Farm To Table Talk - podcast cover

Farm To Table Talk

Farm To Table Talkfarmtotabletalk.com
Is it best that our food is Local and Organic or Big and Conventional? Our view is “Both, and..” We don’t come to the table with a bias, except that good farming like good food comes in all shapes and sizes. Farm to Table Talk explores issues and the growing interest in the story of how and where the food on our tables is produced, processed and marketed. The host, Rodger Wasson is a food and agriculture veteran. Although he was the first of his family to leave the grain and livestock farm after five generations farming in America, he’s continually worked for and with farmers though-out America and around the world. From directly managing commodity boards and councils to presently building the strategic consultancy, Idea Farming Inc., the Farm to Table Talk podcast has been created to satisfy the curiosity of today’s engaged consumers.
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Episodes

Sharing the Welsh Farm – Anna Jones

Anna Jones is a farmer based in the Welsh uplands who brings a thoughtful and practical perspective on sustainable livestock farming. Although she came into agriculture later in life, Anna grew up on her family’s sheep and beef farm and returned in her mid-20s to help keep it in the family. She now works alongside her father and is gradually introducing more sustainable and data-informed practices to the farm. They supply Waitrose a high-end grocery store chain in the UK, known for its quality p...

Aug 08, 202539 min

Wolves, Water and Wildfires – Grace Woodmansee

Natural resources, rural communities and agriculture come together in Siskiyou County where California borders Oregon. Wolves have been reintroduced, wildfires are a continuous concern, dams have been removed and efficient water sharing requires community engagement. Assisting with these needs is Grace Woodmansee University of California Cooperative Extension Service Livestock and Natural Resources Adviser. A key project is the Siskiyou Climate Collaborative (SCC) that is working to help a broad...

Aug 01, 202539 min

Regenerating Earth – Kelsey Timmerman

Farmers around the world are resisting industrial monoculture in favor of biodiversity and soil-first practices with practical land stewardship rooted in indigenous knowledge, community building and long-term economic resilience. Regenerating Earth: Farmers Working with Nature to Feed Our Future by Kelsey Timmerman (Patagonia Books) provides a global exploration of regenerative agriculture as told through the stories of farmers transforming the land—and their communities. Timmerman, who lives in...

Jul 24, 202559 min

Stress Less Farming – Michael Kilpatrick

It is 100% true that small farms can be profitable however small farms increasingly need to do further processing. Just selling vegetables to a Farmers Market may no longer be a sufficient business model. Just a single farmer by themselves faces a very hard farm life. To be the best that it can be a single farmer will be better with a group or a couple people focused on making it happen. Michael Kilpatrick is a farmer and educator who is passionate about providing farmers with tools and systems ...

Jul 18, 202559 min

Thriving Farms – Michael Kilpatrick

Small farms can be profitable farms, especially if they adapt and grow to include adding value to their production. Michael Kilpatrick is a farmer and educator who is passionate about equipping farmers with the tools and systems they need to thrive! He offers educational resources as host of the Thriving Farmer podcast and through his virtual summits and online community Small Farm University. He also runs his own farm operation with his wife Savannah and their four children at the Farm on Centr...

Jul 18, 202559 min

Connection and Contribution- Blake Hurst

Although it is appealing to go solo, succeeding in the food system today requires working in cooperation with others: family, neighbors, associations, boards, committees, suppliers, or customers. Working out a partnership or agreeing to serve on a board or committee, may not be what you signed up for but good luck trying to go it alone. Blake Hurst is a farmer in North East Missouri, former President of the Missouri Farm Burieau, occasional guest farm column author in the WallStreet Journal and ...

Jul 10, 202557 min

Feeding 1.4 Billion – Dr. Sat Kumar Tomer

With a growing population of 1.4 billion people to feed, farmers in India are under constant pressure to increase productivity despite diminishing resources. Nearly half the population and most rural livelihoods rely on agriculture.. With volatile weather patterns and pest infestations, crop diseases and limited natural resources , Dr. Sat Kumar Tomer, Founder and CEO of Satyukt Analytics, sought to revolutionize farming by harnessing satellite data to provide affordable, actionable insights for...

Jul 04, 202537 min

DC Central Kitchen – Mike Curtin

DC Central Kitchen combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation in Washington DC, providing hands-on culinary training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. Social ventures include serving scratch-cooked farm-to-school meals in DC schools, delivering fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets, and operating fast-casual cafes throu...

Jun 27, 202559 min

Better Food Better Life – Ariane Daguin

Ariane Daguin is the founder of D’Artagnan and the visionary behind the new All For One One For All (AOOA) Farm in New York’s Hudson Valley.Known as the “Mother of Farm-to-Table” in America, Ariane has spent decades shaping how we source, prepare, and think about our food. She introduced organic, humanely raised meat to top chefs across the U.S. and is now fully immersed in regenerative farming , community-based agriculture, and field-to-table education. Raised in a French culinary dynasty, daug...

Jun 20, 202528 min

Fresh Eyes to Fix Farms – John Kempf

What happens when an Amish farmer in the world’s 4th largest Amish community, farming with horses, recognizes that overdosing with chemical “solutions “is killing the soil? When that Amish farmer is John Kempf it leads to fresh eyes for actions that can bring soil back to life. In Europe for hundreds of years Amish farmers were known for resuscitating impoverished land and today’s solutions will grow to include AI and resilient microbial communities. John Kempf hosts the Regenerative Ag Podcast ...

Jun 13, 20251 hr 1 min

Organic Beyond – Kelly Damewood

There is Organic and there is beyond Organic to regenerative organic, including soil health, animal welfare and social. California Certified Organic Farmers, CCOF, advances organic agriculture for a healthy world: advocating for organic policies, supporting the growth of organic through educationand grants and providing organic certification. A nonprofit organization governed by farmers and founded in California over half a century ago, today it serves North America and beyond with the support o...

Jun 06, 202532 min

Food System Fights – Stuart Gillespie

Food is life but our food system isn't helping. Designed in a different century for a different purpose—to mass-produce cheap calories to prevent famine—it’s now generating obesity, ill health, and premature death. We need to transform it into one that can nourish all eight billion of us and the planet we live on. That is the story learned in Food Fight by Stuart Gillespie. Dr. Gillespie has been fighting to transform our broken food system for the past 40 years. Stuart has been at the helm of t...

May 30, 20251 hr

MAHA’s Report – Callie Eideberg & Rodger Wasson

The long-anticipated MAHA Report : “Making our children healthy again” is published. In the preamble it claims “to be a call to action, presenting the stark reality of American Children’s declining health, backed by compelling data and long-term trends.” It unpacks the potential dietary, behavioral, medical and environmental drivers behind the crisis. Rodger Wasson and Callie Eideberg of the Vogel Group studied the report and discus the implications to the food industry in this episode of Farm T...

May 23, 202555 min

Listen For Voice Of Agriculture – Rodger Wasson

Agriculture, from farms to tables, have voices to be heard. Farm To Table Talk host Rodger Wasson brings his own voice to the table with farmers, chefs, policy makers, innovators and dreamers with conversations that offer ideas and inspiration to the food system . The table turns in this conversation as Rodger is a guest on Capri Cafaro's Eat Your Heartland Out podcast on the Heritage Radio Network sharinghis journey from farm to work for and with large, small, local and community farmers raisin...

May 16, 202533 min

Farmers Should Earn More/Work Less – Ari Memar

Farmers work too hard for what they earn. They need to earn more and work less for their way of life that should be profitable. Small farms are critical to local communities and food systems, but are especially outmatched by the resources available to larger farms — technology, equipment, sales and marketing teams, and back office staff. So in partnership with local farms in Sonoma County California, Ari Memar founded Farmhand to level the playing field by equipping farmers with the technology a...

May 09, 202556 min

Wasted – Minerva Ringland

The food system is extremely inefficient with 237 million tons going unsold or uneaten.--becomingfood waste, which goes t to landfill, incineration, or down the drain, or simply left in the fields to rot. That’s almost 120 billion meals’ worth of food that goes unsold or uneaten each year, roughly 1.4% of U.S. GDP. The impacts on climate and environment are also enormoussince food that is never eaten still requires resources to grow, harvest, transport, cool, cook or otherwise prepare—even when ...

May 02, 202547 min

Good Farming Good Health – Camilla Petersen

To be a good Doctor and to do good health you really need to understand farming and agriculture, because good farming also equals good health and overall wellness, once said Wendell Berry. Dr. Camilla Petersen owns her own concierge medical practice in Missoula Montana where creating good health starts with what we are putting into our bodies. Camilla is a ND, MD, FAAFP who grew up in the Ukraine and has practiced in Africa, South America, New Zealand, all over the USA and now in Missoula Montan...

Apr 25, 202558 min

Degenerative or Regenerative Ag – Mike Lessiter

Regenerative agriculture is the opposite of Degenerative agriculture. Research and innovative farmers are showing that no-till with cover crops increases net profit, organic matter, water quality, air quality and builds soil while reducing runoff. Regenerating soil allows farmers to literally gain more land and grow more crops profitably without losing tons of soil per year from degenerative farming. Mike Lessiter is president of Conservation Ag and the NoTill Magazine. www.notillfarmer.com cove...

Apr 18, 202544 min

Plant Based Journey -Heather Donaldson

Changing what you eat is a journey that may lead to growing, preparing, and marketing before sharing and consuming your food focused dreams. When the destination of the journey is a plant based diet, it may be a challenging transition. When Heather and Reggie Donaldson were moving from LA back to Cincinnati, they knew delicious plant based cheeses would be key to the success of their own plant based journey. Heather shares how that journey led to producing their own plant based cheese, opening a...

Apr 11, 202545 min

Sky’s The Limit – Arthur Erickson

Small and mid-sized farms face a storm of economic pressures, worsening labor shortages, climate extremes, and relentless market disruptions (tariffs) With profit margins squeezed farmers are turning to precision agriculture, leveraging advanced, autonomous drone technology to optimize resources, reduce waste, overcome labor gaps, and maintain profitability. Arthur Erickson, CEO of Hylio, a US based ag drone manufacturer, shares how small to large-scale farmers are integrating drones into their ...

Apr 04, 202533 min

Soil Is Healthcare’s Future – Nadine Clopton

In the U.S., 90% of the $4.5 trillion spent on healthcare goes toward managing chronic disease, yet Physicians receive an average of just 19.6 hours of nutrition education. It's time for a new approach to healthy living, from the ground up.. Prestigious agriculture research and education nonprofit, Rodale Institute is a global pioneer that integrates regenerative organic agriculture and healthcare, for a future where food is medicine. Nadine Clopton is Rodale's Program Manager of Regenerative Ed...

Mar 28, 202546 min

Nutrition Security – Nate Blum

Nutrition security alongside food security will ensure healthy and active lives. Achieving nutritional security is being achieved through nutrition-sensitive farming, diversified food production and community sensitization. Nate Blum is an agricultural expert and the CEO of the Sorghum United Foundation, dedicated to advancing human and animal health, as well as climate-smart agriculture. www.sorghumunited.com

Mar 21, 202557 min

Backyard Farming – Kim Pezza

As egg prices reach record highs, more homeowners are turning to backyard chicken farming as a sustainable and cost-effective solution. This surge in prices has led to a growing trend of individuals raising their own chickens to ensure a steady supply of fresh eggs. Kim Pezza is an expert in sustainable living and the author of Backyard Farming: Raising Chickens as well as other books in the Backyard Farming series to help us achieve greater self-sufficiency in our own backyards.

Mar 14, 202556 min

New Tech Delivers – Gary Wickham

Farms of all sizes and types, from conventional to organic, need continually improving technologies if they are to meet their obligations to Mother Earth and their own bottom line. Gary Wickham. is the founder and CEO of Ireland based MagroTec. Farming utilizes applications of materials through spraying. Whether those materials are organic or traditional the goal is to use as little as possible and avoid drift to non targeted areas. MagroTec uses permanent rare earth magnets to expose fluid to s...

Mar 07, 202554 min

Sharing Food Bridges Divides – Shari Leid

Food is a universal language and the key to bridging our deepest divides can be as simple as sharing a meal. In her newbook, Table for 51: Lessons Learned from Sharing Meals Across America, Shari Leid embarks on a journey to connect with people from all walks of life—demonstrating how food can serve as a powerful bridge across political and cultural divides.Shari’s 50 States Project took her to all corners of the U.S., where she intentionally satdown to meals with individuals of diverse ages, ra...

Feb 28, 202546 min

We Can Farm Too- Shiv Shakti

Can anyone farm? It doesn't take large acreage to grow food in your own back yard, next to your restaurant, in a community gardens, school yard, or a small space adding income to an existing small farming operation. Shiv Shakti is founder of Shakti Farm Design in Bend Oregon. He creates sustainable, energy-efficient greenhouses that integrate regenerative agriculture and permaculture principles. Utilizing soil and sun in small spaces with modest investments, almost anyone can farm. shaktifarmdes...

Feb 21, 202541 min

Tariffs Tax Food – Ron Baumgarten

Tariffs are taxes that may increase food costs and decrease farm incomes. President Trump has signed executive orders imposing duties on imports from Canada, Mexico and China. The president has also threatened tariffs on imports from other countries, as well as across-the-board tariffs aimed at specific sectors.As the largest exporter of agricultural products in the world, the United States will face retaliatory tariffs and other barriers in retaliation for the recent actions, with a big impact ...

Feb 15, 202544 min

Urban Farming – Alfred Melbourne

You don't need to be in the country to farm. It can start on a vacant lot. Three Sisters Gardens’ in West Sacramento is giving back to the community by inspiring and empowering youth through urban farming. Like the Three Sisters legend of companionship planting, Three Sisters Gardens founder Alfred Melbourne believes that communities can heal and thrive when all components, the youth, adults, and elders, work together. The program fosters pride, cultural preservation, and also a deeper connectio...

Feb 08, 202539 min

Goats For Good – Aaron Steele

Grazing is getting attention for a natural mitigation of fire hazards. Herbicides can run off, are dangerous to handle, and lead to genetically resistant weeds. Power equipment burns fossil fuel and produces CO2. Goats go where people can't, eat what most animals won't, and leave behind nothing but fertilizer. Today goats offer an added enterprise to farms and beginning farmers to capitalize the demand for both targeted grazing and goat meat from the growing population of people from parts of th...

Jan 31, 202542 min

Local for Happy Meals – Mike Maynard

McDonald’s operators in Michigan supply their Happy Meal customers and support Michigan farmers by purchasing 14 million pounds of state grown apples annually.There are are over 500 locally-owned McDonald’s restaurants with over 80 Owner/Operators in 90% of Michigan counties. They support Michigan by purchasing 135.9 million pounds of corn, 54.9 million dozen eggs, 22.2 million gallons of milk, 14 million pounds of apples, 5.6 million pounds of butter, 3.4 million pounds of pork, , 3 million pou...

Jan 27, 202524 min
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