Bytable Podcast - Know Better Live Best

Listen as Elisabeth Erickson-Noe teaches us about cattle ranching in Southeastern Colorado and the hard work that goes into quality meat production.

About Elisabeth Erickson-Noe:

Elisabeth obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Neurology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Advocating for producers is in her nature and she has successfully helped defend local ranchers against government overreach attempts by the National Park Service and United States Forest Service. She is passionate about serving the people on the land and working towards the renewal of decentralized markets.

Elisabeth worked for the Colorado Independent CattleGrowers Association as their Media Coordinator, researching and writing for the organization on topics pertinent to independent cattle ranchers. Additionally she served one term as the National Beef Chairperson for Women Involved in Farm Economics. Currently, she devotes her time to raising and educating her two young children, working with her husband on the ranch, and ministering God’s grace and goodness as a leader in the Women’s ministry at her church.

Elisabeth, along with her husband and children, are excited to soon offer their pasture raised, all-natural beef, to American families. Mesa Beef, will offer beef born and raised on the Colorado ranch by them, the small company’s only employees! They look forward to providing honest, quality beef straight from the ranch to your kitchen. Follow Elisabeth on Instagram @elisabeth_jer2911 for the upcoming announcement.

Listen as Sonya Coté, Executive Chef and Kayce Braden, Projects Manager tell us about the farm to table experience of their restaurant Eden East Austin, why it is important for consumers to care about where their food comes from, and how they are doing their part in building a better food system.

About Eden East Austin: 

Located in East Austin, Eden East is a true farm-to-table dining experience. The restaurant serves a monthly prix fixe menu every weekend and an a la carte brunch on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Every Thursday, Eden East offers an a la carte dinner paired with live music or a DJ. Each month, chefs develop a menu based on the most vibrant seasonal ingredients from the farm, as well as local farms and ranches.

Website: https://edeneastaustin.com/

About Sonya Coté:

Sonya Coté is a perfect blend of chef, artist and storyteller. With a background in art and graphic design, Coté has had quite a vibrant career. Even as her culinary endeavors expand, she remains an artist. Each new plate is her canvas that tells its own story.

As many Austin diners know, Coté is the free spirit behind Hillside Farmacy and Eden East, the latter being located on an urban farm that her and her partner David are currently maintaining.  At Eden East, patrons can dine al fresco under the stars on a menu that is based on what’s in season on the farm and as well as shop produce and local goods at farmers market.

Coté has received numerous accolades, including recognition as one of Marie Claire’s “Women on Top. She competed on Food Network’s “Chopped”. Her restaurant Eden East was named one of Austin Monthly’s “Best New Restaurants.” Soon after, Coté was named one of Tribeza’s “People of the Year.” 

About Kaycee Braden:

Kaycee Braden has a passion for food.  From her earliest memories to her current daily activities, she knew she could find an outlet for her passion and how food is shared, sold & grown, within the food community. The recent “Farm to Table” movement became a way for Kaycee to share what she had learned through her travels & help grow this community in Austin by bringing healthy food resources & alternatives to “big ag”.

Fresh faced & starry eyed, she started her journey into the food scene by earning her Permaculture Design Certification with an emphasis on community development and ethno botanical horticulture in her early twenties. Wanting to dig deeper into learning more about food justice Kaycee found herself traveling across the globe study in depth small agriculture and the effects of the green revolution in Rajasthan, India. She then went on to graduate with her BA from Evergreen State College in sustainable agriculture & community development.  She then set out to begin her life pursuing her passion.

Kaycee is a proud Texas native, a world traveler who has resided in many places.  She has recently come back home to Texas to bring us her experiences and love of food culture to the everyday operations of a restaurant located in the heart of Austin.  Austin Texas has quickly become a busy, thriving food community with deep roots.   Through the years, she worked through each department of the restaurant including kitchen, then ultimately ending up as the General Manager of Eden East.

Rebecca Thistlethwaite discusses her passion for food, farming, and sustainable business models that advance equity, ecological integrity and restore human relationships.

Bio: 

Rebecca Thistlethwaite is the author of Farms with a Future (Chelsea Green, 2012) and The New Livestock Farmer (Chelsea Green, 2015). As the Program Manager of the eXtension community-of-practice Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN), she develops and delivers technical assistance and educational content for niche meat producers and processors around the country. She also runs Sustain Consulting, which specializes in building thriving farming and food businesses and is a freelance writer, writing for LocalHarvest, On Pasture, and other newsletters. Formerly, Rebecca ran a successful pastured livestock and poultry farm in California, direct marketing meat and eggs around the Bay Area. She currently lives in the Columbia River Gorge with her two children and trail runs whenever she is not volunteering for local schools. Her website is rebeccathistlethwaite.com. 

Websites:

https://rebeccathistlethwaite.com/

http://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/

Books:

https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/the-new-livestock-farmer/

https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/farms-with-a-future/

Our guest is Rebekah Beck, General Manager of Raleigh City Farm in North Carolina. Listen as she teaches us about Raleigh City Farm, the importance of urban farms, community development and her dreams for Urban Farms in the Future.

Rebekah Beck Bio:

Rebekah was invited to volunteer for Raleigh City Farm in early 2015 by serving on their marketing and communications committee until a part-time role as General Manager became available later that year. With a background in social work and nonprofits/program management, she remains inspired by the mission of RCF to promote education and awareness about where our food comes from. Rebekah enjoys supporting those doing the valuable work of growing that which sustains us, all the while promoting the resiliency of our natural environment for generations to come.

About Raleigh City Farm

Raleigh City Farm is a nonprofit urban farm founded in 2011 on a formerly vacant one-acre lot in downtown Raleigh. Our mission is to grow the next generation of farmers by connecting our community to sustainable agriculture. We believe in the power of urban farms to reduce waste, create healthier communities, and reconnect city-dwellers with healthy food production through more frequent encounters with agriculture. We believe that turning vacant lots into productive, nourishing farmland can create something from nothing – an amenity from an eyesore. We believe that urban farms bring people together, make our neighborhoods more beautiful and safer, and spur economic development and growth. And we believe that our impact can extend beyond the perimeter of our small farm site as we create business opportunities for new farmers in the region, helping them sell their products to local chefs and restaurants and directly to the community.

Find out more at: https://raleighcityfarm.org/

A panel of Eastern Iowa Farmers who care deeply about soil health and water quality. These Iowa natives have decades of experience in agriculture and have seen first-hand the effects of un-sustainable agricultural practices on the landscape of Iowa. Listen as we discuss the importance of soil health, the problems and opportunities future farmers face, and ways we can improve agriculture for better food and environment.

Bios:

Bob Fassbinder and his wife Kathy have operated Fassbinder Apiaries near Elgin for the past 41 years. Bob graduated from Iowa State University with an engineering degree, but came out as one of Iowa's most innovative and passionate bee keepers. The Fassbinders tend 200 hives in the river valleys of northeast Iowa. Bob is very proactive at promoting both land stewardship and the need for a diverse and healthy landscape through his bees. They continually work toward improving the local genetic health of their bee colonies by selecting successful local colonies and producing their own queens.

Daryl Landsgard grew up on a farm in Clayton County near Gunder. After obtaining a degree from Luther College in Decorah he returned to the farm and has been a life-long farmer ever since. Daryl is a very conservation minded producer and has been both planting trees and doing no-till on his farm for more than 20 years. He is also an avid hunter and angler which motivate him to also manage many parts of his farm in the best interest of diverse wildlife species.

Paul Schlake is a lifelong farmer from Clayton County near St. Olaf. After Paul decided to quit milking cows, he and his fiancé Julie converted a manure storage pit into a hydroponic greenhouse called the “Red-Greenhouse.” They grow and locally market a variety of fresh flowers and seasonal vegetables.

Richard E. "Dick" Jensen is a retired farmer and former Fayette County Supervisor from Elgin, Iowa, and works for the Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District in West Union. In 2017 he received the Outstanding Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner Award. Dick is also the organization founder of numerous local educational projects including TAKO – Take a Kid Outdoors and the Echo Valley Environmental Nature Trail. He is a passionate advocate of all things nature and is incredibly passionate about “reconnecting kids to the land and exposing them to the great outdoors.” Most important, Dick is one of the most vocal and life-long supporters of soil conservation practices and sustainable agricultural practices.

Gary Siegwarth has been a Natural Resource Biologist for the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau the past 26 years. He has managed Big Spring Trout Hatchery near Elkader the past 18 years. Prior to that he was the Interior Streams and Rivers Research Biologist for the State of Iowa. Prior to his career in natural resources, Gary operated the family farm in Jackson County. In 2018, Gary ran for Governor of Iowa as an Independent candidate and formed the Clear Water Party of Iowa. Part of his mission was to raise awareness and to change our way of thinking for both natural resources and the potential of the future of a more diverse and transparent agricultural system in Iowa.

Gary Siegwarth ran for Governor of Iowa in 2018 as an Independent Candidate and formed the Clear Water Party of Iowa.  Listen as he discusses the future of agriculture, what he learned while running for Governor, and why water connects us all. 

Bio

Gary Siegwarth has been a Natural Resource Biologist for the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau the past 26 years. He has managed Big Spring Trout Hatchery near Elkader the past 18 years. Prior to that he was the Interior Streams and Rivers Research Biologist for the State of Iowa. Prior to his career in natural resources, Gary operated the family farm in Jackson County. In 2018, Gary ran for Governor of Iowa as an Independent candidate and formed the Clear Water Party of Iowa. Part of his mission was to raise awareness and to change our way of thinking for both natural resources and the potential of the future of a more diverse and transparent agricultural system in Iowa.

Gary's Website: https://garyforgov.org/