The Artisan Situation Podcast

When I caught the bug for sustainability, and specifically the intersection farming and environmentalism, my college professor handed me a book, called “Unsettling of America.” In large blue lettering the last name “Berry,” ran up the spine of the book. 250 pages later, my ideas, my perspective, my frustration, and my enthusiasm to create a more sustainable food system was amplified.

In this book, Wendell Berry brought to light many problems facing agricultural communities and society in the 1960s and 70s. He explained the importance of ‘living within our limits”, the need to support rural farm communities, and how industrial principles and values have infiltrated our culture.

Our guest today, Mary Berry, is continuing the work and stewardship that her father exclaimed in that book over forty years ago. Working at The Berry Center, located in her hometown of New Castle, in Henry County Kentucky, Mary is spending her time farming, advocating for farmers, building more resilient communities, and creating economies for the farming population living there. Growing up in a rural farming community has shaped her identity.

Mary is a farmer, encouraging to young farmers coming up, honest about the challenges, hopeful about the future, and unrelenting in her focus. She focuses her efforts on bringing people back to the farm and keeping them there by making sure there is financial and cultural support. Taking inspiration from the Federal Tobacco Program, that her grandfather championed, she is working to provide stability to farmers through quota systems and market price support. By supporting farmers, she hopes to bring people back to the farm and to allow those working in the fields to continue their work.

I sat down with her in the Spring of 2017, while traveling west through the rolling hills of Kentucky. Join us at the table, this is Mary Berry, of The Berry Center in New Castle, Kentucky.

READ MORE
The Berry Center
Wendell Berry on The Farm Bill - New York Times
Look & See Documentary
The Bitter Southerner about Mary Berry
Renewing Rural Prosperity by Mary Berry

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We believe that every person has a connection to food. Each podcast will feature a deep dive interview with food producers, as we try to learn what inspires and influences them on a personal level. For many, producing flavorful, wholesome, and sustainable food is a vocation. Food has a voice. Listen in

Over the last couple centuries, the planet has seen a massive loss in biodiversity. Much of this is born from the monoculture way of thinking that has taken over agricultural acreage, like the soybeans and corn crops covering much of the country's fertile lands. Over the last couple years, some farmers have recognized the need to bring biodiversity back to our agricultural system. New crops, like the versatile Hemp plant, not only bring biodiversity back to the environment, but help make farms more sustainable, adaptive, and economically viable in highly-variable marketplaces and climates. When we change agriculture and land use we can’t forget that it plays a major role in culture, government, philosophy, and economics. This complexity becomes clearer when we examine the world of Hemp.

In the Mid-1900s, hemp was seen as the illegal brother to Marijuana. Deriving from similar genetics and therefore from a similar plant, people have degraded hemp and ultimately outlawed it during the cultural movement called “Reefer Madness” in the 1930s and 40s. Outside of this cultural stigma, hemp is a versatile crop that packs a powerful protein punch, akin to a flax or chia seed, while also providing strong stalk products that can be used for rope or parachutes. Although, not scientifically confirmed, hemp also contains CBD, a compound that has been known to play major role in the treatment of Alzheimers, Parkinsons, and Dementia.

Hemp is scientifically proven to be non-psychedelic, yet it is still outlawed nationally even considered a drug in many parts of the country because of this cultural stigma. Only recently have states gained the right to grow this crop for “research purposes.” At the forefront of this legalization effort is Kentucky. Hemp used to be a major cash crop for the state and some politicians, farmers, and entrepreneurs are working to bring the crop back.

While driving through the rolling hills of Kentucky I was recommended to meet Chad Rosen, owner and operator of Victory Hemp Foods. Known by many as the hemp guy around town, Chad is working to create the largest hemp processing facility in the country that could help catapult the hemp industry into full gear. Chad has his head on a swivel, working with politicians, farmers, retailers, and manufacturers to create the ideal environment for the industry to have a sustainable future. Join us at the table as Chad explains to us what he is doing and why hemp is so important. This is Chad Rosen of Victory Hemp Foods…

READ MORE
Victory Hemp Foods
Harvesting Liberty Short Film
Edible Louisville

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We believe that every person has a connection to food. Each podcast will feature a deep dive interview with food producers, as we try to learn what inspires and influences them on a personal level. For many, producing flavorful, wholesome, and sustainable food is a vocation. Food has a voice. Listen in

The act of sustainable agriculture and organic farming is still considered by many as practice on the fringes. When Norman Borlaug presented the ideas of the “Green Revolution,” “traditional farming techniques” or those focused on sustainable agriculture have been considered more of an obstacle than a resource. It was a revolution focused on the goal of industrialization with the sacrifice of biodiversity, Wes Jackson explained, in his segment from Letters to a Young Farmer.

Farming is hitting a critical pressure point. The average age of a farmer as reported by the AGCensus is 58 years old, and only 6% of these farmers are under the age of 35 years old. There is an incredible need for young farmers to take to the fields and farm the land left behind by this older generation of farmers.

Jack Algiere is working hard at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to help build resourceful, passionate, and thoughtful farmers. The center located in Pocantico Hills, New York, sits right at the lower tip of the Hudson Valley only 30 miles from Manhattan. His team works with children, high school students, and using their world-renowned Apprentice Program to build farmers for the future. He oversees a diverse farm operation that includes pastured livestock, grains, field crops, fruits, wild landscape, flowers, and compost. He uses all of these areas of the farm to create a dynamic farm system. Jack fell in love with farming in the early 90s and never looked back. This is Jack Algiere, Farm Director of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Join us at the table...

Jack taught me so much in my short time with him. Stone Barns is looking for new apprentices every year to take part in their program. As Jack explained, all you need is the engine to make change and understand the dynamics of farming. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of Letters to a Young Farmer. It is a wonderful book pulling together excerpts from farmers all over the country organized by the team at the Stone Barns Center. For any farmer starting out, it is a great place to gain confidence and insight.

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Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
Virtual Grange
Slow Tools
Letters to a Young Farmer
The Third Plate

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Episode 2 - Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm and Ploughman Cider

We believe that every person has a connection to food. Each podcast will feature a deep dive interview with food producers, as we try to learn what inspires and influences them on a personal level. For many, producing flavorful, wholesome, and sustainable food is a vocation. Food has a voice. Listen in

We are back from a brief hiatus! These last two months have been filled with new longer term projects for Artisan Situation as well as change from my current full-time job. During this whirlwind, I have been able to collect a range of interviews and podcasts. Here is the first of my road trip that took me from my hometown of Baltimore to Hudson Valley, New York through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and finally Chicago. For my first podcast recorded along my trip I’m joined by Taylor Cocalis Suarez.

She is a part of a brewery family. There is no better way to describe the feelings I received when I entered the Suarez Family Brewery. I know it is somewhat non descriptive considering that “family” is in the name of the brewery. But honestly they did a great job naming the brewery after what they truly are. Upon entry I was greeted by dogs, parents, little Enzo Suarez, and the brewery staff. They were not expecting me, but they were more than willing to open their arms to me and introduce me to their team.

Taylor is a powerful energetic figure that captures the energy around her and shares that with others in the form of enthusiasm. Her understanding and love of food was enhanced after her time studying her Masters in Food Culture and Communications in Italy, designed by Slow Food International. She took that knowledge to Murray’s Cheese in Brooklyn, where she met a new young brewer named Dan Suarez. Today, Taylor runs the business side of the Suarez Family Brewery located in Livingston, New York, but is also one of the founders of Good Food Jobs, a platform that provides job listings focused on genuine food related opportunities. Her journey as a food citizen can teach us a lot about ourselves, and her enthusiasm for understanding how people embrace food in their lives is inspiring. This is Taylor Cocalis Suarez of Good Food Jobs and Suarez Family Brewery…

Livingston, New York and the area around Hudson, New York was incredibly beautiful and close-knit. I cannot wait for my next visit to Hudson, NY. I hope you learn as much as I did about how people can make food a part of their lives rather than just a necessity.

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Suarez Family Brewery
Good Food Jobs
Slow Food International

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Episode 3 - Tom Foster of Diamondback Brewing Company
 

We believe that every person has a connection to food. Each podcast will feature a deep dive interview with food producers, as we try to learn what inspires and influences them on a personal level. For many, producing flavorful, wholesome, and sustainable food is a vocation. Food has a voice. Listen in

Craft beer is on the rise. No longer is it a niche product on the shelf. Consumers are more knowledgable than ever about the ingredients and techniques in beer making. For the first time in history people have access to endless styles, flavors, and brands. It is excited but for some of the breweries themselves it can be daunting. The pioneers in beer pushed boundaries creating new recipes, styles, and business models. Today, breweries have to dive deeper and think thoughtfully about how they enter the crowded marketplace for beer. It takes innovation and relentless effort from a business and quality standpoint to be viable. 

Diamondback Brewing Company founded by longtime friends Tom, Francis, and Colin entered the brewing scene as contract brewers, making large batches at other breweries facilities and selling those batches in cans and draft to the local Baltimore community. After a year of contract brewing, they set their sights on finding their own space and now have a bustling tap room in Locust Point in South Baltimore. To date they are putting out some outstanding New England style IPAs and trying out new recipes on a weekly basis. Like any new business, days are filled with triumphs, complications, frustrations, and sometimes heartaches. But at the end of the day, these guys are best friends and just want to have fun and express themselves. I feel like they are truly hitting their stride and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them. 

Next to the smokestack that sits centerstage in the tasting room, I sat down with Tom to see what life is like in the brewery through his eyes. This is Tom Foster of Diamondback Brewing. Listen In. 

We believe that every person has a connection to food. Each podcast will feature a deep dive interview with food producers, as we try to learn what inspires and influences them on a personal level. For many, producing flavorful, wholesome, and sustainable food is a vocation. Food has a voice. Listen in

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Baltimore Sun - with Diamondback Brewing
Diamondback Brewing - Original Kickstarter
Business Journal - with Diamondback Brewing
Diamondback Brewing

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Today, we are going to talk about the apple. Adams County, Pennsylvania is the fifth largest county for apple production in the United States. It is home to apple growers, processors, and cider makers of all sizes. Nobody's hand is more on the pulse of this community than Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm. His family has been farming the land in Adams County since 1901 and has seen the apple industry grow from its nascent beginnings into a burgeoning industry. 

Ben is someone that has a deep sense of responsibility for his local agrarian community. His family farms with integrity, transparency, stewardship of their environment, and coherent knowledge of their local soil. They work hard to bring farm fresh produce to restaurants and markets in Baltimore, DC, and Philadelphia.

Now, Ben is translating his knowledge of apples to cider-making as he begins his new venture into hard cider called Ploughman Cider. He is embracing the goal of making Adams County a destination for cider.

Ben's passion for apples and cider is only matched by his love for bluegrass music, which he plays passionately with his band Chuck Darwin and the Knuckle Draggers. With his feel time at the end of the podcast, Ben was excited to help produce the music for the intro of the Artisan Situation Podcast. It is a soundtrack I will always be thankful for. 

In late November 2016, we sat down in his old family farmhouse with his dog Rose playing in the background and got right to it. What makes the apple so great? I will let Ben tell you. Sit back and learn about the apple and why it is truly something special. 

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Three Springs Fruit Farm
Ploughman Cider
Big Hill Ciderworks
Artifact Coffee & Origins Speaker Series
Chesapeake Farm-to-Table
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Chuck Darwin and the Knuckle Draggers

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Episode 1 - Adam Dellinger of Sunny Brae Hops
 

We believe that every person has a connection to food. Each podcast will feature a deep dive interview with food producers, as we try to learn what inspires and influences them on a personal level. For many, producing flavorful, wholesome, and sustainable food is a vocation. Food has a voice. Listen in

Our journey with this podcast begins with Adam Dellinger. On his five acre farm, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Adam has begun growing hops for breweries throughout Pennsylvania. He carefully straddles between the world of farming and brewing bringing both of these communities together centered around full-flavored PA grown hops. Adam took a methodical approach to develop his ideas for his hop farm, pulling from his own family history and experience in homesteading. 

For me, starting this podcast in the town where I completed my undergraduate studies made clear cut sense - a new journey begins where the old one ends. 

When I first met Adam, his exuberant attitude coupled with his tenacity to succeed and learn about hops showed on his sleeve. He is someone that cares about producing high quality beer and hops, and wants to provide for his community. He thrives off of the creativity and camaraderie emanating from the brewers shaping its' future. 

When I first arrived I was greeted by his cats that scurried in and out of his farmhouse doors with excitement. He mentioned that over the past couple years his cats have gotten used to bearded men coming in and out of his house. With haste, we cracked some beers including the beer Freshie IPA brewed by Free Will Brewing featuring his Chinook and Cascade hops. The bitterness popped in my mouth and the beer finished with strong notes of grapefruit zest and citrus. After recording, I found myself grabbing another pint. This time a Chinook Harvest Ale at Molly Pitcher Brewing taking in more flavors and aromas of the farm. I could not help myself.

Adam is someone who I admire. He thinks about his decisions thoughtfully and thoroughly. He cares about the trajectory of the farm-to-table movement and what it means to farms and agrarian culture. 

For me, it was the ideal if not perfect beginning to what I hope will be a wonderful journey on The Artisan Situation Podcast.