All Podcasts
E66: Jeremy Everett: Ending Hunger Takes Coordinated Action
November 2019Faith-based efforts can be powerful and compelling ways to address a number of social issues, including food insecurity. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E66: Jeremy Everett: Ending Hunger Takes Coordinated Action »
E62: Bert Pitt on Today’s Farming Challenges
November 2019At the age of 68, Bert Pitt is lean and tan, with Robert Redford blue eyes and a working man's hands. He's a seventh generation farmer, raising cotton and sweet potatoes now, and lives in his family's ancestral home in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Farming is both his job and his heritage, and he passionately believes in the value of small family farms. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E62: Bert Pitt on Today’s Farming Challenges »
E57: How FoodCorps and Walmart are Driving Food Security in the US
November 2019Imagine you would like to address food, and food insecurity in particular, and could start with a blank slate. What kind of programs and practices would make sense given the incredible array of possibilities? Our guests today, Curt Ellis and Karrie Denniston have addressed this issue in their own work. Welcome to The Leading Voices in Food. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E57: How FoodCorps and Walmart are Driving Food Security in the US »
E60: A Visit to Middlecreek Farms in the Blacklands of North Carolina
November 2019Driving along the North Carolina coastline protected by the Outer Banks barrier islands, I pass swamps, canals and fields. I'm visiting an agricultural region called the Blacklands. The soil is black and fertile and the Blacklands range across eight counties. I'm visiting Middlecreek Farms, a family operation in Engelhard, North Carolina, now run by Dawson and Bethany Pugh. The day's plan to begin harvesting corn has been scrapped in the aftermath of a heavy rain and the farm crew works in the shop making repairs and doing equipment maintenance. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E60: A Visit to Middlecreek Farms in the Blacklands of North Carolina »
E68: Tobacco, Hemp & Trade Wars
October 2019Some farmers see industrial hemp as an opportunity to transition away from tobacco. Hemp is widely grown worldwide as a source of both fiber and oil seed. Harvesting equipment and dryers used for tobacco can also be used to harvest and cure hemp, allowing farmers to repurpose equipment they already own. North Carolina legalized hemp production in 2014 as part of a pilot program. Brandon Batten is one of the farmers producing industrial hemp as part of this program. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E68: Tobacco, Hemp & Trade Wars »
E58: Pig Farming Family Style at Razorback Farms
October 2019It's August in North Carolina and I'm here with Marlowe Vaughan and her father Bob Ivey at Razorback Farm, a family-owned pig farm in Goldsboro. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E58: Pig Farming Family Style at Razorback Farms »
E57: Tom Bollyky on How Food Drives International Instability
October 2019When Americans hear the term national security, I suspect few people would think about food in this context. Our guest, Thomas Bollyky is an ideal person to explain why this may be a glaring oversight. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E57: Tom Bollyky on How Food Drives International Instability »
E56: Gwen Pitt on the Changing Roles of Women in Farming
October 2019According to the US Department of Agriculture's census of agriculture, women now make up 36% of farmers and 56% of farms have at least one woman farmer. But this isn't a surprise to today's guest, Gwen Pitt of Pitt Family Farms in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E56: Gwen Pitt on the Changing Roles of Women in Farming »
E59: Hunt Allcott on the Optimum Soda Tax
October 2019Today's guest, Dr. Hunt Allcott, had two recent papers with colleagues Benjamin Lockwood and Dmitry Taubinsky, on whether soda taxes are effective, and how an optimal soda tax might be established. The papers were published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. These are important papers and an important time, given all the activity around the world on soda taxes. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E59: Hunt Allcott on the Optimum Soda Tax »
E55: Allan Savory on Regenerative Agriculture
October 2019Regenerative agriculture is a highly visible, interesting and promising approach to raising animals. The person credited for conceiving this approach, testing it and helping it spread around the world is our guest today, Allan Savory. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E55: Allan Savory on Regenerative Agriculture »
E54: Farming with Hurricanes in the Blacklands of North Carolina
October 2019At Middlecreek Farms, hurricanes shape the way Dawson Pugh farms his land. His property lies just two feet above sea level, and managing water is his biggest challenge. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E54: Farming with Hurricanes in the Blacklands of North Carolina »
E53: Michael Osterholm on Food Safety and Killer Germs
October 2019With our daily food now coming from around the world, keeping food safe needs to be a practice of prevention--at home and in commercial factories. Food safety and infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm helps to explain. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E53: Michael Osterholm on Food Safety and Killer Germs »
E52: Hogs and Hurricanes in North Carolina
October 2019We're talking today with Bob Ivey and his daughter, Marlowe Vaughan, owners of Razorback Farms in Goldsboro where they raise pigs as a contractor for Maxwell Farms. Ivey and Vaughan closely follow the news, debates, and lawsuits over pig manure lagoons, odors, and water safety concerns, and they welcomed the opportunity to talk about their own farm operations, and they believe in the value of open communications. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E52: Hogs and Hurricanes in North Carolina »
E50: Gwen's Cotton
October 2019Today we're talking with Gwen Pitt at the Pitt Family Farm located in Macclesfield, North Carolina, a rural city in Edgecombe County with a population of just 477 people. Gwen is the scout at the Pitt Farm. She scours cotton and sweet potato fields on the 1100 acres she farms with Burt Pitt, her husband of 40 years, looking for insects and testing the soil. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E50: Gwen's Cotton »
E51: Neena Prasad on the Sound Benefits of Soda Taxes
October 2019Imagine you've come to work for a major foundation and were asked to create a program on obesity prevention. With the vast array of possible things one might do, how in the world would you choose what might have the most impact, and what would be the most cost effective? This was the task of our guest Dr Neena Prasad, who joined Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2008. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E51: Neena Prasad on the Sound Benefits of Soda Taxes »
E49: Pitt Family Farm Story
September 2019More than 90% of farms in the US are small or family owned and operated businesses. These farms play a vital role in our economy and help to maintain rural populations. But small farms face many challenges, including encroaching urban development, dramatically changing weather patterns, young people moving to urban areas for work, low commodities pricing, and farm financing. What's more, our farming core is aging. The average age of farmers in the US today is 58. Today we share the story of Bert and Gwen Pitt, seventh generation farmers in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E49: Pitt Family Farm Story »
E:47 Hickory Nut Gap Farm's Jamie Ager on Regenerative Grazing
September 2019Jamie and Amy Agar, and their extended family, co-own the Hickory Nut Gap Farm business, and the brand Hickory Nut Gap Meats. Both are graduates of Warren Wilson College, and the couple took over running the farm in 2006 with a vision to achieve environmental sustainability through regenerative grazing. What began as a dream is now a thriving business built on relationships, environmental stewardship, and no small amount of courage. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E:47 Hickory Nut Gap Farm's Jamie Ager on Regenerative Grazing »
E48: Maureen Black on Lasting Impact of Food Insecurity on Children
September 2019It is well known, and has been for many years, how prevalent food insecurity is in the US and elsewhere. People are especially moved when they think of children who are malnourished. Our guest Dr Maureen Black is one of the world's leading experts on nutrition and its impact on the health and development of children and on how to reduce health disparities by improving child nutrition. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E48: Maureen Black on Lasting Impact of Food Insecurity on Children »
E46: Charlie Cart’s Carolyn Federman on Food, Fun, and Classrooms
September 2019Americans have become distant from their food. It was once the case that people either grew food themselves or perhaps, just one step away from it, buying food from farmers or from markets served by local farmers, but boy, is it ever different now. Food is processed, it's shipped long distances, and people are less in touch with how food is created, how to cook it, and more. There are some impressive efforts underway to help correct this problem. Some of the more impressive ones that focused on children such as the work of Carolyn Federman, the inspiration behind a highly innovative program known as Charlie Cart. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E46: Charlie Cart’s Carolyn Federman on Food, Fun, and Classrooms »
E45: Celebrating Howarth Bouis’ Contributions to Biofortification
July 2019So imagine that you face a daunting challenge: addressing malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies that affect people all around the world. These are people who live in different countries; they have different diets; and different nutrient challenges. How would you devise a way to affect the health and wellbeing of billions of people, and do so in a way that can be permanent and sustainable? Today's guest has done just that. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E45: Celebrating Howarth Bouis’ Contributions to Biofortification »
E41: Combatting Weight Bias
June 2019In an earlier podcast with Dr. Rebecca Puhl, she described the nature extent and impact of weight bias on the lives of individuals was described and clear and very moving ways. Dr. Puhl, professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Connecticut, and deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, is a leading researcher and an agent for change on this important topic. She's kindly agreed to speak with us on this podcast on what might be done to prevent weight stigma when it does occur and how to reduce its impact. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E41: Combatting Weight Bias »
E40: Cruel Impact of Weight Stigma
June 2019Think back to your time in school and try to remember how the overweight children were treated. It is possible that you were the subject of such treatment, but if not, imagine how this would feel and whether such experiences could have an indelible impact. What are the consequences of such treatment then and later in life? When people think of stigma, bias, discrimination factors such as gender, race, and age come to mind for most people, but not necessarily weight. And weight bias is a very important topic and has been the subject of an impressive body of research. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E40: Cruel Impact of Weight Stigma »
E43: Barry Popkin on the International Success of Soda Taxes
June 2019Taxes on sugar sweetened beverages now exist in a number of cities in the United States, including Philadelphia, Oakland, and San Francisco, and in more than 40 countries around the world. These have been made possible by dedicated, passionate and talented people working on the science supporting the use of such taxes. They evaluated the impact of these taxes and have worked with governments to decide how taxes might be structured and implemented. And there is no person who does all these things better and does so in every corner of the world than Barry Popkin. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E43: Barry Popkin on the International Success of Soda Taxes »
E44: Chile’s Health Strategy: Warning Labels, Soda Taxes, and Marketing Limits
June 2019So what happens when a country gets really serious...REALLY serious about tackling diet, nutrition, and chronic disease? Is there a country in the world that stands out for taking the most imaginative and strongest action? The answer is yes, and a person who knows a lot about this is our guest Barry Popkin. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E44: Chile’s Health Strategy: Warning Labels, Soda Taxes, and Marketing Limits »
E42: Jim Krieger on the Making of a Soda Tax
June 2019Let's say that you are a public health advocate and would like to see a tax on sugar sweetened beverages established in your community. What steps would you take? What coalitions do you think you'd need to build. And how would you go about the extraordinary work of gathering support from both the public and political figures? Few people are in a position to tell the story in such a compelling way as today's guest Dr. James Krieger, who joins us from Seattle--one of the many places in the world that now has such taxes. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E42: Jim Krieger on the Making of a Soda Tax »