Farm To Table Talk

Cats and dogs should watch out for hungry immigrants according to recent political propaganda. Truth is that immigration is a necessity in the country and not a reason to keep our pets locked indoors. Farm To Table Talk returns with this podcast from earlier this year to remind us that immigration is essential for a functioning food system According to Steve Hubbard of the American Immigration Council, the H-2A Temporary Agriculture Worker Program allows U.S. employers that face a shortage of domestic workers to hire foreign nationals for temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs.  Foreign help is being sought from over two-thirds of the counties in the U.S.

www.american immigration council.org

Tricia Kovacs,  Associate Deputy Administrator, AMS

Help is needed and is at hand to build resilient local & regional food systems through the US Department of Agriculture. Tricia Kovacs is the Deputy Administrator of Transportation and Marketing programs rolling out to  communities in every state.

Learn about USDA local food programs discussed in the podcast:

Regional Food Business Centers Program (Agricultural Marketing Service)

Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (Agricultural Marketing Service)

Local Agriculture Market Program (Agricultural Marketing Service)

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program (Food and Nutrition Service)

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Learn about USDA AMS Grants and Opportunities

View the Local and Regional Food Systems Resource Guide

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AMS Career Opportunities

USAJobs (USDA)

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To help provide schools with local foods, in addition to the FNS program at the link above, AMS established the Local Food for Schools Program Cooperative Agreement Program to strengthen the food system for schools by helping to build a fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets with an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved producers and processors.

The proclaimed Farm To Fork Capital of America is Sacramento, California where the signature event of the Farm to Fork Festival is the Tower Bridge Dinner. Over 1,000 are on the Bridge to prepare, serve and enjoy a delicious locally grown and sourced dinner by top chefs and  Northern California’s top farmers. The event is sponsored by Visit Sacramento and Farm To Table Talk's Rodger Wasson is on the Bridge at the dinner with Visit Sacramento's CEO, Mike Testa and two of the featured Chefs: Brock MacDonald of Beast & Bounty and Cecil Rhoodes II of Nash and Proper. The 2024 Tower Bridge Dinner was a solid start to the Annual Farm To Fork Festival and perhaps an invitation to other parts of the country to challenge Sacramento for the title of Farm To Fork Capital.

www.Visitsacramento.com

https://www.farmtofork.com/events/the-tower-bridge-dinner/

A future filled with with vibrant rural and urban small farms is good for the farmers, their customers and their community. Small farms help build human capacity, revitalize communities, supply regional food systems, and foster ecological resilience in a changing world. Since 2001, the Cornell Small Farms Program has fostered programs that support and encourage the sustainability of diverse, thriving small farms. Cornell Small Farm Program's Eric Frenay is able to walk the talk as a small farmer herself who sees the challenges and  real progress.  www.smallfarms.cornell.edu

In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania exclusive heritage chickens are being grown on family farms to the highest animal welfare standards- freely roaming pastures at a slower pace. Mike Charles is a 6th generation farmer and the founder and CEO of LaBelle Patrimoine.   This Whole Foods Market All-Star Supplier of the Year  and the Compassion in World Farming’s Good Chicken Award winner just earned the USDA’s regeneratively raised status and is certified to a Global Animal Partnership’s Step 4 (no other poultry operation has a higher rating).

www.labelle-patrimoine.com

Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is a labeling law that requires retailers, such as full-line grocery stores, supermarkets and club warehouse stores, to notify their customers of the source of certain foods; including muscle cut and ground meats: lamb, goat, and chicken; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts; and ginseng.   Dr. Alexandria Fischer is with the Research and Rulemaking Branch of the USDA's Agriculutural Marketing Service that administers [email protected] .

www.ams.usda.gov

Even when summer is over, the season peak flavor and nutrition in tomatoes is available all year long in cans or jars.  Lycopene, the antioxidant compound that makes tomatoes red, is even more available in tomatoes that have been turned in to tomato products and has been shown to be protective for diseases from cardiovasular to cancers. What if it is more than just the lycopene in the tomatoes that make a difference. That is the question being pursued at the The Ohio State University by Dr. Jessica Coooperstone's Lab where positive  protections have been found from tomatoes with or without lycopene.  Just when it seems that the tomato story can't get any better, we learn about the role "Alpha Tomatine" and the potential of making a great product better.  Jessica Cooperstone is Associate Professor in the department of Horticulture and Crop Science and the department of Food Science & Technology . www. CooperstoneLab.com

Just when our public discourse seems hopelessly divided, we can find hope in the discovery of common ground.  Farm To Table brings back this promising message that was first published last winter but feels even more timely today than then. Josh and Rebecca Tickell are film-makers who bring us the story of regeneration that will repair the degeneration humans have caused the earth. That message is the documentary film, Common Ground, the highly anticipated sequel to Kiss the Ground which touched over 1 billion people globally and helped inspire the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health. By fusing journalistic expose’ with deeply personal stories from people on the front lines of the food movement. The film Common Ground  shows the power that farmers and eaters have to save a  broken food system. Josh Tickell joins the Farm To Table Talk table  to talk about alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that will balance the climate, save our health and stabilize America’s economy – before it’s too late. In the 2024 election its encouraging to see candidates like Tim Walz boasting of their farm roots. Let's push for finding our common ground.

In food purchase priorities, somethings change a lot and some barely change at all.  When it comes to food purchases the top considerations are still taste, price, health and convenience.  What's new and rising on the list is "Environmental Sustainability",  now an important consideration for about 30% of the population.  These findings are in the Annual Food & Health Survey of IFIC the Internaional Food Information Council. Kris Solid, RD is the Research Senior Director for IFIC.  To fill gaps in consumer knowledge about food it's important to identifiy current perceptions, beliefs and behavious.  www.foodinsight.org

Immigration is essential for a functioning food system that otherwise suffers from growing labor shortages on farms, packing houses, processors and kitchens. The H-2A Temporary Agriculture Worker Program allows U.S. employers that face a shortage of domestic workers to hire foreign nationals for temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs.  An American Immigration Council analysis, “The Expanding Role of H-2A Workers in U. S. Agriculture” reveals significant demand across the country with labor being sought from two thirds (2/3) of all counties in the U.S. Steve Hubbard, the Senior Data Scientist at the American Immigration says “Instead of vilifying migrant workers, we should champion and protect them for their vital support to America's food production. www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org