Young Farmers Podcast

In celebration of Indigenous People's Day, Lindsey speaks with Clayton Harvey of the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona about how farming has shaped his spiritual identity and helped keep Apache traditions and language alive in his community. Clayton shares how his journey to Standing Rock has influenced him, and inspired other indigenous young people to farm. His farm, Ndée Bikíyaa, has a mis...

Hurricane Florence has been a disaster on many levels, leaving economic, social, and environmental destruction in its path across the Carolinas. In North Carolina, a locus of global pork production, continued flooding has also led to a livestock death toll in the millions. This week, Lindsey interviews Tom Philpott, former farmer, and current food and ag correspondent for Mother Jones, about the c...

Hurricane Florence has caused an estimated $1 billion in damages to farms in the Carolinas, and the destruction continues. Lindsey interviews Davon Goodwin, a North Carolina farmer and manager of the Sandhills AGInnovation Center, to find out what it looks like on the ground, how farmers are trying to recover from the losses, and what can be done to build resilience to natural disasters in the fut...

Can farmers save the planet? We all know that the weather impacts agriculture, but farmers are also changing the weather. Dr. Nathan Mueller, head of the Mueller Lab and Assistant Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, walks us through cutting edge research on the complex and interesting relationship between agriculture and climate, and some of the powerful ways...

As the September 30th farm bill expiration date looms, Lindsey checks back in for a status update with NYFC's National Policy Director, Andrew Bahrenburg. What do the "Fab Four" have to do with farm bill conference negotiations? Will Congress pass a final farm bill in time? And what will happen to the programs young farmers rely on if they don't? Take action, and tell your Representative...

"If we don't start doing things differently, there won't be agriculture to pass down." Climate change is a hot-button political issue, but in the Western U.S., no one can deny that the drought and above average temperatures are real. Mike Nolan, a young farmer in Mancos, Colorado, gives an insider perspective on farming in extreme weather conditions, building resilience, and shares how a...

Today’s bonus episode is about an important program in the 2018 Farm Bill that needs your support: Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO). Tiffany Washington, Navy Veteran from Austin, Texas, shares her personal journey to farming, and how farm bill programs are helping her find success. Take action: Text "Farm" to 40649 to join NYFC's Team Farm Bill Farmshare Austin: https:/...

It's hard to imagine anyone thinking more about the weather than farmers, but then again, there's Chief Meteorologist Mark Brusberg of USDA’s agricultural weather and assessments group. This week, Lindsey talks with Mark about the ways that drought, extreme weather, and the changing climate are impacting farmers and agricultural production globally and here at home. Mark also talks about "the...

Commodity farmers across the nation are struggling under the weight of low prices and tariffs, resulting in bankruptcies and crisis in farm country. In this second conversation with Roger Johnson, farmer and president of the National Farmers Union, we talk about how putting controls on production may be the toughest and most important battle for the future of agriculture. Episode Transcript Lindse...

President Trump's trade war is sending U.S. agricultural markets into shock. Roger Johnson, farmer and president of the National Farmers Union, talks us through the situation on farms, the $12 billion bailout, and what it all means for the future of U.S. agriculture. Episode Transcript Hey, this is the Young Farmers Podcast. I’m Lindsey Lusher Shute. Okay, let me tell you about this trade war. On...

In celebration of farmers market week, we bring you an interview with Ben Feldman of the Farmers Market Coalition. Ben talks about the state of farmers markets across the nation; why farmers may soon have a hard time selling food to customers using SNAP/EBT; and how the farm bill could help farmers markets thrive.

Immigrants make up nearly three-quarters of all farmworkers in the United States. Their labor is critical to US farms and consumers, but being an immigrant farmworker can come along with some major challenges -- from the risk of deportation to basic safety. Lindsey Lusher Shute interviews Iris Figueroa, staff attorney at Farmworker Justice, about these issues. They talk about who farmworkers are,...

Eric Sannerud of Mighty Axe Hops and the Central Minnesota Young Farmers Coalition talks about the campaign to pass the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit in Minnesota. This new law gives a tax credit to landowners who rent or sell their land to a new farmer. This year, a million dollars have been allocated for this bill and 162 farms were sold or rented to beginning farmers. Hear about how this ambitiou...

In the next 5 years, 100 million acres of farmland will need a new owner -- yet finding farmland is the hardest thing for young farmers. Why is that? Holly Rippon-Butler, director of the land program at the National Young Farmers Coalition, talks about why it's so hard for farmers to find land, how land can be protected for farmers, and a bill that young farmers are asking NY Governor Cuomo to sig...

Ferd Hoefner, the senior strategic advisor to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, schools us on how crop insurance and commodity programs work and why they're causing problems. This podcast is critical listening for anyone looking to understand the farm bill. Lindsey Lusher Shute interviews; Andrew Bahrenburg walks and records; Hannah Beal edits; music Lee Rosevere.   Cerity – Workers’...

How do you pass a bipartisan bill these days? Lindsey Lusher Shute interviews NYFC's National Policy Director, Andrew Bahrenburg, on the passage of the Senate farm bill. They cover the nutrition debate and midterms, an unexpected Cuba wrinkle, and what's next in the political process.

What does it take to pass the farm bill? The House of Representatives voted in favor of a controversial Farm Bill on June 21st, and the Senate will vote on their version soon. Lindsey Lusher Shute interviews Andrew Bahrenburg, the National Young Farmers Coalition's policy director, about the highs and lows of farm bill politics. Stay tuned for Part II.