E102: Lyla June on Returning to Native American Agricultural Traditions

December 15, 2020

What if we cultivated our environment instead of intensive crop planting and animal farming, and in turn created an abundance of food to meet our needs? Is this what First Nations people did here in the Americas? This concept is the focus of doctoral research of today’s guest, Indigenous musician, scholar, and community organizer, Lyla June. June is an Indigenous woman of Dine (Navajo), Tsetsehestahese (Cheyenne) and European lineage. She’s pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. And she’s fascinated by the intersection of Indigenous food systems and Indigenous land management.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Equity, Race & Food Justice | First Nations Food Issues | Fisheries & Food Policy | Food Policy | History & Food |

 

E86: How One NC Farming Business is Weathering the COVID-19 Pandemic

September 3, 2020

This podcast is part of a series on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our food system. And in this interview, we’ll be exploring how one North Carolina farming business has coped with the unique challenges of the pandemic and particularly disruptions to longstanding markets and supply chains for farm products. Our guest is Jim Warenda from Wilson, North Carolina. Jim runs a diverse organization that includes Fresh-Pik Produce, the Southeastern Growers Association and Dean’s Farm Market. He’s also the President of North Carolina’s Strawberry Association.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Food | North Carolina | Voice of Farming |

 

E83: Hopi Farming – Agriculture, Culture, and Environment in Balance

July 28, 2020

Today, we’re digging in to the little known origins of regenerative agriculture, a conservation approach to farming and raising animals that focuses on soil health, biodiversity, improving the water cycle, and resilience to climate change. My guest today is Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a 450th generation Hopi farmer in the dry lands of Arizona and a research associate with the Native American Agriculture Fund.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | First Nations Food Issues | Regenerative Agriculture |

 

E82: Rediscovering Navajo Indigenous Agricultural Wisdom

There’s a great deal to learn from the deep connections between regenerative agriculture and the farming traditions of First Nations people. My guest today is James Skeet, a member of the Navajo Nation and the founder of Spirit Farm in New Mexico, a demonstration farm that draws both Native Americans and others to learn more about issues like composting and regenerative farming techniques.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Community & Economic Development | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | First Nations Food Issues | Regenerative Agriculture |

 

E76: Food Fights – A Civil Conversation About Contemporary Food Debates

February 20, 2020

Understanding our current food system, where it came from and especially where it might go is much easier if one understands history. Our field needs historians, thoughtful scholars who can do deep exploration of what has preceded the snapshot in time that represents what we’re experiencing today. This is why an exciting development was the recent publication of a book entitled Food Fights edited by two historians at North Carolina State University, Charles Ludington and Matthew Booker. We’re joined today by both of the editors.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Chefs & Food Writers | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Food Policy | History & Food | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |

 

E75: Land Grant University Gold for North Carolina

February 11, 2020

Agriculture is a remarkably complex, fascinating, and important topic. We all eat of course, but often we don’t know much about the story of our food, how it gets produced, where it comes from, how technology, for example, can help provide wholesome, healthy, and safe food, and more. There are some remarkable people out there who see the big picture and who understand both the past and future of agriculture. One such person is our guest, Richard Linton.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Food Policy | North Carolina | Regenerative Agriculture | Urban Agriculture |

 

E72: Will Harris on White Oak Pastures Success with Regenerative Ag

January 10, 2020

Imagine being a fourth-generation owner of a business and deciding to completely change things to upend tried-and-traditional ways of doing things in favor of something brand new, untraditional, and potentially pretty risky. Such is the story of our guest today, farmer Will Harris.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Regenerative Agriculture | Voice of Farming |

 

E69: Gabe Brown on the Desperate Need for Regenerative Agriculture

January 9, 2020

Imagine a farm doing such creative work that more than 2,000 people come to visit each year from all 50 states and more than 20 countries outside the US. What do you think such a farm might be doing? Our guest Gabe Brown can explain.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Regenerative Agriculture | Voice of Farming |

 

E70: Myths and Misperceptions about the Pork Industry

December 9, 2019

Have you ever wondered whether they are antibiotics or hormones in your grocery store pork chops? Or what swine farmers do with their pig waste? Or maybe you’re interested in buying locally grown foods, but you’re not sure what that really means when you’re in the grocery store. In this podcast, Marlowe Vaughn and Bob Ivey of Razorback farms in Goldsboro, North Carolina, tackle myths and misperceptions about the pork industry.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Antibiotic Resistance | North Carolina | Voice of Farming |

 

E64: Technology, Transition and Family at Triple B Farms

November 18, 2019

Today I’m talking with Brandon Batten of Triple B Farms, a sixth generation farmer in Johnston County, North Carolina. Brandon’s passion for agriculture comes from growing up on the farm and learning the ropes from his late grandfather. A graduate in biological and agricultural engineering from North Carolina State University. He advocates for using farm level research to make sure that the latest technology and advancements in all aspects of agriculture to reach the farmers that need them.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | North Carolina | Voice of Farming |