Podcasts about community farm alliance

“There's that R-word that wants to come up that I despise – resilience,” says Tiffany Sturdivant, executive director of Appalshop, a media, arts and community economic development organization that's been operating in the Kentucky mountains for more than five decades.“People are so strong….I think that's probably a testament to mountain people, right, or people anywhere who are disenfranchised and are just working with what they have. Use what you have until you can get more.”When you think about climate issues, your mind might go first to the coasts and rising sea levels. But climate issues in the middle of the country are also urgent – and the solutions being forged offer lessons for all of us, urban and rural alike. Appalachia reminds us that no matter where we're from, our futures are linked—and we're better when we work together to solve shared challenges.That's a critical lesson we took away at this year's Vanguard conference in Kentucky, where we brought together 40 emerging leaders in urban Lexington and rural Berea to learn from the region's innovators and gain fresh perspectives. Today's episode features Kelsey Cloonan of Community Farm Alliance; Chris Woolery from the Mountain Association; Sturdivant from Appalshop; Baylen Campbell with Invest Appalachia; and Jeff Fugate, Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky, who works closely with communities on urban planning and development. Together, they unpack the ways communities here are addressing the impacts of climate change, while also honoring Appalachian values and strengths.This episode is part of the series we're bringing you from this year's Vanguard conference in Lexington, Kentucky, where our theme was exploring the dynamics of urban-rural interconnection.

B. Griffin, Farmers Market Support Program Manager for Community Farm Alliance, a non profit serving farmers markets throughout Kentucky. In this episode: B. gives us a rundown of the new Electronic Farmers Market Nutrition Program that was recently rolled out in Kentucky and the problem-solving efforts CFA has put into action. We also get an update on the impact last summer's floods in Kentucky had on their local food system and what the rest of the country can learn from their disaster response and relief efforts. This week's episode is made possible by support from Farmers Market Coalition. We'll be digging deep in some coming episodes on climate change and its impacts, and how we can plan ahead to manage our responses to natural disasters. 

This week our guest is B. Griffin, Farmers Market Support Program Manager for Community Farm Alliance, a nonprofit serving farmers markets throughout Kentucky. In this episode B. gives us a rundown of the new Electronic Farmers Market Nutrition Program that was recently rolled out in Kentucky, the difficulties farmers and market operators have faced implementing it, and the problem-solving efforts CFA has put into action. We also get an update on the impact last summer's floods in Kentucky had on their local food system and what the rest of the country can learn from their disaster response and relief efforts. This week's episode is made possible by support from Farmers Market Coalition.

Kentucky farmer and community organizer Tiffany Bellfield covers family land and legacies, pollinator habitats, Community Farm Alliance, and more on this episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good. Hear about the deep history of Ballew Estates, the land that Tiffany's great-grandfather, Atrus Ballew, who was born an enslaved person, eventually bought and Tiffany now stewards with her cousin, Jim Embry. Learn about how you can build up a natural pollinator habitat on your own farm. Tiffany talks about being an herbalist and a doula and how opening her farm to women in the community is an act of holistic care. For anyone who's visited the iconic Alfalfa Restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky, Tiffany gets personal about what the restaurant's transition into catering and food truck has looked like and how that ties in with her struggle with heir's property rights. Get to know the work of Community Farm Alliance in Kentucky, including the equity work this organization has committed to, which resulted in the Kentucky Black Farmer Fund. Also hear about why you should be paying attention to the Farm Bill and how the Inflation Reduction Act is and is not helping farmers—in particular BIPOC farmers. Ballew Estates Ballew Estates on Instagram Ballew Estates on Facebook Community Farm Alliance CFA on YouTube CFA on Facebook Email CFA Email Tiffany Kentucky Black Farmer Fund Episode 34: Meighen Lovelace on the Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Farm Bill info  

Nick Cartwright is running for Arkansas Senate District 18. Cartwright's career experience includes working as a policy associate for Community Farm Alliance, a rural community organizer, city council member, organizer of the Rose Bud Veterans Memorial, and chair of the Democratic Party for White County. Learn more about Nick and his campaign at cartwrightforarkansas.com. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickcartwrightforarkansas, Twitter: https://twitter.com/ncartwrightAR

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, digs deep into our local food system here in Kentucky with Jann Knappage, Food System Specialist in the Nutrition Education Program at University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. (http://planeatmove.com). Jann recently served as Board Chair of the Community Farm Alliance (https://cfaky.org/). CFA works to organize and encourage cooperation among rural and urban citizens through leadership development and grassroots democratic processes to ensure an essential, prosperous place for family-scale agriculture in our economies and communities. CFA envisions a food and fiber system vital to the state's economy that provides nutritious food for Kentuckians in a manner that is socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable. Jann hails from Wolfe County and has dedicated the last decade of her life to food and farming. Jann says, "not many things bring me greater joy than talking about food systems. Since moving to Kentucky in 2014, I have had the privilege to work with several organizations in their efforts to create food access for limited resource Kentuckians. Not just any food, but fresh, local food. Supporting the health of individuals and families, while supporting our Kentucky farmers, is foundational for healthy, thriving communities. In my current position with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, I focus on working with the SNAP and SNAP-eligible audience on local food system projects. I also co-own a small farm outside Winchester, KY (http://foxandhenfarm.com) and co-founded the Red River Gorge Farmers Market (http://rrgfm.com). We just completed our first farmers market season in 2021. We chose this lifestyle because we desire to walk gently on this earth and have a strong need to work in tandem with Mother Nature. All this being said, food and farming are my life's work." Check out the new Farm to School website designed to connect local producers and food service directors: http://kyfarmtoschool.com As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW! Sustainability Now! airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com

To kick off our 4th anniversary Pledge Drive, on this week's program we bring you one of the most electrifying conversations to crackle over our airwaves this past year. We’re taking this opportunity to share with you again our favorite moment from the November 2020 Louisville Sustainability Summit: “Climate Crossroads: Exploring the intersection of Climate Change and Social Justice.” Today we bring you the Regional Panel on Building an Inclusive Sustainability Movement in Kentucky, featuring: Carla Walker, Climate Advisor, City of Cincinnati; Cassia Herron, Board Chair KFTC; and Dr. Carolyn Finney, author "Black Faces, White Spaces." Carla Walker is the Climate Advisor for the City of Cincinnati. She has a 15+ year career developing complex projects for large-scale civic engagement and public policy initiatives at the local, state, national and international levels. She has managed or consulted on 100+ advocacy or political campaigns, held Senior staff posts in three urban Mayoral Administrations, staffed State Legislators, and managed regional operations in three Presidential campaigns. In 2010, she started think BIG strategies, LLC to integrate the typical project silos and accomplish project goals for clients, connecting communications, government & community relations, organizational operations, project development, and team building. Cassia Herron is a native of Richmond, KY and has lived in Louisville for most of her adult life. She is a community development professional and public policy activist with over 15 years experience working on projects at the intersections of community and economic development, food and the built environment and has a unique perspective on these issues as they relate to West Louisville and Kentucky. She has organized farmers markets in West Louisville with Community Farm Alliance and later served as Board Chair. When she worked in the Economic Development Department for Louisville Metro Government, Cassia was instrumental in establishing the Farm-to-Table initiative. As the President of Louisville Association for Community Economics, she is leading efforts to open the Louisville Community Grocery - a community-owned grocery store in one of Louisville's downtown neighborhoods. As Board Chair of Kentuckians for The Commonwealth, she is engaged in energy reform, voter engagement and racial justice issues. Cassia is a graduate of UofL and has a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan. Carolyn Finney, PhD is a storyteller, author and a cultural geographer. The aim of her work is to develop greater cultural competency within environmental organizations and institutions, challenge media outlets on their representation of difference, and increase awareness of how privilege shapes who gets to speak to environmental issues and determine policy and action. Carolyn is grounded in both artistic and intellectual ways of knowing - she pursed an acting career for eleven years, but five years of backpacking trips through Africa and Asia, and living in Nepal changed the course of her life. Motivated by these experiences, Carolyn returned to school after a 15-year absence to complete a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. She has been a Fulbright Scholar, a Canon National Parks Science Scholar and received a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Studies. Along with public speaking, writing, consulting and teaching (at Wellesley College, UC-Berkeley & UK), she served on the U.S. National Parks Advisory Board for eight years which assists the National Park Service in engaging in relations of reciprocity with diverse communities. Her first book, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors was released in 2014 (UNC Press). Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 4pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at http://forwardradio.org

In this special final episode of Woven Roots, Appalachian Transition Fellow, Sam Hamlin, joins Candace Mullins and Micah Wiles for their first Fiber Day on Cedar Creek Farm in Somerset Kentucky. Nestled in the hills of Pulaski County, Cedar Creek Farm is operated by Micah Wiles and his family. It is home to a multitude of agricultural endeavors, including: raising heritage breed Dexter cattle for grass-fed beef, operating a vineyard and winery, and caring for vegetable gardens and fruit and nut trees, and tanning a variety of hides using sustainable practices. In addition, Candace Mullins grows a small plot of flax on the farm each year and is experimenting with small-scale linen production. For more information on the Wiles family’s diversified farm, see Sister Kathy Curtis’ Breaking Bean Piece, Cedar Creek Farm: A Model for Sustainability. In late October, Candace and Micah hosted their first Fiber Day at the farm, with the goal of bringing together farmers, artisans, and all those interested in working with natural fiber to build relationships and to learn from one another. After eating a delicious, home-made lunch, participants took the opportunity to explore different modes of fiber production including natural dyeing, spinning, and hide tanning. Participants also had the opportunity to hand-process flax fiber, using a break and hackles, a method of processing bast fibers that has been used for centuries. To begin this episode of Woven Roots, Sam Hamlin talks with Candace Mullins to learn more about her work growing, processing, and spinning flax for linen. Candace shares about her experience discovering the power of weaving and Appalachian fiber arts at Berea College, her vision for collaborative fiber production in Kentucky, and finally, on the power of fiber to tell stories. Next, Sam Hamlin talks with Micah Wiles about hide tanning on the farm. Micah is committed to ethical and sustainable tanning practices. Unlike many contemporary large-scale tanneries that use toxic heavy metals, Micah uses natural tanning methods that are friendly to the environment to create quality, durable hides. In addition, he sources from local materials. He shares about the tanning process, as well as his visions for creating high quality, natural fiber products. To close the episode, Sam sits down with Phillip Willet, master spinner and weaver in Berea, Kentucky. In addition to creating beautiful yarns, hand-dyed with natural dyes such as indigo and marigold, Phil is looked up to by many aspiring weavers as a teacher and mentor. Phil talks about his journey into the world of fiber arts and about the pleasure of working with natural fibers. For information on Cedar Creek Farm, including their tannery, visit their website at: http://www.cedarcreekfarmky.com/ Check out Sam Hamlin’s Woven in Kentucky: An Assessment of the Natural Fiber Textile Sector in Appalachian Kentucky to learn more about Community Farm Alliance’s work with natural fiber.

On this week's program, we bring you one of the most electrifying conversations from the 11/12/20 Louisville Sustainability Summit: “Climate Crossroads: Exploring the intersection of Climate Change and Social Justice.” Today we share with you the Regional Panel on Building an Inclusive Sustainability Movement in Kentucky, featuring: Carla Walker, Climate Advisor, City of Cincinnati; Cassia Herron, Board Chair KFTC; and Dr. Carolyn Finney, author "Black Faces, White Spaces." Carla Walker is the Climate Advisor for the City of Cincinnati. She has a 15+ year career developing complex projects for large-scale civic engagement and public policy initiatives at the local, state, national and international levels. She has managed or consulted on 100+ advocacy or political campaigns, held Senior staff posts in three urban Mayoral Administrations, staffed State Legislators, and managed regional operations in three Presidential campaigns. In 2010, she started think BIG strategies, LLC to integrate the typical project silos and accomplish project goals for clients, connecting communications, government & community relations, organizational operations, project development, and team building. Cassia is a native of Richmond, KY and has lived in Louisville for most of her adult life. She is a community development professional and public policy activist with over 15 years experience working on projects at the intersections of community and economic development, food and the built environment and has a unique perspective on these issues as they relate to West Louisville and Kentucky. She has organized farmers markets in West Louisville with Community Farm Alliance and later served as Board Chair. When she worked in the Economic Development Department for Louisville Metro Government, Cassia was instrumental in establishing the Farm-to-Table initiative. As the President of Louisville Association for Community Economics, she is leading efforts to open the Louisville Community Grocery - a community-owned grocery store in one of Louisville's downtown neighborhoods. As Board Chair of Kentuckians for The Commonwealth, she is engaged in energy reform, voter engagement and racial justice issues. Cassia works as a freelance writer and urban planner with expertise in community engagement, facilitation, grant-writing, policy development and strategic planning. Cassia is a graduate of UofL and has a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan. Carolyn Finney, PhD is a storyteller, author and a cultural geographer. The aim of her work is to develop greater cultural competency within environmental organizations and institutions, challenge media outlets on their representation of difference, and increase awareness of how privilege shapes who gets to speak to environmental issues and determine policy and action. Carolyn is grounded in both artistic and intellectual ways of knowing - she pursed an acting career for eleven years, but five years of backpacking trips through Africa and Asia, and living in Nepal changed the course of her life. Motivated by these experiences, Carolyn returned to school after a 15-year absence to complete a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. She has been a Fulbright Scholar, a Canon National Parks Science Scholar and received a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Studies. Along with public speaking, writing, consulting and teaching (at Wellesley College, UC-Berkeley & UK), she served on the U.S. National Parks Advisory Board for eight years which assists the National Park Service in engaging in relations of reciprocity with diverse communities. Her first book, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors was released in 2014 (UNC Press). Truth to Power airs every Sun. 4pm, Mon. 2pm & Tue. 9am on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and http://forwardradio.org

The first episode of Breaking Beans that I hosted focused on land access in and around Fayette Co. The general consensus we heard from those interviewed was that land is expensive and whoever owns the land has the power. This month, we hear from Jann Knappage, co-owner of Fox and Hen farm, yoga teacher, board member of Community Farm Alliance, extension agent, and all around super pleasant human. This interview took place in June of this year when Jann and her partner Kevin were moving their farmstead operation from Winchester to Campton, KY. Jann talks about the difficulty of leaving the land they’ve been tending and letting things go. Breaking Beans is now on WMMT at 6 PM the first Wednesday of every month, Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, andiHeart Radio! If you know someone we should hear from or have feedback for the show, email me! My email is shelby@cfaky.org. Have a good month y’all! Resources Fox and Hen Farm foxandhenfarm@gmail.com Loans for Folks of Color https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/large-numbers-of-loan-applications-get-denied-but-for-blacks-hispanics-and-asians-the-rejection-rate-is-even-higher/2018/05/22/dac19ffc-5d1b-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.htmlKentucky Black Farmer Fund https://cfaky.org/kybff/

This show was originally published May 16, 2017. On CFA's first Breaking Beans Podcast on natural fiber systems, Fellow Sam Hamlin interviews alpaca farmer, Alvina Maynard of River Hill Ranch, sheep farmer, Kathy Meyer, and fiber mill owner, Ed Crowley who is soon opening Crowley’s Mill. Pictures courtesy of Hope Hart, Appalachian Transition Fellow with Appalshop. This show is a new Breaking Beans feature that focuses on the fiber industry and was recorded and edited by Fellow Sam Hamlin, airing for the first time on the the Community Farm Alliance Blog. Breaking Beans: Appalachian Food Story Project is an initiative of Community Farm Alliance to tell the story of how local food and farming in Eastern Kentucky can contribute to a bright future in the mountains. Find the stories at cfaky.org/blog.

Rae Strobel Barr is an organic farmer, spiritual director and mother, living and working with her partner Adam at Barr Farms in Meade County, Kentucky, a seventh-generation family farm. She is passionate about building community and combining spirituality with eco-justice and eco-feminism through holding farm-based retreats and providing spiritual guidance and counsel. Our producer Parker Bowling traveled to meet Rae on the piece of land that she calls home, for an engaging conversation on what it means to listen to the movement of spirit: in the land, in ourselves, and in our collective body. Links: Barr Farms: http://www.barrfarmsky.com/ Black Farmer Fund: https://cfaky.org/kybff/ Black Soil: https://www.blacksoil.life/ Community Farm Alliance: https://cfaky.org/ New Roots Fresh Stop Markets: https://newroots.org/fresh-stop-markets/ Native Land: Map to learn about which indigenous tribes originally occupied where you live in North America (and other geographies)

Farming has never been easy, but, as this month’s farmer states, “Black people have had a hard time trying to farm.” John Botts’s great-grandmother was brought to his now farm by two white men that held her in slavery. She had two children by these men, and John’s father was one of them. Those slavers gave John’s great-grandmother that farm as a gift, and John later bought it from his mother. As of 1991 he was raising about 9,000 lbs of tobacco and had about 30 head of dairy cattle knowing none of his four kids wanted to farm once he was gone. John details how he met his wife of 39 years, at the time, his experiences being discriminated against while working on other people’s farms, how he got his first 5 cows, and dealing with banks in Bath County as a black man. From what we have gathered, it seems that Mr. Botts has now passed on, but that he was dairy farming until 2003. He was a dedicated member of Community Farm Alliance, and we are grateful for the work he did in DC, Frankfort, and Bath Co in the 90s advocating for farmers. Our sincere thanks to the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections of University of Kentucky Libraries for allowing us to use this oral history from the Family Farmers of KY: African American Farmers Oral History Project. Resources for this months episode include: John Bott’s full interview from 1991 https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7z0863637g

Kenya, her husband Iyad Abraham, and their four children went from living the “American retail dream,” with seven cell-phone stores and two tea shops in Ohio to homesteading,then moving to Lexington to try their hands at farming. Already business savvy and willing to put in the work, they started Slakmarket Farm and are now producing halal meat and raw milk. In addition to being a farmer, mother, and business woman, Kenya runs a non-profit organization, Stack-a-Story-Bookshop, is a board member of Community Farm Alliance, homeschools her children, and engages with the community as much as she can. She even brings her goats out to community for “Barnyard Days.” Kenya and I first met in Novemeber of last year, and an hour long meeting turned into a four hour long hang out. This time, we met in her milking room and chatted about everything from commercial diaries to racism and islamophobia in rural ohio. With roots in Appalachia and Palestine, this farming family is a treasure to us in Fayette Co. Note: “Sale barn” is term used for a livestock auction. Resources: SlakMarket Farm Website (https://www.realmilklexington.com/) SlakMarket Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/208710903058661) Kenya and the Folks of Black Soil featured on Spectrum News (https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/lexington/news/2020/05/23/black-farmers-respond-to-covid) Stack-A-Story Bookshop (Kenya’s Non-profit) (https://www.stackastory.org/) Lego Halal Slaughter Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnfGePBCsbE) The Healthy Butcher (https://www.thehealthybutcher.shop/?gclid=CjwKCAjwrcH3BRApEiwAxjdPTWvi7SBayuUwg6RWkq4GJXxbzvz5jBRubcZfUZXxTxG-mcahxKStABoC1cQQAvD_BwE) Kenya Mentioned in the National Sustainable Agriculture Blog (https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/meat-and-poultry-supply-chain/) Black Soil (https://www.blacksoil.life/) Joe Salatin’s Website (Part of Kenya’s inspiration) (http://www.polyfacefarms.com/joels-bio/) CFA’s Commitment to Stand with Black Farmers (https://cfaky.org/stand-with-black-farmers-families/) Breaking Beans Radio Show (http://cfaky.org/what-we-do/breaking-beans/") airs the first Wednesday of every month at 6pm on WMMT (http://www.wmmt.org/"). Hosted by Shelby Wheeler Breaking Beans: The Appalachian Farm Food Story Project is an initiative of Community Farm Alliance to tell the story of how local food and farming in Eastern Kentucky can contribute to a bright future in the mountains. Find the stories here (http://cfaky.org/blog/"). Special Guest: Kenya Abraham.

Listen by segment: One: A conversation with Kentucky State Apiarist Tammy Potter about hardworking honeybees, the tough lives they live today and what's at stake in hive decline, theft and vandalism. LISTEN Two: David Phemister, executive director of the Nature Conservancy-Kentucky with details of the organization's purchase of 100,000 acres of forestland in southeast Kentucky and northeast Tennessee. LISTEN Three: Martin Richards of the Community Farm Alliance about the connection between the farmers market and local health and well-being. Tammy Cornett on EKU's own big farmers market. Ashley Smith on "Black Soil", an organization that is working to support African American farmers in Kentucky. Rhonda Miller on "Homegrown by Heroes", an innovative support program for veterans who farm. LISTEN  

Listen by segment: One: A conversation with Kentucky State Apiarist Tammy Potter about hardworking honeybees, the tough lives they live today and what's at stake in hive decline, theft and vandalism. LISTEN Two: David Phemister, executive director of the Nature Conservancy-Kentucky with details of the organization's purchase of 100,000 acres of forestland in southeast Kentucky and northeast Tennessee. LISTEN Three: Martin Richards of the Community Farm Alliance about the connection between the farmers market and local health and well-being. Tammy Cornett on EKU's own big farmers market. Ashley Smith on "Black Soil", an organization that is working to support African American farmers in Kentucky. Rhonda Miller on "Homegrown by Heroes", an innovative support program for veterans who farm. LISTEN  

This week on Mountain Talk we learn about the work of two Appalachian Transition Fellows working on agricultural projects in the Central Appalachian region. First, Hope Hart, an AppFellow working at Appalshop, visits AppFellow Courtney Boyd in Huntington, WV. Hope guides us as we learn more about Courtney’s work with Unlimited Future, Inc., The Wild Ramp, and Refresh Appalachia - organizations supporting economic development and local agriculture. Next Sam Hamlin, an AppFellow with the Community Farm Alliance, brings us a story about alpaca farmers in Kentucky. Enjoy!

Today on Mountain Talk, we’ll learn all about Kenaf: a fiber producing plant native to Asia which grows well in Kentucky – and can be used to make a variety of products including rope, twine, paper, cardboard, and more! This episode of Mountain Talk comes from Sam Hamlin - an Appalachian Transition Fellow with the Community Farm Alliance - who produces the Woven Roots Fiber Podcast.

WMMT visits the Letcher County Farmers’ Market in Whitesburg, KY where an innovative program called Farmacy is improving health and getting nationwide attention. Formed through an unusual partnership between medical providers – area medical clinics, Medicaid insurance companies, doctors and nurses – and local farmers, the Farmers’ Market, and nonprofits such as Community Farm Alliance, the Farmacy program is offering locally grown fruits and vegetables as alternatives to medical prescriptions. Now in its second year, the Farmacy has already made an impact on the health of the community as well as begun to expand economic opportunity for area farmers.