“This year, with all the weather and commerce and energy events going on, people are going to realize that food is not to be taken for granted.”

That’s Pete Hardin, editor and publisher of The Milkweed, which has been reporting on the dairy industry in the U.S. since 1979.

He joins Patty on the show today to discuss Tom Vilsack’s second run as agriculture secretary, challenges for farmers and Americans (finances, weather, environment, nutrition, and big ag, to name a few), food systems, and more.