Farm To Table Talk

  Before he became the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson envisioned a country of \'citizen farmers\' who would be engaged in government. Jefferson would have been pleased with citizens like Iowa farmer Francis Thicke and Vermont farmer Dave Chapman who climb off their tractors to Zoom with the Secretary of Agriculture about needed policy infrastructure repairs to the USDA Organic program. A thousand farmer have already joined with them to give consumers assurance of Real Organic production practices and to rescue the reputation and trust in Certified Organic. It\'s wrong when farmers are passive about what they grow and it\'s wrong when consumers are passive about what they eat. Jefferson could see farmers and eaters  saying \"we the people are going to do it on our own.\" www.realorganicproject.org

If more of us pledged our head to clearer thinking, our heart to greater loyalty, our hands to larger service and our health to better living it would be better for us, our clubs, our community, our country and our world.  That\'s been the 4-H pledge for generations, although our \"world\" is a welcome additional beneficiary. 4-H is not just for farm kids with animals.  In many states the vast majority of young people in 4-H Clubs are in cities with a wide range of projects that often have more in common with computer labs than barnyards.  Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty is the California 4 -H Director for University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Lynn tells the story of today\'s 4-H and how we can help our kids and ourselves. Caring parents, neighbors or grandparents should look in to 4-H for youngsters or to volunteer their own time for \"better living in better communities\". http://4h.ucanr.edu  

Louis Bromfield planted seeds of the food revolution and reminds us to \"Never forget that agriculture is the oldest of the honorable professions and that always the good farmer is the fundamental citizen of any community, state or nation.\" We are reintroduced to the wisdom and vision of Louis Bromfield in the recently published book, \"The Planter of Modern Life\" by  the author Stephen Heyman.  He was introduced to the Bromfield books of nearly 75 years ago by  Pennsylvania grass farmers, John and Sukey Jamison who had themselves been inspired by Bromfield\'s Malabar Farm. John and Sukey share how Bromfields vision helped them get started when neither had any farming experience.  Regenerative farming leader, Rich Collins, has been a self described Bromfield \'Groupie\' for years and has visited Bromfields place outside of Paris and Malabar Farms in Ohio. He also has shared Bromfield books  and introduced us to the author of the next Bromfield book, Annaliese Abbott. Rich, Annaliese and the Jamison\'s join

On-farm agriculture operations have been excluded from federal labor law since 1935. California filled this gap by creating its own law in 1975, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act (“ALRA”) that gave union organizers the right to physically access the farm property in order to solicit support for unionization. Growers challenged this regulation as a state-sponsored “taking” of their property rights, without the just compensation guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed with the growers, holding that the ALRA’s access regulations were a per se violation because they allowed “physical invasion” of the land without compensation. Michael Droke explains the significance of the decision and implications for property rights protection for agriculture. Michael is a senior partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney in its Food and Agriculture group. www.scotus.com www.dorsey.com  

Will eating less meat save the planet? Some say so but science says no. of course if you\'re looking for a reason to eat less meat and tell others to do the same, climate change seems to add to your case.  However, if you\'re looking to make real impact on the climate, transportation and construction are still much more important than agriculture.  Dr. Frank Moetloehner, Director of the Clear Center at UC Davis is the most quoted expert on these issues in the world. He shares with us the true story of the effects of livestock production, including that some countries are doing a better job than others.  With the adaptation of new technologies, California dairy farmers have reduced methane emissions by 25%..  On You Tube videos  and in Frank\'s presentations you we see him hold up an 8.5 X 11 inch sheet of paper to represent the entire surface of the Earth; then a business card that represents the area where agriculture is possible with 2/3 of that card only fit for grazing  livestock. It is an important story

Except for the air we breathe, nothing is more important to life on earth than water.  Humans can live up to 60 days without food but only a few days without water.  So water is life and the worsening climate is severely impacting life as we know it.  In California alone it is estimated that nearly a million acres of previously productive farmland will be fallowed in 2021.  Inevitably the food supply  and food costs will be impacted. Randy Record farms and invests his time in seeking water solutions.  He has a vineyard and is on the Metropolitan Water District (LA) Board where he has served as Chairman. Randy has a clear eyed perspective on the water challenges we face and faith that  building trusting relationships between cities, agriculture and environmental publics is a key for progress. www.farmwater.org

  Not all farmers are old.. Millennials are coming back to family farms and ranches in impressive numbers.  After college and trying other adventures many are deciding that their passion and what seems best for their families is to be back in rural areas where they bring enthusiasm and a renewed commitment to grow livestock and crops in a way that is good for their family, community and the climate. Brian Moes, his wife and five young boys, dry land farm and feed cattle in North East South Dakota.  Paige Dulaney, her husband and two young boys, farm and ranch in North East Colorado. Bryon and Paige share a path with thousands of new generation farmers who want consumers to understand that their food is being produced by young families liker theirs who are proud of how they farm or ranch and hope to see their kids come back some day to continue the tradition.

  Connecting small farmers to new markets is a universal goal. In Fiji and Australia that is being accomplished due to the efforts of twin sisters, Lisa and Zoe Paisley who have  co-founded Aggie Global. They moved to Fiji  to  start a business and address poverty in rural communities. Farmers struggled with selling their produce while the tourism sector imported 70% of their food so Aggie Global was built to connect either end of the food supply chain in a more transparent and equitable way. Zoe and Lisa came back to Sydney when the pandemic hit and launched an Australian arm to support indigenous farmers by focusing on \'Bushfoods\'.    It\'s another great journey of connecting farms and consumers that can be translated to local and global regeneration. Aggie Global\'s crowdfunding and subscription program will help make positive social change every month. Their campaign helps  support Fijian farmers and build healthy communities by providing boxes of locally grown, fruit and vegetables to families in nee

Billions of pounds of produce are going to waste while millions of Americans are going hungry. Seeing food lines develop all over, some University students decided to do something to change that. They created the Farmlink Project to connect farmers to food banks, delivering millions of pounds of farm fresh produce that would otherwise be wasted to feed families in need. The founder and CEO of Farmlink, James Kanoff explains how this idea has led to up to a million pounds of food per week that might otherwise been wasted, make its way from farms to food banks to hungry people. www.farmlinkproject.org

Consumers have never known more about nutrition and yet, have never been more overweight. For most Americans, maintaining a balanced diet is more difficult than doing their taxes. What are we doing wrong?  Jack Bobo has been engaged with the food system from farm to table and is the author of a new book \"Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices\". He is a food psychology expert with over 20 years advising four U. S. Secretaries of State on food and agriculture. In his book and here on Farm to Table Talk  he guides us to smarter food choices and improving our quality of life. https://futurityfood.com/  

Nutrient density, biodynamic and regenerative are terms of relevance to the health of  our planet, our soil, our food and ourselves. It\'s tricky learning the connections but  Dr. Christopher Daugherty ties it all together. \"Biodynamic is the art and aspect\" of the essential principles of food. Nutrient density is the \"level of nutrients per unit\" of calorie.  Dr. Chris is a regenerative entrepreneur in \'Ortho-molecular\' Nutrition & Biological Medicine. Focusing on biological nutrients, product development and farmer direct supply chains provides biodynamic insights for the future of earth to farm to table. organicconnectmag.com/wp/2008/11/dr-christopher-daugherty-the-quest-for-sustainability/  

  Now is not the new normal. Consumers were forced to change their shopping and dining food practices by the pandemic.  As they return to stores and restaurants, they need to be the Hero of their lives.  From farmers to restaurants and food markets, helping consumers realize their need to be the Hero from these troubled times, is job One. Suzy Badaracco is the President of Culinary Tides Inc.,  a Trends consultancy with a focus on what\'s going to happen next.  It\'s not just studying the data to see trends taking shape; but rather identifying the \"parents\" of the trends.  Food marketers from farm to table, especially need to take note and act accordingly to help their customers become HEROS.  www.culinarytides.com

  Many people wish they could farm and new farmers are needed. Sounds like a match. It is a well established fact that the average age of farmers is around the age that people are thinking of retirement.  So who will be farming in the future, beyond just those who are fortunate enough to be born in to a sustainable family farm?  The Center for Land Based Learning is trying to answer that question with programs reaching out to an audience from High School, to early career and to mid-life career changers. Mary Kimball the CEO of the Center For Land Based Learning joins Farm To Table Talk in a Clubhouse room to explain and answer questions from a live global audience on the future for those who want to be farmers. www.landbasedlearning.org

Families are spending more time cooking at home and local meat provides a better and more affordable alternative. According to Johnathan Hladk the Policy Director for the Center for Rural Affairs, local meat lockers simply do not have the space or equipment to keep up, leaving family farms in the growing direct sales industry without a crucial partner.State and Federal government should support small meat processors looking to improve and expand their infrastructure, which is vital in addressing bottlenecks in local processing and encouraging the growth of rural economies. Funds should be made more available to entrepreneurs seeking to open a new small  meat processing facility. With voluntary support coming from coast to coast, the Center for Rural Affairs addresses issues to improve the quality of rural life.  www.cfra.org

New technologies will play an important role in the future of farming for every size, shape, climate and geographic location. The ideas are popping up fast and increasingly affordable for the full spectrum of global farming systems. Francesco Arlia is the founder and CEO of  one of these emerging pioneers, Harvest Harmonics.  With dime-sized micro-transmitters the natural vibrations and optimum frequency of photosynthesis is changed for the better. Frank talks of the birth of new, non-chemical technologies that could represent the next green revolution. www.harvestharmonics.com

Climate smart agriculture will make a difference to farmers, citizens and life on earth.  Karen Ross, the Secretary of Food And Agriculture for the California Department of Agriculture is on the front line of meeting the climate challenge as chief administrator of food and agriculture programs for the 5th largest economy in the World.  Secretary Ross has a perspective beyond California boundaries having hailed from a western Nebraska farm, managed farm organizations and served as the Chief of Staff at the US Department of Agriculture under then Secretary Tom Vilsack.  Secretary Vilsack is now back at USDA with a fresh charge to lead Agriculture to Climate Smart Agriculture and Karen Ross will promote the synergies that come from state, federal, local and farm/rancher initiatives  that lead to climate smart solutions for a warming planet. www.cdfa.ca.org  

  Clubhouse is a drop-in audio chat network that now includes conversations about the food system, on Farm To Table Talk.  The Center for Good Food Purchasing uses the power of procurement to create a transparent and equitable food system that prioritizes the health and well-being of people, animals, and the environment. Paula Daniels is the Co-founder and chair of the Center,  developing nationally-networked adoption and implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program by major institutions. The result is good news for local farmers and communities across the country  from the direct connections with sustainable and regenerative food sources for their schools, hospitals and public administrations. The conversation with Paula Daniels begins in a podcast that wanders in to the Farm To Table Talk Clubhouse to be joined by other  food system pioneers. www.goodfoodpurchasing.org #Clubhouse

It\'s become popular to bash livestock production and meat consumption for extreme green house gas emissions.  What if the data is wrong? In the UK where carbon neutral agriculture is to be accomplished by 2050, new research has found that the \'carbon\' case against pig farming is not right.  The study conducted by the Institute for Global Food Security found that the carbon footprint has been overstated by 40% over the last 20 years.  Professor Illias Kyriazakis of Queen\'s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland is the author of the study. Professor Kyriazakis also explains that there was very little carbon foot print differences in the type of pig production, indoors or outdoors. Genetic improvements deserve much of the credit for the progress, however when soy protein for pig feed is imported from somewhere that destroys rain forests to grow soybeans, the Climate suffers. All livestock systems deserve a closer look before broadly promoting meatless diets to protect the climate. https://www.qub.ac.uk/Rese

The Nobel Prize Committee has just recognized the scientists who discovered CRISPR—genetic scissors that are a tool for rewriting the code of life and potentially a tool in limiting global warming. New science, technology and a range of farming systems from conventional to agroecology, regenerative and organic have roles to play. Science writer Andrew Porterfield is investigating and writing about the avenues that are being considered by farmers to slow global warming. In a feature article that caught our eye, he answers the question of whether one farming method can help slow global warming. In our conversation we consider that  there needs to be broader acceptance that climate change is a real threat and that farming methods can be part of the solution.

Do omnivores face a dilemma as Michael Pollan famously proposed in his popular book over a decade ago or is the dilemma a delusion? Farmer Blake Hurst who just completed 10 years as President of the Missouri Farm Bureau has practiced what he’s preached about farmer\'s need to communicate. A dozen years ago when the Omnivore’s Dilemma brought global attention to modern farming methods, Blake responded with an article titled the Omnivore’s Delusion. https://www.aei.org/articles/the-omnivores-delusion-against-the-agri-intellectuals/ This led to the farmer from Missouri appearing with Michael Pollan on NPR’s Face of the Nation where they respectfully engaged in a too seldom heard consequential conversation. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113619474        Now a dozen years later Blake Hurst visits with us on why it is still important for farmers to resist their nature and instead speak up about what they do and why they do it. On Wednesdays at noon Pacific Time Farm To Table Talk will host