Podcasts about farmers first

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com shares the news affecting small farmers in America, including a focus on US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visiting farms and laying out the Trump Administration's “Farmers First” policies that help smaller farmers and why it's a lead focus with the USDA, Nebraska is the first state to ban sugary drinks from being bought on the SNAP program, and how the immigration issue is affecting farmers having the workers they need. Then, the conversation shifts to diversification farming production and why a singular focus may create a surplus, why it's important to know who owns the seed companies, and how you get your news and whether or not you read into opinions. Lastly, Doug takes a look at farm markets and how they're being manipulated by tariffs and agri-business monopolies, he opines why Brooke Rollins is divisive but possibly proving to favor small farmers.Website: AmericanFamilyFarmer.comSocial Media: @GoodDayNetworks

Announces Farmers First: Small Family Farms Policy Agenda

Ag Net News Hour Hosts, Lorrie Boyer and Nick Papagni, “The Ag Meter,” discuss the current state of agriculture, highlighting optimism among farmers due to recent trade agreements, particularly with China. They note a poll showing 75% of farmers feeling more positive. The conversation shifts to the impact of severe weather, particularly tornadoes in Kentucky, and the bird flu outbreak in Brazil. They also cover the House Budget Committee's passage of a budget reconciliation bill that increases farm program spending by $60 billion over 10 years while cutting SNAP by $300 billion. The bill includes tax policy changes and program enhancements, with implications for California farmers. In the second segment, Nick and Lorrie have a discussion about USDA Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins' visit to Nebraska. Hey highlight the announcement Rollins made about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) changes, including banning sugary drinks purchases with SNAP funds. Nebraska is the first state to receive such a waiver. The USDA has reduced staff by 15,000 to 97,000 employees, aiming to cut costs. The conversation also covered the ongoing efforts to legalize undocumented farmworkers, involving multiple cabinet leaders. The discussion emphasized the need for healthy food choices to reduce obesity and healthcare costs, drawing parallels to smoking and healthcare. The segment concluded with a brief on securing the border and the impact on labor policies. The Ag-Net News Hour hosts, then discussed the Trump administration's policy on restricting solar farms on quality farmland, citing concerns about devaluation and environmental impact. The USDA's new "Farmers First" initiative aims to support small family farms, which make up 86% of U.S. farms, operating on 41% of farmland and generating 24% of farm production. The program, funded by USDA, provides grants rather than federal money, and does not require congressional approval. The hosts emphasized the need for recycling solar panels and the importance of supporting small farmers, highlighting the USDA's definition of a farm based on gross cash farm income rather than acreage.

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Max Dougherty, carbon business development lead at Bayer Crop Science, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the importance of a farmer-centric approach to regenerative agriculture and how to foster effective multi-stakeholder collaboration. They discuss some case studies on what good regenerative agricultural practices look like and the potential routes to funding for agricultural transition.

Putting farmers and marginalized communities first prioritizes ethical sourcing, economic development, responsible innovation, fair compensation and sustainability. Raffi Vartanian, CEO of Ziba Foods is shaping a business model that combines success with societal betterment in Aftghanistan.  Working with small farms and Coops   to process and export dried fruits and nuts with mostly women in the plant in Kabul is a challenge worth tackling.  American farmers who sometimes complain about farming under USDA regulations might expect different chalenges if their government partner was the Taliban. www.zibafoods.com

Det finns stora pengar att spara på att optimera och underhålla maskinparken. – Kostnaden kan minska upp till 20 procent, säger Jakob Söderberg, på Farmers First som medverkar i det här avsnittet av Gröna Pengar.

Dr. Spencer Wayne welcomes Hannah Walkes, President of Pipestone Services, to chat about the recent leadership transitions at PIPESTONE - including the creation of two divisions, Pipestone Services and Pipestone Partnerships. Hannah provides insight into how her upbringing and tenure at PIPESTONE have fueled her passion and made her uniquely qualified to take the reigns as President of Pipestone Services. She outlines her goals and shares what customers, shareholders, and employees can expect from the company going forward.

Smith Story Wine Cellars is the tale of true love. In May of 2013, Eric and Ali eloped on the Big Island of Hawaii to say I Do; also where the name Smith Story Wine Cellars was conceived. Bay Area born Eric and Fort Worth, Texas native Alison met while both working for K&L Wine Merchants in Northern California over a decade ago. A friendship flourished while discovering wines from far away lands, and visits to the Anderson Valley along with dear friends and their beloved dogs Henley and Lakota. “Drink what you love, love what you drink,” Eric often said to Alison while trying new wines over the years together. Today they bring a combined 40+ years of wine industry experience to manage Smith Story Wine Cellars. Eric's wine buying expertise and retail management lends a keen eye and discerning palate as he became the German, Loire, Alsace, Austrian and Greek wine buyer for K&L. Ali's hospitality, wine buying, consumer marketing and national sales experience completes the entire wine-supply-chain as she transitioned from her decade old company TexaCali Wine Co. to drive the vision and brand for Smith Story Wine.Alison Smith, grew up in the DFW Metroplex and Northern California native Eric founded the winery in Sonoma County. Smith Story Wine Cellars is based in Sonoma. In late 2021 they relocated their tasting room from Philo, California (the Anderson Valley) to Healdsburg, California. In 2014 the launched "Farmers First" on Kickstarted and were fully funded in 30 days. Later that year, along with their dear Goldendoodle, Lord Sandwich, Ali Story founded a non-profit Socks For Sandwich, which donates new socks to the needy.

5-19-23 AJ DailyLow-stress Cattle Handling Has Domino Effect to Improve Health, Productivity and MoreAdapted from an article by Aimee Robinson, Valley Vet Supply NFU Champions Farmers First Act to Increase Resources to Address Farm Stress Adapted from a release by the National Farmers Union NCBA Endorses Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Animal Health Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association 2022 National Beef Quality Audit Shows Efficiency Improvements Adapted from a release by the Beef Checkoff Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.  For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net. 

Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's race | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy bills | $11B in federal funds allocated for rural clean energy projects | Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis commission meets in Flagstaff, AZ (WARNING: contains graphic descriptions of violence) | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs nation's first Right-to-Repair law | Violent Femmes perform their self-titled debut in Denver, Austin and Houston this week.  Song playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's raceBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 15, 2023 4:00 AMAs ballots begin to hit mailboxes for Denver's June 6th runoff election, Johnston and Kelly Brough, the other top-two finisher in April's first round of voting - have rolled out a veritable smorgasbord of endorsement announcements.Former mayoral candidates Ean Thomas Tafoya, Terrance Roberts, Jim Walsh, Al Gardner and Leslie Herod all endorsed Mike Johnston. Rep Herod (who was my preferred choice for mayor) said “Having shared countless debate and forum stages with Mike over the past months, I know that he has the passion, commitment, and vision to tackle Denver's toughest problems. Mike and I share the value of public service, hard work, and doing right by our communities, and I am excited to work with him to deliver on our progressive vision for Denver.”Meanwhile, Brough, the former Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce head who secured her spot in the runoff with just over 20% of the first-round vote, has picked up endorsements from Democratic state Sen. Chris Hansen as well as Thomas Wolf, an investment banker who campaigned on harsh anti-homelessness policies and received 1% of the vote for Mayor in April.Sen. Hansen said “Denver needs a proven executive — Kelly Brough is the leader we can trust to deliver results. It's going to take all of us to tackle Denver's biggest challenges, and I'm proud to join Kelly's team.”Brough also picked up endorsements from Democratic state Rep. Alex Valdez and former Tattered Cover CEO Kwame Spearman, both of whom entered the mayor's race but later withdrew. Brough and Johnston emerged from the crowded field of mayoral candidates after becoming by far the race's two best-funded candidates, each raising about $1MM in direct contributions and benefiting from millions more in outside super PAC expenditures from billionaires and real-estate interests.After a first round that featured a wide range of perspectives and ideologies, the runoff campaign has featured few stark disagreements on policy between the two candidates, both of whom are veteran figures in Colorado's centrist political establishment.Brough served as then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's chief of staff from 2006 to 2009, then led the conservative-leaning Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for 12 years before stepping down ahead of her mayoral run. Some of her top endorsers include former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, both Democrats.On Friday, she touted the endorsement of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, a coalition of clergy and civil rights leaders in the city's Black community. Pastor Paul Burleson, the Alliance's vice president of political affairs, said that Brough's experience is key to her appeal.Brough has also picked up endorsements from the Denver Police Protective Association and other unions representing law enforcement officers and firefighters. She was one of the only candidates in the mayor's race to endorse a return of “qualified immunity,” a legal doctrine that bars people from suing law enforcement officers in their individual capacity. Colorado lawmakers, led by Herod, passed a landmark police reform bill that abolished qualified immunity in the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020. - Just one reason I love Leslie Herod.During his time in the state Senate, Mike Johnston became one of the state's leading champions of education reform, a movement that has galled teachers' unions and progressives who've accused him of undermining public education. From 2020 to 2022 he was the CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a Denver-based philanthropic organization founded by oil tycoon Sam Gary.Though hardly a progressive firebrand himself, Johnston spoke at Wednesday's event of the coalition he hopes to build as mayor. Along with former mayoral rivals, he received endorsements from Democratic state Sens. Julie Gonzales (another legislator I have tremendous respect for) and James Coleman (who is my state senator but someone whom I don't know much about), adding to a list of supporters that also includes former Mayor Federico Peña and former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll.Rep. Leslie Herod said “Make no mistake: We are the progressives in this race, and we have chosen to back Mike. We are the candidates who have consistently spoken about putting people over structures, putting people over businesses — people always first.”So for my part I'll be following State Sen. Julie Gonzales and Rep. Leslie Herod, voting for Mike Johnston.Final thought: Johnston might not be seen as progressive, but if he wins this election assembling a progressive coalition to bear a developer/business-backed candidate in Kelly Brough, then progressives should absolutely have a strong voice in the Johnston administration if he wants to keep his job. But first he's got to win.COLORADO NEWSLINE: Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy measures, utility regulation billBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 11, 2023 5:36 PMGov. Jared Polis has signed into law a bill that commits Colorado for the first time to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target, along with other measures to address spiking utility rates and the state's long-term energy future.Flanked by Democratic lawmakers and state energy officials, Polis signed Senate Bill 23-16 at an event at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The bill, a wide-ranging package of reforms aimed at boosting clean energy efforts in a variety of industries, was approved on party-line votes by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly just before its adjournment on May 8.SB-16 sets a statutory goal of a 100% reduction in Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, revising that target upwards from a 90% goal set by the Legislature in 2019. It's the first time the state has formally established the net-zero goal that scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said is necessary to avert the most catastrophic impacts of global warming.To get there, the bill contains what sponsors called a “potpourri” of measures to accelerate the transition to clean energy, including sections that streamline the process for the installation of electric transmission lines and rooftop solar panels; stricter requirements on large insurance companies to assess climate risk; tax credits for the purchase of electric-powered lawn equipment; and more authority for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to regulate carbon capture projects.COGCC chair Jeff Robbins applauded the bill's efforts to encourage carbon capture, which he called “critical as a tool in addressing climate change.”“The COGCC is well poised with its resources and regulatory understanding to now help carbon storage be deployed safely and responsibly in Colorado,” Robbins said in a press release.Gov. Polis also signed House Bill 23-1252, which establishes a new state grant program for geothermal energy projects and requires large natural-gas utilities to develop emissions-reducing “clean heat plans.”Senate Bill 23-291, a package of reforms to state utility regulations, and House Bill 23-1234, a bipartisan measure aimed at streamlining permitting and inspection processes for solar projects were also both signed into law. SB-291 emerged from hearings held earlier this year by the Joint Select Committee on Rising Utility Rates, a special panel of lawmakers convened by Democratic leaders following sharp increases in many Coloradans' utility bills in 2022.It directs the state's Public Utilities Commission to more closely scrutinize how privately-owned utilities manage volatility in natural-gas prices, the main culprit in rate increases that caused the average monthly payment for customers of Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest utility, to rise by more than 50% last year. Other provisions in the bill are aimed at assessing the long-term future of natural gas infrastructure as more homes and businesses transition to all-electric heating and cooking appliances.In a press release, Advanced Energy United, an industry group representing clean energy companies, said the legislation creates a “national model” for dealing with volatility in the natural gas market.“This bill will help make Colorado's energy system more affordable long-term, and should be seen as a model for states across the country on how to manage high gas prices and a transition to cost-saving alternatives to gas, like high-efficiency heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery storage,” said Emilie Olson, a senior principal at Advanced Energy United.House Bill 23-1272, creates or extends a variety of clean energy tax credits, including incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, e-bikes, electric heat pumps, industrial decarbonization technologies and more.Gov. Polis said “These exciting money-saving changes for Coloradans mean reliable, lower energy costs and good-paying jobs, as we continue to fuel the innovation that makes Colorado a national leader in clean energy. We are cutting red tape, creating good paying jobs and improving air quality as we continue to make bold progress towards achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040.”ARIZONA MIRROR: Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loansBY: JACOB FISCHLER - MAY 16, 2023 7:11 AMThe U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. The programs are the New ERA program for rural electric cooperatives, and the PACE program for other energy providers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the funding “continues an ongoing effort to ensure that rural America is a full participant in this clean energy economy.”White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said, “Rural areas can have more difficulty than more urban ones in attracting private sector investment. The programs are intended to allow those rural areas to take advantage of an industry-wide trend to invest in clean energy production.He said, “There's a favorable wind blowing here. This allows rural communities to put up a sail.”The programs are meant to put rural electric cooperatives on equal footing with larger privately owned companies that have already put major funding into clean energy deployment.The programs represent the largest single funding effort for rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936.The money is meant not only to address the climate impacts of fossil fuel energy and reduce home energy costs, but to act as an economic engine for rural areas.Rural electric cooperatives are eligible for the New ERA program, and up to 25% of the funding in that program can be in the form of direct grants. Utilities can use the money to build renewable energy systems, zero-emission systems and carbon capture facilities.The USDA will begin to accept initial applications for funding on July 31. Applicants are expected to write more detailed proposals for funding after the USDA accepts their initial applications.The PACE program provides loans to renewable energy developers and electric service providers “to help finance large-scale solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower projects and energy storage in support of renewable energy systems,” the release said. The program is targeted to “vulnerable, disadvantaged, Tribal and energy communities,” the release said. It's in line with a Biden administration goal to allocate at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal spending to disadvantaged communities.The USDA can forgive up to 40% of most of the loans in the program. Up to 60% of loans to applicants in some U.S. territories and tribal communities can be forgiven.Initial applications for that program will open June 30.ARIZONA MIRROR:National commission on the MMIP crisis meets in Arizona to hear testimony, recommendationsBY: SHONDIIN SILVERSMITH - MAY 15, 2023 1:50 PMFive empty chairs sat at the front of the Not Invisible Act Commission hearing, each wrapped in a shawl, blanket or quilt representing a different group of individuals impacted by human trafficking or with a loved one who is missing or murdered.“We want to allow space for representing our relatives,” commission member Grace Bulltail said, noting the traditions in many Indigenous families to always preserve a space for absent loved ones. “We're doing that to honor our loved ones,” Bulltail said, explaining that, by putting the chairs there, the commission hearing was holding space for them.The chair wrapped in a red shawl with white and yellow handprints honored the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The chair wrapped in a red, orange, bridge, and white Native design shawl with a black blazer draped over it was to honor the missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. Another chair was wrapped in a light blue, white and purple quilt. Pinned to the quilt was a picture of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, a Navajo girl who was abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. This chair honored Indigenous children.The chair wrapped in a maroon shawl with floral designs honored the LGBTQI and two-spirit Indigenous community. The chair wrapped in a brown Pendleton honored Indigenous veterans.The Not Invisible Act Commission, organized by the U.S. Department of the Interior,  held a public hearing at the Twin Arrows Casino near Flagstaff to hear testimony and recommendations from victims and families impacted by human trafficking and the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis. The commission also heard from local tribal leaders and advocates. The Not Invisible Act was passed into law in October 2020, establishing the commission as a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee of federal and non-federal members, including law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors.The meeting at Twin Arrows was the commission's third public hearing. This summer, it has four more planned in Minnesota, northern California, New Mexico and Montana. The hearings are being held in communities impacted most by the MMIP crisis.Commissioners heard emotional testimony from Seraphine Warren and Pamela Foster as they shared their experiences of losing a loved one and advocated for change.Ms. Warren is the niece of Ella Mae Begay, a Navajo woman who went missing from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation on June 15, 2021. Warren continued to advocate for not only her aunt but all Indigenous people.Speaking through tears, she told her aunt's story. “I know it wasn't her legacy to be stolen or to be murdered,” Warren said. “Just because she isn't here doesn't mean she can't be part of change.”Begay is still missing, but there have been developments in her case. In March, Preston Henry Tolth, 23, of New Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix for assault and carjacking.The indictment alleges that, on June 15, 2021, Tolth assaulted Begay, resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Tolth then took her Ford F-150 pickup truck and drove it from Arizona to New Mexico with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury to Begay.Warren said during Tolth's arraignment hearing on April 7 in Flagstaff that she heard details about the night her aunt went missing that she was not ready for.Warren, in tears, told the commission that Tolth told federal agents that he “snapped” and struck her in the face multiple times, causing her to bleed from the nose and mouth. Tolth told authorities that he wasn't sure if she was dead, Warren said, and when he drove away, he said he regretted hitting her, since all he wanted was the truck.Tolth is being held in custody and is expected to go to trial later in May.Pamela Foster is the mother of Ashlynne Mike, the 11-year-old Navajo girl abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. Foster has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts for Indigenous children and people since she lost her daughter. On the afternoon of May 2, 2016, Ashlynne Mike and her 9-year-old brother, Ian Mike, didn't make it home from school. When they got off the school bus in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, a predator tricked them into getting into his van by promising them a ride home.Hours later, passersby found Ian Mike wandering alone in the area. Police located Ashlynne Mike's body on May 3, 2016, and discovered she had been sexually assaulted, strangled, and bludgeoned repeatedly with a tire iron.She said, “I miss my daughter every single day. I became a voice for my daughter the moment I received word that her life was taken from her.”She talked about how the system failed when her children were missing in 2016. She said that May 1 to May 6 is a nightmare for her every year, because she relives what happened to her children.Foster talked about the hours from when her children disappeared to when they found her daughter's body; she ran into countless obstacles that left her without support.“It was very hard to sit there and know that there were no resources available for my children,” Foster said. “I absolutely had nothing.”She said local law enforcement was not adequately trained to handle child abductions. There was no clear communication between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Instead of searching for her children, Foster said they were trying to figure out exactly what protocols were needed to start looking.“Time was lost,” Foster said, and they did not send out an AMBER Alert until the following day. Foster recalled the alert went out at 2 a.m., and she said that helped no one because not many people were awake then. She remembers hearing officers from the neighboring jurisdictions tell her they couldn't go out to look for her daughter until they were given the clearance to do so by the Navajo Nation Police Department. Foster said it frustrated her how long it took for that to happen. She said the anger and hurt about what happened to Ashlynne led her to be a voice for her daughter.“I promised her I would do something for all of our other Indigenous children. To give them the protection that they need so they don't go through the same thing.”Foster has led many grassroots efforts to support Indigenous children, including advocating and petitioning for the AMBER Alert system to include Indian Country.Foster said she wanted to change, and she knew the justice system in Indian Country needed to be updated, so she focused her efforts on the AMBER Alert system. Her advocacy resulted in the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018, which makes tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants to integrate into state and regional AMBER Alert communication plans.“I always say that I've never received justice for what happened to my daughter because nothing can bring her back,” Foster said. “There will never be justice, but we can learn how to move forward in changing laws to make things better for our people.”The goal of the hearing was for the federal commissioners to listen and hear recommendations on the best course of action for the MMIP crisis. Commissioners will use the suggestions to develop their final report for the Department of Interior.Foster's big recommendation was not only geared at the commissioners, but other attendees of the hearing. She encouraged them to tell their tribal leaders to receive the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act training. “It is free,” she said, adding that it is a vital program for Indigenous communities because it will train police officers and social workers from the tribe. Because tribes are sovereign nations, the Department of Justice has to receive a request in order to run the training on tribal land: “Have your tribal leaders request this training for your community because the children are our next generation,” Foster said. “There's still a lot of tribes that need to be trained.”When Seraphine Warren was finished sharing her aunt's story, she laid out her recommendations. “Transparency and swift action is key,” she said, “which means that when a person is missing, law enforcement should immediately inform all jurisdictions and issue press releases to media channels to inform the public.”“Family members need to be regularly and constantly updated with the progress of the investigation, and families should be prioritized if any remains are found in any jurisdiction.” Some of the other recommendations included allowing families to hire private investigators, providing them access to case files, supporting families in organizing their task force, providing families with constant and reliable access to grief counseling services, medical attention, financial and legal assistance, and safe housing for families of missing or murdered loved ones. ASSOCIATED PRESS: If you're not first, you're last. DENVER (AP) — Sitting in front of a hulking red tractor, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday making Colorado the first state to ensure farmers can fix their own tractors and combines with a “right to repair” law — which compels manufacturers to provide the necessary manuals, tools, parts and software farmers would need.Colorado, home to high desert ranches and sweeping farms on the plains, took the lead on the issue following a nationwide outcry from farmers that manufacturers blocked them from making fixes and forced them to wait precious days or even weeks for an official servicer to arrive — delays that hurt profits.While farmers wait and their increasingly high-tech tractors or combines sit idle, a hailstorm could decimate an entire crop. Or, a farmer could miss the ideal planting window for their crops to grow.Lawmakers in at least 10 other states have introduced similar legislation, including in Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont. But Colorado has taken the lead. At the signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon, under a light drizzle of rain, Gov. Polis said: “This bill will save farmers and ranchers time and money and support the free market in repair” before exclaiming, “first in the nation!”Behind the governor and arrayed farmers and lawmakers sat a red Steiger 370 tractor owned by a farmer named Danny Wood. Wood's tractor has flown an American flag reading “Farmers First,” and it has been one of two of his machines to break down, requiring long waits before servicers arrived to enter a few lines of computer code, or make a fix that Wood could have made himself.As the signing ceremony ended, Gov. Polis and Rep. Brianna Titone, who ran the bill in the state House, climbed inside the tractor for a photo as the ceremony ended.Great job, Rep. Titone! Huge win for this up-and-coming legislator. When I first saw her speak announcing her initial candidacy in 2017, I didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I didn't expect a lot, and I didn't particularly expect her to even win. And then, winning that seat was just the first of many instances where I've seen her demonstrate a level of depth, grit, and smarts that rival any of her peers. Great job Rep. Titone, you rock. CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: Violent Femmes - performing their self-titled album - Levitt Pavilion in Denver on Sunday May 21. The cult favorite folk punk band from Milwaukee is celebrating 40 years since the release of their first album in 1983. More info at vfemmes.comWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Arizona Mirror, Denver Post, Associated Press and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's race | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy bills | $11B in federal funds allocated for rural clean energy projects | Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis commission meets in Flagstaff, AZ (WARNING: contains graphic descriptions of violence) | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs nation's first Right-to-Repair law | Violent Femmes perform their self-titled debut in Denver, Austin and Houston this week.  Song playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor's raceBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 15, 2023 4:00 AMAs ballots begin to hit mailboxes for Denver's June 6th runoff election, Johnston and Kelly Brough, the other top-two finisher in April's first round of voting - have rolled out a veritable smorgasbord of endorsement announcements.Former mayoral candidates Ean Thomas Tafoya, Terrance Roberts, Jim Walsh, Al Gardner and Leslie Herod all endorsed Mike Johnston. Rep Herod (who was my preferred choice for mayor) said “Having shared countless debate and forum stages with Mike over the past months, I know that he has the passion, commitment, and vision to tackle Denver's toughest problems. Mike and I share the value of public service, hard work, and doing right by our communities, and I am excited to work with him to deliver on our progressive vision for Denver.”Meanwhile, Brough, the former Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce head who secured her spot in the runoff with just over 20% of the first-round vote, has picked up endorsements from Democratic state Sen. Chris Hansen as well as Thomas Wolf, an investment banker who campaigned on harsh anti-homelessness policies and received 1% of the vote for Mayor in April.Sen. Hansen said “Denver needs a proven executive — Kelly Brough is the leader we can trust to deliver results. It's going to take all of us to tackle Denver's biggest challenges, and I'm proud to join Kelly's team.”Brough also picked up endorsements from Democratic state Rep. Alex Valdez and former Tattered Cover CEO Kwame Spearman, both of whom entered the mayor's race but later withdrew. Brough and Johnston emerged from the crowded field of mayoral candidates after becoming by far the race's two best-funded candidates, each raising about $1MM in direct contributions and benefiting from millions more in outside super PAC expenditures from billionaires and real-estate interests.After a first round that featured a wide range of perspectives and ideologies, the runoff campaign has featured few stark disagreements on policy between the two candidates, both of whom are veteran figures in Colorado's centrist political establishment.Brough served as then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's chief of staff from 2006 to 2009, then led the conservative-leaning Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for 12 years before stepping down ahead of her mayoral run. Some of her top endorsers include former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, both Democrats.On Friday, she touted the endorsement of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, a coalition of clergy and civil rights leaders in the city's Black community. Pastor Paul Burleson, the Alliance's vice president of political affairs, said that Brough's experience is key to her appeal.Brough has also picked up endorsements from the Denver Police Protective Association and other unions representing law enforcement officers and firefighters. She was one of the only candidates in the mayor's race to endorse a return of “qualified immunity,” a legal doctrine that bars people from suing law enforcement officers in their individual capacity. Colorado lawmakers, led by Herod, passed a landmark police reform bill that abolished qualified immunity in the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020. - Just one reason I love Leslie Herod.During his time in the state Senate, Mike Johnston became one of the state's leading champions of education reform, a movement that has galled teachers' unions and progressives who've accused him of undermining public education. From 2020 to 2022 he was the CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a Denver-based philanthropic organization founded by oil tycoon Sam Gary.Though hardly a progressive firebrand himself, Johnston spoke at Wednesday's event of the coalition he hopes to build as mayor. Along with former mayoral rivals, he received endorsements from Democratic state Sens. Julie Gonzales (another legislator I have tremendous respect for) and James Coleman (who is my state senator but someone whom I don't know much about), adding to a list of supporters that also includes former Mayor Federico Peña and former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll.Rep. Leslie Herod said “Make no mistake: We are the progressives in this race, and we have chosen to back Mike. We are the candidates who have consistently spoken about putting people over structures, putting people over businesses — people always first.”So for my part I'll be following State Sen. Julie Gonzales and Rep. Leslie Herod, voting for Mike Johnston.Final thought: Johnston might not be seen as progressive, but if he wins this election assembling a progressive coalition to bear a developer/business-backed candidate in Kelly Brough, then progressives should absolutely have a strong voice in the Johnston administration if he wants to keep his job. But first he's got to win.COLORADO NEWSLINE: Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy measures, utility regulation billBY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 11, 2023 5:36 PMGov. Jared Polis has signed into law a bill that commits Colorado for the first time to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target, along with other measures to address spiking utility rates and the state's long-term energy future.Flanked by Democratic lawmakers and state energy officials, Polis signed Senate Bill 23-16 at an event at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The bill, a wide-ranging package of reforms aimed at boosting clean energy efforts in a variety of industries, was approved on party-line votes by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly just before its adjournment on May 8.SB-16 sets a statutory goal of a 100% reduction in Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, revising that target upwards from a 90% goal set by the Legislature in 2019. It's the first time the state has formally established the net-zero goal that scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said is necessary to avert the most catastrophic impacts of global warming.To get there, the bill contains what sponsors called a “potpourri” of measures to accelerate the transition to clean energy, including sections that streamline the process for the installation of electric transmission lines and rooftop solar panels; stricter requirements on large insurance companies to assess climate risk; tax credits for the purchase of electric-powered lawn equipment; and more authority for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to regulate carbon capture projects.COGCC chair Jeff Robbins applauded the bill's efforts to encourage carbon capture, which he called “critical as a tool in addressing climate change.”“The COGCC is well poised with its resources and regulatory understanding to now help carbon storage be deployed safely and responsibly in Colorado,” Robbins said in a press release.Gov. Polis also signed House Bill 23-1252, which establishes a new state grant program for geothermal energy projects and requires large natural-gas utilities to develop emissions-reducing “clean heat plans.”Senate Bill 23-291, a package of reforms to state utility regulations, and House Bill 23-1234, a bipartisan measure aimed at streamlining permitting and inspection processes for solar projects were also both signed into law. SB-291 emerged from hearings held earlier this year by the Joint Select Committee on Rising Utility Rates, a special panel of lawmakers convened by Democratic leaders following sharp increases in many Coloradans' utility bills in 2022.It directs the state's Public Utilities Commission to more closely scrutinize how privately-owned utilities manage volatility in natural-gas prices, the main culprit in rate increases that caused the average monthly payment for customers of Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest utility, to rise by more than 50% last year. Other provisions in the bill are aimed at assessing the long-term future of natural gas infrastructure as more homes and businesses transition to all-electric heating and cooking appliances.In a press release, Advanced Energy United, an industry group representing clean energy companies, said the legislation creates a “national model” for dealing with volatility in the natural gas market.“This bill will help make Colorado's energy system more affordable long-term, and should be seen as a model for states across the country on how to manage high gas prices and a transition to cost-saving alternatives to gas, like high-efficiency heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery storage,” said Emilie Olson, a senior principal at Advanced Energy United.House Bill 23-1272, creates or extends a variety of clean energy tax credits, including incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, e-bikes, electric heat pumps, industrial decarbonization technologies and more.Gov. Polis said “These exciting money-saving changes for Coloradans mean reliable, lower energy costs and good-paying jobs, as we continue to fuel the innovation that makes Colorado a national leader in clean energy. We are cutting red tape, creating good paying jobs and improving air quality as we continue to make bold progress towards achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040.”ARIZONA MIRROR: Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loansBY: JACOB FISCHLER - MAY 16, 2023 7:11 AMThe U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. The programs are the New ERA program for rural electric cooperatives, and the PACE program for other energy providers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the funding “continues an ongoing effort to ensure that rural America is a full participant in this clean energy economy.”White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said, “Rural areas can have more difficulty than more urban ones in attracting private sector investment. The programs are intended to allow those rural areas to take advantage of an industry-wide trend to invest in clean energy production.He said, “There's a favorable wind blowing here. This allows rural communities to put up a sail.”The programs are meant to put rural electric cooperatives on equal footing with larger privately owned companies that have already put major funding into clean energy deployment.The programs represent the largest single funding effort for rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936.The money is meant not only to address the climate impacts of fossil fuel energy and reduce home energy costs, but to act as an economic engine for rural areas.Rural electric cooperatives are eligible for the New ERA program, and up to 25% of the funding in that program can be in the form of direct grants. Utilities can use the money to build renewable energy systems, zero-emission systems and carbon capture facilities.The USDA will begin to accept initial applications for funding on July 31. Applicants are expected to write more detailed proposals for funding after the USDA accepts their initial applications.The PACE program provides loans to renewable energy developers and electric service providers “to help finance large-scale solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower projects and energy storage in support of renewable energy systems,” the release said. The program is targeted to “vulnerable, disadvantaged, Tribal and energy communities,” the release said. It's in line with a Biden administration goal to allocate at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal spending to disadvantaged communities.The USDA can forgive up to 40% of most of the loans in the program. Up to 60% of loans to applicants in some U.S. territories and tribal communities can be forgiven.Initial applications for that program will open June 30.ARIZONA MIRROR:National commission on the MMIP crisis meets in Arizona to hear testimony, recommendationsBY: SHONDIIN SILVERSMITH - MAY 15, 2023 1:50 PMFive empty chairs sat at the front of the Not Invisible Act Commission hearing, each wrapped in a shawl, blanket or quilt representing a different group of individuals impacted by human trafficking or with a loved one who is missing or murdered.“We want to allow space for representing our relatives,” commission member Grace Bulltail said, noting the traditions in many Indigenous families to always preserve a space for absent loved ones. “We're doing that to honor our loved ones,” Bulltail said, explaining that, by putting the chairs there, the commission hearing was holding space for them.The chair wrapped in a red shawl with white and yellow handprints honored the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The chair wrapped in a red, orange, bridge, and white Native design shawl with a black blazer draped over it was to honor the missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. Another chair was wrapped in a light blue, white and purple quilt. Pinned to the quilt was a picture of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, a Navajo girl who was abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. This chair honored Indigenous children.The chair wrapped in a maroon shawl with floral designs honored the LGBTQI and two-spirit Indigenous community. The chair wrapped in a brown Pendleton honored Indigenous veterans.The Not Invisible Act Commission, organized by the U.S. Department of the Interior,  held a public hearing at the Twin Arrows Casino near Flagstaff to hear testimony and recommendations from victims and families impacted by human trafficking and the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis. The commission also heard from local tribal leaders and advocates. The Not Invisible Act was passed into law in October 2020, establishing the commission as a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee of federal and non-federal members, including law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors.The meeting at Twin Arrows was the commission's third public hearing. This summer, it has four more planned in Minnesota, northern California, New Mexico and Montana. The hearings are being held in communities impacted most by the MMIP crisis.Commissioners heard emotional testimony from Seraphine Warren and Pamela Foster as they shared their experiences of losing a loved one and advocated for change.Ms. Warren is the niece of Ella Mae Begay, a Navajo woman who went missing from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation on June 15, 2021. Warren continued to advocate for not only her aunt but all Indigenous people.Speaking through tears, she told her aunt's story. “I know it wasn't her legacy to be stolen or to be murdered,” Warren said. “Just because she isn't here doesn't mean she can't be part of change.”Begay is still missing, but there have been developments in her case. In March, Preston Henry Tolth, 23, of New Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix for assault and carjacking.The indictment alleges that, on June 15, 2021, Tolth assaulted Begay, resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Tolth then took her Ford F-150 pickup truck and drove it from Arizona to New Mexico with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury to Begay.Warren said during Tolth's arraignment hearing on April 7 in Flagstaff that she heard details about the night her aunt went missing that she was not ready for.Warren, in tears, told the commission that Tolth told federal agents that he “snapped” and struck her in the face multiple times, causing her to bleed from the nose and mouth. Tolth told authorities that he wasn't sure if she was dead, Warren said, and when he drove away, he said he regretted hitting her, since all he wanted was the truck.Tolth is being held in custody and is expected to go to trial later in May.Pamela Foster is the mother of Ashlynne Mike, the 11-year-old Navajo girl abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. Foster has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts for Indigenous children and people since she lost her daughter. On the afternoon of May 2, 2016, Ashlynne Mike and her 9-year-old brother, Ian Mike, didn't make it home from school. When they got off the school bus in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, a predator tricked them into getting into his van by promising them a ride home.Hours later, passersby found Ian Mike wandering alone in the area. Police located Ashlynne Mike's body on May 3, 2016, and discovered she had been sexually assaulted, strangled, and bludgeoned repeatedly with a tire iron.She said, “I miss my daughter every single day. I became a voice for my daughter the moment I received word that her life was taken from her.”She talked about how the system failed when her children were missing in 2016. She said that May 1 to May 6 is a nightmare for her every year, because she relives what happened to her children.Foster talked about the hours from when her children disappeared to when they found her daughter's body; she ran into countless obstacles that left her without support.“It was very hard to sit there and know that there were no resources available for my children,” Foster said. “I absolutely had nothing.”She said local law enforcement was not adequately trained to handle child abductions. There was no clear communication between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Instead of searching for her children, Foster said they were trying to figure out exactly what protocols were needed to start looking.“Time was lost,” Foster said, and they did not send out an AMBER Alert until the following day. Foster recalled the alert went out at 2 a.m., and she said that helped no one because not many people were awake then. She remembers hearing officers from the neighboring jurisdictions tell her they couldn't go out to look for her daughter until they were given the clearance to do so by the Navajo Nation Police Department. Foster said it frustrated her how long it took for that to happen. She said the anger and hurt about what happened to Ashlynne led her to be a voice for her daughter.“I promised her I would do something for all of our other Indigenous children. To give them the protection that they need so they don't go through the same thing.”Foster has led many grassroots efforts to support Indigenous children, including advocating and petitioning for the AMBER Alert system to include Indian Country.Foster said she wanted to change, and she knew the justice system in Indian Country needed to be updated, so she focused her efforts on the AMBER Alert system. Her advocacy resulted in the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018, which makes tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants to integrate into state and regional AMBER Alert communication plans.“I always say that I've never received justice for what happened to my daughter because nothing can bring her back,” Foster said. “There will never be justice, but we can learn how to move forward in changing laws to make things better for our people.”The goal of the hearing was for the federal commissioners to listen and hear recommendations on the best course of action for the MMIP crisis. Commissioners will use the suggestions to develop their final report for the Department of Interior.Foster's big recommendation was not only geared at the commissioners, but other attendees of the hearing. She encouraged them to tell their tribal leaders to receive the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act training. “It is free,” she said, adding that it is a vital program for Indigenous communities because it will train police officers and social workers from the tribe. Because tribes are sovereign nations, the Department of Justice has to receive a request in order to run the training on tribal land: “Have your tribal leaders request this training for your community because the children are our next generation,” Foster said. “There's still a lot of tribes that need to be trained.”When Seraphine Warren was finished sharing her aunt's story, she laid out her recommendations. “Transparency and swift action is key,” she said, “which means that when a person is missing, law enforcement should immediately inform all jurisdictions and issue press releases to media channels to inform the public.”“Family members need to be regularly and constantly updated with the progress of the investigation, and families should be prioritized if any remains are found in any jurisdiction.” Some of the other recommendations included allowing families to hire private investigators, providing them access to case files, supporting families in organizing their task force, providing families with constant and reliable access to grief counseling services, medical attention, financial and legal assistance, and safe housing for families of missing or murdered loved ones. ASSOCIATED PRESS: If you're not first, you're last. DENVER (AP) — Sitting in front of a hulking red tractor, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday making Colorado the first state to ensure farmers can fix their own tractors and combines with a “right to repair” law — which compels manufacturers to provide the necessary manuals, tools, parts and software farmers would need.Colorado, home to high desert ranches and sweeping farms on the plains, took the lead on the issue following a nationwide outcry from farmers that manufacturers blocked them from making fixes and forced them to wait precious days or even weeks for an official servicer to arrive — delays that hurt profits.While farmers wait and their increasingly high-tech tractors or combines sit idle, a hailstorm could decimate an entire crop. Or, a farmer could miss the ideal planting window for their crops to grow.Lawmakers in at least 10 other states have introduced similar legislation, including in Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont. But Colorado has taken the lead. At the signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon, under a light drizzle of rain, Gov. Polis said: “This bill will save farmers and ranchers time and money and support the free market in repair” before exclaiming, “first in the nation!”Behind the governor and arrayed farmers and lawmakers sat a red Steiger 370 tractor owned by a farmer named Danny Wood. Wood's tractor has flown an American flag reading “Farmers First,” and it has been one of two of his machines to break down, requiring long waits before servicers arrived to enter a few lines of computer code, or make a fix that Wood could have made himself.As the signing ceremony ended, Gov. Polis and Rep. Brianna Titone, who ran the bill in the state House, climbed inside the tractor for a photo as the ceremony ended.Great job, Rep. Titone! Huge win for this up-and-coming legislator. When I first saw her speak announcing her initial candidacy in 2017, I didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I didn't expect a lot, and I didn't particularly expect her to even win. And then, winning that seat was just the first of many instances where I've seen her demonstrate a level of depth, grit, and smarts that rival any of her peers. Great job Rep. Titone, you rock. CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: Violent Femmes - performing their self-titled album - Levitt Pavilion in Denver on Sunday May 21. The cult favorite folk punk band from Milwaukee is celebrating 40 years since the release of their first album in 1983. More info at vfemmes.comWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Arizona Mirror, Denver Post, Associated Press and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Republicans sue to ban abortion pill in entire U.S. | Arizona legislators narrowly avoid school funding crisis | Adam Frisch, who nearly beat Rep. Lauren Boebert in 2022, is running for Congress again in 2024 | Colorado and 10 other states consider Right to Repair legislation, and the Farm Bureau is not going to be on boardSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: REPUBLICAN AG'S WANT TO BAN THE ABORTION PILLWASHINGTON — Attorneys general representing nearly two dozen Republican states are backing a lawsuit that would remove the abortion pill from the United States after more than two decades, eliminating the option even in states where abortion access remains legal.  The lawsuit argues, on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion physicians, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration exceeded its authority when it approved mifepristone to end pregnancies in the year 2000.The prescription medication is used as part of a two-drug regimen that includes misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical. It's approved to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks.The abortion pill is legal at the federal level, though several GOP-led states have laws in place that restrict abortion earlier than 10 weeks, setting up a dispute between state laws banning abortions and the federal government's jurisdiction to approve pharmaceuticals.The U.S. Justice Department argued the anti-abortion groups' “have pointed to no case, and the government has been unable to locate any example, where a court has second-guessed FDA's safety and efficacy determination, and ordered a widely available FDA-approved drug to be removed from the market. It certainly hasn't happened with a drug that's been approved for over 20 years.”Dr. Jamila Perritt, president & CEO for Physicians for Reproductive Health, said abortion medication is safe and effective, and that “when abortion is more difficult to access, we know this means abortion gets pushed later and later into pregnancy as folks try to navigate these barriers.”Dr. Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said “restricting access to mifepristone interferes with the ability of obstetrician–gynecologists and other clinicians to deliver the highest-quality evidence-based care for their patients.”The judge in the lawsuit, Trump appointee Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk, could rule on whether to pull mifepristone from the market as soon as this month. Any ruling is likely to be appealed and could eventually come before the U.S. Supreme Court. AZMIRROR: az legislature averts massive school funding cutsAdvocates, teachers call on lawmakers to fix school spending limitBY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ - FEBRUARY 14, 2023 3:31 PMLast week, the Republican majority reluctantly approved a one-year exemption from a spending cap, called the aggregate expenditure limit - or AEL - placed in the state constitution by voters in 1980. Without that waiver, schools would have been forced to cut $1.4 billion from their budgets immediately, resulting in mass layoffs and closures. Now that the crisis has been temporarily averted, public school advocates are turning their attention to a more lasting fix as the issue is likely to resurface next year. Stand for Children Arizona's executive director, Rebecca Gau, called on lawmakers to move bills that would give voters the option to repeal the cap entirely, or recalculate it to current spending levels. But none of them have been put up for a vote. Gau warned that refusing to act would only worsen the strain on public schools. They face enough difficulties, without adding a recurring annual threat onto the pile. She cited the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Stand for Children Arizona, which found that 62% of voters in the state might say yes to a ballot measure to permanently raise the AEL. High school teacher Jacquelyn Larios said the ongoing uncertainty presented by the spending limit has prompted her to reconsider teaching in Arizona. Her school district warned that faculty would be facing a 26% salary cut if lawmakers weren't able to lift the cap by March. “I explained to my daughters that, even though I love teaching so much, I just don't know if I can continue,” Larios said. “We can't afford this.”For Yazmin Castro, a senior at Apollo High School, that means her classes are overcrowded — despite being a part of advanced courses that are meant to include more one-on-one interactions. She said the continued unwillingness from Republican lawmakers to resolve the AEL sends a message to students like her, that they'd rather hold onto outdated policies than support reforms that could make things better.“It tells us we're not valued,” she said. “That our education is not a priority and that our future does not matter.” Republican lawmakers, who hold a one-vote majority in each legislative chamber, have repeatedly called for accountability and transparency measures in exchange for school funding. This year, that resulted in several GOP members voting against lifting the cap, citing concerns about what's being taught in schools. Gau said while that argument might appeal to an extreme and vocal minority of constituents, the majority of voters support and trust their public schools. “Voters are watching,” she warned. “And organizations like mine will be here to make sure that voters in 2024 know who had the backs of kids, and who didn't.”COLORADO SUN: Not his first rodeo.Democrat Adam Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman who narrowly lost his bid in November to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, will run again to represent the 3rd Congressional District in 2024.“November's election results show us that Boebert is weak and she will be defeated, which is why I have decided to launch my 2024 congressional campaign,” Frisch said.Frisch filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run against Boebert just days after her win was finalized. His formal campaign announcement kicks off what's likely to be one of the nation's most closely watched congressional contests. Frisch lost to Boebert by 546 votes, or 0.07 percentage points, in 2022. The margin was so narrow that it triggered a mandatory recount under Colorado law. Boebert's near-loss was shocking given the electorate in the 3rd District, which spans the Western Slope into Pueblo and southeast Colorado.The 3rd Congressional District leans 9 percentage points in the GOP's favor, according to an analysis by nonpartisan Colorado redistricting staff. Republicans have a voter registration advantage in the district, which has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. House since 2008. Frisch will hold his first 2024 campaign event in Pueblo on Wednesday. He ran in a crowded primary in 2022, and it's likely he will face Democratic primary opponents in 2022 as well.Boebert has started fundraising for her 2024 reelection bid. “I won my last race by a razor-thin margin,” she wrote in a fundraising email sent out last month. “As you can imagine, left-wingers are going to rally around (Frisch) big time after they came so close this past election.”Riiiight. The left-wingers in your R+9 District. So you perform 9 points worse than a generic Republican. That's not a left-winger problem, Congresswoman, that's a you problem. AMERICAN PROSPECT and ASSOCIATED PRESS:  Colorado and 10 other states consider right to repair legislation.On Colorado's northeastern plains, where the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky, a farmer named Danny Wood scrambles to raise millet, corn and winter wheat in short, seasonal windows. That is until his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out.The tractor's manufacturer doesn't allow Wood to make certain fixes himself, and last spring his fertilizing operations were stalled for three days before the servicer arrived to add a few lines of missing computer code - at a cost of $950.“That's where they have us over the barrel, it's more like we are renting it than buying it,” said Wood, who spent $300,000 to buy the used tractor.Wood's plight, echoed by farmers across the country, has pushed lawmakers in Colorado and 10 other states to introduce Right to Repair bills that would force manufacturers to provide the tools, software, parts and manuals needed for farmers to do their own repairs — avoiding the steep labor costs and delays that erode their profits.Rep. Brianna Titone, a Denver metro Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors said “The manufacturers and the dealers have a monopoly on that repair market because it's lucrative for them, but farmers just want to get back to work.”In Colorado, the legislation is largely being pushed by Democrats while their Republican colleagues find themselves in a tough spot: torn between right-leaning farming constituents who want the change, and the multinational corporations who bankroll GOP campaigns.The manufacturers argue Right to Repair legislation would force companies to expose trade secrets. They also say it would make it easier for farmers to tinker with the software and illegally crank up the horsepower and bypass the emissions controller — risking operators' safety and the environment.In 2011, Congress passed a law ensuring that car owners and independent mechanics — not just authorized dealerships — had access to the necessary tools and information to fix problems.Ten years later, the Federal Trade Commission pledged to beef up its right to repair enforcement at the direction of President Joe Biden. And just last year, Rep. Titone sponsored and passed Colorado's first right to repair law, empowering people who use wheelchairs with the tools and information to fix them.For the right to repair farm equipment — from thin tractors used between grape vines to behemoth combines for harvesting grain that can cost over half a million dollars — Colorado is joined by 10 states including Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.Many of the bills are finding bipartisan support, but in Colorado's House committee on agriculture, Democrats pushed the bill forward in a party line vote with every Republican opposed. “That was really surprising, and upset me,” said the farmer Danny Wood, who votes Republican.Wood's tractor, which flies an American flag reading “Farmers First,” isn't his only machine to break down. His combine was dropping into idle, and the servicer took five days to arrive on Wood's farm — a setback that could mean a hail storm decimates your wheat field, or the soil temperature moves out of the optimal zone for planting.Wood said “Our crop is ready to harvest and we can't wait five days, but there was nothing else to do. When it's broke down you just sit there and wait, and that's not acceptable. You can be losing $85,000 a day.”Rep. Richard Holtorf, the Republican who represents Wood's district and is a farmer himself, said he's being pulled between his constituents and the dealerships in his district. He voted against the measure, siding with the dealers.“I do sympathize with my farmers,” said Holtorf, but he added, “I don't think it's the role of government to be forcing the sale of their intellectual property.”This January, the Farm Bureau and the farm equipment manufacturer John Deere did sign a memorandum of understanding — a right to repair agreement made without government intervention. Though light on details, Deere's new memorandum would make it somewhat easier for farmers to get repair service independent from the company. It would ease restrictions on machine parts from manufacturers and open up other fix-it tools, such as the software or handbooks that Deere technicians rely on.This olive branch, however, is predicated on a major concession from the Farm Bureau - which is one of the nation's most powerful lobbying forces advocating on behalf of farmers. The Farm Bureau has agreed not to support any Right to Repair legislation, or any other provisions at all that would go beyond what's outlined in the agreement.But Nathan Proctor of the Public Interest Research Group, who is tracking 20 right to repair proposals in a number of industries across the country, said the memorandum of understanding has fallen far short.One major problem with agreements like this is that there's no enforcement mechanism. If John Deere doesn't live up to the memorandum, farmers have no path for recourse.“The slippery language gives the company enormous discretion to just set policy as it goes,” said Kevin O'Reilly, the director of the Right to Repair campaign at U.S. PIRG.Deere's track record on this issue isn't great. In 2018, John Deere issued a “statement of principles” that foreshadowed the provisions in the new memorandum. But farmers never received access to the machine parts and software they'd been promised.“Farmers are saying no,” said Nathan Proctor. “We want the real thing.”Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: The RZA with the Colorado Symphony - 36 Chambers of Shaolin and A Ballet Through Mud - From the mind of the RZA comes a symphonic double-feature that bridges the gap between classical and contemporary music. With spoken word, live ballet, and rich orchestration with the Colorado Symphony. Friday and Saturday Feb 17 and 18 at Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets at ColoradoSymphony.orgWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Associated Press, Colorado Sun, American Prospect, Arizona Mirror, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Republicans sue to ban abortion pill in entire U.S. | Arizona legislators narrowly avoid school funding crisis | Adam Frisch, who nearly beat Rep. Lauren Boebert in 2022, is running for Congress again in 2024 | Colorado and 10 other states consider Right to Repair legislation, and the Farm Bureau is not going to be on boardSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: REPUBLICAN AG'S WANT TO BAN THE ABORTION PILLWASHINGTON — Attorneys general representing nearly two dozen Republican states are backing a lawsuit that would remove the abortion pill from the United States after more than two decades, eliminating the option even in states where abortion access remains legal.  The lawsuit argues, on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion physicians, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration exceeded its authority when it approved mifepristone to end pregnancies in the year 2000.The prescription medication is used as part of a two-drug regimen that includes misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical. It's approved to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks.The abortion pill is legal at the federal level, though several GOP-led states have laws in place that restrict abortion earlier than 10 weeks, setting up a dispute between state laws banning abortions and the federal government's jurisdiction to approve pharmaceuticals.The U.S. Justice Department argued the anti-abortion groups' “have pointed to no case, and the government has been unable to locate any example, where a court has second-guessed FDA's safety and efficacy determination, and ordered a widely available FDA-approved drug to be removed from the market. It certainly hasn't happened with a drug that's been approved for over 20 years.”Dr. Jamila Perritt, president & CEO for Physicians for Reproductive Health, said abortion medication is safe and effective, and that “when abortion is more difficult to access, we know this means abortion gets pushed later and later into pregnancy as folks try to navigate these barriers.”Dr. Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said “restricting access to mifepristone interferes with the ability of obstetrician–gynecologists and other clinicians to deliver the highest-quality evidence-based care for their patients.”The judge in the lawsuit, Trump appointee Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk, could rule on whether to pull mifepristone from the market as soon as this month. Any ruling is likely to be appealed and could eventually come before the U.S. Supreme Court. AZMIRROR: az legislature averts massive school funding cutsAdvocates, teachers call on lawmakers to fix school spending limitBY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ - FEBRUARY 14, 2023 3:31 PMLast week, the Republican majority reluctantly approved a one-year exemption from a spending cap, called the aggregate expenditure limit - or AEL - placed in the state constitution by voters in 1980. Without that waiver, schools would have been forced to cut $1.4 billion from their budgets immediately, resulting in mass layoffs and closures. Now that the crisis has been temporarily averted, public school advocates are turning their attention to a more lasting fix as the issue is likely to resurface next year. Stand for Children Arizona's executive director, Rebecca Gau, called on lawmakers to move bills that would give voters the option to repeal the cap entirely, or recalculate it to current spending levels. But none of them have been put up for a vote. Gau warned that refusing to act would only worsen the strain on public schools. They face enough difficulties, without adding a recurring annual threat onto the pile. She cited the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Stand for Children Arizona, which found that 62% of voters in the state might say yes to a ballot measure to permanently raise the AEL. High school teacher Jacquelyn Larios said the ongoing uncertainty presented by the spending limit has prompted her to reconsider teaching in Arizona. Her school district warned that faculty would be facing a 26% salary cut if lawmakers weren't able to lift the cap by March. “I explained to my daughters that, even though I love teaching so much, I just don't know if I can continue,” Larios said. “We can't afford this.”For Yazmin Castro, a senior at Apollo High School, that means her classes are overcrowded — despite being a part of advanced courses that are meant to include more one-on-one interactions. She said the continued unwillingness from Republican lawmakers to resolve the AEL sends a message to students like her, that they'd rather hold onto outdated policies than support reforms that could make things better.“It tells us we're not valued,” she said. “That our education is not a priority and that our future does not matter.” Republican lawmakers, who hold a one-vote majority in each legislative chamber, have repeatedly called for accountability and transparency measures in exchange for school funding. This year, that resulted in several GOP members voting against lifting the cap, citing concerns about what's being taught in schools. Gau said while that argument might appeal to an extreme and vocal minority of constituents, the majority of voters support and trust their public schools. “Voters are watching,” she warned. “And organizations like mine will be here to make sure that voters in 2024 know who had the backs of kids, and who didn't.”COLORADO SUN: Not his first rodeo.Democrat Adam Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman who narrowly lost his bid in November to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, will run again to represent the 3rd Congressional District in 2024.“November's election results show us that Boebert is weak and she will be defeated, which is why I have decided to launch my 2024 congressional campaign,” Frisch said.Frisch filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run against Boebert just days after her win was finalized. His formal campaign announcement kicks off what's likely to be one of the nation's most closely watched congressional contests. Frisch lost to Boebert by 546 votes, or 0.07 percentage points, in 2022. The margin was so narrow that it triggered a mandatory recount under Colorado law. Boebert's near-loss was shocking given the electorate in the 3rd District, which spans the Western Slope into Pueblo and southeast Colorado.The 3rd Congressional District leans 9 percentage points in the GOP's favor, according to an analysis by nonpartisan Colorado redistricting staff. Republicans have a voter registration advantage in the district, which has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. House since 2008. Frisch will hold his first 2024 campaign event in Pueblo on Wednesday. He ran in a crowded primary in 2022, and it's likely he will face Democratic primary opponents in 2022 as well.Boebert has started fundraising for her 2024 reelection bid. “I won my last race by a razor-thin margin,” she wrote in a fundraising email sent out last month. “As you can imagine, left-wingers are going to rally around (Frisch) big time after they came so close this past election.”Riiiight. The left-wingers in your R+9 District. So you perform 9 points worse than a generic Republican. That's not a left-winger problem, Congresswoman, that's a you problem. AMERICAN PROSPECT and ASSOCIATED PRESS:  Colorado and 10 other states consider right to repair legislation.On Colorado's northeastern plains, where the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky, a farmer named Danny Wood scrambles to raise millet, corn and winter wheat in short, seasonal windows. That is until his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out.The tractor's manufacturer doesn't allow Wood to make certain fixes himself, and last spring his fertilizing operations were stalled for three days before the servicer arrived to add a few lines of missing computer code - at a cost of $950.“That's where they have us over the barrel, it's more like we are renting it than buying it,” said Wood, who spent $300,000 to buy the used tractor.Wood's plight, echoed by farmers across the country, has pushed lawmakers in Colorado and 10 other states to introduce Right to Repair bills that would force manufacturers to provide the tools, software, parts and manuals needed for farmers to do their own repairs — avoiding the steep labor costs and delays that erode their profits.Rep. Brianna Titone, a Denver metro Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors said “The manufacturers and the dealers have a monopoly on that repair market because it's lucrative for them, but farmers just want to get back to work.”In Colorado, the legislation is largely being pushed by Democrats while their Republican colleagues find themselves in a tough spot: torn between right-leaning farming constituents who want the change, and the multinational corporations who bankroll GOP campaigns.The manufacturers argue Right to Repair legislation would force companies to expose trade secrets. They also say it would make it easier for farmers to tinker with the software and illegally crank up the horsepower and bypass the emissions controller — risking operators' safety and the environment.In 2011, Congress passed a law ensuring that car owners and independent mechanics — not just authorized dealerships — had access to the necessary tools and information to fix problems.Ten years later, the Federal Trade Commission pledged to beef up its right to repair enforcement at the direction of President Joe Biden. And just last year, Rep. Titone sponsored and passed Colorado's first right to repair law, empowering people who use wheelchairs with the tools and information to fix them.For the right to repair farm equipment — from thin tractors used between grape vines to behemoth combines for harvesting grain that can cost over half a million dollars — Colorado is joined by 10 states including Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.Many of the bills are finding bipartisan support, but in Colorado's House committee on agriculture, Democrats pushed the bill forward in a party line vote with every Republican opposed. “That was really surprising, and upset me,” said the farmer Danny Wood, who votes Republican.Wood's tractor, which flies an American flag reading “Farmers First,” isn't his only machine to break down. His combine was dropping into idle, and the servicer took five days to arrive on Wood's farm — a setback that could mean a hail storm decimates your wheat field, or the soil temperature moves out of the optimal zone for planting.Wood said “Our crop is ready to harvest and we can't wait five days, but there was nothing else to do. When it's broke down you just sit there and wait, and that's not acceptable. You can be losing $85,000 a day.”Rep. Richard Holtorf, the Republican who represents Wood's district and is a farmer himself, said he's being pulled between his constituents and the dealerships in his district. He voted against the measure, siding with the dealers.“I do sympathize with my farmers,” said Holtorf, but he added, “I don't think it's the role of government to be forcing the sale of their intellectual property.”This January, the Farm Bureau and the farm equipment manufacturer John Deere did sign a memorandum of understanding — a right to repair agreement made without government intervention. Though light on details, Deere's new memorandum would make it somewhat easier for farmers to get repair service independent from the company. It would ease restrictions on machine parts from manufacturers and open up other fix-it tools, such as the software or handbooks that Deere technicians rely on.This olive branch, however, is predicated on a major concession from the Farm Bureau - which is one of the nation's most powerful lobbying forces advocating on behalf of farmers. The Farm Bureau has agreed not to support any Right to Repair legislation, or any other provisions at all that would go beyond what's outlined in the agreement.But Nathan Proctor of the Public Interest Research Group, who is tracking 20 right to repair proposals in a number of industries across the country, said the memorandum of understanding has fallen far short.One major problem with agreements like this is that there's no enforcement mechanism. If John Deere doesn't live up to the memorandum, farmers have no path for recourse.“The slippery language gives the company enormous discretion to just set policy as it goes,” said Kevin O'Reilly, the director of the Right to Repair campaign at U.S. PIRG.Deere's track record on this issue isn't great. In 2018, John Deere issued a “statement of principles” that foreshadowed the provisions in the new memorandum. But farmers never received access to the machine parts and software they'd been promised.“Farmers are saying no,” said Nathan Proctor. “We want the real thing.”Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: The RZA with the Colorado Symphony - 36 Chambers of Shaolin and A Ballet Through Mud - From the mind of the RZA comes a symphonic double-feature that bridges the gap between classical and contemporary music. With spoken word, live ballet, and rich orchestration with the Colorado Symphony. Friday and Saturday Feb 17 and 18 at Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets at ColoradoSymphony.orgWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Associated Press, Colorado Sun, American Prospect, Arizona Mirror, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Det finns många faktorer man bör tänka på när det kommer till skadeförebyggande och service på sina maskiner och givetvis på gården själv. Men vad är viktigast att komma ihåg? Finns det någonting som vi lantbrukare bör ha extra bra koll på? Podden gästas av Jakob Söderberg från Farmers First, Mattias Olsson, skadeförebyggare och Peter Karlsson, besiktningsman från Länsförsäkringar Skåne. Programledare: Peter Birch-lensen.

A check in conversation with Jonathan Lundgren, founder of Blue Dasher Farms and the Ecdysis Foundation, who talk about the 1000 Farm Initiative, the real innovation on regen production in the United Sates and beyond, and his scientific approach to regen farming practises.---------------------------------------------------Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and benefits on www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag. Support our work:Share itGive a 5-star ratingBuy us a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture----------------------------------------------------What has happened over the last 2 years since the last conversation with Jonathan? Has traditional science started taking regenerative agriculture seriously? Is there finally more research into profitability and regenerative practices?More about this episode on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/jonathan-lundgren-2.Find our video course on https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/course.----------------------------------------------------For feedback, ideas, suggestions please contact us through Twitter @KoenvanSeijen, or get in touch through the website www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.com. Join our newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P. The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.Support the show Support the show

Permaculture is a popular topic on PGAP. Many who practice permaculture tend to also resonate with post-growth ideas. But for those in the post-growth movement who don't like to garden, are there still things we can learn from permaculture? Can permaculture principles be applied to the wider economic, political and social change movements, or should permaculture keep itself to the garden bed? A new book, ‘The Politics of Permaculture' endeavours to unpack the theory and practice of this popular and broad social movement. Author Terry Leahy collated many interviews and points of view from permaculture practitioners across the world, from Australia to Zimbabwe and everywhere in-between, to capture the many perspectives of how permaculture is understood. He shares this and more with PGAP, including his own vision for a future gift economy. Having crossed paths with Terry Leahy through several community, gardening and permaculture initiatives in Melbourne, it was fantastic to reconnect with Terry again and dig in deep (literally and figuratively) over this very fascinating and thought provoking book. Support Post-Growth Australia Podcast. Subscribe to us through this link (https://pgap.fireside.fm/subscribe). Contact us on the contact form here (https://pgap.fireside.fm/contact). Rate and review PGAP on Apple Podcast here (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/post-growth-australia-podcast/id1522194099). PGAP exists free of corporate sponsorship and advertising, so we rely exclusively on word of mouth to sow the seeds of the podcast that explores the most critical issues facing the planet. Would you like your very own copy of 'The Politics of Permaculture?' You can acquire it through Pluto Press here (https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745342740/the-politics-of-permaculture/) The song of choice from this episode is the very topical 'Climate Movement' from Formidable Vegetable. (https://formidablevegetable.bandcamp.com/track/climate-movement). Given how many times I have played Formidable Vegetable on PGAP, it is fair to say that I am quite the fan. It was wonderful to see them play live at New Years Eve in Albany and to discover we are (sort of) neighbours. If you would like to find out more about Terry Leahy's work he has kindly provided some links below: Leahy, Terry (2019) Food Security for Rural Africa: Feeding the Farmers First, Routledge (https://www.routledge.com/Food-Security-for-Rural-Africa-Feeding-the-Farmers-First/Leahy/p/book/9780367665753). Leahy, Terry (2017) Humanist Realism for Sociologists, Routledge, (https://www.routledge.com/Humanist-Rea-lism-for-Sociologists/Leahy/p/book/9780367876982) Leahy, Terry, Website – The Gift Economy (www.gifteconomy.org.au) Leahy, Terry – YouTube channel: What's Wrong with the World and How to Fix it. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCevqm8Jva1aeaJ6r0RzjZGw) Leahy, Terry and sister Leahy, Gillian (2013) The Chikukwa Project documentary - 53 minutes version (https://vimeo.com/376455835) Leahy, Terry and sister Leahy, Gillian (2013) The Chikukwa Project documentary- 20 minutes educational version (https://vimeo.com/285882471) And if this wasn't enough links: I recently had my 'post-growth manifesto' (https://medium.com/ending-overshoot/my-manifesto-for-a-post-growth-world-c2e1e8e53f73) published on the Ending Overshoot blog. It is based on the script I used for the Christmas 2021 PGAP special. In Season 1 of PGAP I interviewed Anitra Nelson (https://pgap.fireside.fm/degrowth)who had just co-authored an exciting overview of the Degrowth movement. I actually met Anitra through one of Terry's day parties. It is all one big happy and most functional family at PGAP! Too much permaculture barely enough? PGAP has interviewed David Holmgren (https://pgap.fireside.fm/holmgren), Caroline Smith (https://pgap.fireside.fm/tasperspect3), Tania Brookes (https://pgap.fireside.fm/tasperspect1) and Artist as Family (https://pgap.fireside.fm/artistasfamily) Special Guest: Terry Leahy.

The idea was born on a road trip from Waco, Texas to Ferndale, California.    Merritt Brodt and her daughter, Callie Alexandre, had gone to the Lone Star State to source antiques for their artisan shop, The Farmer's Daughter, in downtown Ferndale.    Callie, whose husband's married family owns and operates Alexandre Farms (one of the few organic dairies to produce A2/A2 milk AND secure coveted shelf space at Whole Foods' across the country) had the idea.   “What if we renovated the barn and turned it into an Airbnb?”   Merritt, mother of 3, grandmother of 4, owner of 500 cows, and founder of The Farmer's Daughter, was skeptical at first.  She had a pretty full plate already!   Upon arriving back home in their lush, almost Ireland-like town just a few hours north of San Francisco, Callie was able to convince Merrit and her husband Brian to give it a shot...and the whole family got to work.    Their mission?  To create a piece of heaven on Earth. Tune in to hear Merritt and her daughter-in-law Amanda share the inspiring story of how the family came together to bring The Farm Stay at the Bluff to life.    To book your stay at the Bluff, or to connect with the Brodt family, visit the links below!    Oh, and the next time you're at the grocery store and pick up a delicious block of Rumiano's Cheese or a pint of Humboldt Creamery's ice cream, say a little "thank you" to Merritt and the Brodt family...chances are, the milk came from one of their cows!    Book Your Stay   Follow Merritt on Instagram   Follow Amanda on Instagram   Follow Callie on Instagram   Follow the FarmStay on Instagram   Follow The Famer's Daughter on Instagram  Follow Rumiano Cheese   Follow Humboldt Creamery    If you are an Airbnb host or know an Airbnb host,  who'd like to come on the show, send me an email at zach@sponstayneous.com and we'll chat!   Behind the Stays is brought to you each week by Sponstayneous —a carefully-curated weekly newsletter that brings you the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  It's sort of like Scott's Cheap Flights, but for Airbnb! You can sign up for free at sponstayneous.com  Last, but certainly not least...I didn't believe in Marie Kondo's whole “spark joy” mantra until I started podcasting...now, my joy is sparked every time I see a new subscriber roll in!  So please, hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode...and so you add a lil' spark to my joy fire today.

A visit with Jamie Ager, fourth generation farmer and CEO of Hickory Nut Gap Meats. Jamie unpacks the history HNG Farms, our economic system of agriculture, and how HNG is pioneering a truly new business model for farming.

An interview with Jeroen Klompe, co-founder of Klompe Landbouw and Soil Heroes, on why everything starts with biodiversity above and below ground.-----------------------------------------------------Welcome to Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food.Join our Gumroad community, discover the tiers and benefits here: www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag. Other ways to support our work:- Share the podcast - Give a 5-star rating- Or buy us a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture. ------------------------------------------------------ Learn how one of the most advanced regenerative farmers in the Netherlands is setting up a fair farmers first marketplace to connect farmers with buyers of ecosystem services.  It is not just about carbon removal, but also biodiversity and water storage. It might not be the most sexy part of regenerative agriculture but it is absolutely crucial. How do we pay farmers for all the other services they provide, beyond the food, fibres and oils they (hopefully using regenerative practices) produce for us?More about this episode on: https://investinginregenerativeagriculture.com/2020/08/11/jeroen-klompe/.----------------------------------------------------------- For feedback, ideas, suggestions please contact us through Twitter @KoenvanSeijen, or get in touch through the website www.investinginregenerativeagriculture.com. Join our newsletter on www.eepurl.com/cxU33P. The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.Support the show (https://www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag) Support the show (https://www.gumroad.com/investinginregenag)

New Zealand sheep farmers are the first in the world to breed low methane sheep. Beef and Lamb Genetics has launched a breeding value measurement, where farmers can measure the methane levels emitted by certain sheep.The breeds found to emit less methane will be commercially bred.King Country stud breeder Russell Proffit told Mike Hosking it's a major step forward for the sheep industry. "I think like most sheep farmers, we are just trying to help the NZ agriculture industry and do our part against climate change."LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE

The FBN Podcast enters a hiatus for now in order to deliver content in new formats through other social channels. Dr. Darin Lickfeldt explains the move in response to farmer feedback and highlights other ways to get advice from the FBN Agronomy team.   Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Waterhemp and palmer amaranth are common threats to crop health throughout the corn belt. FBN agronomists Dr. Darin Lickfeldt and Dr. Wade Givens discuss common herbicide applications to fight pigweed and known resistance to certain modes of action.     Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Address weed pressures this fall to promote a healthy growing season for your winter wheat crop. FBN agronomists Dr. Darin Lickfeldt and Holly Thrasher look at herbicide applications and other steps to take to control winter annuals.   Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Pathogens can overwinter in your fields and pose a threat to your next season’s crop. FBN agronomists Dr. Darin Lickfeldt and LeRoy Toohey explore several steps you can take to manage fungal pressure and reduce your risk of crop disease in the offseason.   Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Using a desiccant can aid drydown in soybean plants and protect your overall yield by helping you get into your fields to combine sooner. In this week's episode, Darin and Wade outline common desiccant applications and some things for you to consider when using a harvest aid on your crops. Listen to their discussion for more information on: What a desiccant can do for your soybeans -- and what it won't do The differences between paraquat, saflufenacil and sodium chlorate What signs you should look for before applying a harvest aid How an application's preharvest interval factors into your schedule of harvest activities   Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.  

Farm economics are tight, and you need ways to cut your seed costs without compromising on quality. This is why many farmers are choosing to growing conventional this season.  In this week's episode, Darin and Doyle walk us through chemical programs for conventional corn and soybeans in order to help minimize any challenges farmers may face. Tune in to learn more about: Conventional vs. traited seed cost savings and ROI Weed control and what factors to consider when choosing a residual and post-emergence programs Options available for below and above ground insect control Are there really any differences between conventional vs. traited when it comes to disease control? www.f2fgenetics.com Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Let's talk about harvest preparations. Have you started evaluating your end-of-season crop? In this episode, Dr. Darin Lickfeldt and Holly Thrasher highlight a few considerations to keep in mind when assessing your final crop such as:  Overall plant health and how it affects your harvest prioritization Evaluating ears what you should look out for How to inspect for late season nitrogen deficiencies Did you make the right chemical choices? How can you adjust your chemical program for next year?    Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com

With soybeans in the high $8s, and wheat in the high $4s price range, is there a way to spread some of your risk? How about a way to not be tied to a single commodity crop with all the unknowns that tariffs might bring? LeRoy & Darin cover double cropping systems (with a focus on winter wheat and soybeans) in this episode. double cropping can control soil erosion and keep nitrates from leaching out double cropping can helps spread out your fixed costs across 2 crops double cropping can increase return on investment double cropping can increase overall production for food and feed stock LeRoy talks about the two primary systems of double cropping and provides best practices to help you steer clear of some common hurdles. If you happen to be in a more arid region, he will discuss a few different crops that you might turn to for your double cropping plan.  Listen to this episode to learn how to get the most out of your double cropping system! Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com

It's officially mid-August, which means harvest is quickly approaching. In this week's episode, Darin chats with Senior Staff Agronomist Hunter Stone about how to prep for harvest, yield monitors, and a few to-dos to ensure your technology and equipment is up to speed and ready to hit the field. Tune in to learn more about:  This year's harvest timeline The importance of yield monitors Calibration and a few components associated with it You can text "agronomy" to 313131 and fill out a short form to ask the FBN Agronomy Team a question that they'll answer in an upcoming episode. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com

In this episode, we're talking about in-season fungicide strategies, primarily in corn. Our goal is to help improve your crop health & performance.  We'll answer the question: "Can applied fungicides improve yields?" You can text "agronomy" to 313131 and fill out a short form to ask the FBN Agronomy Team a question that they'll answer in an upcoming episode. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com

This week on The FBN podcast, we're bringing you another agronomy focused episode where our experts discuss season-specific challenges growers may be facing in the field. In this episode, FBN's Head of Agronomy Dr. Darin Lickfeldt and Senior Staff Agronomist Holly Thrasher address corn pollination and factors that impact it. Tune in to learn:   -Common factors that have an effect on corn pollination -How to irrigate during the pollination season  -What pests to look out for and how they could affect pollination   -What to do to improve pollination when biological factors aren't in your favor   You can text "agronomy" to 313131 and fill out a short form to ask the FBN Agronomy Team a question that they'll answer in an upcoming episode. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com

In this week's podcast, FBN's Head of Agronomy, Dr. Darin Lickfeldt, and Senior Staff Agronomist, Hunter Stone, take a deep dive into field scouting, outlining the different technologies and resources that are available to assist farmers in their scouting needs. Tune in to learn more about: Different technologies farmers can use to scout their field more efficiently The importance of record keeping, and some recommendations for keeping good records in preparation for scouting Best practices and resources to help identify pests, and ways to predict when they will arrive How to select the most efficient imagery option when scouting a field You can text "agronomy" to 313131 and fill out a short form to ask the FBN Agronomy Team a question that they'll answer in an upcoming episode. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com

A podcast for farmers about how you can gain more choice, freedom and transparency in your farming business. This week, FBN's Head of Agronomy Dr. Darin Lickfeldt is joined by FBN's Senior Staff Agronomist Doyle Oerter. Together, they address nitrogen fertility and what growers should know about sidedress and lay-by applications of nitrogen on corn.    Learn more about: What % of this season’s nitrogen fertilizer should go out in your sidedress application How to determine the best rate of nitrogen in the sidedress application in extremely wet conditions Which placement options for the sidedress application make the most sense for your crop   You can text "agronomy" to 313131 and fill out a short form to ask the FBN Agronomy Team a question that they'll answer in an upcoming episode. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com

A podcast for farmers about how you can gain more choice, freedom and transparency in your farming business. In this week's episode, Dr. Darin Lickfeldt, Head of Agronomy at FBN, and LeRoy Toohey, senior staff agronomist discuss seed emergence, what we can do to influence its success, and factors that may fall out of our control -- particularly during extremely wet planting seasons like this one.   Tune in for helpful tips and advice such as equipment recommendations that could improve emergence and germination, abiotic and biological factors to anticipate, and actionable items that you can put into practice to positively impact your crop.   You can text "agronomy" to 313131 and fill out a short form to ask the FBN Agronomy Team a question that they'll answer in an upcoming episode. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.FBN.com  

In this episode, join FBN CEO Amol Deshpande for a conversation with our panel of ag market experts as they discuss weather impacts, global trade, and what to expect from the markets this season. Panelists: Kevin McNew, PhD, FBN Chief Economist Stephen Byrne, Equity Analyst, Bank of America Jeffrey Doran, Senior Business Meteorologist, Planalytics Have questions you want us to answer on the next episode? Send them to social@farmersbusinessnetwork.com, and we'll answer them in an upcoming podcast episode. We're keeping Farmers First®. Learn more about FBN Cash Grain Management: https://use.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/cash-grain-management   FBN Advisory services are offered by FBN BR LLC, dba FBN Brokerage and FBN Advisory NFA ID: 0508695 Read our Risk Disclosure and Privacy Policy. The risk of trading futures and options can be substantial and may not be suitable for all investors. All information, publications, and reports, including this specific material, used and distributed by FBN BR LLC shall be construed as a solicitation. FBN BR LLC does not distribute research reports, employ research analysts, or maintain a research department as defined in CFTC Regulation 1.71. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

In the first agronomy update on The FBN Podcast, Dr. Darin Lickfeldt, Head of Agronomy at FBN, and his team make their introductions, share their background and expertise, and offer a preview of the experience, tips and agronomic updates they'll bring to farmers every other week. You can text "agronomy" to 313131 and fill out a short form to ask the FBN Agronomy Team a question that they'll answer in a next episode. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events   F2F Genetics Network branded seed products, and FBN Direct, are offered by FBN Inputs LLC and are available only in states where FBN Inputs LLC is licensed. Always remember to read and follow label use instructions. It is the listener's responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest, and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. Prices and savings may vary. Terms and conditions are subject to change at any time and without notice. Farmers Business Network, FBN and Farmers First are registered trademarks of Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

A podcast for farmers about how you can gain more choice, freedom and transparency in your farming business. In this episode: Breaking down the FBN Ag Chem Price Transparency Report on farm chemical prices and the wide variability among the prices farmers pay for their chemicals; tips for handling stress on the farm with Ted Matthews, a rural mental health expert from Minnesota; and why you should consider getting a second opinion on your farm's crop insurance. Send your questions to social@farmersbusinessnetwork.com, and we'll answer them in an upcoming podcast episode. We're keeping Farmers First®. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events

Ben Harms is head of strategy and operations at FBN Crop Marketing. He's on the podcast to share why, and how, FBN jumped into the complex ecosystem this is grain marketing. At FBN, we have strong farmer relationships, but we also don't look like a lot of other grain companies do. That's by design, and Ben is walking us through it in this exclusive episode on FBN Crop Marketing. Have questions you want us to answer on the next episode? Send them to social@farmersbusinessnetwork.com, and we'll answer them in an upcoming podcast episode. We're keeping Farmers First®. Learn more about FBN Cash Grain Management: https://use.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/cash-grain-management     FBN Advisory services are offered by FBN BR LLC, dba FBN Brokerage and FBN Advisory NFA ID: 0508695 Read our Risk Disclosure and Privacy Policy. The risk of trading futures and options can be substantial and may not be suitable for all investors. All information, publications, and reports, including this specific material, used and distributed by FBN BR LLC shall be construed as a solicitation. FBN BR LLC does not distribute research reports, employ research analysts, or maintain a research department as defined in CFTC Regulation 1.71. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

Did you know that the exact same seed can be sold under 2 different brand names? It's a practice called seed relabeling.  We're sharing our analysis of which brands relabel seeds and how much it could be costing you?  Have you been thinking about taking fall soil samples to help create next year's fertility plan? We'll share the best methods to take your samples and get them off to the lab for analysis. We're also discussing GT tolerant soybeans, and holding back seed for the first time in decades!  Download the Seed Relabeling Report Today!  use.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/seed-relabeling-report-2018/?UTM_Source=fbnpodcast     A podcast for farmers about how you can gain more choice, freedom and transparency in your farming business. Send your questions to social@farmersbusinessnetwork.com, and we'll answer them in an upcoming podcast episode. We're keeping Farmers First®. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events

A podcast for farmers about how you can gain more choice, freedom and transparency in your farming business. In this episode: Breaking down the FBN Corn Seed Discounts Report, looking at the benefits of making a starter fertilizer application this spring, how and why FBN jumped into the grain marketing ecosystem; and discussing the latest headlines on soybean quality and where seed treatments can play a role in getting beans off to a strong start. Download the Corn Seed Discount Report here:  use.farmersbusinessnetwork.com/corn-discount-report-2018/?UTM_Source=fbnpodcast   Send your questions to social@farmersbusinessnetwork.com, and we'll answer them in an upcoming podcast episode. We're keeping Farmers First®. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events

FBN Chief Economist Dr. Kevin McNew is taking us on a deep dive into ways that FBN is shaping the new farm economy through transparency... whether that’s transparency in pricing, or industry practices, or transparency in performance. This is a part of our mission at FBN, and we believe that greater transparency is one of the key ways that you as farmers are able to level the playing field and ensure the industry is working for you. So think of this episode as your personal lesson on transparency in agriculture, brought to you from the virtual classroom of FBN chief economist, Dr. Kevin McNew. Send your questions to social@farmersbusinessnetwork.com, and we'll answer them in an upcoming podcast episode. We're keeping Farmers First®. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events     FBN Advisory services are offered by FBN BR LLC, dba FBN Brokerage and FBN Advisory NFA ID: 0508695 Read our Risk Disclosure and Privacy Policy. Copyright © 2014-2019 Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All rights Reserved. The sprout logo, "Farmers Business Network", "FBN", and "Farmers First" are registered service marks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.  The risk of trading futures and options can be substantial and may not be suitable for all investors. All information, publications, and reports, including this specific material, used and distributed by FBN BR LLC shall be construed as a solicitation. FBN BR LLC does not distribute research reports, employ research analysts, or maintain a research department as defined in CFTC Regulation 1.71. This website contains information obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed by FBN BR LLC. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. For the purposes of quality assurance and compliance, phone calls to and from FBN BR LLC may be recorded.

"Have you ever wondered how the bottom dollar you pay for seeds is determined? Or which seed trait packages would give you the best yield and net revenue? It used to be that 1/3 the value of something new in agriculture would go to the farmer, 1/3 to the inventor, and 1/3 to all the distribution steps in between. But as you look at our trait pricing study, that value share is completely out of whack."  Download the Seed Traits Report at: use.fbn.com/do-seed-traits-pay-report-2019/?UTM_Source=fbnpodcast   A podcast for farmers about how you can gain more choice, freedom and transparency in your farming business. Send your questions to social@farmersbusinessnetwork.com, and we'll answer them in an upcoming podcast episode. We're keeping Farmers First®. Want more farming trends and insights like this podcast? Tune into an upcoming webinar: www.fbn.com/events

Jason & Yvonne welcome Matt Hohler, cofounder of Farmers First Coffee. They discuss the coffee process and how Farmers First is trying to give more money to coffee farmers so they can earn a sustainable wage.

Host Doug Stephan reveals a recent study which indicates that the number one cause of concern in the world is Animal Welfare. Next, Doug talks with Government Relations Representative for the National Farmers Unionhttp://www.nfu.org, Matt Perdue, who is an advocate for family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities in Congress and the executive branch.  He focuses on climate, conservation, energy, health care, rural development, and transportation. In April, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced legislation to provide mental health resources in rural America to address the alarmingly high rate of suicide amongst farmers and ranchers. The bill, FARMERS FIRST encourages Rural Solutions for Immediate Response to Stressful Times. Finally, Doug opines about the FARMERS FIRST Bill.

Farmers First Coffee is a socially conscious coffee startup that’s putting the focus on the farmers that are actually growing the coffee. Every bag of Farmers First comes with the name and image of the farmer who produced the coffee inside. The bag Matt graciously brought for me was grown by Rosa, a Peruvian widow that has been producing coffee for 30 years. Matt brewed me a delightful cup of Rosa’s coffee right in the studio, so I’ll apologize in advance if you hear us slurping a bit. Want a deal on some of this great coffee?! Go to FarmersFirstCoffee.com and use code FUTURESELF to get 10% off your first order. Key moments from this episode: 05:42 — Overcoming the fear and uncertainty of starting a business and dating in a country where he didn’t know the language 08:11 — The importance of finding a vocation, something that inspires you 13:37 — The origin story of Farmers First Coffee 20:51 — Why they chose to form a socially conscious startup over a non-profit 23:35 — How they launched a massively successful Kickstarter campaign 30:02 — Facing and overcoming fear in the early days of the business 42:37 — How his personal health struggles influenced his career trajectory 48:27 — How they connect coffee drinkers with the coffee farmers *** You can listen to this episode above or on iTunes. After you listen, drop me a line and let me know how you liked it, then head on over to the iTunes Store and Subscribe, Rate, and Review the show. That's how we keep spreading the word and bringing you even more killer content! Cheers! Liked what you heard? Consider sharing this episode with a friend. As always, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, & LinkedIn. The podcast is available for download from the iTunes Store, Google Play, Stitcher Radio, and TuneIn. You can also download this episode from the player at the top. A portion of any purchase made through our affiliate links kicks back to the show to help us keep the lights on and bring you more fresh killer content. Resources Mentioned: Start With Why - Simon Sinek Bold - Peter Diamandis Hector and the Search For Happiness CLIP Brené Brown Ted Talk