One Bite is Everything

Did you know that 99% of poultry farmers don’t own their own birds? When we learned this statistic from our guest on today’s show, it completely shocked us. Unfortunately, many family farmers across the US have their arms tied due to financial constraints where large corporations have swooped in to take advantage of their situation and hire family farms on contract, leaving farmers with little to...

What you need to know about your meat and the Prime Act with Liz Reitzig How often do we, as food consumers, think about how and who is cultivating, harvesting, and distributing our food? Or, on a deeper level, do we ever think about how our food choices and consumption is affecting the health of our soils? The answers to these questions are probably similar across the board, no or very little, bu...

On this episode of Talk Farm To Me, we invite farmers Laura & Mike Ellis from Mt. Hope Farms to talk to us about their fifth-generation farm in Oregon and how they have created a successful business by bridging the gap between the old ways and new ways of farming. Known for their award-winning Oregon fruit spreads, table grapes, and specialty crops, Mt. Hope Farms has gone through a substantial am...

In this episode, Charmaine La Fortune, a passionate urban farmer transformed two vacant city lots into a small garden that’s now a thriving center for community, education, and wellness. The Giving One Tenth Garden is not only reducing food insecurity in this Newark community, but addressing the needs of the community with a diverse selection of crops, health screenings, and more. Charmaine was th...

In this episode, PJ Haynie, Virginia row crop farmer and founding member of the National Black Growers Council, escorts host Dana DiPrima on a journey through his agriculture industry experience to shed light on the unique challenges and triumphs of minority farming. The number of American farmers has been in decline for a long time but the number of Black farmers has dwindled at a much higher rat...

In this episode, Christmas tree farmer Ashley Latta of Tuckaway Tree Farms joins host Dana DiPrima with a look behind the scenes of the farm, including their selection of species and strategic pruning for health and aesthetics. Plus, she shares tips on how to keep Christmas trees fresh and options for recycling them after the holidays. Also, find out what the farm does when it’s not selling Christ...

If you care about preventing superbugs, like influenza or an epidemic where medicine is ineffective on humans, you are going to want to hear what Steve Roach of FACT, the Food Animal Concerns Trust, has to say. How your animals are raised and confined affects your health whether you eat meat or not! Have a listen and share the episode with everyone you know! The way we raise animals -- in CAFOS (C...

Episode Summary In this episode, we explore the remarkable journey of a woman who has made groundbreaking contributions in animal welfare and autism advocacy. Discover Dr. Grandin's unique insights into farming, animal welfare, and breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry. Key Takeaways - Temple Grandin's pioneering work in animal behavior and welfare has revolutionized the livestock industr...

In this episode, you meet Caitlin Arnold Stephano, Farm Aid's Hotline manager. She fields over 800 calls a year -- often 70 a month -- from farmers who want to talk about their struggles and find resources that can help. In this episode, we explore the current day edition of Farm Aid, a still annual concert initiative founded by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews in 1985...

In this episode of “Talk Farm to Me,” host Dana DiPrima sits down with Michaela Mann, a Nebraska rancher and co-owner of D&D Beef. Together, they explore the diverse practices of raising and feeding cattle, debunk common myths surrounding cattle farming, and discuss the challenges faced by ranchers in the agricultural industry. Michaela highlights that ranchers have different approaches to raising...

Walnuts. The most delicious walnuts. They can lead you down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole on your darkest days, but can also make you scratch your head about why things are the way they are. Do we accept them as "the way we do things?" Or do we try something new? Fourth-generation walnut farmer Kaben Kramer and his wife Jenn are trying new things and making a go of it. But a look at the histor...

Meet Rick Clark, a soybean and corn farmer in Indiana. Rick is a leader in regenerative farming. In this episode, we'll hear about Rick's journey from conventional farming and over-tilling to increasing cover crops and decreasing chemical inputs. Rick Clark is digging in and putting things right on his 7000-acre farm. Back to the way his ancestors did it. Rick's vision, studiousness, and data coll...

Morgan and Jake couldn't convince their friends to farm seaweed, so they did it themselves. Now others are getting in the game too. From pinchy lobsters to sultry seaweed, Morgan and Jake have pioneered a sustainable new business that yields slimy green harvests for bath products, fertilizer, and delicious condiments and snacks. Not only is seaweed delicious and skin-softening, but it cleans the o...

Ever had a family joke that went too far? Paul has. And now he's knee-deep in chicken feathers. From the US Marine Corps to first-generation farmer, Paul is more innovator than farmer in some ways. I'm thinking he could probably do anything as long as it's really challenging. This is the story of Pasturebird and the journey from 50 to 1 million chickens, a week. Two other Talk Farm to Me episodes...

Take what you're doing right now and turn it on its head. I mean completely change the way you do it. Now add 1,000 external factors that Mother Nature throws at you and do it all on a horse, in the mountains. Well, that's what Glenn did. With seven daughters. And big ideas like possibility, and how to listen to the land, and observe everything. He challenged all the paradigms. And he's here to te...

From 5,000 Sugar Maple trees deep in the heart of Vermont's northeast kingdom to the Greenmarket in New York City's Union Square, sugar makers Stephan and Howie Cantor have dedicated the past 36 years to the ebb and flow of sap and market-shopping New Yorkers to bring a little more sweetness to the world. Through 9/11 and constant 6 1/2 hour commutes, the Cantors have persisted. Hear all about the...

Last episode we dove into deep water with Aubrey Bettencourt -- the president and CEO of California's Almond Alliance -- about nuts. That's what you think we would talk about, but we covered water policy (ok, relevant) and endangered species management (is that relevant? yes... listen to see how) and ended up with a better understanding of the complex systems we are a part of as consumers, farmers...

Meet Aubrey Bettencourt. She's nuts. For almonds and almond farmers, shellers and hullers. She's not blind to water shortages, politics, pollinators or problems with endangered species. She makes short work of the complexities that swirl around the 3.2 billion pounds of almonds produced each year in the California almond groves. Dive in, but fasten your seatbelt and see if you can keep up. Aubrey...

In three short decades between 1987 and 2007, the US lost nearly 100,000 small commercial dairy farms. The trend continues. In New Jersey, where the Lynesses now farm dairy, only 37 dairies remain. But there they are -- Dan and Sarah -- forging ahead with a love for Holsteins and Jerseys, and a passion for the dairy industry plus a new on-farm creamery to drive local sales. Find out how this dairy...

From "hocus pocus," to focus, herbalist and farmer Shannon Mayernik and I discuss farming herbs, the most sought-after remedies and the important role of the kitchen in the farm to table movement. Don't miss this holistic conversation about your own wellbeing. xo, Farm Girl www.mayernikkitchen.com and on IG @mayernikkitchen Interview: Dana DiPrima, Farm Girl / Make Hay Productions @xoxofarmgirl So...

What if a flower farm is more than just that? Flower farms grow flowers and the ones in the US -- big and small -- are making a resurgence in an industry that is mostly imports. How does that change things? Flowers that don't ship well are yours for the picking -- hyper locally -- for instance. And what if a flower farm breeds connection? In a community that needs it. A de-stressor. What about tea...

Want some beer with your burger? 🍺 🍔 Meet Rob. He puts a little beer IN your burger. For real. But with Barley Beef in Bend, OR and rancher Rob Rastovich, the beef in the beer is only a small part of the story. Are you interested in technology? Business acumen? What it really takes to put a burger on your table? This episode is rich with the intersection of all of that. Plus beer. And conservati...

All farms have day to day problems. But then other serious problems crop up and throw a wrench in everything. No matter your current understanding of farms, this is an episode that sheds a light on what can happen to big or small farms if there's an interruption in the processing chain. Follow along with Carrie and her farm @blackwillowpondfarm on Instagram. To listen to the episode featuring sust...

Sharon Burns-Leader is the co-owner of Bread Alone, a pioneering organic bakery that sells its baked goods at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City. She serves on GrowNYC’s (the organization that oversees the market) Farmer and Community Advisory Committee. That’s where we start, but quickly you will see Sharon leads us through her evolution as a person, the evolution of the market and the...

A new series of episodes will feature the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City and the farmers and other producers who sell there. What an interesting combination — one of the biggest and most famous cities in the world and farmers and producers from within 250 miles. Here Talk Farm to Me dives in to how it operates, how it’s governed. Meet Grow NYC's Director of Greenmarkets, Michael Hurwitz...