Farm To Table Talk

Mother Earth is under the weather, but don't take her "pulse" just yet.  In the common usage "pulse" is a vital sign, however another usage is a vital food. Food shortages, impacted by soaring gas prices and inflation, are affecting people in need and their ability to access staple foods. Food banks are busier than ever before. In this environment pulses such as beans, lentils and peas sustainably fill an important need for affordable nutrition.  Tony Roelofs, the Vice President of the Pulse Division of Columbia Grain International explains how thousands of farms in the nation's 'pulse' belt are stepping up to produce supplies for the new Balanced  Bushel for programs for expanded Section 32 programs.  www.columbiagrain.com

Wendell Berry’s writings favorably compare the ways of Amish farming to the high stress modern conventional farming by “the English”. In surprising ways Amish farms offer regenerative leadership that are a modern contrast in a horse and buggy society. Through his own Modern Frontier Farm and an Amish Cooperative, Adam Rick finds that Amish farms are especially well-suited to these times when consumers want to know how their food is grown. As the average age of American farmers is pushing in to six decades plus, more young Amish farmers are stepping up to grow their business in ways that meet the future head on. Adam Rick shares his journey and what he is learning on social media, Clubhouse app and Farm To Table Talk. www. Amodernfrontier.com

Festivals celebrate our favorite foods and  since bacon is a favorite for many it deserves a delicious festival.  Across the country, chefs, consumers and farmers have come together in celebration of bacon in events known as BaconFests.  In the acclaimed Farm to Fork Capitol, Sacramento California, Farm to Table Talk joins the Bacon Fest festivities in conversation with talented and enthusiastic chefs, including: Patrick Mulvaney, Mulvaney's B&L; Dennis Sydnor, Renegade Dining, Bucky Bray, Canon; Brian Guido, Baconfest founder; Chris Barnum-Dann, Localis; Gregory Desmargles, Urban Roots Brewery and Smokehouse; Ravine Patel, Hyatt Centric Sacramento; Lauren Petri and Ryan Visker, Nixtaco; Elena Winks, Franquette; and Scott Williams, Moksa Brewing Company.  The winner of the 11th Guido Cup for top entry went to Juan and Kristin Barajas, Woodland's Savory Cafe.

Food can have a positive impact on the land and our communities. “But our planet is in danger and it’s time for us to think even bigger.” These words of wisdom are surprisingly to be found on a climate smart Kernza Grain cereal by Cascadian Farm. Thanks to the research and development at the Land Institute in Salina Kansas, the deep rooted, soil healthy perennial grain will store more carbon, prevent soil erosion and preserve clean water. Plus it makes nutritious tasty cereal and soon other food products. Tim Crews is the Chief Scientist at the Land Institute and a believer in what perennial plants like Kernza can offer the planet. www.landinstitute.org

The health of land and the health of bodies are connected.  Or as Kate Kavanaugh explains it\'s about mind, body and soil. Kate is a butcher, a farmer, a newly podcast host and more -- all existing within the regenerative ag space. As a butcher, she founded Western Daughters Butcher shop in Denver featuring local grass fed beef,  pork and chicken from local regenerative farms. As a farmer, she raises low-PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) pork and poultry (chicken, duck, and goose) focusing on feed and frequent rotation to optimize omega-3 content for the meat it becomes. As a  podcast host the focus is  on the interconnected themes of Mind, Body, and Soil. www.groundwork.com

Sheep may be today’s most popular animal for a new breed of sustainable farmers and ranchers with new consumers who are discovering a taste for lamb, raised right. To meet this opportunity lamb processor Superior Farms and sheep producers from six states have launched a state-of-the-art sheep facility, in Nephi, Utah. Superior Farms CEO, Rick Stott explains that the venture will converge the farming methods of traditional lamb production with advanced sheep industry technologies, production practices and genetics, resulting in a more consistent and sustainable lamb production model that will benefit the entire American lamb industry, from farm to table. www.superiorfarms.com

Seeds are the source of all food.  Will seeds save us? The FAO reports that only nine crop species now account for the majority of the world’s food supply. There has been a 90% decrease in plant breeding diversity since the early 1900’s. Farmers are not able to save seeds for future planting that are protected by intellectual property laws and 4 corporations control 70% of the current  $90+ billion seed system. As Co-Founder of Seed Linked, Dylan Bruce thinks of that future, focusing on no-till vegetable production, seed breeding and seed production for organic and reduced-tillage systems. Global food security begins and ends with seeds. www.seedlinked.com

Worthwhile endeavors that are to protect and regenerate the Earth, must be \"Earthwhile\". Nestled in the heart of California\'s San Benito County among  sweeping oak-studded hillsides,  Paicines Ranch is habitat for a diversity of wildlife including animals, birds, insects, trees, plants, grasses, springs, rivers, and  more. Ranch owner,Sally Callhoun says their mission is to work with the dynamic natural world at the ranch to regenerate the health of the ecosystem from the soil up while growing delicious, nourishing food for their community: 100% grassfed beef, lamb, pork, and turkeys. They  also host a variety of  weddings, corporate events and workshops. This earthwhile endeavor becoming a place where people convene and ecosystems are regenerated. www.paicinesranch.com

Regenerative agriculture can significantly curb climate change, but only if it’s coupled with racial and land justice.  UC Santa Barbara professor and writer Liz Carlisle\'s  book, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming  explores how  we got here and how we heal the earth and the food system. Along the way she shares the stories of female farmers of color who are reviving ancestral methods of growing food, reclaiming their communities’ relationship to land, and tackling climate change. Truly implementing regenerative ag will require reckoning with agricultural history and dismantling power structures that discriminate against farmers of color.

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A food system revolution is under way that begins with farming better. From his Blue Dasher Farm in South Dakota and the non-profit Ecdysis Foundation, Jonathan Lundgren professes that \"we can grow food and conserve biodiversity and environmental health\" by making innovative practices scalable and transferable to as many farms as possible . Nothing less than a paradigm shift is anticipated as soon as  farmers are ready to farm in nature’s image. www.ecdysis.bio.hub www.bluedasher.farm