Farm To Table Talk

The North American food system has succeeded in producing an abundance of commodities at relatively low cost, but it is failing in other ways that matter. Showing how law and policy should make needed changes is the purpose of \”the Blueprint for a National Food Strategy\”.  This work in progress is a collaborative project between the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont...

  Seasons are the rhythm of nature, naturally restricting the availability of fruits and vegetables.  That is except when it\’s with a food such as tomatoes that are freshly preserved in diced, peeled or paste form to be part of  the worlds most popular dishes. Although some food products are just processed when quality is declining, processing tomato varieties, production and processin...

In every region farmers are finding ways to pivot from producing the same commodities that have always been produced on their land.  New farmers are also finding new ways to get started that includes trying different crops. In southern California coffee is being successfully grown on land formerly growing avocados and lemons.  Jay Ruskey planted a trial crop of coffee at his family-owned and opera...

There is a growing need for informational bridges between farmers markets, farm workers, shoppers, and farmers of every size shape and situation. Troy Rice established Farm Brigge to fill that need and create local food ecosystems.  Shoppers can go on line to find local farmers and farmers markets that have the food products they seek and the story behind the stories. Farmers can find farm workers...

If you’re not yet a believer that we can create a climate stable future, you probably will be a believer after listening to Josh Tickell. He and his wife Rebecca wrote the book and produced the most uplifting film to date about regenerative agriculture and what it means for farmers and consumers. Over a year ago I read his book “Kiss the Ground”, listened to the audio version that he narrates, vie...

For too many it is basically a no win situation if you\’re a farmer and so they ask \”How can I get off this treadmill?\” The dream of farming can become a nightmare in a broken system explains  Ricardo Salvador, the Director of Food and Environment for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Farm choice has traditionally been either playing the low value, high volume commodity game o...

The fact that the food system lacks resilience is apparent from the devastating effects of COVID on meat packing plant employees.  In a system that inspired Henry Ford\’s assembly plant, these dis-assembly plants have proven to be extremely dangerous for workers.  First plants closed, farmers euthanized hogs, workers were home sick or laid off, then politics intervened.  This is where we pic...

For many it would be a dream come true if their family could be supported from an 80 acre farm instead of the more typical 2,000 acres commodity farm.  In a recent article, Ricardo Salvador of the Union of Concerned Scientists says that dream may be becoming a reality: \”We all could use some good news. Here is some. This is a story about breaking free. There’s more than corn, beans and hogs...