Solutions to our farming futures may reside on a spectrum that ranges from wide open to strategically controlled. Jake Felser of Freight Farms shared an important perspective on how controlled environment farming can check several boxes when he first joined the Farm To Table Talk in 2022.. www.freightfarms.com
Attention is a moral act so we shouldn't just do what we think nature wants --"attend to Earth". Try as we might, you won't be the savior of the world but you can do what you are here to do. This will take some down the road to regeneration (mob, mow and move), or beyond. Daniel Firth Griffith has a 400 acre rewilding project in central Virginia and has published "Stagline", a book about transition from regneration on to a Kenetic rewilding from cropland to pastures, to forests and plates. www.w...
58% of the energy intake in the American diet is from ultra processed foods and not coincidentally nearly 40% of the population is considered obese, facing growing rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia. It's not that all processed foods are bad since many highly nutritious foods are minimally processed and maybe canned, jarred, frozen or dried points out Registered Dietitian and author, Sharon Palmer. Realigning our diets involves simple choices that can be made at the supermarke...
Water restrictions in California will cause large acreages of farm land to be fallowed, potentially producing nothing. Fortunately a new crop is being introduced that uses very little water, making more available for thirstier tree, vine and row crops. That new crop, a new spirit, is California Agave. Stuart Woolf has been to Mexico and brought back Agave plants that are planted and flourishing in the Central Valley. It's turning out that California is ideal for Agave production. That's good new...
Consumers are more confused than ever about what are the best food choices for themselves and their family. This is the case inspite of the fact or because of the fact that social media, traditional media, books and TV are filled with strongly asserted points of view. Why is establishing the right path so confusing? Amy Myrdal Miller is a registered dietitian, North Dakota farmer's daughter and co-author of Cooking a la Heart. https://www.farmersdaughterconsulting.com
More money is spent lobbying the Farm Bill than is spent lobbying for America's Defense industry. It's not just about producing food. Over 80% of the farm bill is for nutrition programs, such as SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The bulk of the lobbying investments are made by AgriBusiness that sells inputs to farmers and the grocery industry who benefit from food assistance purchases. Even the farm focused programs (research, exports, conservation, etc) mostly support products us...
The demand for meat will keep growing because the world's population will keep growing out of poverty and with a hunger to add meat to their diet. Now more meat can come from more sources , including animal, plants and mycoprotein. Paul Shapiro is CEO of the Better Meat Company and author of "Clean Meat". Growing micycrobial fungi called "mycoprotein", meat is produced with the look, taste and texture of animal sourced products with equal or superior nutrition. Who knew we could be farming micro...
A successful consumer brand can be built from the farm while prioritizing community well-being. Organic style farming existed long before chemical intensive farming became the norm. Four generations of Matt Mclean's family were citrus farmers in Florida, beginning before federal organic certification became a law. Recognizing growing demand , Matt founded Uncle Matt's Organic. Starting with one item sold locally in his backyard, it has become the oldest organic OJ brand in the US and is sold in ...
Economies of scale will continue to push farming operations to get bigger over time. While big farms getting bigger is not likely to change, value added farming is a different matter. Another decline in net farm income is projected according to the Spring 2024 Missouri Farm Income Outlook released by the University of Missouri’s Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF). Projections from the report suggest that declining market receipts and lower crop prices play a role in the estimat...
The new ways of raising livestock and meat production are increasingly drawing from old ways when pastures were more prevalent than large metal confinement buildings. Brittany and Bill Sullivan own and operate Sullivan Farms, just outside of Fayette, MO. Their primary business is pork. All their pigs are raised and rotated on fresh regenerative pastures, and fed NON-GMO grain, along with organic milk. They believe a highly quality of life for animals insures terrific, nutritious food on our dinn...
Although funding and knowledge is available to create better food systems, it is the active choice of doing nothing that is impeding progress. We keep educating the public on the problem and offer no solutions says Zack Wyatt, CEO and founder of the Carolina Farm Trust. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, he's now driving change to improve access to affordable, healthy foods. The first stage is to open a distribution and food production center in west Charlotte, an area known as a food desert. T...
Cities keep growing but that doesn't mean we don't want to be around a farm. In fact when you can't live in the country then how about bringing the farm to the city? That's what Clayton Garrett shares is happening in Houston and other cities. It may be surprising to farmers who have experienced mixed results when city folks move to the country and become their neighbors. Clayton Garrett is a farmer and founding partner of Meristem Communities, a Houston based real estate development company expl...
Many Farm To Table Talk listeners somehow got a version of the Barons podcast that had the right intro but with a different podcast. We're sorry about that and just in case here is the real interview with Austin Frerick. Rodger Wasson
Local agriculture has become an extraction economy and to change there will have to be change in who has power. Food system power is largely in the hands of 'Barons' according to Austin Frerick, the author of "Barons - Money, Power, and The Corruption Of America's Food Industry." The case is made by examining powerful barons in grain, grocery, dairy, berry, coffee and meat industries. Domination is not a new story and it has been blunted in the past such as the reining in of the "Robber Barons" ...
Knowing what we're really hungry for depends on becoming the authority in our own body, empowering us to eat what we love . Kim Shapira, M.S., R.D. is a renowned celebrity dietitian, nutritional therapist, and author holding a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Master's degree in Human Metabolism and Clinical Nutrition. In her new book, This Is What You're Really Hungry For: Six Simple Rules to Transform Your Relationship with Food to Become Your Healthiest Self, Shapira has developed six ...
Houses of faith are becoming powerful agents and actors of improving food security in their own community in ways that go beyond charity. It is organizing the hungry and not just feeding the needy.The largest institution in the Black community, the Black church, replete with offerings to fill multiple needs., from the physical grounds, to classrooms, kitchens, to church vans and buses, to the land, and the people. Pastor Heber Brown III, launched the Black Church Food Security Network (BCFSN) in...
Farmers have the support of customers who want to be a part of something sacred, noble, righteous and healing. Joel Salatin has experienced that first hand and has helped thousands of farmers all over the world discover it for themselves. Although it is daunting to start farming and encourage a more viable local food system, it is happening because of those connections. Joel Salatin hears all about it and shares the excitement he's discovered at his farm, on the road speaking and in his latest o...
What it takes to start farming the right way could be a trip to North Dakota to hear from GabelBrown. That was a key for Rachelle and Jordan Meyer who made the trip to a life changing field day. Back home in Minnesota they started applying what they learned and today with their seven chldren are making it work and sharing what they've learned with other aspiring farmers. They raise goats, custom graze, run stocker cattle, sell raw milk, grass fed beef, pastured pork and poultry. Beyond their own...
Regenerative is a change in the food system that must be shown to mean more than just conventional farming systems with cover crops that are ultimately treated with chemicals. Organic rice grower, Lundberg Family Farms believes that true regenerative systems are often context-specific and will need certification rather than a one-size-fits all system. Representing an 85+ year old family farm brand responsible for growing, manufacturing and marketing, Bryce Lundberg and his daughter Brita Lundber...
The cause of climate change is not animals or fossil fuel. It is how we manage all resources and we can start with grasslands of the world. Allan Savory, the founder of the Savory Institute, is a renowned ecologist and pioneer in holistic land management. His work focuses on regenerating degraded landscapes through innovative practices that integrate livestock grazing with sustainable land stewardship. His holistic approach aims to restore ecosystems, combat desertification, and address global c...
Earth needs friends who care about a more healthy and just world. Kendra Klein, the Deputy Director of Sciecne for Friends of the Earth understands that the challenges facing our planet call for more than half measures, not merely treforms that are politically easy. Sometimes, this involves speaking uncomfortable truths to power and demanding more than people think is possible. The pressures facing the Earth and its people are too important for compromise. www.foe.org
Since good food is good medicine, it makes sense for Hospitals to source protein and produce from healthy soils as close by as possible. At UC Davis Health the food landscape has been transitioning into a true farm-to-fork healthy food program . Visitors, patients, and employees are now able to enjoy locally sourced, tasty menu options from the inspired vision of Executive Chef Santana Diaz, Director of Culinary OperatIons and Innovation. Chef Santana oversees UC Davis Health’s production kitche...
Regeneration is what to do when just Sustaining is not enough. Regenerative agriculture embodies the idea that we must regenerate our degraded systems, rebuilding the resiliency that we need. When farmers transition in to a regenerative system there are a lot less input costs because the biology and diversity is providing the medicine sick soil requires--fixing nitrogen, retaining water in the soil and improving the bottom line for farmers. Regenerative agriculture can be the foundation for all ...
Successfully growing crops or livestock is a lonely enterprise without some help. In many industries that help in the form of research, education and promotion is funded by a state or federal checkoff. While everyone must financially support this work, too few people step up to volunteer their time and judgement to plan and oversee the work done for the benefit of all. One of those who has stepped up is Jimmy Taylor a cattle rancher from Oklahoma and a member of the Beef Promotion Operating Comm...
Putting farmers and marginalized communities first prioritizes ethical sourcing, economic development, responsible innovation, fair compensation and sustainability. Raffi Vartanian, CEO of Ziba Foods is shaping a business model that combines success with societal betterment in Aftghanistan. Working with small farms and Coops to process and export dried fruits and nuts with mostly women in the plant in Kabul is a challenge worth tackling. American farmers who sometimes complain about farming unde...
Healthy farms, crops, livestock, families and communities are a priority beyond the farm gate to the tables. Tables are also where strategies are developed to make communities better. For over 100 years, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) advisors, specialists, faculty, and staff have been committed to the better health and well-being of communities. Amira Resnick is the California Director of Community Nutrition and Health, a statewide network of researchers and...
Power comes from the food we consume and the choices we make from farm to table for consumers, farmers and those in between. When it comes to power for transportation and cultivation, captured methane from farms can reduce a powerful green house gas from further polluting Earth's atmosphere. The methane from manure can be captured and ultimately provide another income stream for farmers beyond just meat and milk, but like so many things harnessing that benefit is more accessible to very large en...
To survive today as an organic farmer of modest scale requires being very intimate with local customers--taking real good care of them and communicating why they should pay a fair price when large scale, legacy farm brand organic production is often available for less at discount retailers. Tom Willey has been a leader in the Organic farming community who has seen it all and is concerned that while farmers are tempted to get bigger for retail or put their focus on internet sales, many need to ge...
COP 28 was widely expected to call for drastic reduction of meat consumption in Western Nations. That didn't happen! Instead it was decided that the world needs to scale up productivity growth of livestock, implementing best practices around the world. "Livestock plays a crucial economic role ....high quality protein ...essential for good health". Eric Mittenthal, the Chief Strategy Officer of the American Meat Institute was in Doha with TheProteinPact.org as discussions considered country level...
The next generation of farmers of color are being inspired and empowered to grow high quality seasonal vegetables for local urban communities. It's a mission of We Grow Farms and the Ujamaa Farmer Collective to grow food regeneratively, ensure secure land tenure and promote equitable access to resources for historically underserved farmers of color. Nelson Hawkins is featured at Eco Farm and Farm To Table Talk to share the story of how Sacramento urban farmer natives are making a difference for ...
