The Farm Report

The Farm Report: Live!In collaboration with HRN and the National Young Farmers Coalition, Following a screening of the documentary "Common Ground" Leigh Ollman moderates a spirited conversation about the future of farming with guests Michelle A.T Hughes, Chirs Nickell and Leah Penniman. Chris Nickell (Finca Seremos)- Chris Nickell (they/them) is a community organizer and land steward. With previous work experience in academia, labor organizing, and state government, Chris turned to agriculture in 2022. They farmed vegetables and offered public programming at Stone Barns Center in 2022 and served as crew leader at Cropsey Community Farm in 2023. This year they founded Finca Seremos in Beacon, NY with their spouse, Brenda González. Seremos is a food justice project to grow fresh, organic, nutrient-dense produce for Chris and Brenda's community in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx as well as their new community in the mid-Hudson Valley.Leah Penniman (Soul Fire Farm)- Leah Penniman (all pronouns)  is a Black Kreyol farmer, mother, soil nerd, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY. She co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim our ancestral connection to land. As Co-ED and Farm Director, Leah is part of a team that facilitates powerful food sovereignty programs – including farmer training for Black & Brown people, a subsidized farm food distribution program for communities living under food apartheid, and domestic and international organizing toward equity in the food system.Michelle A.T. Hughes (Young Farmers) - Michelle (she/her) is a former hog farmer from New Haven, Connecticut, with a background in agriculture policy. Before serving as Co-Executive Director, Michelle has served in a number of roles at the Coalition beginning as a Farm Bill Organizer in the summer of 2017. From there, Michelle served on the federal policy team as Federal Policy Associate after the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. Working on federal farm policy reinforced Michelle's desire for equitable change for young farmers and inspired her to design a framework for the organization's racial equity transformation.SUPPORT A BRIGHTERFUTURE FOR U.S.AGRICULTURE.Help our coalition tackle the obstacles preventing talented, passionate young farmers and ranchers from building successful careers in agriculture.   

Access to land is the number one challenge facing the next generation of farmers in the US. Centuries of discrimination and land theft have put this resource out of reach of farmers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Everyday in the US we lose 2,000 acres of viable farmland to development. With millions of acres on the verge of changing hands, the Farm Bill is our best chance to ensure this land transitions equitably to the next generation of farmers. We'll dig into the land access challenges farmers face, how the One Million Acres for the Future campaign provides solutions, and the role the next farm bill can play. Visit https://www.youngfarmers.org/land/ to find out more. Learn more about the Young Farmers One Million Acres campaign, check out the National Young Farmer Survey, and tell Congress to support land access for young and BIPOC farmers here.Our guests specifically talk about the the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program (LCM) and the Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities (LASO) programs.Connect with the farmers featured in this episode. Visit Heru Urban Farming and EarthDance Farm School. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Despite an increasing number of farmers growing food in cities urban agriculture wasn't acknowledged in the farm bill until 2018. Lisa Held, journalist with Civil Eats and former Farm Report host provides the scoop on how the Farm Bill will impact the future of urban ag.Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall, co-hosts of HRN's Fields podcast, give us some perspective on urban land-access challenges and what's happening on the ground in cities across the country. And, our very own co-host Alita Kelly shares some of the urban agriculture projects she's been working on in her community.Check out Fields here.For more information on the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovation, visit the USDA website.Learn more about the NYU Urban Farm Lab and the Map N.Y.C. projects that Wythe and Melissa mentioned.Visit Civil Eats to catch the latest food system stories. The Farm Report is hosted by Leigh Ollman and Alita Kelly, produced by Leigh Ollman, Evan Flom and H Conley, and edited by Hannah Beal and H Conley. Audio engineering is by Armen Spendjian and H Conley. Music is by Breakmaster Cylinder and JangwaLearn more about the National Young Farmers Coalition here and consider becoming a member. Click here to take action on the farm bill and other important policy issues. The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

The nutrition title was first included in the 1973 farm bill. It's projected to make up 84% of total Farm Bill spending, with most of the funds going to SNAP. That's because the program helps more than 40 million low-income individuals provide food for their families each month. Some of those people are farmers. In this episode, we talk to Mark Nicholson, Senior Director of Policy at the Fair Food Network to dig into how the farm bill links farms and food access.  And we'll talk to farmers about how they are uniquely positioned to directly provide nutritious food for the families in their communities.Learn more about the SNAP program here, the Healthy Food Finance Initiative here, and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) hereCheck out Fair Food Network hereLearn more about the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program hereThe Farm Report is hosted by Leigh Ollman and Alita Kelly, produced by Leigh Ollman, Evan Flom and H Conley, and edited by Hannah Beal and H Conley. Audio engineering is by Armen Spendjian and H Conley. Music is by Breakmaster Cylinder and JangwaLearn more about the National Young Farmers Coalition here and consider becoming a member. Click here to take action on the farm bill and other important policy issues. The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Farmers are now dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis on a daily basis. Experts predict weather events including droughts and flooding will only get worse. Young and beginning farmers, especially BIPOC farmers, are feeling those impacts the most. Are there opportunities to advance water and climate action and justice through the 2024 Farm Bill? We interview Abi Fain, Chief Legal and Policy Officer at the Intertribal Ag Council. And we'll talk to young farmers building solutions to address water access and climate issues. Check out the Intertribal Agriculture Council hereLearn more about the USDA's EQIP program here and the crop insurance agent training program Abi mentions hereMore information about the Small Farms Conservation Act and the Farmer to Farmer Education Act can be found here and hereConnect with the farmers featured in this episode. Visit Cloverleigh Farm, Hollenbeck's Cider Mill, San Juan Ranch, and BluRok FarmThe Farm Report is hosted by Leigh Ollman and Alita Kelly, produced by Leigh Ollman, Evan Flom and H Conley, and edited by Hannah Beal and H Conley. Audio engineering is by Armen Spendjian and H Conley. Music is by Breakmaster Cylinder and JangwaLearn more about the National Young Farmers Coalition here and consider becoming a member. Click here to take action on the farm bill and other important policy issues.The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Why should our next generation of farmers – and just about everyone who eats – care about the farm bill? Celize Christy, an Organizer at HEAL Food Alliance explains the basic details on what's in the legislation, how it gets written, and how it impacts you. Then, Young Farmers' Policy Campaigns Co-Director Vanessa Garcia Polanco lays out the path forward in terms of the most important issues this time around. And we talk to farmers KD Randall and Matt Hollenbeck about what they need from their policymakers in D.C. Check out HEAL Food Alliance's farm bill priorities here.Learn more about Hollenbeck's Cider Mill here.Follow KD Randle @farmerinthekellsLearn more about the USDA's EQIP program here, and the NRCS program here.The Farm Report is hosted by Leigh Ollman and Alita Kelly, produced by Leigh Ollman, Evan Flom and H Conley, and edited by Hannah Beal and H Conley. Audio engineering is by Armen Spendjian and H Conley. Music is by Breakmaster Cylinder and JangwaLearn more about the National Young Farmers Coalition here and consider becoming a member. Click here to take action on the farm bill and other important policy issues. The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

Join us for a special series of The Farm Report in collaboration with The National Young Farmers Coalition that's all about The Farm Bill. Tune in to hear from farmers, policymakers, organizers, and food advocates about all the ways the farm bill directly impacts our lives - whether we realize it or not. We'll break down farm policy and talk to young farmers about what hangs in the balance for them as another Farm Bill gets made. Join our coalition to shift power and change policy for the next generation of growers and land stewards. The future of good food depends on it. The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Humans have used fermentation to preserve crops and add flavor and health benefits to their diets for thousands of years. Since 2015, Sarah Conezio and Isaiah Billington have been putting their own stamp on that age-old tradition with Keepwell Vinegar. Together, they partner directly with small, organic farms to turn apples, ginger, and persimmons into specialty vinegars, farro into miso, and soybeans into soy sauce, bottling the Mid-Atlantic's seasonal bounty. Home cooks and the best chefs in Baltimore, Washington DC, and Philadelphia—and increasingly far beyond—now use their products. In this episode, host Lisa Held talks to the Keepwell founders about making vinegar, working with farmers, and why they do what they do.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Whether they've grazed on grass their entire lives, been raised in an organic system, or lived on a conventional dairy farm, the vast majority of dairy cows get sold into the commodity beef system when they're retired and get integrated into the same cheap meat supply. With Butter Meat Co, Jill Gould is betting on a different model. By selling retired organic dairy cows directly in her local community in Western New York and online, she's working to get struggling organic dairies higher prices for their animals while getting more flavorful and environmentally friendly beef to consumers. In this episode, host Lisa Held talks to Gould about eating beef from dairy cows, the economic proposition for farmers, and what the model might mean for the planet.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

America's farmers are aging rapidly, and those looking to sell their land are finding no shortage of buyers. Billionaires, global corporations, investment firms, and developers are all buying up farmland for profit at a quick clip, driving up prices and making it nearly impossible for young and beginning farmers without accumulated wealth to afford their own acreage to plant and harvest. “Farmers Need Equitable Access to Land Now” is the message behind the National Young Farmers Coalition's One Million Acres for the Future Campaign. In this episode, NYFC Land Campaign Director Holly Rippon-Butler talks to host Lisa Held about the factors driving land access challenges, historic and ongoing injustices that make accessing land even more difficult for BIPOC farmers, and the long-term policy solutions NYFC is pushing for.Photo Courtesy of National Young Farmers Coalition.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Adrien de Botin and his wife Carolina Prioglio are the husband-and-wife founders of Maison/Made, and to make the certified biodynamic skin-care products that they sell, they grow their own medicinal herbs on a family farm in Burgundy and have built a network of small farm suppliers around the world. In this episode, host Lisa Held talks to de Botin about the couple's efforts—from the specifics of biodynamic practices and why they matter, to how biodynamic farming, a system focused on minimizing inputs, building healthy soil, and working with local ecology, compares to systems like organic or regenerative agriculture.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Over the past decade, hummus has exploded in popularity in the U.S, but compared to the many brands that now line shelves at every supermarket, Little Sesame is doing things differently. The Washington D.C. fast casual restaurant, which now also sells its hummus at Whole Foods and other stores in the region, gets all of its chickpeas from a single Montana farmer who is pushing the envelope on climate-friendly farming with his organic, regenerative practices. In this episode, host Lisa Held talks to Nick Wiseman, co-founder of Little Sesame, and Casey Bailey, regenerative farmer, about their unique partnership, how chickpeas are grown, why they're a particularly beneficial crop in terms of climate impact, and more.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

While USDA-certified organic food still accounts for a small fraction of total U.S. food sales, it's now big business. In 2020, data from the Organic Trade Association showed sales of organic food rose at a record rate to a new high of $56.4 billion, and as the industry has become more lucrative, fraud and cheating have increased. The Cornucopia Institute is a non-profit watchdog organization that has been working to hold companies and the USDA accountable to organic's original ideals around soil health, animal welfare, and more. In this episode, host Lisa Held speaks with executive director Melody Morrell about the organization's organic scorecards, a new Living Soil campaign, and what's happening at the USDA right now to close loopholes and strengthen the standards.Correction: In this episode, Melody Morrell's statement that 25 operations produce 75% of the organic milk in the country is false. The correct statistic is: 22 operations produce 25% of the organic milk in the country.Photo Courtesy of Cornucopia Institute.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

When Alice Waters opened her trailblazing California restaurant Chez Panisse in 1971, she launched what would become a movement around truly seasonal cooking and eating that could support farmers, communities, and the environment. In 1995, Waters also started the Edible Schoolyard Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching children about food and transforming the public education system. To mark the Edible Schoolyard Project's 25th anniversary, in this episode, host Lisa Held talks to executive director Angela McKee-Brown about the organization's history and original school garden, how it has grown its programming to reach thousands of schools around the world, and what the future of edible education looks like.Photo Courtesy of The Edible Schoolyard Project.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

On September 23, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization is hosting the first UN Food Systems Summit, with a goal of “setting the stage for global food systems transformation.” In this episode, Ruth Richardson, the executive director of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, talks to host Lisa Held about the significance of the Summit, some of the controversies surrounding it, and what she thinks global food systems transformation should look like—from a shift toward agro-ecological practices in farming to calculating the true costs of food.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Extra virgin olive oil is a delicious, healthy, pantry staple. It can also be a luxury product for special dining experiences. However, most olive oil in the world is low quality and highly processed. What does producing a truly great extra virgin olive oil—from farm to bottle—actually involve? Armando Manni is the founder of Manni Organic Olive Oil in Tuscany, and his high-antioxidant, long-lasting, organic oils are used by some of the best chefs in the world. In this episode, host Lisa Held talks to Manni about how production practices impact the quality of the oil, the challenges of organic, utilizing olive waste, and how climate change is impacting olive groves.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Cover crops are good for soil health, water quality, and climate resilience, and while more farmers are planting them compared to a decade ago, the number of covered acres is still miniscule compared to the amount of cropland that goes bare each winter. Now, a new analysis from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that in crucial Midwest states, increases in cover crop planting might be plateauing. In this episode, EWG director of spatial analysis Soren Rundquist joins host Lisa Held to talk about the report, its significance, and how spatial data can contribute to our broader understanding of agricultural climate solutions.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

Lindsey Lusher Shute began working on the concept for GrownBy during her time at the National Young Farmers Coalition, because young farmers expressed a need for better technology that could help them sell their food. Now, after testing the platform during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic on her own farm in the Hudson Valley and several others, the app is up and running with 160 farms around the country. In this episode, Lusher Shute talks to host Lisa Held about how GrownBy works, a cooperative model that means farmers retain power and profits, and the digital future of the local food marketplace.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

After observing how much the quality and variety of produce sold in grocery stores differed in neighborhoods across St. Louis, Tyrean Lewis started Heru Urban Farming to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to food apartheid communities. In this episode, he talks to host Lisa Held about growing the farm to four different plots in the city, how his family’s history in agriculture inspires and guides him, and bringing local young people onto the farm for job training and healing.Image courtesy of Heru Urban Farming.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

The American agricultural system was built based on the enslavement of African people, and since emancipation, systematic discrimination against Black people within agriculture has persisted. In 1920, close to 1 million Black farmers made up about 14 percent of America’s farmers. In 2017, less than 50,000 Black farmers remained, making up just over 1 percent. In this episode, Dania Davy joins host Lisa Held to talk about the impacts of land loss, her work helping Black farmers and families keep their homes and land, and whether new policies in Washington will have a meaningful impact on the ground. Davy recently joined the Federation of Southern Cooperatives as the director of land retention and advocacy.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people began buying more local food directly from small farms in their communities, and some farmers scrambled to meet increased demand. A year later, as planting kicks off for the 2021 season, they’re asking: What now? Will customers keep coming back? Will they go back to old grocery habits? In this episode, host Lisa Held talks to farmer Becky Fullam—of Old Ford Farm in New York’s Hudson Valley—about what the past year has been like and why she’s hoping customers continue to support small farms like hers long after the pandemic is behind us.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

From massive venture capital-funded vertical farms and rooftop CSA operations to community gardens and windowsill pots, what does growing food in cities look like? And, more importantly, why are people doing it? That’s the focus of Fields, a new podcast on Heritage Radio Network. In this episode, Lisa Held interviews Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall, the hosts of Fields, about how they got interested in urban agriculture and the kinds of stories they’re digging into as they explore urban farming’s broad, evolving landscape.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

Organic Valley is America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers, representing more than 1,800 farmers in 34 US States, most in dairy. You’ve likely seen their milk, yogurt, and cheeses at the grocery store. This month, the company released its 2021 Impact Report. In this episode, Nicole Rakobitsch, Organic Valley’s director of sustainability, joins host Lisa Held to talk about some of the environmental initiatives and metrics in that report—from renewable energy projects to carbon farming.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

President Joe Biden took office 21 days ago, and the White House is already making moves that will affect food and agriculture. Plus, the shift in Congress means it’s also a new chapter for food and farm legislation. In this episode, Eric Deeble—policy director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)— joins host Lisa Held to talk about what’s ahead. They discuss address racial equity, climate action via conservation programs, and much more. Image courtesy of Zoe Schaeffer via Unsplash.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

The Pasa conference is one of the year's most popular events for sustainable and organic farmers—in Pennsylvania and beyond. As it kicks off (digitally), executive director Hannah Smith-Brubaker talks to host Lisa Held about the important topics represented this year and how the state of Pennsylvania is supporting agriculture in unique, forward-thinking ways.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

Most capital invested in agriculture in the U.S. flows to large, commodity farms. For smaller operations that don’t fit the conventional mold, it can be difficult—if not impossible—to get a loan. Steward aims to change that by connecting online investors to small- and mid-size sustainable farms. In this episode, founder and CEO Dan Miller talks to host Lisa Held about how the company is serving farmers and funding the production of better, environmentally-friendly crops, from vegetables grown on an urban farm in Detroit to organic hemp grown in rural Southwest Oregon.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

Forecasts point to the market for plant- and cell-based meat alternatives exploding over the next decade, largely because of the sustainability claims companies make when marketing these food products. But while it’s true that diets that include more plants and fewer animal products (especially beef) have climate benefits, burgers and nuggets engineered and processed to mimic meat have different environmental impacts than a bowl of rice and beans. And there’s been very little research so far to investigate what those impacts are and how they actually compare to meat from farmed animals. In this episode, Raychel Santo, a senior research program coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future talks joins host Lisa Held to discuss her new study that “provides the most comprehensive review to date of the greenhouse gas footprints, land use, and blue (i.e., irrigation) water footprints of plant-based substitutes and cell-based meat.Image courtesy of @likemeat on Unsplash.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

Centralized, uber-efficient, industrialized agriculture is often presented as necessary to “feed the world.” In his new book, Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It, veteran food, agriculture, and climate journalist Tom Philpott argues the opposite: that “industrial agriculture, as currently practiced, threatens the food security of everyone who now relies on it for sustenance.” In this episode, he talks to host Lisa Held about his reporting on the US’ resource-consuming systems—from a water crisis in California’s Central Valley to soil loss in the Midwest’s corn and soy fields—and what more resilient systems might look like.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

Producing food requires land. As a result, forests are often razed to make space for crops or animals, creating environmental tradeoffs. But what if there were a middle ground between forest and farmland? In this episode, host Lisa Held explores the concept of agroforestry with Jacob Grace, a program manager at the Savanna Institute based in Madison, Wisconsin. They discuss varied agroforestry practices like alley cropping and silvopasture, potential environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, and barriers that currently prevent more farmers from adopting the practices.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

Vital Farms started on a Texas farm with 20 chickens. This year, the pasture-raised egg company went public. In between, the company bucked the typical model of scaling up in animal agriculture by building a network of small farms that all keep their hens outside on pasture, rather than building bigger, more concentrated, confined farms. In this episode, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco talks to host Lisa Held about what that approach looks like, from contract farming to “conscious capitalism.”Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

When it comes to election day, political pundits love to discuss which way “farmers” are going to vote. In the case of this election, the prevailing idea is that most farmers—especially commodity growers in the Midwest—will vote for President Trump. Many will. But farmers are a diverse group with diverse political opinions. In this episode, Ohio farmer and political organizer John Russell offers one unique perspective from the field. Russell is working with a super PAC called Rural Vote to promote Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the right choice for farmers, a more resilient food system, and rural communities. He shares his observations and opinions with host Lisa Held.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

This week The Farm Report is proud to present Jupiter's Almanac. On this inaugural episode, host Matthew Raiford introduces himself, along with his family history and the history of his farm. These lineages go hand in hand, dating back nearly 150 years ago when Matthew’s great-great-great grandfather, Jupiter Gilliard, bought Gilliard Farms. Matthew and his partner Jovan Sage share what the land is like today and discuss both how they care for it and keep its legacy alive. The second half of the show dives into the history of Coastal Georgia, Gullah Geechee culture, and the foodways Matthew has inherited. Plus Jovan shares a recipe for a delicious hibiscus spritzer. Find Jovan’s hibiscus tea at sageslarder.com and check out the Gilliard Farms’ Gullah Geechee Gin here.Subscribe to Jupiter's Almanac wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS). Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.

Reverend Dr. Heber Brown, a Baltimore pastor, community organizer, and beginner farmer, started the Black Church Food Security Network in the wake of the city’s Freddie Gray uprisings in 2015. Since then, he’s been connecting farmers and faith communities in an effort to empower more Black communities to grow their own food on church-owned land. Five years later, in the midst of another pivotal moment in the movement for Black lives, host Lisa Held talks to him about what the network has accomplished so far and the importance and future of food sovereignty as it relates to racial justice.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast.  

J.I. Rodale wrote “healthy soil = healthy food = healthy people” on a blackboard in 1942, and that has been the mantra at the Rodale Institute, created in 1947, ever since. In this sitdown at Rodale’s research farm in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, host Lisa Held talks to CEO Jeff Moyer about how that history contributed to evolving ideas around organic and regenerative agriculture, the Institute’s most impactful research projects, and more. Think of it as a big picture check-in to assess if and why “organic” food and farming matters—now and for the future.Image courtesy of Rodale Institute.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

Despite challenges like shuttered farmers' markets and restaurants, a shortage of meat processors, and the scramble to move sales online, small and mid-size farmers have demonstrated real resilience during COVID-19, even as other parts of the food system shut down. In a recent online panel produced by the James Beard Foundation and Civil Eats, host Lisa Held spoke with farmers and leaders around the country to explore how the pandemic has affected regional food systems and what it all means for the future. The conversation features Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director of The Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Dena Leibman, Executive Director of Future Harvest, Lindsey Lusher Shute, CEO/Farmer/Co-Owner of Farm Generations and Hearty Roots Community Farm, and Wendy Johnson, Farmer/Co-Owner/Manager of Jóia Food Farm and Center View Farms. This panel was part of a James Beard Foundation webinar series to support the food and hospitality industry through COVID-19. To listen to additional conversations, visit https://www.jamesbeard.org/industry-support-webinars.Image courtesy of Jóia Food Farm.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Farm Report by becoming a member!The Farm Report is Powered by Simplecast. 

Jamila Norman had a vision to “just find green patches of land in the city and turn them into farms”—and she made it a reality. In this episode, Norman talks to host Lisa Held about how, today, she packs maximum vegetable production into Patchwork City Farms’ 1.2 acres in Atlanta, Georgia, how the farm has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the Black Lives Matter movement has led to greater visibility and support for Black farmers.In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.Keep The Farm Report on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. Image courtesy of Patchwork City Farms.The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast.  

Chefs in Baltimore and Washington D.C. have always been Karma Farm’s best, and primary, customers. So what happens when restaurants shut down? In this episode, host Lisa Held talks to farmer Jon Shaw about how his diversified vegetable farm in Maryland has been affected by COVID-19 and about the farm’s other innovative attributes, like vegetables grown using organic practices in healthy soil outside, paired with hydroponic lettuces and herbs grown inside.In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.Keep The Farm  Report on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. The Farm  Report is powered by Simplecast.   

This week we're presenting the first episode of Behind the Label with American Humane, a new series from Heritage Radio Network. Behind the Label with American Humane takes listeners from the grocery store aisle to the farm – explaining what it means for broiler chickens at Springer Mountain Farms, and all animals, to be raised humanely. Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane, the country's first national welfare organization, chats with Lisa Held, a seasoned agriculture reporter, about humane standards on the farm. Together, they bring together scientists and welfare experts to answer questions on the science behind welfare standards, the farm auditing process, and how humane food arrives at a grocery store near you.Subscribe to Behind the Label with American Humane wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS)  In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.Keep The Farm Report on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment—and therefore food insecurity—has skyrocketed. At the same time, farmers that sell their food at farmers markets have faced multiple economic challenges, as they lost sales to restaurants and some markets shut down in the name of social distancing. Amy Crone has worked on multiple initiatives that help connect food insecure families that receive federal food benefits like SNAP to their local farmers' markets. In this episode, she talks to host Lisa Held about MarketLink, which allows farmers to access the technology they need to accept electronic payments and federal nutrition benefits, and SNAP incentive programs like Maryland Market Money, which allows low-income families to buy even more fresh, healthy food at markets.In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.Keep The Farm Report on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast.  

The Occupy Wall Street movement introduced Tobias Fox to different ways of thinking about the world and what he wanted to do with his life. He took that inspiration and started growing food in community gardens in Newark, New Jersey. Today, his organization, Newark Science and Sustainability, works on urban agriculture, renewable energy, nutrition and wellness, and much more—to help create self-sustaining and environmentally-friendly communities. In this episode, he talks to host Lisa Held about what urban agriculture in Newark looks like, his “glocal” philosophy, how his work has been affected by COVID-19, and how his work intersects with the current movement for racial justice.In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.Keep The Farm Report  on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast. 

Most eggs in the United States today come from farms that crowd hundreds of thousands of laying hens indoors. Handsome Brook Farms does things differently. In this episode, CEO Jordan Czeizler talks to host Lisa Held about how the company built a network of small, organic, farms producing pasture-raised eggs, many of them owned by Amish and Menonnite farmers. They also get into why egg prices soared during the pandemic and how Handsome Brook’s operations have been affected by COVID-19.HRN will be donating 10% of our membership drive proceeds from now until June 15 to the Philando Castile Relief Foundation. Visit heritageradionetwork.org/donate to make your gift.Image courtesy of Handsome Brook Farms.The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast.  

Since the pandemic hit, the industrial meat system has been upended. That's made things interesting for small livestock producers selling into local markets. In this episode, Publican Quality Meats head butcher Rob Levitt talks to host Lisa Held about how his shop and the farmers he works with have adjusted to increasing demand for sustainable meat since COVID-19. Image courtesy of Clayton Hauk.The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast.