Farm infrastructures in the U.S. are designed to support either very big or very small farms, which sometimes leaves mid-sized producers—the “Ag of the Middle”—without resources or a market. Amanda Oborne of Ecotrust is supporting these often-overlooked farms in order to create a flourishing regional food system.

Amanda Oborne: Helping the "Ag of the Middle" Thrive

Rootstock Radio celebrates the changemakers who are working to restore and revitalize our broken food and farming system. We balance the doom-and-gloom with real-life solutions for contributing to a sustainable future.

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On this final episode of Rootstock Radio, we're talking to Dr. John Fagan of Earth Open Source Institute about an all-encompassing model of health, climate change, pesticides and science. It's been a great 4 years of doing this podcast, and we want to thank the thousands of listeners who have celebrated so many Good Food Movement changemakers with us every week. We hope you'll stay connected with us on our blog, Rootstock, at www.organicvalley.coop/blog. 

Dr. John Fagan on the Toxins in our Food and Environment

Today on Rootstock Radio, Chef Luke Zahm of the Driftless Cafe gets real about what it takes to be conscientious in the restaurant industry, and why serving local food is so important to the greater local food system. Tune in to hear about:  The unique food and agriculture scene in the Driftless region of Wisconsin (which is, of course, how the Driftless Cafe got its name.) Why Luke and his team spend 85% of their food budget sourcing from producers within 100 miles of their restaurant. How Luke has made telling the stories of farmers central to his business model. Important conversations taking place among chefs about how to celebrate local food and farmers without grandstanding or exploiting the “trendiness” of farm-to-table. The difference between a fad and a revolution, according to Luke (and why organic is clearly the latter.) 

Chef Luke Zahm: The Difference Between a Fad and a Revolution

Mari Margil and her team at the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund are committed to defending the rights of our environment under the law. Already they have assisted the first places in the world to secure Rights of Nature in law, including in Ecuador, where these rights are now written into the country’s constitution. Recently, the organization was instrumental in advocating for the rights of Lake Erie to be protected against agricultural pollution, which has also been polluting the water of Toledo, Ohio, residents. In February,  Ohio voters passed the “Lake Erie Bill of Rights” law, a first-of-its-kind measure that could set a positive precedent for other Rights of Nature laws. Listen in to hear more about how our environment can - and should - have a lawyer. 

Mari Margil: Giving Nature the Legal Rights it Deserves

Today on Rootstock Radio, we’re talking with Anthony Reyes, Farm Manager at Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, California. Anthony’s interest in food and agriculture was piqued in college, where he studied food, agriculture and social justice. But after he got a job not just thinking about agriculture, but actually working with his hands in the soil, his focus shifted from theoretical policy, to being on the ground making change in big and small ways. Which is—of course—part of how Anthony found himself farm manager of an urban farm and garden that employs, educates and nourishes people experiencing homelessness.

Anthony Reyes: Growing Skills (and Food) at the Homeless Garden Project

Today we’re talking to community organizer Ashleigh Eubanks of RiseBoro Community Partnership, where her work includes food systems education, supporting local co-op development, building cross-movement solidarity and fostering local leadership. Not only that, Ashleigh was named one of Brooklyn Magazine’s “30 Under 30” for her work as a food justice organizer in 2018. Tune in to hear her story of growing up in a food desert, and how the inequality she saw inspired her to make change.

Amanda Oborne: Helping the "Ag of the Middle" Thrive

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