestead inspired a vision for what could be.

Nearly 25 years later, Eric and Cher Smith, along with their four children, transformed two worn-out farms in south-central Kentucky into vibrant, productive ecosystems, using intensive grazing, on-farm fertility, and an unwavering commitment to regenerative family farming. They’ve sold their products through an 18-year CSA and 16 years at Nashville’s Richland Park Farmers Market.

Meet Cher Smith

Cher is a regenerative farmer, homesteader, and fiber artist. Tucked into the lush hills of south-central Kentucky, Cher tends Bugtussle Farm—raising cows, sheep, herbs, veggies, flowers, and dye plants with a deep reverence for the land. Her Shetland sheep provide wool that she lovingly transforms into yarn, roving, and hand-knit works of wearable art (especially her signature naturally dyed hats ).

Learn more about Bugtussle Farm: https://www.bugtusslefarm.com/

Music featured in this podcast: A Deep Well by Lost Voices  https://lostvoicesmusic.bandcamp.com/music

Thank you to Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education for their support of this project!