Podcasts about The Land Institute

I was at a professional meeting recently and I heard an inspiring and insightful and forward-looking talk by journalist and author Roger Thurow. Roger was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal for 30 years, 20 of them as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. Roger has written a number of books including one on world hunger and another what I thought was a particularly important book entitled The First 1000 Days, A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children and the World. Now comes a new book on farmers around the world and how they are coping with the unprecedented changes they face. It was hearing about his book that inspired me to invite Mr. Thurow to this podcast and thankfully he accepted. His new book is entitled Against the Grain: How Farmers Around the Globe are transforming Agriculture to Nourish the World and Heal the Planet. Interview Summary I really admire your work and have loved the new book and what I've read before. So, let's talk about something that you speak about: the wisdom of farmers. And you talk about their wisdom in the context of modern agriculture. What do you mean by that? Farmers of the world, particularly the small holder farmers, indigenous farmers, family farmers as we know them in this country, they're really bold and pioneering in what they're doing. And these farmers, kind of around the world as we go on this journey around the world in the book, they've seen their efforts to earn a living and feed nourish their families and communities turn against. So, while conforming to the orthodoxies of modern industrial agriculture practices: the monocropping, the increased use of fertilizers and pesticides and insecticide chemicals, the land expansion, at the expense of savannas, forest wetlands, biodiverse environments. In the face of this, they've really witnessed their lands degrading. Their soils depleting. Their waters dwindling. Their pollinators fleeing. Their biodiversity shrinking and becoming less diverse. Their rains becoming ever more mercurial., Their temperatures ever hotter. And their children and families and their communities becoming ever more hungry and malnourished. So, they've really seen the future of their own impacts on the environment, and then the impacts of changing climates, of more extreme weather conditions. They've really seen this future. They've experienced, lived it, and it's ugly what they see and what they've experienced on their farms. So, that's their wisdom, and they'll really tell us that it doesn't have to be that way if we listen. That such a future isn't inevitable. Because out of their desperation, you know, these farmers have begun farming against the grain. So, there's the title of the book Against the Grain of this modern agriculture orthodoxy to reconcile their roles as both food producers and nourishers of us all, and stewards in the land. They're pushing forward with practices like agroforestry, agroecology, regenerative agriculture, kind of whatever one calls it. Farming with nature instead of bending nature to their will, which is what we too often done and with kind of the larger modern industrial agriculture techniques. So, farming with nature as opposed to against it as they strive to both nourish us all and heal our planet. Give us a sense, if you will, about how important these small farmers are to the world's food supply? So how important are these? They're really important. Extremely vital for the global food chain, certainly for their own families and communities, and their countries. In a lot of places, say in Africa, in many of the countries, on the continent, it's the small holder farmers that are producing the majority of the food. In their communities and in their countries and across the continent. Still not enough. Africa then must become a substantial importer of food. But these small holder farmers are so key and the more success that they have in feeding their communities and families, the more success we all have then in this great goal of ending hunger and malnutrition. Equally important, these farmers are the stewards of the land. And they're on the front lines of these environmental challenges. The threats from the changing climate and more extreme weather conditions. They're the first impacted by it, but they also increasingly see, and that's what stories in the book are about, how they see that their own actions are then impacting their environment and their climates. And this is why they're so important for all of us is that they find themselves at the center of what I think is this great collision of humanities two supreme imperatives. One, nourish the world, so nourish us all. That's the one imperative. And then the other imperative, kind of colliding with that, is to preserve, protect, and heal our planet from the very actions of nourishing us. So, these are these two colliding forces. You know as I think we already know agriculture and land use activities are responsible for about a third of the greenhouse gases impacting our climate and weather patterns. And the greatest impact of this then is felt by the farmers themselves. And they see what's happening to their soils and the depletion of their soils. Their lands being so terribly degraded by their very actions of nourishing their families and then contributing to nourishing us all. I think that's why they're so important for us. I mean, there's certainly kind of the canaries in the coal mine of climate change. Of these environmental challenges that we're all facing. And how they're then able to adjust their farming, as we kind of see in the book and that's this wisdom again. How can we learn from them and what are they seeing in their own situations. They're then having to adjust because they have no other options. They either have to adjust or their farms will continue to degrade and their children and their families increasingly malnourished and hungry. Roger let's talk through this issue of colliding imperatives just a bit. The fact that protecting the planet and nourishing people are colliding in your view, suggests that these two priorities are competing with one another. How is that the case? Some of the techniques of the monocropping, which is basically planting one crop on the same plot of land year after year, after year, season after season, right? And by doing that, these crops that are pulling nutrients out of the soil, many of the crops don't put nutrients back in. Some of them do. They'll restore nitrogen they'll put other nutrients in. But with the mono cropping, it's kind of the same depletion that goes on. And, has been particularly practiced in this country, and the bigger farmers and more commercial farmers, because it's more efficient. You are planting one crop, you have the same technique of kind of the planting and tending for that. And the harvesting, kind of the same equipment for that. You don't need to adjust practices, your equipment for various other crops that you're growing on that land. And so, there's an efficiency for that. You have then the price stability if there is any price stability in farming from that crop. That can be a weakness if the price collapses and you're so dependent on that. And so, the farmers are seeing, yeah, that's where the degrading and the weakening their of their soils comes from. So, what's their response to that when their land's degrading? When their soils become weak, it's like, oh, we need additional land then to farm. So they'll go into the forest, they'll cut down trees. And now there's virgin soil. They do the same practices there. And then after a number of years, well that land starts depleting. They keep looking for more. As you do these things, then with the soils depleting, the land degrading, becoming really hard, well, when the rain comes, it's not soaking in. And it just kind of runs away as the soil becomes almost like concrete. Farmers aren't able to plant much there anymore or get much out of the ground. And then so what happens then if the water isn't soaking into the soil, the underground aquifers and the underground springs they become depleted. All of a sudden, the lakes and the ponds that were fed by those, they disappear. The wildlife, the pollinators that come because of that, they go. The bushes, the plants, the weeds that are also so important for the environment, they start disappearing. And so you see that in their efforts to nourish their families and to nourish all of us, it's having this impact on the environment. And then that drives more impacts, right? As they cut down trees, trees drive the precipitation cycle. Tthen the rains become ever more mercurial and unpredictable. Without the trees and the shade and the cooling and the breezes, temperatures get hotter. And also, as the rains disappear and become more unpredictable. It has all this effect. And so, the farmers in the book, they're seeing all this and they recognize it. That by their very actions of cutting down trees to expand their land or to go to a different crop. Because again, that's what the commercial agriculture is demanding, so maybe its sugar cane is coming to the area. Well, sugar cane doesn't get along with trees. And so, the farmers in this one part of Uganda that I write about, they're cutting down all their trees to plant sugarcane. And then it's like, wow, now that the trees are gone, now we see all these environmental and ecosystem results because of that. And so that's where this collision comes from then of being much more aware, and sensitive in their practices and responding to it. That they are both nourishing their families and then also being even better stewards of their land. And they're not doing any of this intentionally, right? It's not like they're going 'we have to do all this to the land, and you know, what do we care? We're just here for a certain amount of time.' But no, they know that this is their land, it's their wealth, it's their family property. It's for their children and future generations. And they need to both nourish and preserve and protect and heal at the same time. Well, you paint such a rich picture of how a single decision like mono cropping has this cascade of effects through the entire ecosystem of an area. Really interesting to hear about that. Tell me how these farmers are experiencing climate change. You think of climate change as something theoretical. You know, scientists are measuring these mysterious things up there and they talk about temperature changes. But what are these farmers actually experiencing in their day-to-day lives? So along with the monocropping, this whole notion that then has expanded and become kind of an article of faith through industrial and modern agriculture orthodoxies, is to get big or get out, and then to plant from fence post to fence post. And so, the weeds and the flowers and plants that would grow along the edges of fields, they've been taken down to put in more rows of crops. The wetland areas that have either been filled in. So, it was a policy here, the USDA would then fund farmers to fill in their wetlands. And now it's like, oh, that's been counterproductive. Now there's policies to assist farmers to reestablish their wetland. But kind of what we're seeing with climate change, it's almost every month as we go through the year, and then from year after year. Every month is getting hotter than the previous months. And each year then is getting subsequently hotter. As things get hotter, it really impacts the ability of some crops in the climates where they're growing. So, take for instance, coffee. And coffee that's growing, say on Mount Kenya in Africa. The farmers will have to keep going further and further up the mountains, to have the cooler conditions to grow that type of coffee that they grow. The potato farmers in Peru, where potatoes come from. And potatoes are so important to the global food chain because they really are a bulwark against famine. Against hunger crises in a number of countries and ecologies in the world. So many people rely on potatoes. These farmers, they call themselves the guardians of the indigenous of the native potato varieties. Hundreds of various varieties of potatoes. All shapes, sizes, colors. As it gets warmer, they have to keep moving further and further up the Andes. Now they're really farming these potatoes on the roof of Earth. As they move up, they're now starting to then farm in soils that haven't been farmed before. So, what happens? You start digging in those soils and now you're releasing the carbon that's been stored for centuries, for millennia. That carbon is then released from the soils, and that then adds to more greenhouse gases and more impact on the climate and climate change. It kind of all feeds each other. They're seeing that on so many fronts. And then the farmers in India that we write about in the book, they know from history and particularly the older farmers, and just the stories that are told about the rhythm of the monsoon season. And I think it was the summer of the monsoon season of 2022 when I was doing the reporting there for that particular part of the book. The rains came at the beginning, a little bit. They planted and then they disappear. Usually, the monsoons will come, and they'll get some rain for this long, long stretch of time, sometimes particularly heavy. They planted and then the rains went away. And as the crops germinated and came up, well, they needed the water. And where was the water and the precipitation? They knew their yields weren't going to be as big because they could see without the rains, their crops, their millet, their wheat crops were failing. And then all of a sudden, the rains returned. And in such a downpour, it was like, I think 72 hours or three days kind of rains of a biblical proportion. And that was then so much rain in that short of time than added further havoc to their crops and their harvest. And it was just that mercurial nature and failing nature of the monsoons. And they're seeing that kind of glitches and kinks in the monsoon happening more frequently. The reliability, the predictability of the rains of the seasons, that's what they're all finding as kind of the impacts of climate change. You're discussing a very interesting part of the world. Let's talk about something that I found fascinating in your book. You talked about the case of pigweed in Uganda. Tell us about that if you will. Amaranth. So here, we call it pigweed. That's a weed. Yeah, destroy that. Again, fence post to fence post. Nah, so this pig weed that's growing on the side or any kind of weeds. The milkweed, so I'm from northern Illinois, and the milkweed that would kind of grow on the edges of the corn fields and other fields, that's really favored by monarch butterflies, right? And so now it's like, 'Hey, what happened to all the monarch butterflies that we had when we were growing up?' Right? Well, if you take out the milkweed plants, why are the monarch butterfly going to come? So those pollinators disappear. And they come and they're great to look at, and, you know, 'gee, the monarchs are back.' But they also perform a great service to us all and to our environment and to agriculture through their pollinating. And so, the pigweed in Africa - Amaranth, it's like a wonder crop. And one of these 'super crops,' really nutritious. And these farmers in this area of Uganda that I'm writing about, they're harvesting and they're cultivating Amaranth. And they're mixing that in their homemade porridge with a couple of other crops. Corn, some millet, little bit of sugar that they'll put in there. And that then becomes the porridge that they're serving to the moms, particularly during their pregnancies to help with their nutritional status. And then to the babies and the small children, once they started eating complimentary food. Because the malnutrition was so bad and the stunting so high in that area that they figured they needed to do something about that. And the very farmers that this program from Iowa State University that's been working with them for 20 years now, first to improve their farming, but then wow, the malnutrition is so bad in these farming families. What can we do about that? Then it was, oh, here's these more nutritional crops native to the area. Let's incorporate them into farming. This crop is Amaranth. Basically, neglected in other parts of the world. Destroyed in other parts of the world. That is something that's actually cultivated and harvested, and really cared for and prized in those areas. It's a really interesting story. Let's turn our attention to the United States, which you also profile in your book. And there was a particular farmer in Kansas named Brandon that you talk about. And he said he was getting divorced from wheat. Tell us about that. Yes, thank you. That's a really interesting story because he's standing there kind of on the edge of his farm, looking at the wheat crops across the road that his neighbor was planting and he had some himself. And he's saying, yeah, I need to get a divorce from wheat. Because of the impact that that was having on the environment. Again, the planting of the wheat, you know, year after year. It's the wheat belt of our Great Plains, which then is legendarily known as the breadbasket, not only of America, but the breadbasket of the world. This wheat is particularly good and appropriate for the label of Breadbasket because it's really good for breads, baking materials. But he's looking at here's the impact it had on his soil. The organic matter on the soil has been dwindling. In the season that the wheat is underground, and the topsoil is uncovered, then you have the problems with erosion. He's seen the impact over time of the year after year after year of growing the wheat. What's interesting, he says, you know, I need to get a divorce from wheat. Well, it's his relatives, because he's a fifth descendant, of the Mennonite farmers from what is now Ukraine - one of the world's original grain belts, who brought their hard red winter wheat seeds with them when they came to the Great Plains in the 1870s. They're the ones that wed Kansas, the Great Plains, the United States to wheat. So now this farmer, Brandon-I-need-to-get-a-divorce-from-wheat, well, it's your ancestors and your descendants that wed us to that. There's kind of historic irony that's taking place. But along with the wheat seeds that came, then also came the plowing up the prairie lands for the first time. And wheat is an annual crop. It's planted year after year one harvest. With each planting, the soil is disturbed, releasing carbon that had been stored, that had been stored in the soil for millennium when they first started plowing. Carbon along with methane released by agricultural activities is, again, one of the most potent greenhouse gases. And in addition, you know, this annual plowing exposes the soil to erosion. You know, relentless erosion with the wind and the rain in the plains. That's what eventually led to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Some environmental and conservation agricultural practices come along because of that, but now that continues. And Brandon himself is seeing the impact as he measures the organic matter in the soil. These are the microorganisms in the soils that naturally work with the soils to grow the crops to feed us all. The nutrients in the soil are weakened and depleted, which then results in the need for more and more chemical enhancements and fertilizers, particularly nitrogen and all the rest. And then you see the runoff of the nitrogen into the water system. And so, yeah, he's seen the impact of all of this, and he's like I need to do something else. And so, he's taken a rather radical step than of planting and growing perennial crops, which you plant one season and then they'll grow for three or four years, maybe more and longer. He has some cattle, so he is able to graze that on those perennial crops. One in particular called kernza, which is an ancient intermediate wheat grass. Has some of the properties of wheat. And so the Land Institute in Kansas then is also working on perennial crops and how can they then be cultivated and harvested also as crops that we all eat. And so Kernza is very high in protein. There's all sorts of breads and pasta, pastries, that you can make with it. Cereals. It's a good ingredient for brewing. There's Kernza beer. And there's promise with that. And then so these perennial crops, then it's like, okay, so we don't have to plow every year. We plant, they grow, they provide a cover crop, but they also provide food for all of us. So perennials, good for our nutrition, good for the soils, good for the environment. You know, we've recorded a series of podcasts with farmers who've been doing regenerative agriculture. And the kind of story that you talk about Brandon, quite similar to what you hear from some of the other farmers. Farming was in their family for many generations. They were accustomed to a particular type of industrial agriculture. They saw it harming the land, thought it bad for the planet, and decided to really retool and do things entirely different. And they're making a go of it, which is really exciting. Roger, I wanted to ask you about Native Americans. As you write about their agriculture, spirituality, kinship, and how all these things come together. Tell us about that. Exactly. Thank you. And so, if you go travel a little bit further in our great plains from Kansas up to South Dakota, and the Sicangu Lakota communities in the southern part of South Dakota close to the Nebraska border. They're trying to reestablish their food sovereignty and the agriculture practices of the Native Americans destroyed, as we tried to destroy them and their communities. By taking of their land, forced relocations, the Trail of Tears, the Trail of Death, in various parts of the country, from various of the Native American communities. And they realize that, as you and the researchers at Duke, know really well, the health impacts that has had on the Native American communities and the high rates of diabetes and obesity, the shortened life expectancies in those communities. And one of the main factors then is their food pathways, and their nutrition being disturbed through all this. So how can they reestablish their food sovereignty? The emphasis on the crops that they used to grow, particularly the three sisters' crops, the maize, the beans, the squash. And then that they would have crops and taste and nutrients that were so vital to their systems traditionally. To recapture that in various growing projects that they have. And then also, with the Sicangu Lakota, they are trying to reestablish the buffalo herd, which was basically decimated from upwards of 30 million or more size of the herd basically down to several hundred with the intentional slaughter of the buffalo in order to really oppress and impact the Native American community. So vital not only to their food sources and nutrition, but basically everything. Clothing, tools - so using every inch of the buffalo. And then spiritually. And as they explain their approach to regenerative agriculture, they would put a picture of a buffalo as the very definition of regenerative agriculture. Just by the way that the buffalo grazes and then moves around. It doesn't graze to the soil it leaves something behind. Then the grasses grow quicker because there's something that's left behind. They leave things behind for other animals. The way that they migrate, and then kind of knead the soil as they go along. That also helps with the soil. So, all these regenerative agriculture, regenerative soil, healthy soil healing practices of it. And then they also say, look the spiritual nature of things that the buffalo represents their kinship. Their kinship of the people to the buffalo, to their land, to the environment. And to them, regenerative agriculture isn't just about food, about soils, about the cultivation and the planting, but also about this kinship. It is a kinship and a spirituality of kind of all of us together. We're all combined on this global food chain. And so that whole kinship element to regenerative agriculture, I think is also really important for us to all understand. Getting back to your original question about the wisdom. This is the wisdom of these farmers, these indigenous farmers, small holder farmers, family farmers. Like Brandon, the small holder farmers of African, India and Latin America are learning so much about their crops that we have so much to learn from.vIt's inspiring to think that some of the remedies that people are coming up with now in the face of all these challenges actually have historic roots that go back thousands of years is pretty inspiring. And it's nice to know that the resurrection of some of these techniques might really make a difference in the modern world. Roger, there are so many questions I'd love to ask you. And I'd urge people to read your book Against the Grain to further explore some of these issues. But I wanted to end with something. Are you hopeful that things will change in a positive direction? I am. I'm also concerned that we need to recognize the need to both nourish and heal. Recognize that this collision is looming, but it's already happening. And I think my hope, and cautious optimism I guess, then comes from the farmers themselves. They're very resilient, and they have to be, right? If you'd asked them the question about where their hope comes from or their optimism or their motivation and inspiration to keep going, it's they don't have any other option. I mean, this is their land. This is what they do. They're farmers, they're nourishing their families. If their families are to be nourished and to end the effects of poor nutrition as we see in this country, which is then common around the world, they need to adjust. So Abebe, a farmer Ethiopia this is kind of where my hope and inspiration comes from. And he begins the book. He's at the outset of the book and in the prologue. His land in Ethiopia was utterly degraded and you couldn't plant there anymore. They had already cut down trees, moved into areas that had been forested. The humble forest in the area had basically disappeared, in kind of the greater area of where Abebe lives. The bigger kind of ecosystem, environmental changes that then come from that, or the disappearance of a forest. And he had been following then the practices and the orthodoxies of modern agriculture. He realized that that was then behind the degradation of his land and the soil. He couldn't plant anymore. And the World Food Program, the Ethiopian government, other kind of NGOs, were then seeing, look these farm communities, these families, we're going to have to be assisting with food assistance forever because their lands are so degraded. They're not able to nourish their families from them unless we do something to restore and heal the land and bring the land back. And so, Abebe and his family and many others in his community, the kind of wider neighborhood and in this area, the humble forest, a lot of them, they stop farming on their land and they're given assistance saved by the World Food Program, kind of food for work. And they set about rehabbing their land. Kind of terracing their land so it'll hold the water. Digging shallow water pans to collect the rain so it then soaks into the soil, into the ground, and then regenerates the underground springs and sources of water. Planting grasses, bushes, letting kind of the land heal and regenerate itself. After a number of years, they see that happening. They move back to the land, and now he has this wide diversity as opposed to planting say corn every year or other mono cropping. Now he has this wide, wild, riotous array of different crops and vegetables and fruit trees. Some of the staple crops that he's grown also in rotation. Working with trees that have then grown up. Springs, a little pond has reformed that he didn't even know was there had come up because of the conservation the water. And he says, you know, my land, which once was dead, he's living again. Right? A profound statement and a realization from this farmer of this is how we can bring it back. So again, as I say, they've seen the future and it's ugly, right? He's seen his land degraded. He couldn't nourish his family anymore. He then does these practices, takes heed of this. I need to heal my land at the same time as farming it. And now his land is living again. So that to me is kind of a wonderful parable. So again, the wisdom of the farmers. It's through the stories and the wisdom of Abebe, that kind of the hope comes forward. Bio Roger Thurow is a journalist and author who writes about the persistence of hunger and malnutrition in our world as well as global agriculture and food policy. He was a reporter at The Wall Street Journal for thirty years, including twenty years as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. In 2003, he and Journal colleague Scott Kilman wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. Thurow is the author of four books: Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty (with Scott Kilman); The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change; The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children – And the World; and, Against the Grain – How Farmers Around the Globe Are Transforming Agriculture to Nourish the World and Heal the Planet. He has also been a senior fellow for Global Agriculture and Food Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, as well as a Scholar-in-Residence at Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute.

This is the final installment of our 5 Non-Negotiables of the Left series where we detail three short-term goals to take back the country and two long-term fights that must be waged for the sake of our democracy and the planet. This fifth entry speaks to the now back-burnered but ever-present threat to life on this planet: Climate change. This is the most difficult case we’ll make to you. We expect pushback and disappointment at first but if we do our job, we’ll shift you to acknowledgement and resolve. This fifth Non-Negotiable isn’t for us. It’s for someone you might know, but more than likely it’s for someone you’ll never meet. We present the establishment of The Climate Trust: Social Security for the Planet. Chapters Intro: 00:00:57 Chapter One: Diet, Exercise and Nuclear Power. 00:01:25 Chapter Two: The Social Cost of Carbon. 00:06:21 Chapter Three: Settling into Reality. 00:10:37 Chapter Four: We’ve Known It All Along. 00:17:55 Non-Negotiable #5: The Climate Trust. 00:26:36 Post Show Musings: 00:30:30 Outro: 01:23:22 Resources IPCC: Summary for Policymakers — Special Report on Climate Change and Land Institute for Policy Integrity: Gauging Economic Consensus on Climate Change The Center for Climate & Security: Chronology of Military and Intelligence Concerns About Climate Change World Economic Forum: This is How Climate Change Could Impact The Global Economy Swiss Re: World economy set to lose up to 18% GDP from climate change if no action taken, reveals Swiss Re Institute's stress-test analysis The New York Times: 40 Million People Rely on the Colorado River. It’s Drying Up Fast. The Black Vault: Global Climate Change Implications for the U.S. Navy Thomas Malthus: On the Principle of Population United Nations: Food Systems Summit United Nations: Secretary-General’s Chair Summary and Statement of Action on the UN Food Systems Summit US EPA: Global Greenhouse Gas Overview Penn State: Plant-Based Diet Rodale Institute: Farming Systems Trial Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health Energy Education: Discovery of the greenhouse effect APS: August 1856: Eunice Foote Concludes That Carbon Dioxide Could Warm the Atmosphere, Three Years Before John Tyndall Did DQYDJ: Income Percentile Calculator for the United States Eunice Foote: Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays CNA: National Security and the Threat of Climate Change GovInfo: National Security Implications of Global Climate Change to 2030 U.S. Department of Defense: Department of Defense 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap Global Monitoring Laboratory: Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) UNIDO: HCFC Phase-Out PBS NewsHour: Antarctic ozone hole believed to be shrinking Book Love James Howard Kunstler: The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Cent Cass R. Sunstein: Climate Justice: What Rich Nations Owe the World—and the Future Tad Delay: Future of Denial: The Ideologies of Climate Change Nicoletta Batini: The Economics of Sustainable Food: Smart Policies for Health and the Planet Mark Bittman: Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal: A Food Science Nutrition History Book Michael T. Klare: All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon's Perspective on Climate Change Lester R. Brown: Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization John Tyndall: Heat Considered as a Mode of Motion William Stanley Jevons: The Coal Question UNFTR Resources Building the Climate Industrial Complex. The Montreal Protocol. Phone A Friend: Tad Delay. A (Mostly) Vegan World. UNFTR Non-Negotiables. -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Dan Murphy and Kasey Mock discuss the Realtors Land Institute (RLI), its historical significance, and the importance of professionalism and education in the land brokerage industry. They explore the challenges facing the real estate industry, including the impact of technology and the need for accountability and transparency. They emphasize the role of RLI in promoting high standards and collaboration among real estate professionals, ultimately aiming to enhance the industry's reputation and effectiveness.  Timestamps 00:00 The Journey of RLI and Its Historical Significance 03:12 Professionalism in Land Brokerage 06:05 The Importance of Education and Designation 09:11 Challenges Facing the Real Estate Industry 11:56 The Role of Technology in Real Estate 14:52 Accountability and Standards in Real Estate 17:50 The Future of Real Estate and RLI's Role 25:17 Wealth Generation in Real Estate 26:14 Legislative Changes Impacting Real Estate 28:59 The Future of Real Estate and Environmental Accountability 29:30 Market Forecast and Consumer Behavior 32:25 Global Issues Affecting Real Estate Investment 34:46 The Role of RLI in Protecting Landowner Rights 39:03 Professionalism in Real Estate 43:20 Upcoming Events and Industry Engagement  

The Land Institute co-leads the global movement for regenerative grain agriculture. Tammy Kimbler of the Institute speaks with Oregon Grapevine host, Barbara Dellenback, about perennial wheat, healthy soil, food, beer, and diverse life systems in soil.

Robert Jensen is an emeritus professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, a founding board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center, and a member of the team developing Ecosphere Studies at The Land Institute. Jensens most recent book, The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men from Spinifex Press, offers a critique of the pathology of patriarchy that is at the core of todays crises. Host Sylvia Richardson has a lively discussion with Robert about radical patriarchy for men, what it means when men give up power and support women, moving from power over to power with. Support Latin Waves by becoming a member for as little as $1 per month. www.latinwavesmedia.com.

Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC. Guests: Nicola Twilley – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves” Erik Morrison – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts Stan Cox – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World” Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact sales@advertisecast.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC. Guests: Nicola Twilley – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves” Erik Morrison – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts Stan Cox – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World” Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact sales@advertisecast.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who Owns America ? (WHOA) is an ambitious effort by the Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to uncover land ownership patterns with unprecedented accuracy, ease, and nuance. By equipping municipalities, states, and nonprofits with comprehensive, tailored analyses of ownership, WHOA helps purpose-driven organizations understand and respond to their challenges, including unprecedented investment by institutional investors in moderate income housing across America.rnrnFounded to help people and the planet keep up with the pace of change, the Lincoln Institute's CGS specializes in improving how data is accessed and applied across boundaries - within an organization, between partners, and across sectors or jurisdictions. Its WHOA analysis uniquely fuses parcel data with environmental and social information to unlock a holistic understanding of our systemic challenges. To date, the organization has helped reveal property ownership patterns in dozens of cities and states, including Cincinnati, helping local leaders to take action to drive more equitable outcomes.

Did you know that 80 to 90 percent of all agriculture globally is based on annual grain crops? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Evan Craine, Ph.D., Research Associate at The Land Institute, who discusses the ecological benefits of perennial agriculture.Related website:  www.landinstitute.org https://kernza.org/new-kernza-food-drink-products-proliferate/

What if there was a grain that didn't have to be replanted every year? One with deep roots that stay in the soil, trap carbon, prevent erosion, filter water. Kernza – the world's first perennial grain crop – could be a game changer when it comes to sustainable food production and using our land to help fight climate change. But the big question: does is make a good beer? In this episode, Amy heads to Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee to find out. Kernza® is the trademark name for the grain of an intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) being developed at The Land Institute in Kansas. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Russ Klisch, Owner & Co-Founder of Lakefront Brewery Background Reading:  Climate-Smart Crops: Kernza Kerna Crunch: The Race to Develop the First Perennial Grain Crop (podcast) Impacts of Conventional Agriculture in Wisconsin The Land Institute: Kernza Grain

Robert Jensen is a retired  professor from the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, a founding board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center, and a member of the team developing Ecosphere Studies at The Land Institute. Host Sylvia Richardson speaks to Robert about the history of environmental degradation, how capitalism and colonialism sever us from the land and each other. How we need to not only change ourselves but learn to accept less. How do we come about changing systems and culture. How simply buying an electric car is not going to get it done Support Latin Waves by becoming a member for as little as $1 per month. www.latinwavesmedia.com.

Terri Jensen is one of only 14 Accredited Land Consultants in Minnesota out of an industry consisting of over eighteen thousand agents. She is a past president of the Realtor's Land Institute, a member of various planning commissions, a former Vice President of Real Estate/Appraisal Operations, an adjunct professor for the University of Nebraska, an advisory panel member for Women in Leadership, and a highly successful managing broker. There's more credentials in her resume but you get the idea, Terri knows what she is talking about when it comes to land real estate. Mac Christian talks with her today to talk about the ins and outs of 1031 exchanges. If you are interested in land, you'll learn something during this interview. Contact Terri Jensen Buy, Sell, Auction, or Lease Land

Throughout the Perennial Ag world comes many challenges as well as joy! We are joined with my dear friend Mercedes Santiago on this episode as well as Charlotte from the Kansas Rural Center! This is episode two out of four within our collaborative series. We start this series with the sounds of the American Crow, a common friend we see often in group or murder as they call it. The oldest crow lived to be over 17 years old! Not sponsored but major fan of the Merlin Birding app which is a great entry point into learning about birds. Mercedes has an all encompassing viewpoint on farming within perennial, vegetable and floral farming. She has studied these plants and the soil systems that they live in over the years as well. She is passionate about her families history within Puerto Rico and how farming has impacted them on the Island as well. Mercedes is currently working with The Land Institute in Salina Kansas and focuses on the perennial crops they grow there. +++ Thanks for listening to this episode of the Prairie Ramblings Podcast! Your support is greatly appreciated, any like/download/review/share helps this lil show out a lot. If you have the means, you can now financially support the show! (Link attached in linktree) Thank you for any or all of the above. Located on unceded Kaw, Osage, and Kickapoo lands, also known as Lawrence, Kansas. Keep up with the show @prairieramblingspodcast on Instagram. Other ways to connect me: www.linktr.ee/prairieramblings +++ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/prairie-ramblings-podcast/support

EcoRadio KC recorded a panel discussion, Perennial Agriculture with The Land Institute, on Oct. 14, 2023 at the Lawrence Public Library.  Kernza is a perennial wheat grain showing promise as […] The post GIVE YOUR BODY THE GOOD STUFF appeared first on KKFI.

Robert Jensen is an emeritus professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, a founding board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center, and a member of the team developing Ecosphere Studies at The Land Institute. Jensens most recent book, The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men from Spinifex Press, offers a critique of the pathology of patriarchy that is at the core of todays crises. Host Sylvia Richardson has a lively discussion with Robert about radical patriarchy for men, what it means when men give up power and support women, moving from power over to power with. Support Latin Waves by becoming a member for as little as $1 per month. www.latinwavesmedia.com.

Laura talks about perennial farming with Aubrey Streit Krug, Director of Perennial Cultures at the Land Institute.

When you think of perennial crops, you may think of fruit or nut trees, not plants like wheat or rice, which are traditionally planted every year. An organization called The Land Institute, based in Salina, Kansas is hoping to change that. They have been at work developing perennial grain and legume crops. You may wonder why? Perennial crops have many advantages. They have economic and environmental benefits by requiring less, or no, pesticides and fertilizers, and they can reduce carbon pollution, prevent erosion of the soil and, like trees, hold carbon in the soil.

This is a re-release of our 10th episode with Wes Jackson and David Kline. Wes talked to us about the development of Kernza at The Land Institute and other sustainable farming practices. Rooted In Organic Podcast is sponsored by Byron Seeds and SoilBiotics.

Wendy Johnson joins us at the kitchen table to talk about her farm (Joia Food Farm) her farm journey and her joy of growing local food.   We explore Kernza, the new, perennial grain that Wendy is trialing on her farm and helping to introduce to the market.    Donna gives a history of perennial grain breeding at the Land Institute by Wes Jackson and her experience in baking with Kernza.   Wendy  talks about her sheep flock, how sheep are integrated into the crop and grazing rotation at Joia Farm and her marketing of the wool through her company Counting Sheep Sleep Company.  

This week, on a very special episode of Inside Julia's Kitchen, we're celebrating what would have been Julia's 111th birthday. Join host Todd Schulkin, as he highlights some of our favorite Julia Moments from the last year, including Julia memories shared by chef and restaurateur Serigne Mbaye of DAKAR NOLA; Rachel Stroer, President of the Land Institute; drinks expert Robert Simonson; Barkha Cardoz of Cardoz Legacy; baker and author Rose Levy Berenbaum; Kevin Morse, the founder of Cairnspring Mills; pastry chef Sandra Adu Zelli; chef Eric Ripert of New York's Le Bernardin; and one of the Foundation's Trustees, Alex Prud'homme, who is Julia's grand-nephew and a journalist and author. Tune in as we say Happy Birthday to Julia! (Photo: Schlesinger Library, used with permission)Inside Julia's Kitchen is Powered by Simplecast.

Soy Checkoff: https://www.unitedsoybean.org/Sustain-A-Grain: https://www.sustainagrain.com/The Land Institute: https://landinstitute.org/Today's episode features Peter Miller and Brandon Schlautman, Ph.D. of Sustain-A-Grain. Sustain-A-Grain has a two-part mission: to introduce consumers to Kernza® perennial grain and to support family farms in growing Kernza®. The team has been growing Kernza® themselves for nearly 5 years in close collaboration with The Land Institute—where Kernza® was first developed. They are certified seed dealers, handlers, and growers, and they work with dozens of farmers across the Great Plains to grow and market their grain. They also work with food companies, restaurants, breweries, and distilleries to source high-quality Kernza®. This is an interesting episode about the potential for perennial grains, and what it takes to commercialize a brand new crop. The problems are different that what you would expect. For example, Kernza® has received a ton of press and excitement from some pretty big end users, which sounds like a great thing, and ultimately it is. But Peter and Brandon have to find ways to build the supply chain in a way that buyers remain happy, farmers remain profitable, and supply and demand can grow together at a sustainable pace. No easy task. We'll talk about the research and breeding efforts that continue to go into the crop and what this means for farmers, food companies, and the future of agriculture. Peter Miller, CEO & Co-founder, has global agribusiness experience and previously worked in three early-stage startups, including helping to launch FarmLead's online grain marketplace. Peter has over 10 years of operations and private equity experience in the ag industry. He holds an MBA from University of Illinois.Dr. Brandon Schlautman, Chief Science Officer & Co-founder, is a crop scientist who previously led cranberry breeding and domestication efforts at University of Wisconsin and perennialization of edible legumes at The Land Institute. Brandon serves as the Research Director for a $10M National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant for perennial cover crops and holds a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin.We begin the conversation with Brandon talking about where this all started, the place where Kernza® has been developed over the past 20 years: at The Land Institute.

The best place to generate electrical power is where it's used. We all know that solar PV adds value for both owners and society by improving resilience, reducing energy costs and decreasing carbon emissions and climate impact. Yet traditional design practices and compressed schedules make it challenging for project teams to include integrated solar on their designs. The solution is Architectural Solar and the Architectural Solar Association knows that the key moves are early engagement and integration of architectural, structural and cladding systems. The time is now to consider solar as being architecturally significant and to realize that it does not always have to be relegated to the roof. The days of the Mr Potato HeadTM approach, where panels are stuck onto a home or building after they're built, are over. Join us for forward-looking discussion with two industry experts in best practices for solar integration and design._____Stan PipkinSince 2007, Stan has co-managed and owned Lighthouse Solar in Austin, TX. He has been involved in the shaping of local and state policy to foster the growth of solar energy. In addition, Stan runs an architectural design practice, Pipkinc., focusing on residential, commercial and civic projects. He has found considerable overlap between integrated solar design and holistic architectural design services. In 2000 he co-founded a research and design collective, Spurse, which has engaged in community design projects, material research and process consulting for institutions and organizations ranging from the Guggenheim Museum to The Land Institute. Their work has included exhibitions, workshops, lectures, participatory community design projects, product development and architectural design. Lecture and workshop venues have included MIT, Rhode Island School of Design, Maine College of Art and the GuggenheimWhile managing and growing all aspects of Lighthouse Solar, Stan worked closely with a number of industry innovators, including Lumos Solar on the development of its architectural solar product suite. Stan holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas, his skill-set sits at the nexus of solar energy and architecture._____Christopher KlingaChris is a licensed, professional structural engineer, with 10-years of hands-on experience in the architectural solar industry. He has an extensive background in solar installation design and operations and architectural solar product development. In addition to his efforts with ASA, Chris operates his own solar product development firm SolMotiv Design, which consults directly with the full value chain of both PV and curtain wall industries. Chris is also a co-inventor on 3 solar technology patents and 3 pending patents. Chris holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder._____TeamHosted by Kristof IrwinEdited by Nico MignardiProduced by M. Walker

This episode is part of our Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.Aubrey Streit Krug is the Director of the Perennial Cultures Lab at the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas. The Land Institute is a nonprofit and one of the global leaders in sustainable agriculture research and education. Aubrey grew up in a small town in Kansas where her parents farm wheat and raise cattle. She is a writer, teacher, and researcher who studies stories of relationships between humans and plants. Aubrey gives us a crash course in understanding the perennial grain ecosystem, its history, the research behind how to develop new crops, and the labor needs to sustain production. We also cover the education required to introduce new crops for human consumption, equity considerations on access to crops, and why the ability to grow grains year-round is key to sustaining global food stability. In this episode, we cover: [03:03]: Aubrey's background and connection to farming[05:27]: Her interest in community and diverse perspectives in agriculture[07:19]: The semi-arid grassland ecosystem of the Great Plains[08:28]: The Land Institute's focus on developing sustainable alternatives, including perennial grain crops[12:26]: Paradigm shifts in food and agriculture throughout human history [15:00]: The need to undergo another paradigm shift, from annual grain crops to diverse perennials [17:45]: Two pathways to creating perennial crops: hybridization and domestication [22:21]: Domestication as a process of human co-evolution and interdependence with plants [23:41]: Perennial rice and Kernza perennial grain success stories[27:07]: The diverse skilled labor roles needed to sustain perennial grain agriculture[29:55]: Ensuring just and equitable distribution of perennial crops with inclusive research processes [32:11]: The Land Institute's civic science program and community participation[35:17]: Challenges posed by climate change and the need for resilient agricultural systems[37:27]: What gives Aubrey hope and joy Resources Mentioned:The next era of crop domestication starts nowGet connected: Aubrey Twitter /The Land Institute TwitterYin Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on May 4, 2023 (Published on Jul 20, 2023)

Partners: HVMN – You can find Ketone-IQ at https://hvmn.com/changeagents to save 30% on your first subscription. Brandon Schlautman is a scientist at “The Land Institute”, a Kentucky-based nonprofit dedicated to finding new sustainable solutions for growing the food we eat. He has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Nebraska Wesleyan University a PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On this episode of Change Agents with Andy Stumpf, an IRONCLAD original, Brandon discusses the work he is doing to make farming more sustainable. You can learn more about Brandon and the work of The Land Institute Here: https://landinstitute.org/about-us/staff/brandon-schlautman/ CORRECTION: In the intro of this podcast, we say that The Land Institute is located in Kentucky. It is actually located in Kansas. We apologize for the error. Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/change-agents-with-andy-stumpf/id1677415740 Shop IRONCLAD Apparel: https://shop.thisisironclad.com/ Change Agents is an IRONCLAD original. Visit https://www.thisisironclad.com to learn more. Be sure to subscribe to @thisisironclad on YouTube and major social platforms. Follow us on Social - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisironclad Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ThisIsIRONCLAD#changeagents #Andystumpf #ironclad

I've long believed that to confront challenges like climate change, we need to move public opinion to the point where a majority favor policies that respond effectively and fairly. I'm afraid that's no longer true. I read with alarm STAN COX's article MAGA Legislators Increasingly Force Taxpayers to Support Fossil Fuel Industry by, among other things, outlawing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing. Here's my conversation with STAN COX of the Land Institute and JOHN FEFFER of the Institute for Policy Studies, about this anti-democratic and destructive strategy and other aspects of the politics of climate.

I've long believed that to confront challenges like climate change, we need to move public opinion to the point where a majority favor policies that respond effectively and fairly. I'm afraid that's no longer true. I read with alarm STAN COX's article MAGA Legislators Increasingly Force Taxpayers to Support Fossil Fuel Industry by, among other things, outlawing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing. Here's my conversation with STAN COX of the Land Institute and JOHN FEFFER of the Institute for Policy Studies, about this anti-democratic and destructive strategy and other aspects of the politics of climate. You can learn more at landinstitute.org and johnfeffer.com

Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.Dr. Robert Jensen has been part of the anti-pornography movement since the 80s. Since he started, he has taught, written books and articles, and done extensive research on how society has been affected by pornography, with a particular focus on how pornography shapes men's behaviors and beliefs. Dr. Jensen explains how we're living in an age of extreme pornography, how normalized sexism and racism have become in mainstream pornography, and how it's affecting children and the way they're growing up. In this episode, Dr. Robert Jensen discusses the importance of having conversations with our kids about the harmful effects of porn, modeling healthy interactions, and start changing the conversation about pornography in our own homes and communities.Article: How the Porn Industry Capitalizes Off of Racism and Racist StereotypesArticle: Why the Goal of the Phrase "Porn Kills Love" Isn't to Shame AnyonePodcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 90: Taina Bien-AiméResource: Let's Talk About PornVisit: Culture Reframed 

Robert Jensen is an emeritus professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, a founding board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center, and a member of the team developing Ecosphere Studies at The Land Institute. Host Sylvia Richardson speaks to Robert about the history of environmental degradation, how capitalism and colonialism sever us from the land and each other. How we need to not only change ourselves but learn to accept less. How do we come about changing systems and culture. How simply buying an electric car is not going to get it done Support Latin Waves by becoming a member for as little as $1 per month. www.latinwavesmedia.com.

How many of y'all have heard of the long root ale? Climate smart honey oats cereal? How about Kernza? The main ingredient in these products, and the perennial grain that has the potential to revolutionize our modern agricultural system. Tune in today for a deep dive into Kernza and the other perennialization projects taking place at the land institute. Tessa Peters fills us in on the history of perennial grain research in the U.S., what Kernza is, where it grows, what conditions it prefers, what hurdles perennial grains have to overcome in our current agricultural model, and much more. Don't touch that dial! Find our guest at @thelandinstutue and us on instagram at @forestgardenpodcast. Links: https://kernza.org/ https://landinstitute.org/

I first met Ren Olive about 8 or 9 years ago camping at the Land Institute’s Prairie Festival in Salina, KS. I clearly remember having a number of very thought […]

Wheat feeds billions but it has some big climate problems. Wheat production degrades the soil, which releases carbon. It also requires a lot of land. That means clearing land—often forest—to make room for it, which also releases carbon. Plus, wheat harms ecosystems: fertilizer runoff causes water pollution, and monoculture hurts biodiversity. One alternative? Kernza. Developed over decades by the Land Institute, it's a perennial relative of wheat that sequesters carbon with its massive root system. But does its carbon-sequestering power make it truly climate-friendly?   This week, Mike and Tamar talk about Kernza and the decades-long movement to domesticate the holy grail of grains: a crop that not only produces high yields but also improves the environment. To leave a message for Mike and Tamar, call the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lifelong love of prairie led sculptor and former architect BILL MCBRIDE to the rolling sea of grass and sunflowers that is Matfield Green, Kansas—population 45. Serendipitous introductions to fellow environmentalist, artists and conservation enthusiasts enabled Bill to find a home for his own work and his ongoing passion project, the Prairie Art Path. Initially lacking a road map, Bill “lived conceptually,” doggedly pursued his artistic dreams, and eventually created the place he imagined. “You have to keep listening to yourself and find your models.”Find BILL:Website:  www.billmcbridestudio.com    Facebook:   @wamcbride      Instagram: @MatfieldGreenWorks  Mentioned:Matfield Green, KS (learn) Matfield Station (learn)Cottonwood Falls, Kansas (visit)  Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve (visit)  Flint Hills, Kansas (explore) Prairie Art Path, Bill's artwork and others (discover)  Riverbank Neighbors (learn) Wes Jackson, environmentalist / Land Institute in Salina, KS (learn)  Friends of Chicago River (learn)  Chianati Foundation, Marfa TX (visit)  Donald Judd , American artist, minimalism (learn) Pioneer Bluffs, Center for Flint Hills Ranching Heritage (learn)  Ton Haak, Dutch writer, designer, (learn)  Tall Grass Artist Residency, residency and bunkhouses (explore)The Bank / Matfield Green Works, gallery & event space (explore)  Mike Miller, sculptor (learn)  Andy Goldsworthy, English sculptor, environmentalist/ land art (learn) Mark Arts Center, Wichita, KS (learn) Find Me, Kristy Darnell Battani: Website:    https://www.kristybattani.com Instagram:  kristybattaniart Facebook:  kristybattaniart Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please take a moment to leave a rating and a comment: https://lovethepodcast.com/artishplunge   Music:"Surf Guitar Madness," Alexis Messier, Licensed by PremiumBeat.comSupport the show

Thirty years ago “The Death of Ramon Gonzalez was published and subsequently began making an impression on thousands of people around the world with, as Wes Jackson of The Land Institute said,” a new way of looking at the tragic human and environmental consequences of chemical-dependent agriculture”. The author of this ground breaking book, Angus Wright recently passed away after a productive life.  For the author of a book that begins with a death from chemical agriculture in Mexico, it seems fitting that the death of the author Angus Wright should begin with a review of lessons learned, progress made and what more is needed for “modern agriculture.” To help with this journey I'm pleased to welcome, Steve Gliessman farmer, retired University of California Santa Cruz professor, one of the first guests on Farm to Table Talk and an author himself-- he literally wrote the book on Agroecology.

This week on Inside Julia's Kitchen, host Todd Schulkin welcomes Rachel Stroer, President of The Land Institute, a non-profit research organization and leader in the global movement to create perennial, intrinsically regenerative, scalable agriculture. They discuss how perennial crops help us address climate change and contribute to sustainable farming practices, as well as the flavor of perennial wheat flour, how it compares to traditional wheat flour and what all this means for the average consumer. Plus, Rachel shares her Julia Moment.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Inside Julia's Kitchen by becoming a member!Inside Julia's Kitchen is Powered by Simplecast.

If our future is one of limitation, how may we face it with courage to do the best job with what is possible? Even though easy solutions may not be apparent it does not make asking hard questions irrelevant. According to our guests, what are the four hard questions we must be asking at this time.Robert W Jensen, Ph.D. is professor emeritus in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of many books including Plain Radical: Living, Loving and Learning to Leave the Planet Gracefully (2015 Skull Press), The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men (Spinifex Press 2017) and The Restless and Relentless Mind of Wes Jackson: Searching for Sustainability (University Press of Kansas 2021)Wes Jackson, Ph.D.is recognized as a leader in the international sustainable agriculture movement and earned his Ph.D. in genetics. He is cofounder and president emeritus of the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, and a 1992 MacArthur Fellow. He is the author and co-author of numerous books, including Hogs Are Up: Stories of The Land, With Digressions and New Routes for Agriculture. (University Press of Kansas 2021) and Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture (Counterpoint 2011)Jensen and Jackson are coauthors of An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Change, Climate Crisis, And the Fate Of Humanity. (University of Notre Dame Press 2022)Interview Date: 8/12/2022 Tags: MP3, Wes Jackson, Robert W Jensen, agriculture, population limits, cascading crises, carrying capacity, technological fundamentalism, techno-optimism, ecosphere, Marty Bender, Sunshine Farm study, William McDonough, Abe Osherhoff, Leland Lorenzen, Jim Koplin, human population, electric cars, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Philosophy, Social Change/Politics, technology

Robert W Jensen, Ph.D. is professor emeritus in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of many books including Plain Radical: Living, Loving and Learning to Leave the Planet Gracefully (2015 Skull Press), The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men (Spinifex Press 2017) and The Restless and Relentless Mind of Wes Jackson: Searching for Sustainability (University Press of Kansas 2021)Wes Jackson, Ph.D.is recognized as a leader in the international sustainable agriculture movement and earned his Ph.D. in genetics. He is cofounder and president emeritus of the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, and a 1992 MacArthur Fellow. He is the author and co-author of numerous books, including Hogs Are Up: Stories of The Land, With Digressions and New Routes for Agriculture. (University Press of Kansas 2021) and Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture (Counterpoint 2011)Jensen and Jackson are coauthors of An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Change, Climate Crisis, And the Fate Of Humanity. (University of Notre Dame Press 2022)Interview Date: 8/12/2022 Tags: Wes Jackson, Robert W Jensen, down-power, Wallace Stegner, Henry David Thoreau, World is more beautiful than useful, beauty, attention, consumerism, origins of civilization, we are carbon-based, Mary Oliver, pay attention, be amazed, tell about it, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Philosophy, Social Change/Politics, technology

In this episode with Robert Jensen, retired journalism professor, prolific author, and life-long social and environmental justice advocate, we discuss his latest book “An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity” that he co-authored with his colleague and elder, and The Land Institute's co-founder Wes Jackson. Against the backdrop of cascading ecological and social crises of subjugation of people and nature under the dominion of patriarchy, capitalism, imperialism, and anthropocentrism, we engage in a humbling dialogue about what it would mean for us to grapple with difficult questions and to consciously embrace limits, as a pathway to a more graceful and meaningful co-existence with one another and with Nature. See episode website for show notes and links:https://www.populationbalance.org/episode-81-robert-jensen ABOUT US The Overpopulation Podcast features enlightening conversations between Population Balance Executive Director Nandita Bajaj, cohost Alan Ware, and expert guests. We cover a broad variety of topics that explore the impacts of our expanding human footprint on human rights, animal protection, and environmental restoration, as well as individual and collective solutions. 

PLEASE COMPLETE THE LISTENER SURVEY:https://bit.ly/Pulses2022 ( https://bit.ly/Pulses2022) The Land Institute's https://landinstitute.org/about-us/staff/brandon-schlautman/ (Brandon Schlautman) joins the show about the work he is doing to breed perennial pulses. Brandon is the lead scientist of the perennial legumes program at the Land Institute which is based in Salina, KS. The 40 year old non-profit ag research institute tries to find solutions that balance short term economic realities with long term conservation goals. They're known for their work in kernza, and hope to make similar progress in pulses. In this episode we talk about why developing a perennial pulse crop is worthwhile, where they started down this road, how they settled on sainfoin for the perennial pulse development, and the road ahead towards commercialization. “My program at The Land Institute focuses on perennial pulses and we're exploring various candidates and are starting to work towards something that can kind of mimic a pea or a chickpea or a lentil, but be something that has living roots in the ground year round, and gonna make it through our winters and recover and always be there. It's kind of a plant once and harvest many times type of deal.” -Brandon Schlautman So when Brandon arrived at The Land Institute, one of his early challenges was to find the most promising perennial legumes to consider for commercial development. This open ended task was the first step to narrowing it down to a plant he could work with. He eventually settled on sainfoin. One big plus about sainfoin, is that it actually is already grown in some areas as a commercial crop. But settling on sainfoin is just one of the many challenges of bringing this new crop to production. The hope is this will find a premium market, reduce soil disturbance, and thrive on minimal inputs.  “There are a couple thousand acres of production in the western part of the US. And I really like that there's a sainfoin seed industry already. We've talked with multiple growers in Montana that they grow and clean seed and sell it to other producers mostly for forage production. So we have some of this knowledge about how sainfoin can be grown and how to do the seed production. The eating it is the next step and so we're excited.” - Brandon Schautman This Week on https://www.growingpulsecrops.com/ (Growing Pulse Crops): Meet https://landinstitute.org/about-us/staff/brandon-schlautman/ (Brandon Schautman) the lead scientist of the perennial legumes program at the Land Institute  Explore the journey towards developing and producing a perineal pulse crop Discover the benefits of having a perennial crop and the possible opportunities sainfoin can offer producers Learn more at http://www.landinstitute.org (www.landinstitute.org) Growing Pulse Crops Podcast is hosted by https://www.linkedin.com/in/timhammerich/ (Tim Hammerich) of the http://www.futureofag.com (Future of Agriculture Podcast).

Climate change means that, in many parts of the world, the way we farm is no longer working. We need a larger, more diverse range of crops that perform even when the rains don't come or, as can also be the case, when too much rain comes. Currently, just 15 crops make up 90% of our energy intake, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. In this programme, we're meeting people who are trying to develop food crops that might thrive in our changing world. Ruth Alexander visits the Millennium Seed Bank ran by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in the UK, where Dr Chris Cockel explains their work collecting and storing seeds from the wild relatives of our staple crops. Tessa Peters, Director of Crop Stewardship at The Land Institute in Kansas, US, makes the case for creating perennial versions of our crops, in order to preserve soil health. And Dr Rebbie Harawa, regional director, Eastern and Southern Africa at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid-Tropics talks about why a currently underutilised crop – millet – could be help struggling farmers in dry areas. Picture: Close up of millet growing in a field; Credit: BBC/Getty

How often do we think about the food we eat and its impact on climate? A new food product called Kernza® perennial grain is part of a major effort to fight climate change by changing what we plant and eat. But can Kernza really find a place on dinner tables – and in cereal bowls –across Wisconsin? In this episode, we sit down to taste a few samples and learn why changing farming systems is key to helping our climate. Kernza® is the perennial grain crop from an improved intermediate wheatgrass developed by The Land Institute in Kansas. Research partners in the US, including Wisconsin and Minnesota, and abroad continue to improve the grain. Thank you to our guests: Nicole Tautges, agro-ecologist with the Michael Field Institute; Valentin Picasso, associate professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Scott Laeser, Clean Wisconsin Water Program Director Host: Amy Barrilleaux, Clean Wisconsin Background Reading: Agriculture is responsible for 15% of Wisconsin's total greenhouse gas emissions, and that contribution is growing. Find out how natural climate solutions like perennial agriculture can help – and why they're urgently needed in Wisconsin: cleanwisconsin.org/natural-climate-solutions

 Robert Jensen is professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Texas in Austin and collaborates with the Ecosphere Studies program at The Land Institute. Host Sylvia speaks to Dr Jensen on his newest book "We Are All Apocalyptic Now: On the Responsibilities of Teaching, Preaching, Reporting, Writing, and Speaking Out " How we come to terms with the fact that this high energy , high tech consumption culture is going to fail. How its better if it fails on our terms and not naturally, how we need to transition to a low energy culture, how we have to learn to live without and make different choices. Support Latin Waves by becoming a member for as little as $1 per month. www.latinwavesmedia.com.

Manitoba Co-operator reporter Geralyn Wichers cracks open a page from history and speaks with plant breeder Peggy Wagoner, Lee DeHaan of the Land Institute, and Doug Cattani at the University of Manitoba, about early and ongoing efforts of perennial grain development – tracing back to the tragic, Stalin-era Soviet Union period – and the promise of a perennial, dual-purpose grain named kernza that may be more environmentally friendly to grow than some annual grain crops. Hosted by Geralyn Wichers.

Manitoba Co-operator reporter Geralyn Wichers cracks open a page from history and speaks with plant breeder Peggy Wagoner, Lee DeHaan of the Land Institute, and Doug Cattani at the University of Manitoba, about early and ongoing efforts of perennial grain development – tracing back to the tragic, Stalin-era Soviet Union period – and the promise of a perennial, dual-purpose grain named kernza that may be more environmentally friendly to grow than some annual grain crops. Hosted by Geralyn Wichers.

Food can have a positive impact on the land and our communities. “But our planet is in danger and it's time for us to think even bigger.” These words of wisdom are surprisingly to be found on a climate smart Kernza Grain cereal by Cascadian Farm. Thanks to the research and development at the Land Institute in Salina Kansas, the deep rooted, soil healthy perennial grain will store more carbon, prevent soil erosion and preserve clean water. Plus it makes nutritious tasty cereal and soon other food products. Tim Crews is the Chief Scientist at the Land Institute and a believer in what perennial plants like Kernza can offer the planet. www.landinstitute.org

In this episode, we consider what farmers grow—and whether that, too, can change. Producer Rachel Yang introduces us to Don Wyse, who leads a research program at the University of Minnesota that is developing 16 new or improved crops designed to thrive in a world with an unpredictable climate. Yang drills down into one of those crops, a grain called Kernza, a type of wheatgrass. Unlike corn and wheat, which are annual crops whose roots are in the ground only a short time, Kernza is a perennial. You plant it, harvest it, and next year it grows back. So Kernza develops super dense roots that can reach 10 feet into the earth, requiring less water, locking a lot of carbon into the soil, and slurping up twice as much fertilizer as annual wheat, thereby preventing runoff and nitrogen pollution. It is a climate-mitigating super plant. But for perennials like Kernza to replace annual grains, they need to be profitable for farmers to grow. Which means there needs to be a market for those grains. As Yang explains, the Land Institute in Kansas, mission control for Kernza development, received a $10 million grant from the USDA in 2020 to start scaling up Kernza from specialty crop to staple grain. That money has people building out a supply chain by experimenting with Kernza: farmers farming it, millers milling it, and bakers baking it for eaters to eat. Everyone along this supply chain is trying to figure out how to deal with the challenges of this new grain.

Wednesday's AOA started with a discussion with Tessa Peters, the Director of Crop Sustainability with The Land Institute about the new perennial grain they've developed, Kernza. Dave Gebhardt of EarthDaily Agro joined the show in segment 2 with a look at global crop production monitoring through satellites. Then Arlan Suderman, Chief Commodities Analyst with StoneX discussed the increasing inflation levels through the economy and the outlook for soy products. Ag meteorologist Greg Soulje, of This Week in Agribusiness provided an update on the blizzard impacting the northern plains and looked out to the growing season ahead.

Robert Jensen is an emeritus professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, a founding board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center, and a member of the team developing Ecosphere Studies at The Land Institute. Host Sylvia Richardson speaks to Robert about the historic nature of Empire, how violence and fundamentalism play a natural role and gives some historical context to the current Ukraine conflict. Support Latin Waves by becoming a member for as little as $1 per month. www.latinwavesmedia.com

Not all meat is created equal. If you've been wondering what regenerative meat is and how it can heal our bodies and our planet, then this episode is for you. Our guest went from a high-level athlete trying to optimize his performance to a rancher raising the best meat possible for southern California.  Regenerative rancher Kevin Muno of https://perennialpasturesranch.com/ (Perennial Pastures) digs into how he and his team are revitalizing 17,000 acres of southern California grasslands through holistic, ecological grazing methods. We dig into the nitty gritty of how regenerative ranching can build soil and drastically improve the health of our planet while providing us with nutrient-dense protein.  We explain exactly how cattle can restore grasslands and build topsoil while yielding nutrient-dense, healing food.  We also discuss how more regenerative ranches and businesses can dive into this movement to make a difference on a global scale. Kevin also provides profound insights into regenerative entrepreneurship and how to create financially viable businesses that align with serving his community and contributing to something that is much bigger than himself. He offers so much advice for aspiring regenerative ranchers as well as how eaters can support this movement. We explore the differences between annual, low-diversity, soil-destroying industrial systems versus perennial, high diversity, soil-building agroecosystems. And how this directly impacts our gut microbiomes and so many other aspects of human health. We also get into the fascinating details of new nutrient density studies that are helping differentiate between different types of cattle ranching, and how some meats may be drastically healthier for us than others.  Lastly, we dive into why Kevin believes that we need science-driven data to identify greenwashing in the regenerative space, and how we can differentiate the truly regenerative producers versus the fakers. If you've been wondering what questions to ask your local ranchers or how to find truly ethical, eco-friendly meat in the grocery store, we've got the answers!  Follow Perennial Pastures on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialpasturesranch/?hl=en (@perennialpasturesranch)  Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesoilcollective_/ (@thesoilcollective_ ) Mentioned in this podcast: https://perennialpasturesranch.com/ (Perennial Pastures Ranch)  ‘The Paleo Diet' by Dr. Loren Cordain (book) ‘Restoration Agriculture' by Mark Shepard  (book) Roger Savory (son of Allan Savory, a key figure in regenerative agriculture) ‘Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown (book)  Soil Health Academy Course at University of CA Chico https://landinstitute.org (The Land Institute) https://www.savannainstitute.org/ (The Savannah Institute) ‘Sacred Cow' by Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf (book) https://bionutrient.org/bionutrientinstitute (Bionutrient Food Association)

Welcome to Prophecy Radio, a Percy Jackson podcast dedicated to all of Rick Riordan's past, present, and future projects! Co-hosts Karen Rought and Kristen Kranz talk about the latest news in the Percy Jackson/Rick Riordan Presents fandom, discuss all the Daughter of the Deep spoilers we couldn't talk about in episode 4, and analyze chapters 15 and 16 of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. New episodes of Prophecy Radio will air weekly, and all ages are welcome to tune in. News and Updates (00:01:33) Kristen is not a morning person, but Karen has enough energy for the both of them. Be sure to vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards! Sign up for Kwame Mbalia's Black by Popular Demand newsletter. Are you a teacher? Check out this Tristan Strong Keeps Punching educator's guide. Did we read any books like Tristan Strong when we were in middle school? You can back the Bridge to Elsewhere anthology, featuring Carlos Hernandez. And get ready for the Magic Has No Borders anthology, featuring Tracey Baptiste! Daughter of the Deep spoiler chat (00:07:39) This is your last warning that there are spoilers ahead! If you're looking for our spoiler-free Daughter of the Deep discussion, listen to episode 4. It feels sacrilegious to call the animal characters sidekicks. First up, we HAVE to talk about how awesome Socrates was. He felt like a substantial character in this book. Top is SO cute. He gets ALL the treats. Is Top a direct descendent of the original Top? Kristen tees it up, and Karen hits a homerun. We really love Romeo for so many reasons. There's a reason why we got all that information about octopuses during the virtual tour! This was a really cool twist to the story. Our love for Jupiter knows no bounds. Let's not turn this into a Great British Bake-Off podcast. He has an interesting ingredients list, and he does an amazing job with it. There's a huge message about the conservation of the planet in this book, and that's pretty awesome. Did we see that big twist coming? How culpable is Dev for everything that happened? Is Dev redeemable? It depends on a lot of factors, honestly. And how much of this was because of Land Institute's manipulations? Poor Ana, though. She's been through so much. Luckily, she has super supportive friends and a good head on her shoulders. Dev was expecting the worst, and Ana was trying her hardest to trust him again. Let's talk about Ana and Gemini. Do we like them together? Do we want them to stay friends? Hewett was a surprise, wasn't he? That said, he does remind us of a certain other professor… Kids are the future, and that's why middle grade and young adults books are so awesome. Which character did Kristen trust the least? Where did we leave off in Daughter of the Deep? What could we see in a possible sequel down the line? Karen has some gentle words of encouragement for Rick. Chapter Reviews (00:59:33) This week, we're reading chapters 15 and 16 of The Lightning Thief! A lot happened in chapter 15. Do kids still know what IMing is??? Either way, Iris Messaging is pretty amazing. Did we trust Luke on the first read-through? Callie makes yet another cameo. She's fine, we promise. Ares' motorcycle is…intense. Percy really needs to know who he can sass and who he can't. Why can't it be follow the butterflies? All hail Percy's ability to keep it together. Next chapter! There are some really awesome visuals here. Thalia, punk daughter of Zeus, is so awesome, and we can't wait for more. Prophecy Count: 5 We have some ideas for a short story Rick could write… Percy is taking a lot of his new abilities in stride. Karen is VERY mad at the men transporting the animals. LOTUS HOTEL AND CASINO!!! We really, really can't wait to see how this book translates to the small screen. Thanks for listening, and be sure to tune in next week for episode 9, in which we'll play a game of what if? with the Percy Jackson universe. This episode's hosts are: Karen Rought and Kristen Kranz. Each episode, our Prophecy Radio hosts and their guests will keep you up to date on the latest information coming out of Camp Half-Blood, including upcoming books and adaptation news, discuss a topic of choice, and do a chapter by chapter reread of the Percy Jackson series. Follow Us: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Tumblr Listen and Subscribe: Audioboom // Apple // Spotify Feel free to leave us your questions or comments through any of these mediums! You can also email us at prophecyradiopodcast@gmail.com or visit our homepage for archives and more information about our show. Prophecy Radio is a Subjectify Media podcast production. Visit Subjectify Media for more shows, including Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast, ReWatchable, and Not About The Weather, and for all our latest articles about the stories we're passionate about.

Cakes, pies, bread, you name it – there's perhaps no ingredient more central to American baking than flour. But what does climate change have in store for wheat? And are we going to need new or different grains because of climate change? Host Caroline Saunders investigates, talking with Dr. Stephen Jones of the WSU Bread Lab and Dr. Tessa Peters of the Land Institute. And she shares a recipe for perennial-grown Kernza bread, available on www.sustainablebaker.com. Connect with The Sustainable Baker Read the latest blog posts and find recipes from the show at www.sustainablebaker.com Follow the show on instagram @sustainablebaker More Resources Add the fabulous Tartine Bread to your cookbook collection, if you haven't already Check out The Bread Lab's work, and follow them on Instagram Check out The Land Institute's work with Kernza, and follow them on Instagram, too Follow New Orleans-based Bellegarde Bakery, founded by Graison Gill, on Instagram