Website: http://www.backyardgreenfilms.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackyardGreenFilms/
An experienced and innovative filmmaker, Backyard Green Films owner and Director/Producer, Rick Bowman has catalogued over 30 years of broadcast, commercial, and corporate video experience. Rick combines skillful expertise and artistic vision to create top quality projects for clients, and has learned by experience, that each project requires a special approach and solution to meet its goals. Rick has directed five films and produced nine others. He is a graduate of The College for Recording Arts in San Francisco, CA.
Rick also owns a recording studio, Lethal Sounds, Inc. His efforts and expertise in sound design have earned him Cindy, Telly and Omni Awards, and credits on several feature films including “On Bloody Sunday”, Shoot the Hero,” “Selfie Shootout,” and “Inoperable.”
Elara loves to find new ideas, new life and new civilizations to learn about – especially if they involve other species. She’s a bookkeeper and tax preparer by day, backyard chicken keeper and dirt farmer on the weekends, and a researcher and mad travel fan somewhere in between. She found more than one love of her life when she met Rick, as their shared passion for adventure makes life a never-boring and never-ending journey. Since her job as the resident interviewer for Backyard Green Films media projects gives full permission to talk to interesting people about just about everything in life, capturing it on film and bringing it to others has been a gift and a joy.
Elara is also host of the agri-Culture Podcast, a weekly podcast series featuring compelling conversations with a diverse list of guests. The mission of the agri-Culture Podcast is to share the stories, dedication, and wisdom of America’s stewards of sustainable agriculture who’ve followed their own ‘call of the land.’ Find episodes on this website under the agri-Culture Podcast tab, or on your favorite podcast streaming app.
FILM AWARDS
“The Holstein Dilemma”
2021: Accolade Global Film Competition, Award of Recognition
“American Milking Devon-Past & Present”
2020: Accolade Global Film Competition, Award of Merit
“Banjos, Bluegrass & Squirrel Barkers”
2017: Mindfield Film Festival LA Gold Award, Documentary
2017: Goddess Nike Gold Movie Award, Documentary
“Hillsville 1912-A Shooting In The Court”
2012: IndieFEST Film Award
2011: Accolade Global Film Competition Award
Videos
We got to hear a few previously-unheard phrases that have stuck with us: “Lambie Jammies” and “Bummer Lamb.” Tune in to the podcast to find out more about that, and about these two hardworking young dairy farmers. They’re making a strong go of it, and it couldn’t happen to nicer people. And for all of you who wondered “How do you milk a sheep, and is it that much different from a cow?” This one is for you.
Rick and Elara haven’t decided to move to Oregon yet like most of the rest of the Southwest U.S. residents, but between the green pastures, delicious creamery products, and super-nice people, it’s looking like a great idea. We hope you join us for a visit to Woodrow Farms, along the windy green pastures of Langlois, Oregon. This just might be as close as you’ll get to Donegal County, Ireland while standing in North America.
Pioneer Equipment Inc. – A brief history After World War II, until the early 70’s, horse drawn equipment was available for dimes on the dollar throughout the Midwest. Tractor farmers discarded the old machinery or parked it in fence rows. These old relics were viewed as part of a bygone era. By the late 70’s the need for new horse drawn equipment was increasing as old plows and equipment were wearing out beyond repair. Spare parts were scarce and often very expensive. During this period, Wayne Wengerd, along with his father, Henry Wengerd, did their own repair work and made eveners and neckyokes for use on the home farm. In the summer of 1976 when the Wengerds needed a new walking plow they decided to build their own because manufacturers like John Deere and McCormick had quit building them decades earlier. They questioned if the newer raydex style plow bottom would work on a Walking Plow. They took a bottom off an old Ford Sulky Plow and attached a beam and handles. The first test run was made behind the hill to save potential embarrassment from the neighbors who might otherwise see the results. After numerous improvements the plow performed satisfactorily. Neighbors found out about the plow and asked the Wengerds to build plows for them. Most of the plow parts were manufactured in the small family farm shop. However, they lacked the proper tools to cut plow beams and machine the spindles and bushings. At this time Wayne was still working at J. Horst Machine, a local metal fab shop, and was able to do the necessary machining and fabrication after hours at this location. The first run of plows was sold in the spring of 1977; twenty-five Walking Plows and twenty-five Sulky Plows. These were all sold to farmers in Holmes County, Ohio and the surrounding area. In September of 1978, Wayne quit his job at a local metal fab shop and officially opened his business under the name “Wengerd’s Machine Shop.” The same year a 40’ x 72’ shop building was erected for the new business “We decided to build the shop large enough that we will never run out of space,” Wayne recalls. Henry opted to keep farming the 150-acre family farm, and a neighboring 115 acre farm, rather than becoming a partner in the business. Today, Pioneer’s continues to be a leader in equipment innovation. Take the new rock plow, a spring reset plow engineered in collaboration with Kverneland, arguably the global leader in tillage equipment. Engineers from Germany came to Ohio to spend time with our team and develop this new plow designed for the toughest soil conditions. Or look at the new Pioneer Cultivator, designed for precision shallow tillage and to work right alongside the plastic used by most produce growers. The entire design of this cultivator is built around this new concept in cultivation, adopted from modern European tillage techniques. Ask anyone of the family of owners at Pioneer and they will tell you they have been blessed over the 40 plus years of being in business– that their customers, and those relationships, built over numerous decades, are what motivates them to continue to strive for excellence and live their mission statement each day.
