Bill Cavanaugh and the Mad River Food Hub in Vermont are making food storage, processing, and distribution more accessible for local producers in Vermont. In the process, local producers provide even more support for local farms! The Mad River Food Hub may be the only USDA inspected community processing hub in the nation, and can serve as a model for similar hubs in other regions. Bill is an expert in all things butchery and food business, and it is a great treat to hear his perspective on starting a meat processing business and a food hub for food businesses in the community. Oh, and we get to talk about the benefits of being a conscious carnivore too!

Mad River Food Hub - https://www.madriverfoodhub.com

Email Bill: [email protected] - Contact Bill for information about his butchery courses!

Resources Bill talks about:

Niche meat processor assistance network - http://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/peer-consulting – use this link to get on the listserv

USDA Small Plant Help Desk - https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulatory-compliance/svsp/sphelpdesk – personalized help desk

And as always, know your local regulators, extension offices, and other experts in the field!

TheLawFarm.com – Find blogs on legal topics from the podcast.

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

Marketing produce and goods as “Organic” carries a lot of weight with some consumers. Getting certified “USDA Organic” is the ticket to marketing organic goods, and the Georgia Crop Improvement Association is the only certifying agency housed in Georgia. Terry Hollifield is the executive director of GCIA and in this episode he shares insight into the National Organic Program and the resources available to farmers and producers dreaming of running an Organic enterprise.

Here are some of the resources Terry mentions in the episode:

Georgia Organics – Dedicated to all things organic food in Georgia – Georgiaorganics.org

Organic Material Review Institute – Lists approved Organic inputs – omri.org

Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association – Plethora of resources for GA growers – gfvga.org

Primus Labs – Third party food safety certifier – Primuslabs.com

University of Georgia – Extension agents and informational presentations

Georgiacrop.com – Check out the organic certification resources the Georgia Crop Improvement Association has to offer and connect with Terry and his crew.

TheLawFarm.com – Find blogs on legal topics from the podcast.

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

Fifth generation South Georgia Farmer, Clay Oliver, created Oliver Oil Co. when bio-fuel experts made it apparent how valuable food grade oils are in our food system. Clay and his wife now run the business together cold-pressing artisan oils that support Georgia produce, as well as endangered oil crop varieties such as Benne. Oh, and they also create gluten free, high nutrient flours as a “Co-Product.” Whether you’re buying straight from the source at oliverfarm.com, catching the family at a food expo out of town, or dining in some of the best restaurants in the South, supporting Oliver Farm oils and flours supports heart-felt family producers.

Here are some of the resources Clay mentions in the episode:

Georgia Department of Agriculture

County Extension Agents

Glenn Rhodes – The Fuel Farmer

South Georgia Growing Local Conference

National Peanut Board

National Sunflower Association

Good Food Foundation

Slow Food Ark of Taste

And too many Atlanta restaurants to name them all!

Check out their beautiful farm and purchase some great products at OliverFarm.com

TheLawFarm.com – find blogs on legal topics from the podcast

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

In this first “Wine and Dine” episode of The Law Farm Podcast, we sit down with a group of folks who love food: Growing it, cooking it, and eating it. Enjoy as we converse about farming and food in our best frame of mind, after a few cocktails and a delicious meal. We talk about everything from the connection between food and farming to our best food memories. I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording!

thelawfarm.com – find updated blogs on legal topics from the podcast

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

One common thread in all of the Law Farm podcasts thus far is Social Enterprise. What is Social Enterprise? How do you start a Social Enterprise? These questions and more are answered in this week’s Social Enterprise 101 podcast.

Cassady Brewer takes a few moments to share some expert insight on the subject.

More information on business structures and a run-down of today’s episode can be found on the Law Farm Blog at thelawfarm.com/blog.

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

Chuck Meadows’ family has been farming in Georgia dating back to his Great, Great Uncle Jim Adams’ farm in Greene County. Jim Adams Farm & Table takes farm to table to the next level, combining the farm, the market, and the restaurant into one. Chuck is the powerhouse behind the enterprise, and in this episode he shares his insight on the problems of a broken food system and his journey navigating the solutions. If this episode isn’t enough to satisfy, stop by the restaurant for lunch and more conversation about community, food, and health!

Find Jim Adams Farms on Instagram and Facebook!

@jimadamsfarms

www.jimadams.farm

Here are some social enterprise and farm resources Chuck mentions:

Switchyard - https://switchyards.com

Invest Atlanta - https://www.investatlanta.com

Metro Atlanta Chamber - https://www.metroatlantachamber.com

Altanta Technology Village - http://atlantatechvillage.com

Hypepotamus - https://hypepotamus.com

Brandon Tye – Honey Next Door - https://honeynextdoor.com

Rashid Nuri – Truly Living Well - https://www.trulylivingwell.com

Georgia Organics - https://georgiaorganics.org

Food Well Alliance - http://www.foodwellalliance.org

Visit thelawfarm.com for updated blogs on legal topics from the podcast

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

Brooke Vacovsky was kind enough to meet me at Blue Heron Nature Preserve to talk about everything honeybee, including her business, Southeast Beescapes, that offers installation and hive maintenance services. Brooke is dedicated to supporting our environment and educating people about the charm and benefits of pollinators of all kinds, but especially the honeybee!

Get in touch with Brook and have a hive installed – southeastbeescapes.com or [email protected] – Remember: you may get a free jar of honey if you can stump Brook with a great question!

Here are some of the resources we talked about:

Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association – http://www.metroatlantabeekeepers.org

UGA Beekeeping Institute – http://www.caes.uga.edu/departments/entomology/research/honey-bee-program/yhc-uga-beekeeping-institute.html

First Lessons in Beekeeping by Keith S Delaplane

Honeybee Democracy by Thomas Dyer Seeley

thelawfarm.com – find updated blogs on legal topics from the podcast

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

King of Pops started in Atlanta with a pushcart full of popsicles and a desire to bring Unexpected Moments of Happiness (UMOHs) to the community. Steven and Nick Carse have expanded the enterprise to include farming (King of Crops) and composting (King of Compost). Nick was kind enough to sit down with me to talk about popsicles, farming, running a conscious business, and how to really do it all one mission at a time!

Here are some of the resources Nick and King of Pops rely on:

EOS – Entrepreneurial Operating System®– https://www.mytractiontools.com

Patrick Lencioni – founder of The Table Group and author – https://www.tablegroup.com/pat/

Community and Family – KOP keeps it simple and encourages other entrepreneurs to do the same

Crop Mob – Volunteer and find our what’s growing on in the area – http://www.cropmobgeorgia.com

www.kingofpops.com

www.kingofcrops.com

thelawfarm.com – find updated blogs on legal topics from the podcast

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

Pepper Bowen is a food law attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana and she was kind enough to take the time to share food system thoughts amidst the Mardi Gras madness in February!

Here are links to some of the organizations and topics we discussed:

Culinaria – National Food and Beverage Foundation – https://natfab.org/culinaria-food-policy/

Feral Hogs – Read Pepper’s article - https://natfab.org/news/2017/12/19/walk-on-the-wild-side

Food Safety Modernization Act – https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm247548.htm

Life City – Support for Benefit Corporations in New Orleans – http://mylifecity.com

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037

Katherine Kennedy shares a wealth of information about getting involved to fight hunger with produce in our backyard.

Volunteer, donate, or become a Concrete Jungle member:

https://www.concrete-jungle.org

Here are some of the resources Katherine shared in this episode:

The National Gleaning Symosium is April 6-7, 2018 in Atlanta.

Put a fruit tree on the map OR find fruit:

With Concrete Jungle: https://www.concrete-jungle.org/food-map/

Around the globe: https://fallingfruit.org

Other Georgia Gleaner: Society of St. Andrew, endhunger.org

Author: Eliot Coleman

Web resource for sustainable agriculture and more: https://attra.ncat.org

Local Atlanta Tree Gurus: Robby Astrove and Mike Fillon

Nonprofit support: The Foundation Center

Other Podcasts: Success for Nonprofits, Nonprofits are Messy

Podcast Music: Andi Kezh “On Your Own” on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-your-own-single/1242547037