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#061: Young Farmers Coalition & Greenhorns Co-Founder Severine Von Tscharner Fleming talks us through the battle for fair pricing, good policies, and healthy ecosystems facing seaweed farmers in Maine. Severine Von Tscharner Fleming is a farmer, activist, and organizer based in Downeast Maine. She runs Smithereen Farm, a MOFGA certified organic wild blueberry, seaweed, and orchard operation which hosts summer camps, camping, and educational workshops. She is a founder and board member of Agrarian Trust and current director of the Greenhorns, a 13 year old grassroots organization whose mission is to recruit, promote, and support the incoming generation of farmers in America. To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/severine-von-tscharner-fleming-who-controls-seaweed-farming-episode-sixty-oneThe Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Friends:https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/
As we enter the season of seed saving, of easing into dormancy, beginning to consider next season through the lens of the last season, of forward planning, this week Cultivating Place explores some big thinking for our shared future in conversation with Severine Von Tscharner Fleming, one of the women featured in The Earth in Her Hands, 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants. Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you so much for listening over the years and we hope you'll support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow even more of these types of conversations. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Podcast, and Stitcher. To read more and for many more photos please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.
Severine von Tscharner Fleming is a young organic farmer who helped start Agrarian Trust, an organization supporting land access for the next generation of farmers. Ian McSweeney, the organizational director of Agrarian Trust, explains strategies for decommodifying land for farmers even as the pandemic drives up land prices. Also discussed: Greenhorns, a cultural network for young farmers; Farm Hack, a global design community for open source farm equipment; and Seaweed Commons, a network studying the stewardship of intertidal zones.
This week on the podcast we explore what land redistribution could look like and how land can be emancipated from the commodity structure with guest Severine von Tscharner Fleming. How do we navigate the settler desire to own land? How can our understanding of the commons invite us into collective commitment to caring for the land and staving of speculative land privatization? In response to these questions, Severine shares the messiness and opportunity of living amongst the prosperity of extraction in the spaces we inhabit while dedicating ourselves to a land-based livelihood that awakens the call to live inside of accountability to people and place. Severine is a farmer, activist, and organizer based in Downeast Maine. She runs Smithereen Farm, a MOFGA certified organic wild blueberry, seaweed, and orchard operation which hosts summer camps, camping, and educational workshops. She is a founder and board member of Agrarian Trust and current director of the Greenhorns, a 13 year old grassroots organization whose mission is to recruit, promote, and support the incoming generation of farmers in America. Music by Handmade Moments. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.
Vicki Robin and Jason Bradford, Post Carbon Institute Board Director, reflect on her interview with Severine von Tscharner Fleming on Episode 18.Connect with SeverineWebsite: greenhorns.orgTwitter: twitter.com/greenhornsFacebook: facebook.com/thegreenhornsInstagram: instagram.com/thegreenhornsFollow WCPGR on Social MediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatCouldPossiblyGoRightPodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/postcarbonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/postcarboninstitute/Learn more: https://bit.ly/pci-wcpgrseries Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss an episode of What Could Possibly Go Right?Support the show (https://www.postcarbon.org/support-what-could-possibly-go-right/)
Severine von Tscharner Fleming is a farmer, activist, and organizer based in Downeast Maine. She runs Smithereen Farm, a MOFGA certified organic wild blueberry, seaweed, and orchard operation which hosts summer camps, camping, and educational workshops. She is a founder and board member of Agrarian Trust and current director of the Greenhorns, a 13 year old grassroots organization whose mission is to recruit, promote, and support the incoming generation of farmers in America. Severine brings her influences and analogies from the agricultural space to “What Could Possibly Go Right?”, including:The “desire of humans to move geographically”, including a current fleeing and resettling driven by climate, ambition, hopes, and fears.The concepts of land commons and ocean commons, including for other cultures who care for crops and benefit collectively without private ownership.The need to transition stewardship of land owned by older generations to young farmers, and how to pass this on through purchase, gifting or passing on estates.That the word subsistence and its connotations may distract from the “shiny, glistening abundance”.That those willing to do the reparations and healing of the land for our collective good should earn an enduring right to subsistence.Resources Greenhorns greenhorns.orgAgrarian Trust agrariantrust.orgGlobal Earth Repair Conference globalearthrepairfoundation.orgSomali Bantu Association somalibantumaine.orgConnect with SeverineWebsite: greenhorns.orgTwitter: twitter.com/greenhornsFacebook: facebook.com/thegreenhornsInstagram: instagram.com/thegreenhornsFollow WCPGR on Social MediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatCouldPossiblyGoRightPodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/postcarbonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/postcarboninstitute/Learn more: https://bit.ly/pci-wcpgrseriesDon't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss an episode of What Could Possibly Go Right?Support the show (https://www.postcarbon.org/support-what-could-possibly-go-right/)
Severine is the director of Greenhorns, she been an organizer and cultural worker within the young farmer movement for almost 10 years, proud co-founder of National Young Farmers Coalition, Farm Hack and Agrarian Trust, and board member of the Schumacher Center for New Economics. Her work has spanned many media to celebrate, bundle and broadcast the voices and life-ways of young agrarians, from films, radio, blog gossip, guidebooks, an anthology, 2 new farmers almanacks, and newly, a mixtape and vinyl record! This trans-media work is designed to connect individuals within the broader community of action, helping to orient the work on the land, career, stamina, and interpretation of place-based possibilities. The mission of the Greenhorns is to promote, recruit and support the rising generation in organic agriculture. Greenhorns are based on Lake Champlain in Essex, New York, a 360-mile sail-boat ride from NYC.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2016.Watch Severine's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/severine-von-tscharner-fleming-how-can-we-dance-in-the-commons
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Growing Growers and Seeding Leaders for a Real Food Future What happens when green turns to grey? Fewer than 5 percent of 2 million American farmers are under 45 years old. Bucking that trend is the next generation of unstoppable young farmers Severine von Tscharner Fleming, Tyler Webb, and Sarita Role Schaffer, along with renowned urban food innovator Nikki Henderson and real food advocate Amin Steele. With dirt under their nails and laptops at their fingertips, theyre reinventing a radical patriotism founded in a return to local agriculture and community. It runs on clean energy and knows how to move markets. It seeks greater self-sufficiency, self-determination and food justice, and the checkout line is the pulpit.
Severine von Tscharner Fleming is a part-time farmer, activist, and organizer based in the Champlain Valley of New York. She is director of Greenhorns, a grassroots organization with the mission to recruit, promote and support the rising generation of new farmers in America. Severine has spent the last seven years gathering, bundling and broadcasting the voices and vision of young agrarians. Greenhorns runs a weekly radio show on Heritage Radio Network and a popular blog. They produce many kinds of media, from documentary films to almanacs, anthologies, mix-tapes, posters, guidebooks and digital maps. They are best known the documentary film, “The Greenhorns” and the raucous young farmer mixers they've thrown in 37 states and 14 grange halls. Severine is co-founder and board secretary of Farm Hack, an online, open-source platform for appropriate and affordable farm tools and technologies , as well as National Young Farmers Coalition which now boasts 23 state and regional coalitions. She serves on the board of the Schumacher Center for New Economics, which hosts Agrarian Trust, her latest startup, focused on land access for beginning farmers, and permanent protection of affordable organic farmland. Severine attended Pomona College and University of California at Berkeley, where she graduated with a B.S. in Conservation/ Agroecology. In this episode, Severine talks with Devon about young farmers, emerging models for food and land sovereignty, and building a commons for the future of farming. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Greg Hart farms 1500 acres in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. He works on the property with his wife and 3 young children, as well as 3 other workers and various WWOOFers from all around the world. The Harts practise regenerative agriculture and try to raise awareness about the urgent need to transition to a food production system based on nature that heals the earth and society.
Erika Rumbley is the Co-Founder and Director of The New Garden Society (TNGS). Each year The New Garden Society trains 100+ incarcerated students in the art and science of plants, building a bridge from Greater-Boston prisons and youth detention facilities to local careers in organic land care. Erika is also the Greenhouse Manager at Langwater Farm, a 50-acre, certified organic vegetable, fruit, flower and herb farm south of Boston. Her most formative experiences as an adult educator include her time with Southside Community Land Trust, The Trustees of Reservations, and growing food and flowers alongside students in prison gardens outside of Boston. A North Carolina native, Erika has farmed and found her home in southern New England for over a decade.
Ildi Carlisle-Cummins is Director of the Cal Ag Roots Project at the California Institute for Rural Studies. Cal Ag Roots puts historical roots under current California food and farming change movements by telling the story of California agricultural development in innovative, useful, and relevant ways. There is deep knowledge about the structures, driving forces, and key moments that have shaped California's food system among recognized experts; and those who have participated in the creation of CA farming, but this knowledge doesn't always inform food movement work. Cal Ag Roots shares stories from this wide range of people, opening new lines of communication among them.
Robert Olivier, founder of GrubTubs, Inc. invents and develops all aspects of insect based technologies, from conceptual design work to prototyping and final fabrication. Currently he is engineering a bioconversion facility in Austin, TX, to transform food waste into animal feed. Olivier holds a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences and business administration from Southern Methodist University. He received the Departmental Academic Excellence Award in Geological Sciences upon graduation.
Marie Hoff founded Capella Grazing Project in 2013. Using rare, heritage breed Ouessant sheep, she grazes in such unlikely spots as vineyards, orchards, on cover crop at local farms, and for landowners seeking holistic lawn-mowing services. In this unconventional manner of ranching, she blends ancient shepherding with modern day integrated agricultural and economic systems, stewarding both landscape and livestock genetics.
Locky Catron graduated from Iowa State University with an Agricultural Business degree and joined the three-person Cleber, LLC, team in Alabama. Her experiences working both in Big Ag and on organic farms led her to have a passion for regional food systems and a more diversified agriculture. Cleber's business model is one that encourages local/regional manufacturing by using an open system design approach. Their first piece of equipment is the Oggun Tractor - a simple, versatile tractor inspired by the Allis Chalmers G and made using off-the-shelf components. The focus is appropriateness of scale and affordability.
Tom Baldwin is the Farm Director of Ulua Palms Farm and Nursery in Makawo, HI. A permaculture designer and nurseryman, he is currently engaged in the development of a 5-acre homestead property on Maui in addition to maintaining an 18-acre farm on Big Island. This includes the current planting of a collection of roughly 50 avocado varieties, and an extensive renovation of an old family homestead built in 1906. Tom stewards an extensive collection of plants, including a repository of rare fruit and nuts. He also has a special interest in cacti.
Based in Kentucky and North Carolina, Sara Day Evans works through Accelerating Appalachia to advance the regenerative economy for North America's most diverse foodshed: the Appalachian region. She's a program developer, social entrepreneur, and living bridge who for over 20 years has delivered powerful impact through strong leadership, creativity, and collaboration. Launching Accelerating Appalachia was borne out of a variety of circumstances: a natural evolution of her ongoing commitment to people, place and prosperity in Appalachia; conversations with leaders in social enterprise and impact investing, the natural abundance and beauty of Appalachia; her connection to place as a 6th generation Kentuckian; her service to distressed communities in Appalachia to help rebuild the loss of their furniture, textile, and farming economies while with the NC Department of Commerce; her impactful work with Kentucky's Environmental Protection Cabinet; and the deep influence of her longtime Kentucky friends, bell hooks and Wendell Berry, and her activist, physicist parents and inspiring children. A hydrogeologist, community planner, entrepreneur, former truck driver, waitress, maid, and woodworker, Sara Day is also an accomplished musician, writer and poet.
Miles Teitge took his first steps in the old growth forests of Vashon Island, WA, and was transplanted to the Idaho high mountain desert in 1983. Graduating from the Community School, he took up surfing in Kauai, trekked India, and biked across the U.S. to study Anthroposophy for a year at Camphill Village in Copake, NY. This Rudolph Steiner inspired community serves those with special needs, and is also the home of Turtle Tree Seed, a producer of biodynamic seeds. He earned a Bachelor's degree in education at Antioch University, while volunteering at the Seattle Tilth Children's Garden. Miles interned at the Herb Pharm in Williams, OR, and continued his education at Seed School (with local legend Bill McDorman), and the Fungi Perfecti mushroom cultivation course (with visionary Paul Stamets). He joined The Mountain School shortly after it opened, inspired to learn and teach principles of permaculture and the gardening arts; be it cultivating vegetables, gathering medicinal herbs, grafting trees, laying out hugelkultur beds, bee-tending, greenhouse design, poultry care, humane composting, worm wrangling or the like, there is a lifetime of learning on this path! He and Sweet Clover teacher, Jessica Banks, are the proud parents of SMS student Edyn Crow Teitge. Miles is delighted to continue with the Syringa Mountain School's Sustainability Arts program and plans to share his deep reverence for the natural world, plant fruit for future generations, and grow the largest watermelon the Wood River Valley has ever seen in 2017!
Mike Bologna, CEO of Green Lion Partners, is a decisive and personable leader with a comprehensive background in supply chain technology consulting, process analysis, and operational strategy. Using this experience, Mike focuses on ensuring organizational success by improving efficiencies, minimizing waste, and bringing socially conscious processes to the forefront. Green Lion Partners is a Denver, CO based business strategy firm focused on early stage development in the regulated cannabis industry.
Jeff Conant directs Friends of the Earth's international forests program, which campaigns to protect forests and the rights of forest-dependent peoples by addressing the economic and political drivers of forest destruction. Prior to joining Friends of the Earth, Jeff ran communications and popular education efforts around climate and development justice with Global Justice Ecology Project, International Accountability Project, and other advocacy organizations, and co-authored A Community Guide to Environmental Health (Hesperian Health Guides, 2008), a comprehensive community education manual that covers issues from basic sanitation to big dams and from forestry to food sovereignty. The Community Guide has been translated into over a dozen languages.
Berkshire native Maddie Elling and her partner Abe Hunrichs run Hosta Hill, a Berkshire-based business growing and making lacto-fermented vegetables. A lover of the outdoors, food, and dynamic work, Maddie spent four years after high school WWOOFing and wandering. After meeting Abe, they both settled in the Berkshires: dabbling in odd jobs and raising various animals and crops. Inspired by the Berkshire landscape and food scene they were eager to create a business of their own. They settled on growing vegetables and making fermented vegetables and tempeh. Maddie and Abe are in their 5th year of running Hosta Hill, distributing their products from the Berkshires to Boston and beyond. When not fermenting or doing office work, you can find Maddie staying busy outside, walking in the woods with her dog Oso, swimming, and scribbling on paper.
Ben Dobson grew up in Hillsdale, New York, on a small organic farm and started his first agricultural business in 2001. After two years on his own, he joined forces with his father Ted Dobson and managed the fields at his salad and tomato farm in Sheffield, MA, from 2003 through 2006. Since then Ben has started, managed, and overseen the sale of two agricultural businesses: One of which, Atlantic Organics, founded in 2007, was the largest organic vegetable farm in the state of Maine. The other, a company called Locally Known LLC, founded in 2008, was a salad processing company that sold pre-packaged ready to eat salads to Whole Foods Market, Hannaford Bros. and Trader Joe's supermarkets in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic regions. In 2013, Ben joined Stone House Farm as the Organic Transition Manager, and in 2016 he became their Farm Manager. He planned and oversaw the implementation of an organic transition on the 2,200-acre Stone House Farm property, and developed a non-GMO feed and grain business to sell their grain. The farm is now expanding its grain operation to include organic grain from other farms in the region. Ben also heads Hudson Carbon: a research project conducting long term research across several sites on Stone House Farm and two neighboring farms. Hudson Carbon monitors the economic impacts and ecological effects of organic farming systems regarding carbon sequestration. Collaborators in this project include the Rodale Institute, The Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and Scenic Hudson. This winter Hudson Carbon will be launching a website with sections dedicated to farmers, science, and the public.
Dorn Cox, PhD, is an agriculturist, and farmer working his 250-acre diversified organic family farm in Lee, New Hampshire. He is a co-founder of the FarmOS software platform, a founding member of the Farm Hack community, and is active in the national soil health movement to develop systems that improve global agricultural knowledge exchange and local regenerative production capacity. He has a PhD from the University of New Hampshire.
Erica Frenay manages 35 acres of sheep, cattle, ducks, orchard, apiary, and high tunnels at Shelterbelt Farm near Ithaca, NY, with her husband and two young kids. She has also worked for the Cornell Small Farms Program for 11 years, co-founding the Northeast Beginning Farmer Project in 2006. She is a certified educator of Holistic Management and has completed permaculture design training, both of which have informed the design and management of her farm. She is passionate about connecting people to soil. And about playing the upright bass.
Amanda Swinimer completed her BSc+ at Dalhousie University with an advanced major in Marine Biology and a minor in Oceanography. Amanda furthered her education by apprenticing for two years with a wise herbal teacher, Bernice Woolham, and studying with the ‘Kelp Doctor’, Dr. Louis Druehl. Her deep love of the ocean and the rainforest brought her to the west coast of Vancouver Island where she started her own business, Dakini Tidal Wilds, in 2003. For 15 years, Amanda has been sustainably harvesting, by hand, edible seaweeds, wild herbs and crafting products from these wild gifts. For most of these years, she has been sharing her passion for the wild gifts of our coastline with many people through a variety of hands-on teaching methods and with a focus of sustainability and respect for our rare coast. She has taught at the University of Victoria, Bamfield Marine Science Center, Royal Roads University, public schools and through private venues.
Graison S. Gill is the owner of Bellegarde, a commercial bakery and stone mill in New Orleans bound to local ingredients, heritage, and flavor. He has been baking professionally for eight years and was trained at the San Francisco Baking Institute under Michel Suas, Mac McConnell, Mike Zakowski, and Frank Sally.
Alexandra Hudson is a holistic chef, clinical herbalist, and regenerative food system advocate. In 2013 Alexandra founded Kaleidoscope Foods, a California Bay Area-based producer of bone broth infused kale chips, to provide deep on-the-go high integrity nutrition to her community. Alexandra is committed to weaving a food system that regenerates at every step of the process, from the vibrancy of the soil to the health of her customers.
Jonny leads Kiva's work to reach financially excluded and socially impactful small business owners, artisans and farmers in the United States with 0% interest loans. He first came to Kiva in 2009 as a volunteer, and joined full-time in 2011 to lead the Kiva U.S. team. Jonny graduated with a degree in History from the University of Cambridge. He is married to Ali, who he met at Kiva, and a few weeks ago he became the proud father of Felicity Grace Price!
Becky Brand, of Brandmoore Farm, joins today's episode of Greenhorns Radio. Becky grew up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and later attended University of New Hampshire– landing her on the New Hampshire Seacoast. After studying Environmental Horticulture at UNH, she worked in Massachusetts at Appleton Farms and New Hampshire at Meadow’s Mirth where she continued to learn about organic and sustainable farming practices. Becky and her husband Phil Brand started Brandmoore Farm in 2012. Brandmoore Farm is a diverse, organic farm with a focus on cow dairy and vegetables. Becky and Phil have a nearly one-year-old baby named Thomas, a dog called Ernie, and a cat named Mimi.
Tristan Gooley is a natural navigator and award-winning author of three of the world's only books covering natural navigation. The best selling books are: The Natural Navigator (2010), The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs (2014) and How to Read Water (2016).
Born and raised in Chicago, Alex Pino moved to New Mexico at age 20. After years working unfulfilling jobs and seeking solutions for the industrialized food system he began farming on a rocky Piñon & juniper covered hillside near Santa Fe. Pino now farms four properties from Pecos along the river to La Cienega, growing heirloom garlic on rented, drip-irrigated land. Pino sells at Santa Fe area Farmers' Markets year round. He organizes farmers through the National Young Farmers Coalition's local chapter, the Northern NM Young Farmers Alliance, and holds workshops and trainings to help educate next generation farmers.
Theo Wadman grew up on a small farm raising livestock and worked in conventional agricultural and food industry jobs operating equipment for local farmers, seed cleaning plants, and frozen food companies. Theo received a bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics from Oregon State University, built a small publishing company, a technical writing company, and then a successful translation and software localization company, which is now part of translations.com. Along the way, two of Theo’s sons and his wife, Kira, had serious health issues that stemmed from misinformation about diet, agriculture, and health. Theo and Kira were inspired to return to their agricultural roots four years ago, creating Helios Farms as an active response to misinformation campaigns about food, diet, agriculture, and health.
Together with his partner Johanna Davis, Adam Nordell runs Songbird Farm, an organic vegetable and grain farm in Unity, ME. The farm is built around wholesale vegetable sales to organic distributors and food cooperatives in Maine, and both wholesale and CSA marketing of heritage flint cornmeal, wheat and rye flour. Adam and Johanna also tour in the off-season as the folk music duo Sassafras Stomp, and perform high energy traditional fiddle music and original songs reflecting on farming and connection to place.
Brianna Bowman lives and works in Massachusetts, where she manages the National Incubator Farm Training Initiative, which supports the development and strengthening of programs that train new farmers. She is interested in how to promote an ecosystem of success for beginning farmers which extends well beyond their time in training and touches upon how we value, access, and enjoy food. Brianna studied Peace Studies and holds a Masters in International Development and Sustainable Agriculture. She is an aspiring herbalist and active fiber artist.
This week on Greenhorns Radio, Severine welcomes musician Robin Grey. Inspired by the timeless work of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Joanna Newsom amongst many others, Robin colours in his songs about love and life with guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, piano, double bass, organ, percussion toys and any other instruments he can afford and fit into his little east London studio. Robin devised and performs a show called Three Acres And A Cow, A History Of Land Rights And Protest In Folk Song And Story, has been undertaking musical cycling pilgrimages under the rubric of ‘Pedal Folk‘ and is starting to take a little interest in politics.
Nels Veliquette lives in Victoria, British Columbia with his wife Michelle and son Axel. Raised in Michigan in the tart cherry business, one generation removed from the dairy, he is active in business planning, policy development and education. Nels has direct experience in production, logistics, agri-tourism development, land preservation and finance. He has a Masters Degree in Administration and is a writer, educator and business consultant who does not fear the future.
This week on Greenhorns Radio, Severine is joined by JennaDee Detro, Co-Founder and Head of Production of Cat Spring Tea. JennaDee has 3 years of yaupon harvesting experience and has developed the production practices. Previously, she was a professional photographer and graphic designer. She loves that Cat Spring Yaupon Tea is a return to family values and pure American goodness.
Andre Entermann grew up in Southern California surfing, skateboarding, sailing and spearfishing. After a stint in the U.S. Coast Guard as a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer, he turned to food and farming and worked on many farms abroad. Andre landed his dream of running a goat dairy here on Lopez Island with his wife Elizabeth.
This week on Greenhorns Radio, Severine is joined by Dan Kittredge. Dan is the Founder and Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food Association. Raised by parents who are prominent leaders in the organic food movement, Dan has been an organic farmer since childhood. His experience managing organic farms and developing sustainable agriculture techniques has connected him to farmers in Central America, Russia, India and the U.S. Dan lives in Central Massachusetts with his wife and three children on their 40 acre farm.
Jessika is a small business owner and food systems aficionado. As co-founder and CEO of Starvation Alley Social Purpose Corporation, a cranberry company located in Southwest Washington, Jessika spends much of her time building a new business that supports regional cranberry farmers through the organic certification process. Though she is passionate about farmers, her favorite part about her job is getting to partner with many other inspiring Pacific Northwest food producers to create collaborative value-added products. In 2012, Jessika aided in the design of Seattle's Bainbridge Graduate Institute's first Certificate program in Sustainable Food and Agriculture. Jessika's other experiences include a receiving her Master's in Business Administration, working as an urban community garden coordinator and consulting for outdoor trails expansion in her region. She lives in Ilwaco, Washington near Starvation Alley Farms with her partner Jared Oakes and two dogs.
Brendon Rockey is a third generation farmer from Center, CO. He is currently managing the farm that his Grandpa started in 1938, and he is returning to the same fundamentals that the farm was founded on. His Grandpa Floyd use to preach that you must take care of the soil before the soil can take care of you. Rockey Farms has eliminated their dependency on toxic chemicals and synthetic fertilizers by managing the farm as a complete system. Rockey Farms raises high quality specialty potatoes for fresh market sales and for certified seed by investing in their soil with carbon based fertility, reduced tillage, companion crops in the potatoes, flowering border crops, and rotational cover crops. They are also bringing livestock back in to the operation to enhance to impact of the cover crops even further. This Biotic approach has allowed Rockey Farms to maintain production wile improving the quality of their potatoes, all while reducing input costs and optimizing water use efficiency.
Jack Motter and Jeff Kramer, owners of Ellwood Canyon Farms, are life-long friends who grew up in fourth generation farming families in the small town of Brawley, located in the Imperial Valley in the desert of Southeastern California. They each attended college in Santa Barbara and have lived there for the last fifteen years. Jack established Ellwood Canyon Farms in 2009, and Jeff has been on board since 2010. They currently grow mixed organic produce on 50 acres, focusing on organic methods of farming, building healthy soil and growing healthy crops.
Until his retirement last summer, Russ Cohen’s “day job” was serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration, where he had worked since 1988, and where one of his areas of expertise was riparian vegetation. Now Russ has more time to pursue his passionate avocation, which is connecting to nature via his taste buds. He is an expert forager and the author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, published in 2004 by the Essex County Greenbelt Association and now in its sixth printing. Mr. Cohen has been teaching foraging since 1974 and conducts over three dozen foraging walks and talks each year at a wide variety of venues throughout the Northeast. In addition, since his retirement, Russ is aspiring to become a “Johnny Appleseed” of sorts for native edible plants: collecting wild edible seeds and nuts for propagating and planting, and assisting and partnering with others in this endeavor.
Learner Limbach a committed leader in the local food and agriculture movement. He has been a farmer, an educator, a community organizer, a business professional and a consultant. Through this work Learner has grown increasingly passionate about eliminating the barriers that make it difficult for farmers to be successful. In 2013 Learner spearheaded the creation of the Orcas Food Co-op, a consumer-owned co-op that he now manages as his full-time job. With a central goal of creating a sustainable local food system with strong regional connections, the Co-op has quickly grown to over 1000 members and $2.3 million in sales in 2015. In addition to running the Co-op, Learner also serves actively on numerous agriculturally focused boards and committees, with a strong focus on increasing inter-organizational collaboration and capacity building.
Born in the Central Valley of California, Nikiko Masumoto spent her childhood slurping over-ripe peaches on the Masumoto Family Farm (an 80-acre organic farm in Del Rey, CA). She has never missed a summer harvest. In 2007 she graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies. It was there that she realized she wanted to return to the Valley to farm. But first she completed a M.A. in Performance as Public Practice from UT Austin. Her research focused on the performance of memory and Japanese American history. Daily, she apprentices with her father on the family’s small organic farm whilst continuing work in arts and community. In 2013, she published her first book, co-authored with parents Mas and Marcy, a cookbook The Perfect Peach. She participated in the Catalyst Initiative, a civic practice cohort program of the Center for Performance & Civic Practice, Emerging Leaders of Color in the Arts program of WESTAF, and is currently a Creative Community Fellow with National Arts Strategies. She has served on various volunteer and nonprofit boards in the Central Valley (Central California Asian Pacific Women, Central Valley Community Foundation, Valley Public Radio, California State University Fresno’s College of Arts & Humanities). She currently serves on the board of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and Western States Arts Federation. On most days you can find her on a tractor, dreaming of projects yet to be born and justice yet to be won. The Masumoto Family Farm is also the subject of the documentary film Changing Season: On the Masumoto Family Farm.
Allie grew up in Ohio on her parents' farm shoveling poop, climbing trees, and playing in the dirt. These formative years were not easy to wash off and stuck with her. She ended up studying sustainable agriculture, herbal medicine, alternative energy and sustainable architecture at The Evergreen State College. Most of Allie’s life has been spent in the out-of-doors, mountain guiding and growing food. She naturally migrated to Chickaloon, Alaska, in the heart of the Matanuska Valley at the age of 21. Striving to have more time than money, Allie focuses on off-grid living, chainsaw milling, and a "hunt-fish-gather- grow" lifestyle, where she wildcrafts plants into medicine, harvests berries, catches salmon, and hunts moose. Allie, her husband Jed, and dog Dylan, run Chugach Farm. Chugach Farm is a modern day homestead farm that focuses on growing nutrient dense, human powered, beyond organic, and off grid vegetables. Chugach Farm grows enough food to feed the family year round, sells at the farmers market and to local restaurants, runs CSA and CSF (Community Supported Ferments) programs, and sells a variety of value added products.
Marc Millitzer is the owner and farmer of Tree of Life Gardens in Cuba City, Wisconsin. Marc grew up in the city moving around a lot with his family until the age of ten when his family settled in eastern Iowa. Marc grew up helping on other farms. His farming experience came mostly from his extended family and neighbors. After a small career in glassblowing Marc pursued healthy living in the country and discovered organic gardening was a passion. He then traveled to Belize receiving education from a permaculture design course at Mayan Mountain Research farm. After a few years of practice in small scale gardening Marc took a course in market gardening at U.W. Madison. This spawned his current farm Tree of Life Gardens. With the help of his retired parents and his Partner Jessica Paarmann, Marc farms over ten acres of vegetables a year. He also grows many different kinds of mushrooms. He has marketed his produce in diverse ways including CSA, large wholesale accounts, local groceries, restaurants, and farmers markets. Currently Marc specializes in salad greens and mushrooms. He plans to expand his farm in the next few years and wants to explore small grain, bean, and cover crop seed production.
On this week's episode of Greenhorns Radio, Severine speaks with Dave Oien, a third generation farmer who continues to work his family’s land in Montana. Dave transitioned the land to organics back in the 80’s and started an organic seed and edible legumes business in 1987, along with three business partners. Dave, as well as Timeless Seeds and its other Montana-based legume growers, recently became publicly visible after being the focus of Liz Carlisle’s recent book, The Lentil Underground.
There is a generational gap between old farmers and new. The average age of the American farmer is pushing 60. They are starting to look at retirement, looking to pass the farm on, and looking to get out of the business. The problem is, their kids did not get into farming. This presents a problem as we lose more farmland to development, and we do not have enough new farmers to fill their shoes (and our bellies). Somewhere along the line we skipped a generation, and now are faced with a unique opportunity. There is good news! A new generation of farmers is coming on the scene. The kids of the old generation did not get into farming, but the grand-kids are, and for new reasons. With fresh blood out on pasture there are new ideas, new ideals, and new techniques coming with them. I am happy to be part of a passionate movement toward something wholesome, connected, intelligent, motivated, and inspired. This episode gives you an update on my farming endeavors, I discuss my opinion of the future of farming in America, and I bring on a guest who has some of the best insights on the subject. In this farm podcast you will learn: The power of proving how serious you are. How to use stunts to tell your story and get your message across. The future of American agriculture Farmer retirement plans. How to be braver, stronger, calmer, and more deliberate! Right Click to Download MP3 Interview with Severine Von Tscharner Fleming of The Greenhorns Severine is a farmer, activist, and organizer based in the Hudson Valley of New York. She is the director of The Greenhorns, a documentary film and grassroots organization working to ”recruit, promote and support” the growing tribe of new agrarians. Greenhorns runs a weekly radio show on Heritage Radio Network, a popular blog, young farmer publications, podcasts and many dozens of mixers, Seed Circus and educational events for young farmers, aspiring farmers and families all around the country. Now in their 6th year, The Greenhorns is best known for our documentary film, “The Greenhorns” cut from 380 hours of footage. Both in making the film, and travelling to screen it, Severine has delighted in connecting with hundreds of young farmers in this movement, learning about innovations, collaboration and challenges faced by this next generation of entrepreneurial farmers. Greenhorns actively works to provide venues for networking, bon fires, beer and online communication within a large and growing! network. Severine attended Pomona College and University of California at Berkeley, where she graduated with a B.S. in Conservation/AgroEcology. She co- founded the Pomona Organic Farm, founded UC Berkeley’s Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology, and is a proud co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition. Items mentioned in this farm podcast: The Greenhorns Movie on Amazon (affiliate link) Greenhorns: 50 Dispatches from the New Farmers' Movement (Amazon affiliate) Take aways: What do you think is the future of food and agriculture? What part are your going to play in the future of farming? -- My skills are ever-evolving as an interviewer. Thanks for taking the time to listen in, and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment below, send me an e-mail, reach me on Facebook or Twitter, or leave a 5 star rating in iTunes if you liked the show. Click to subscrible to iTunes Click to Subscribe via RSS (non-iTunes Feed) Support the podcast with $1 a month
Severine von Tscharner Fleming is a serial entrepreneur, farmer and activist. She is possibly best known for the film Greenhorns and the National Young Farmers Coalition. This woman is a force of nature for the Millennial generation.
#236 -- JHK talks with Severine von Tscharner Fleming, 30, a next ten agricultural activist, founder of Greenhorns and the National Young Farmers' Coalition. She also works with the Farm Hack organization, the Family Farm Coalition and is editor of the New Farmers' Almanac published by Greenhorns. She's a very accomplished person with a lot to say about the alternative farming scene -- that is, alternative to Big Agri-Biz. The new KunstlerCast music is called “Adam and Ali’s Waltz” from the new recording Waiting to Fly by Mike and Ali Vass.
Once again, Severine Von Tscharner Fleming is digging into the Greenhorn archives. In this episode of the “Young Farmer Policy Podcast,” von Tscarner Fleming talks to Luke Gran, Beginning Farmer Coordinator at Practical Farmers of Iowa, which is a farmer driven research and education group out of Iowa. This program has been sponsored by White Oak Pastures.
This week on Greenhorn Radio, we’re digging into the archives of the Greenhorn Audio Almanac to bring you an interview with Charlotte Cater of the New York State Agricultural Mediation Program. Tune in to hear host Severine Von Tscharner Fleming talk with Charlotte about different legal issues that farmers face, and how representation can help young farmers in the realms of land access, leasing, and more. This program has been brought to you by Hearst Ranch.
This week on The Farm Report, Erin Fairbanks is talking with two important guests from the world of food and agriculture. First up is Mark Schlosberg, the National Organizing Director for Food & Water Watch. Tune in to hear Erin and Mark discuss two ballot initiatives from the past election cycle that affect the environment and farming: Question 300 in Colorado, and Proposition 37 in California. Learn how the community of Longmont, Colorado kept hydrofracking out of their town. What organizing methods were successful? Later, hear Mark talk about the labeling of GMO foods in California, and why Prop 37 did not pass. The people have the right to know where their food comes from! Learn about Food & Water Watch’s upcoming campaigns dealing with transparency in the food system. Later, Erin calls up Severine Von Tscharner Fleming, founder of The Greenhorns and host of HRN’s Greenhorn Radio. The Greenhorns are a non-profit organization that works with young farmers and creates media that promotes sustainable agriculture and educates beginning farmers. Hear Erin and Severine talk about Superstorm Sandy, and how it impacted farmers in the Hudson Valley. Learn about new farm technology, and how young farmers are banding together in numbers to develop tools to deal with unpredictable weather. Finally, Erin checks in with Jeanne Hodesh for this week’s GrowNYC Market Update! This episode has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch. “Communities should have the ability to protect themselves from the real threats that fracking poses to water, air, public health, and really- the community. When people band together and talk to their neighbors and do real organizing, they’re capable of pushing back against big money interests that are trying to exploit our essential resources without regard to the consequences.” [4:15] — Mark Schlosberg on The Farm Report “One-hundred-year storms are happening every year, and when your livelihood depends on being at the market of every week…and, largely depends on pieces of aluminum supported by pieces of plastic with sixty thousand dollars with of tomatoes underneath! It’s hard to have piece of mind and think that it’s a simple matter.” [21:00] — Severine Von Tscharner Fleming on The Farm Report
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Growing Growers and Seeding Leaders for a Real Food Future What happens when green turns to grey? Fewer than 5 percent of 2 million American farmers are under 45 years old. Bucking that trend is the next generation of unstoppable young farmers Severine von Tscharner Fleming, Tyler Webb, and Sarita Role Schaffer, along with renowned urban food innovator Nikki Henderson and real food advocate Amin Steele. With dirt under their nails and laptops at their fingertips, theyre reinventing a radical patriotism founded in a return to local agriculture and community. It runs on clean energy and knows how to move markets. It seeks greater self-sufficiency, self-determination and food justice, and the checkout line is the pulpit.
Heather talks with Severine von Tscharner Fleming from The Greenhorns about her organization and upcoming documentary. Visit www.thegreenhorns.net for more information and listen to Severine’s own radio show every Thursday at 2 on HRN.