Farm To Table Talk

More and more we want to know where are food was produced, what farming practices they followed, who are the farmers and are the farmers and workers along the way treated fairly. That’s easier if the farmer is your neighbor, but what if that farmer is half a world away? For many products, such as cocoa or coffee, there are no local grower options. Our guest today on Farm To Table Talk, Emily Benson works with cocoa farmers in the Congo and Peru to positively impact social, environmental and farmer profitability outcomes. Emily is the supply chain impact manager with Theo Chocolate, a Seattle- based chocolate company that is committed to ethical production from bean to bar, placing equal importance on people, planet and profit.

Sometimes local produce is available, but most of the time it's not due to the seasons. There is a new brand established to change that by growing local, perishable produce for area retailers in hydroponic green houses year round. Neal Parikh of Bright Farms explains how they are sustainably achieving a goal of decentralizing Agriculture-- vertically building, owning and operating hydroponic greenhouses throughout the MidWest and East Coast for Supermarket partners.

As much as consumers want to take advantage of lower costs for their food, there is certain amount of anxiety about "Big Food" or "Big Ag", globalization, Wall Street, industrialization, "Big Government". Trust is hard to come by for large brands and one of the biggest retail brands in the world is Walmart. It’s a company that keeps surprising the skeptics as it takes big steps to influence sustainability through their own supply chain all the way from the farm through the products they sell at retail and even to the use of the products that they don’t sell. To share some perspectives on what they do, why they do it, and to what effect Farm To Table talks with Eileen Hyde, the Walmart Foundation's Director of Hunger and Healthy Eating.

Every farmer is proud to explain the improvements they've made in sustainability. Tragically that progress doesn't insulate them from existential threats of over regulation. John Duarte, farmer and President of Duarte Nursery, is one of those unfortunate enough to successfully purse the dream of sustainability, only to be laid low by Federal legal action that threaten the five generation family operation. The Army Corps of Engineering has taken the Duarte's to court, but John Duarte still sees a long-term upside "We need to protect the integrity of our environmental laws so we can come together to solve future environmental problems....We have a legitimate durable ability to compromise and solve problems." This isn't a typical Farm To Table visit, but if you truly want to know the full story behind that Sauvignon clone and almonds we enjoy before dinner, here is a challenge that farmers: large, small, organic or conventional, face today. www.duartenursery.com

Some would say that Farm To Table started 50 years ago when Alan Chadwick established the Organic Garden at the University of California at Santa Cruz. That Garden led to one of the first bona-fide Organic Farms and over the past 50 years has propelled a food movement. This episode of Farm To Table Talk is at UC Santa Cruz, where its Center of Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Farm & Garden.

Fittingly, illustrious former apprentices, students and long-time supporters gathered to reflect on the impact this program is having on the world of food and to be challenged to take it to the next level. Three keynote Speakers at the Conference share their vision, their passion and what they ask of us.

We lead off with a conversation with Karen Washington, a recognized Food Justice leader and co-founder of Rise & Root Farm and Black Urban Growers.

Then a self-described descendant of slaves, farmer, chef and proud alumni of the Santa Cruz apprenticeship, Matthew Raiford says we can be the change that’s needed.

And finally in her remarks from the podium, the world-renowned food movement leader, founder of the Edible School Yard and creator of California Cuisine, Alice Waters give us a bold goal for Farm to School that could be accomplished in 5 years.

Join this Farm To Table Talk at UC Santa Cruz in a conversation with Karen Washington then become part of the audience as you hear calls to action from Matthew Raifford and Alice Waters.

Well told stories about farmers and farming are few and far between. Too often those stories are dry and boring documentaries to the general public. You can't say that about the movie, Pray for Rain. Where documentaries preach to the choir, this movie instead wraps a message in to a very entertaining murder mystery, down on the farm. The star, Annabelle Stephenson; writer Christina Moore; and director Alex Ranarivelo join Farm To Table Talk to share what they learned in farm country while making this film and why telling stories better is critical if we want the public to care about what's happening down on the farm.

Millions of people are now committed Minimalists, seeking a simpler, scaled down life style. They are discovering backyard chickens, so what about sheep? It turns out many have and are raising their own sheep in large back yards or small fields at city's edge. Paul Rodgers, the Deputy Director of the American Sheep Industry, has been raising sheep on the side at his place in Virginia. Today there are inquiries from coast to coast about how to get started with sheep. In this Farm To Table Talk podcast Paul walks through the necessary steps and economics of raising. Transitioning Minimalists may find that sheep are rewarding in more ways than one.

It's harvest time for tomatoes and the journey to our plates begins here in the field. How are the delicious fresh flavors of summer produced and preserved? all the way from seed to our plates year round? Central Valley Tomato farmer, Stuart Woolf joins us in his family's tomato field and explains the wonder of continuous improvement -- sustainably growing more tomatoes with fewer inputs. Think of this story the next time you enjoy tomato products on your pizza, enchiladas, hamburgers, salad or this winter's stews and soups. More information is available at www.tomatowellness.com

Javier Zamora was born in Michoacan, Mexico. From age 7, Javier helped tend the family’s vegetable plot and worked in his school’s 5 acre garden. Javier came to the States at age 20 where he earned his landscaping degree from San Joaquin Delta College and his organic production degree from Cabrillo College, and trained at the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) in Salinas. He is now the proud owner and operator of JSM Organics, cultivating berries and unique varieties of vegetables and flowers in Royal Oaks and Aromas, CA. He is a member of the Board of the Ecological Farming Association., sponsors of the annual Eco Farm.

Although he didn't speak any English when he came to the US, you'll hear that he has no problem today communicating exactly what he believes. Javier is passionate about farming and the opportunities it provides for thousands of farmers like him, who may also have been born across the border but have grown from farm work to management to ownership and becoming respected producers of high quality food. They are an important, major part of the changing face of farming in the USA.

More people, eating more fish are more discerning about their choices; but is it really sustainably fished and is it the type of fish that it's advertised to be? This isn't a new question, but it is new that the ability to get honest answers is much more accessible. Hayley Nuetzel, is a PhD student, the daughter of a fisherman and already an experienced investigator--even engaging high school students in her surveys. Farm To Table Talk visits with Hayley at the WestSide Farmers Market about fish fraud, Seafood sustainability and why she is optimistic about a future where consumers care and get the fish they want.