Farm To Table Talk

More than just good yields, successful farming increasingly needs to function in a system that connects the farm with customers looking for food that meets their desires, beyond just taste and price. Corwin Heatwole, the founder and CEO of Farmer Focus has created a system for chicken farmers that is an alternative too being large “integrator” dependent or too small to be financially v...

  The road to regenerative resilience will require knowledge gained from research and then implemented by farmers committed to continuous improvement.  That necessary research will have to cost governments and organizations in the short term and pay society in the long term. This was part of the message of Dr. Thelma Velez, the Research and Education Program Manager of the Organic Farming Res...

Mitigating Climate Change will require implementing a data driven approach on every level of the business of agriculture. An agriculture-oriented satellite constellation will provide a critical perspective on the size and condition of nearly everything we grow to eat, nearly every where in the world.  EOS SAT provides eyes in the sky to enable each food sector to introduce smart er sustainable agr...

Effective climate change actions can be on a spectrum from ‘mitigation’ that reduces emissions to ‘adaptation’ — recognition that the the crisis may no longer be avoidable but humans will figure out new ways to live in a hotter world. The necessary adaptations will include new ways and new places to farm, such as shipping containers that allow food to be produced year...

Farmers grow enough food, yet with extreme weather events, war, pandemic, inflation and more, there are hundreds of millions of people in danger of hunger and famine. Sustainable development goals are being pursued to get the world back on track to end hunger and poverty.  Asma Lateef, the Policy Lead for the SDG2 Advocacy Hub is bringing together NGOs, agricultural networks, nutritionists, campai...

For the good of the climate let’s just stop driving cars. That sounds ridiculous when you can obtain more efficient cars or hybrids, plug-ins and EV’s . Why shouldn’t the same logic apply for the critics of beef consumption? It turns out that some cows are the Teslas and others are gas guzzlers. Just like efficient climate friendly cars there are climate friendly cows producing more milk and/or me...

Mother Earth is under the weather, but don’t take her “pulse” just yet.  In the common usage “pulse” is a vital sign, however another us age is a vital food. Food shortages, impacted by soaring gas prices and inflation, are affecting people in need and their ability to access staple foods. Food banks are busier than ever before. In this environment pulses such as bean...

Wendell Berry’s writings favorably compare the ways of Amish farming to the high stress modern conventional farming by “the English”. In surprising ways Amish farms offer regenerative leadership that are a modern contrast in a horse and buggy society. Through his own Modern Frontier Farm and an Amish Cooperative, Adam Rick finds that Amish farms are especially well-suited to these times when consu...

Festivals celebrate our favorite foods and  since bacon is a favorite for many it deserves a delicious festival.  Across the country, chefs, consumers and farmers have come together in celebration of bacon in events known as BaconFests.  In the acclaimed Farm to Fork Capitol, Sacramento California, Farm to Table Talk joins the Bacon Fest festivities in conversation with talented and enthusiastic c...

Food can have a positive impact on the land and our communities. “But our planet is in danger and it’s time for us to think even bigger.” These words of wisdom are surprisingly to be found on a climate smart Kernza Grain cereal by Cascadian Farm. Thanks to the research and development at the Land Institute in Salina Kansas, the deep rooted, soil healthy perennial grain will store more carbon, prev...

The health of land and the health of bodies are connected.  Or as Kate Kavanaugh explains it\’s about mind, body and soil . Kate is a butcher, a farmer, a newly podcast host and more — all existing within the regenerative ag space. As a butcher, she founded Western Daughters Butcher shop in Denver featuring local grass fed beef,  pork and chicken from local regenerative farms. As a far...

  Sheep may be today’s most popular animal for a new breed of sustainable farmers and ranchers with new consumers who are discovering a taste for lamb, raised right. To meet this opportunity lamb processor Superior Farms and sheep producers from six states have launched a state-of-the-art sheep facility, in Nephi, Utah. Superior Farms CEO, Rick Stott explains that the venture will converge th...

Seeds are the source of all food.  Will seeds save us? The FAO reports that only nine crop species now account for the majority of the world’s food supply. There has been a 90% decrease in plant breeding diversity since the early 1900’s. Farmers are not able to save seeds for future planting that are protected by intellectual property laws and 4 corporations control 70% of the current  $90+ billio...

Worthwhile endeavors that are to protect and regenerate the Earth, must be \”Earthwhile\”. Nestled in the heart of California\’s San Benito County among  sweeping oak-studded hillsides,  Paicines Ranch is habitat for a diversity of wildlife including animals, birds, insects, trees, plants, grasses, springs, rivers, and  more. Ranch owner,Sally Callhoun says their mission is to wo...

Regenerative agriculture can significantly curb climate change, but only if it’s coupled with racial and land justice.  UC Santa Barbara professor and writer Liz Carlisle\’s   book, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming   explores how  we got here and how we heal the earth and the food system. Along the way she shares the stories of female farmers of c...

A food system revolution is under way that begins with farming better. From his Blue Dasher Farm in South Dakota and the non-profit Ecdysis Foundation, Jonathan Lundgren professes that \”we can grow food and conserve biodiversity and environmental health\” by making innovative practices scalable and transferable to as many farms as possible . Nothing less than a paradigm shift is antic...

Caroline and Jesse McDougall work everyday to build abundance, diversity, and resilience on their farm in rural southern Shaftbury Vermont. Studio Hill Farm transitioned from conventional chemical management to organic holistic management in 2012.  To rehabilitate 250+ acres of degraded land, they raise sheep, pigs and poultry on pasture and use regenerative management to foster healthy, biologica...

Almost 50 years ago the Agriculture Council of America started National Ag Day. Since then across America, agriculture has been recognized and celebrated on a day or all week in March of every year. It is based on the belief that everyone should:understand how food and fiber products are produced; appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products; value the...

Country music legends and livestock on a farm in East Tennessee surprisingly have something in common.  Aliceson and Barry Bales own a family farm in East Tennessee where they raise grass fed and finished beef, pastured pork and chicken and their CEO (Chief Egg Officer) son has a pastured egg operation.  Aliceson has published a cook book and Barry is a long time musician with Alison Krauss and Un...

Local Butcher Shops are coming back as more consumers want to experience the craft, knowledge and quality assurance of old.  The new version of an old tradition provides local, humanely treated, pasture raised beef, lamb, pork and poultry. Expert butchers not only know how to cut meat, they can answer questions on production practices, menu ideas and cooking instructions. One of the leaders in thi...

Food insecurity is a reality for 16% of the public and 32% are waiting for their next pay check before they can buy food. Trends like this matter and are now being discovered by the Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability at Purdue University.  The Head of the Center and Head of the Purdue Ag Econ. Department, Dr. Jayson Lusk believes that to be successful in the food business you must...

The most hated chore on most farms is paperwork.  From her family farm in Nebraska Peggy Meyer thought there had to be a better way, so she created an app to help farmers manage their paperwork more efficiently.  She felt the pains of time management and record keeping and wanted to build something to help! Somehow between raising 6 kids and farming, she created \”Field Pocket\”.  Pegg...

When we think of pasture sounds, it\’s moo, baaa, or whinnies.  So why not quacks, clucks and honks.? Well poultry in the pasture is the gateway to farming since the aspiring farmers can start with just a few acres, as did Jeff Siewicki in South Carolina. He had to figure out how to start with low investment and no experience but with passion to spare. Ducks have become the poultry preferenc...

Some are concerned about whether or not the foods they buy contain GMO, genetically modified organisms, or what USDA refers to as Bioengineered. As a result of a 2016 Bill passed by Congress and signed into Law by President Obama,  USDA regulations have just gone in to effect  that specifies that foods that are bioengineered or contain bioengineered ingredients must disclose that information to co...

Technology in smart phones and watches help people identify current and emerging issues that Doctors can address. Do animals deserve any less?  Rapidly improving technology helps ranchers, farmers and their veterinarians know everything they need to about an animal\’s current condition and anticipate problems that are likely to occur.  Beyond monitoring, DNA technology allows all of the info...