Fresh From The Field Podcast

Food safety. Public health. These are the partnership pillars between MDARD and the Michigan Association for Local Public Health. 

“I think people might be surprised about the local public health’s role in protecting food safety." - Norm Hess, MSA, Executive Director. 

In this episode of the Fresh From the Field Podcast, discover how MDARD and The Michigan Association for Local Public Health work behind the scenes to keep your food safe and healthy.

World Soil Day is Dec. 5th! To celebrate the importance of soil in our everyday lives, we sat down with well-known soil scientist, Karl Hausler, for an in-depth conversation about the origin of Michigan's State Soil, Kalkaska Sand. Kalkaska Sand was chosen as Michigan's state soil in 1990. It occurs in 29 of Michigan's 83 counties in both the lower and upper peninsulas. 

In this episode, we sit down with Cheryl Collins, Swine Program Manager and Emergency Coordinator for Animal Industry Division at MDARD and Stevie Glaspie, Feed Safety and Fertilizer Field Supervisor, with the Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division. They discuss the role MDARD plays in ensuring animal health and safety. They also share tips on how farmers can maintain good swine health.

In this episode, we sit down with Nancy Barr, Assistant State Veterinarian with MDARD's Animal Industry Division and Emily Sewell, Wildlife Health Specialist, for Northern Lower peninsula with Michigan DNR. They discuss what bovine tuberculosis is and what is currently being done to combat the disease. 

Learn more here: Bovine TB 

Find your nearest TB Testing Dropbox: TB Testing 

Michigan is home to a little over 500,000 acres of wheat in 75 of Michigan’s counties. The economic impact of wheat in Michigan is $180 million. Michigan farmers produce over 35 million bushels of wheat annually. In this episode of, Fresh From the Field, we sit down with Jody Pollok-Newsom, the Executive Director of the Michigan Wheat Program and Todd C. Wright, Vice President of Sales and Grain Purchasing at Knappen Milling Company. They share an inside look into Michigan’s wheat industry.

Learn more about the Michigan Wheat Program here --> https://miwheat.org/

Learn more about Knappen Milling Company here --> https://knappenmilling.com/

Even though it’s not an official holiday, Halloween is much beloved by children and adults alike. Trick-or-treating, games, and costume parties are fun, but parents need to make sure treats are safe for their children. In this episode of, Fresh From the Field, we sit down with Michael Lally, Senior Food Safety Inspector with MDARD to share Halloween food safety tips with parents.

September is Emergency Preparedness Month. To celebrate we sat down with, Brad Deacon, Emergency Management Coordinator with MDARD and Elizebeth Weier, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator with MDARD to discuss how to prepare for emergencies and keep your family and pets safe during emergencies.

September is National Food Safety Month. To celebrate we sat down with James Padden, Food Program Manager, with the Food & Dairy Division at MDARD to discuss proper food preparation, how MDARD inspectors keep the public safe and best practices for eliminating food borne illness. 

MIFMA was established in 2006 as a statewide association to promote local food consumption in Michigan by connecting more farmers to consumers through farmers markets. In this episode, we sit down with Hailey Lamb, Communications Manager for Michigan Farmers Market Association. We discuss the role farmers play in the local food system, how farmers help the community during times of need and also upcoming events. 

August is National Tree Check Month - time to be on the lookout for invasive, destructive pests threatening Michigan's urban and forest landscapes. In this episode, we sit down with Robin Rosenbaum and Rob Miller from MDARD's Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division to discuss the threats that the Box Wood Moth and Asian Long-horned Beetle pose to Michigan.