Farm To Table Talk

Regenerative? Organic? Real Organic? Non GMO?  Sustainable? Biodynamic? Consumers understandably get confused by the terms when they just want to buy the best food for themselves and their families.  \"Best\" can mean everything from climate to nutrition but always includes taste.  On his \"Save Our Soil\" (SOS) farm in Australia, Mark Rathbone  is a firm believer in Biodynamic and his customers believe he is right especially when they taste what he grows on his farm about 3 hours north of Melbourne. Mark shares his passion and purpose with other farmers around the world and with all of us who want to eat the best and save our soils. www.saveoursoil.com.au

President Biden has launched a well-funded action plan for a

\"Fairer, More Competitive and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain.  Jenny Lester Moffitt, the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs says that the new program will effect the entire meat supply chain from farm to table by: expansion of independent processing capacity; jump starting independent processing projects; strengthening finacing systems; and backing private lenders that back these new or expanding independent meat processors.  Country of origin is also a part of the venture. www.usda.gov/meat

There have been major, well-documented problems with child labor overseas in production of various food imports. These foods make their way into the US market--another reason consumers want to know who produced their food. Anne Ross with Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services emphasizes that it isn\'t fair for ethical farmers to have to compete with those who are using forced labor for profit. It\'s even worse that these practices are a direct impact on the liberty of people in addition to the devastating impact on the livelihoods of all the ethical farmers. People often confuse \"human trafficking\" with \"human smuggling.\" but trafficking happens even when no borders are crossed. Unscrupulous recruiters have lured workers with false promises, only to coerce them to work by withholding immigration documents, threatening deportation, withholding pay, or creating a debt that can never be repaid by any amount of work.  Consumers can engage in market place activism by knowing their farmer and knowing how to find information about supply chains. There are resources consumers can use to find out more about where their food came from.

Bacon crisis? Or not? Since Californians voted to require more space for pigs, chickens and veal calves, consumers have started to worry about  what it will mean for the price and availability of bacon.  The effects will not only be felt in California but nationwide for pig farmers, meat packers, food distributors, restaurants, supermarkets and consumers. UC Davis AG Economists, Daniel Sumner and Rich Sexton have studied the situation and identified what to expect when consumers in one state want production practices followed that are not required in other states.  Professor Sumner explains that the regulations dictate minimum space just for breeding sows. Fresh pork (not processed) ultimately sold in California can only be from California compliant pens that provide 24 square feet  of space per sow instead of the industry standard 20 square feet--requiring farmers to build more space (higher cost) or cut production  (lower income).  That in turn will have a ripple effect through every state with likely implications to future production standards of other food products. ( But there will be bacon.)

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/568762-californias-animal-welfare-law-caused-hysteria-on-both-sides-here

“To make a living is not to make a killing. It’s to have enough.” says Wendell Berry  in many ways, in scores of books over the years. As we consider the future of the world we need to reflect on the counsel of Wendell Berry who reminds us that the world will take care of us if we take care of it; knowing and loving it.  If there was a poet laureate for agriculture, it should be Wendell Berry. A few years ago the renowned Bill Moyers was successful in interviewing Wendell and he agreed we could share that conversation as a Farm To Table Talk podcast. As a capstone to a challenging year and a message that inspires us for another New Year, we once again bring back this conversation of Wendell Berry and Bill Moyers that originally aired on October 4, 2014 as a production of the Schumann Media Center and Mannes production.  www.BerryCenter.org.

The people who produced the original show are acknowledged here. Produced & Directed by ELENA MANNES; Editor DONNA MARINO; Director of Photography PETER NELSON; Art Direction DALE ROBBINS; Sound ROGER PHENIX; Coordinating Producer KRISTIN LOVEJOY; Associate Producers JESSICA BARI, RENIQUA ALLEN; Additional Camera JAY McCAIN, CHIP SWETNAM; Lighting Director DAN CUNNINGHAM; Grips MIKE DICKMAN, JAMES WISE; Make-up TAMARA LEE; Data Management LUKE STALEY; Production Assistant DAVID ZACHERY; Assistant Editor SCOTT GREENHAW.  Special Thanks: MARY BERRY. TANYA BERRY, BONNIE CECIL, DWIGHT COTTON, ADOLFO DORING, TONY MORENO, LEAH BAYENS, CONNIE KAYS, MICHAEL KELEM, AMANDA ZACKEM Footage and Stills: Appalachian Voices, AP Images, Wendell Berry Family, Shay Boyd, Dan Carraco, Center for Ecoliteracy, Ben Evans, Getty Images, ilovemountains.org, James Baker Hall Archive, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Guy Mendes, Oleg Ignatovich/Pond5, Twistah/Pond5, Kbuntu/Shutterstock, Spotmatik/Shutterstock, Suliman Razvan/Shutterstock, Suwit Gaewsee/Shutterstock, Chad A. Stevens, Wallace Global FundMusic: Courtesy of APM Music:, Abandoned Ruin, Josh Clark, Leon Hunt, Anthill A, Kurt Hummel, Ballad of Willie – Underscore, Ken Anderson, Rebecca Ruth Hall, Ein Takt Für Gitarre, Shih, Gaya-gaya, Hwa Chae Kyung, Completely Calm C, Klaus Stuehlen, Jesse James, Richard Gilks, Unknown, Madonna’s March, Susi Gott, Pianissimo, Bob Bradley, Matthew Sanchez, Quiet Garden, Pascal Bournet, Silent Movements A, John Epping, Jeff Newmann, Skydancer A, Klaus Stuehlen, Skydancer B, Klaus Stuehlen Senior Executive Producer JUDY DOCTOROFF O’NEILL Production Executives KAREN KIMBALL, YUKA NISHINO. A production of the Schumann Media Center, Inc. and Mannes Productions, Inc.© 2013

With climate change what is the future of agriculture?  The author of The Dreamt Land, Mark Arax draws from his chronicles of California over the past three decades to consider where we\'ve been and where we\'re headed to address the future of agriculture in a time of climate change.  No writer has devoted more pages to the story of California agriculture—small farmers and big farmers, conventional farmers and organic farmers, the migrants who work the crops—than Arax. A “culture of extraction”  has leveled valleys and drained rivers and lakes. In defiance of drought, flood, wildfire and earthquake Agriculture has been  invented and reinvented and it needs it again.  The Dreamt Land is one of the best books ever written about farming and ranching in the West.

With climate change what is the future of agriculture?  The author of The Dreamt Land, Mark Arax draws from his chronicles of California over the past three decades to consider where we've been and where we're headed to address the future of agriculture in a time of climate change.  No writer has devoted more pages to the story of California agriculture—small farmers and big farmers, conventional farmers and organic farmers, the migrants who work the crops—than Arax. A “culture of extraction”  has leveled valleys and drained rivers and lakes. In defiance of drought, flood, wildfire and earthquake Agriculture has been  invented and reinvented and it needs it again.  The Dreamt Land is one of the best books ever written about farming and ranching in the West.

#EcoFarm2022 is back  at @AsilomarSB!  50+ workshops, inspiring keynote speakers, an engaging expo, mentorships, wine tastings, seed swaps, and farm tours. Register for @Eco_Farm: www.eco-farm.org/conference   

 

Because ‘we are what we eat,’ the Native American food sovereignty movement is working to revitalize and perpetuate traditional food systems in order to promote good physical, cultural and spiritual health for Indigenous peoples. This is being done through the promotion of seed sovereignty and the reclamation and rematriation of Native heirloom seeds; through the work of Native chefs seeking to reclaim and define Indigenous cuisine; and in fighting for a clean environment in which to nurture these foods. Elizabeth Hoover, discusses nationwide Native American food and seed sovereignty efforts, and the inspiring community based projects and organizations that are changing the way the nation thinks about food. Elizabeth Hoover is a professor of Environmental Science, Policy and management at UC Berkeley.

Small holder farmer provide over 80 to 90 % of food production in Africa. However much more food is needed and farmers need to earn more money to lift them and their families  beyond subsistence, just getting by. Larta Institute has introduced Farm to Table Talk to OCP  a Moroccan based global plant nutrition company serving farmers on five continents. The potential for African farmers to improve their livelihood, food availability and eventually export is huge. Dr. Donald Madukwe, the Head of Agronomy Services & Farmer Centric Projects for OCP Africa and Akintunde Akinwande who has Business Development and Innovation responsibilities explain how this goal may be realized and the unique demands driving digital Agronomy in Africa. ocpafrica.com  Agshowcase.com

Successful agriculture requires a continuous supply of new ideas and technology for farmers of all types to meet the demands of global and local markets, profitably. Over 100,000 from the farm to table global supply chain are once again making their way to the Central Valley of California to experience the World\'s largest outdoor farm show, the World Ag Expo.  Marketing Manager, Jennifer Fawkes, shares the what is to be found and learned from over 1,000 exhibits, food tents, seminars and more; including the \"Top-10 New Products\"  2020. https://www.worldagexpo.com/attendees/top-10-new-products/