The biggest issue threatening the food system now is not climate change. It is the emerging policies to deport undocumented workers that make the wheels turn from fields to processing plants and retail. Gary Nabham is an Agricultural Ecologist, Ethnobotanist, Ecumenical Franciscan Brother, and author whose work has focused primarily on the interaction of biodiversity and cultural diversity of the arid binational Southwest. He also is a keynote speaker at Eco Farm where he brings a different message.  It’s time for people in the country to come together, regardless of their politics to support the immigrants we need to  grow, process, deliver and prepare our food from farm to table.  garynabhan.com    eco-farm.org

Regenerative is a ‘thing’.  More than just a farm to table buzz word there is real rebuilding and restoration taking place that ultimately improves the soil and improves nutrition. As the word gets out and consumer demand increases for rest0red soil and more nutritious  foods, how can the consumer know whether they’re getting the “real thing”? Regenified certification is stepping up to this job says Chief Marketing Officer Kristine Roots.  Diestel Famiily Ranch turkeys are on that track explains Heidi Diestel. An analysis conducted by the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University on behalf of Regenified and Diestel Family Ranch showed that Diestel turkeys grown with regenerative farming practices are not only better for the land, but also have improved nutritional profiles over conventionally raised turkeys. www.diestelturkey.com      www.regenified.com

The only thing we should ask is: what is the right thing to do? That is what the Earth requires of us according to author/philosopher Wendell Berry. “We have the world to live in and the use of it to live from on the condition that we take care of it. And  to take good care of it we have to know it and we have to know how to take care of it.” We have to love it. Farm To Table Talk brings the wisdom of Wendell Berry back to us at the dawn of another New Year that has more than enough challenges for us all.  This podcast is of a conversation  Wendell Berry had with Bill Moyers as expressed and recognized in the podcast. www.BerryCenter.org

The interview was a production of the Schumann Media Center, Inc. and Mannes Productions, Inc.© 2013

What happens when women take the lead in tackling climate change through the food we grow and eat? Stephanie Anderson grew up on a ranch in western South Dakota and is the author of From the Ground Up. With a background in creative nonfiction, a deep understanding of regenerative agriculture, and years of exploring the intersections of equity and sustainability, Stephanie brings a fresh and thought-provoking perspective to our table. Movements start broad and grow in participation and focus creating transformation, reshaping system and inspiring hope in the face of environmental and s0cietal challenges.

Sunshine makes food farming possible in more ways than one. Emerging farmers can access land and landowners can add solar income through, Agrivoltaics an approach that combines solar energy production with agricultural practices — allowing for renewable energy generation alongside farming activities like crop production and livestock grazing. This dual-use approach brings significant benefits to the land, farmers, and the local community. Peter Schmitt is the Director of Project Development with Minneapolis based, US Solar.

www.us-solar.com

Going it alone is a noble idea but for many solo ventures  cooperation with others pays off. Cooperatives are a unique legal business form that facilitates people coming together to tackle challenges that are overwhelming or impossible for the individual. Kim Coontz is the Executive Director of the California Center for Cooperative Development.  CCCD demonstrates the power of the self-help elements of cooperatives to help new farmers gain viability through cooperative purchasing, sales and product promotion, plus enabling food security in rural as well as urban enclaves through food cooperatives. http://www.cccd.coop/membership

Change is coming to Agriculture, in policies and people. It’s a time to be thankful for the USDA team who came to Washington four years ago to give their best to help farmers and time to welcome a new team coming to the Capitol ready to give their own best.  Jeff Van Pevanage is the President and CEO of Columbia Grain. Marketing  to and from foreign markets he remembers the effect of the trade war with China and sees implications of the announced unprecedented tariffs with our neighbors in Canada and Mexico.  With new leadership, Farm Bill, tariffs, labor shortages and more the best efforts of all will be welcome.

www.columbiagrain.com

Mitigating Climate Change will require implementing a data driven approach on every level of global food production. Agriculture-oriented satellite constellations are beginning to provide a critical perspective on the size and condition of nearly everything we grow to eat, nearly every where in the world.  With Ukraine still in the news we are bringing back a previous conversation with Vera Petryk who spoke to us from her home in Kyev with optimism for Ukraine and an optimistic view of the future of food on our ‘Blue Dot’.

Agriculture will reverse the dangerous levels of greenhouse gases in the environment, if Ag follows a report prepared by leading scientists, reviewed by  CAST (Center for Ag Science and Technology) and published by the US Farmers and Ranchers In Action. Dr.Marty Matlock, University of Arkansas and leading author of the repot explains how combining reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions  with increased carbon sequestration will achieve GHG-negative agriculture in five areas offering the most significant opportunities to offset Ag’s roughly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions:  soil carbon management, nitrogen fertilizer management, animal production and management, crop yield gap, and efficient energy use.

https://youtu.be/HwCR5_N8D8Y

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To protect public health, the FDA’s Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program tests FDA-regulated foods shipped in interstate commerce to determine whether they comply with pesticide tolerances, or maximum residue levels, set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If the FDA finds that the amount of pesticide residue on a food is over the tolerance, or when a pesticide is found and there is no tolerance established, the FDA can take action. Sara McGrath, PhD, is a chemist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Human Foods Program. She is in the Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements, and Innovation where she focuses on monitoring chemical contaminants in foods broadly, with a focus on pesticides.