Young Farmers Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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Find episodes of the special series of The Farm Report as they air here.

This is the third episode of our 2023 Farm Bill series, digging into the farm policy that will affect the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

We’ve been asking how 1,000 pages of federal policy can provide tangible benefits and support to beginning and BIPOC farmers, our communities, and the environment. And in this episode, we're joined by Mario Holguin and Julieta Saucedo of La Semilla Food Center, and Ana Moran, Water Organizer at the National Young Farmers Coalition. 

La Semilla Food Center, based in Anthony, New Mexico, has a mission “to foster a healthy, self-reliant, fair, and sustainable food system in the Paso del Norte region of southern New Mexico and El Paso, TX.” They do this work through a number of programs that Mario and Julieta discuss with Ana, including their Community Farm, farmer fellowships, policy and community development, and storytelling efforts.

Throughout their conversation Ana, Julieta, and Mario explore some of the ways that the 2023 Farm Bill can directly address the climate crisis, and what building climate resilience looks like across the Southwest. We know young farmers across the country are motivated by conservation and social justice. In our 2022 national survey 97% or respondents said their farm or ranch was using sustainable practices, and 86% identified their practices as being regenerative.

We end our episode today with a brief chat between Erin Foster-West, Policy Coordination and Management Director with the Coalition, and myself. Erin shares some exciting new bills recently introduced in Congress that would help small farms secure more accessible funding for conservation efforts and also support community support systems through farmer-to-farmer education opportunities.

Find the Young Farmers Action Center here. 

Learn more about La Semilla Food Center here.

Learn more about the Farmer-to-Farmer Education Act here and take action and learn more about the Small Farm Conservation Act here.

Become a National Young Farmers Coalition member at youngfarmers.org/join for only $1/year.

Produced by Jessica Manly and Evan Flom.

Edited by Hannah Beal.

Original podcast art by SJ Brekosky.

Gratitude to Chipotle and 11th Hour for sponsoring our Young Farmers' land campaign and to the our many partner organizations for furthering this important work with us.

In part 2 of our produce safety series, Young Farmers' Produce Safety Manager, Maggie Kaiser, talks with Ellen Polishuk about integrating Lean Farming principles into your farm's food safety plan. 

Visit youngfarmers.org/foodsafety for our online produce safety resource library and all of our food safety workshop episodes.

Become a National Young Farmers Coalition member today for major discounts on produce safety supplies and gear! Join at youngfarmers.org/join for $35/year or $5/month.

Produced in partnership with the National Farmers Union.

https://www.planttoprofit.com/

The Lean Farm: https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/the-lean-farm/

Episode edited by Hannah Beal. 

This week and next we'll be talking about an often overlooked, and sometimes daunting, part of farming: *food safety*! Part 1 is a conversation with Scott Chang-Fleeman, owner of Shao Shan Farm in Marin County, who grows Asian heritage vegetables. It's interesting because it seems produce safety really clicks with Scott, as does farming in general, and he has a natural ability to assess risk. He has scaled his operation quickly and considers produce safety every step of the way. Plus he’s just really got his shit together... Enjoy!

Become a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition today! www.youngfarmers.org

Learn more about produce safety at our online resource library: https://www.youngfarmers.org/foodsafety/

Follow Scott on Instagram: @shaoshanfarm

Thanks to our partner National Farmers Union

Edited by Hannah Beal, recorded via Zoom from NY, VA, and LA.

Miles Griffin and Amanda Doughty currently live on 20 acres in Twisp, Washington. Amanda is a

licensed therapist, who works off the farm full-time but loves a good Saturday weeding session. Miles is the owner and operator of Posterity Farm, producing pastured turkeys, wholesale organic garlic, and diversified vegetables. Miles and Amanda find deep interest in the intersection of their professions, especially the contrast between the risk factors that farmers face and the inherent therapeutic benefits of their practices. Miles and Amanda hope to one day use their experiences to develop a farm therapy

program that reduces stigma around mental health and addresses food insecurity, community-building, and job training. If you are interested in learning more about their farm you can visit posterityfarm.com or email them at eatforposterity@gmail.com.

A note: this episode discusses topics related to suicide and mental health. Please take care of yourself and your needs before you listen, as you listen and as you process this conversation.

At the end of the episode you will hear from Chandler Briggs, of Hayshaker Farm, who introduces you to Justin McClane. Justin was a farmer and an active member of the WA Young Farmers Coalition and died by suicide. His death was a wake-up call for the chapter and the community. Justin continues to impact the work of WA Young Farmers and his contribution inspired us to center care as one of our foundational values. 

Amanda wanted to share the following resources with folks in the audience who want to access more resources for mental wellness: 

National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255 Crisis Text Line - text “help” to 741741 

Telehealth platforms: 

-Ginger.io 

-Talkspace 

-BetterHelp 

For more on the WAYFC Farmer Mental Health Bill: https://www.washingtonyoungfarmers.org/hb2671 Music credit to Made By Finja by Sascha Ende Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6171-made-by-finja License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

To join the National Young Farmers Coalition, visit youngfarmers.org/join

Nyema Clark is the Executive Director and Farm Queen at Nurturing Roots, a farm and community garden committed to addressing food justice issues in the Beacon Hill Neighborhood in Seattle. Nyema dives into their grow-your-own program Nurturing Your Roots at Home and we talk about how farmers and food-growers can prepare for the long haul in the midst of pandemic. In the episode we talk briefly about Living Well Kent, a group of Kent residents and community-based organizations united to achieve health equity through policy, systems, and environmental change. To learn more about Nyema and Nurturing Roots you check out their Facebook @NurturingRoots206 and Instagram @nurturingroots. If you want to support Nyema’s work you can send donations to cashapp $nurturingrootsfarm or through PayPal at nurturinginfo@gmail.com. 

Become a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition at youngfarmers.org/join and take action to support young farmers and ranchers through our advocacy network by texting FARMERS to 40649.

Music credit to Made By Finja by Sascha Ende Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6171-made-by-finja License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Washington Young Farmers Coalition (WAYFC) takes over the Young Farmers Podcast to talk about resilience and community building in the time of COVID-19. Become a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition at younfarmers.org/join and sign up for our advocacy network by texting FARMERS to 40649.

Tracy L. Stewart is a mindfulness based mental health therapist at the Nile’s Edge wellness collective and activist in Seattle, WA. She currently serves on the board of SURGE, a BIPOC centered reproductive justice organization, Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) – Seattle, and has served on three Social Justice Fund (SJF) giving projects. Elizabeth was able to get Tracy on the phone to help connect the dots between food-growing, uprisings for racial justice, and our mental health. Our conversation sprawls between rage and love, trauma and healing and does include explicit references to police brutality, internalized oppression, and other forms of harm. We acknowledge that some of this conversation could be triggering, and we encourage all our listeners to please take care of your needs. Tracy sees her role in community as working to create supportive, safe space for BIPOC folx in discovering their gifts through mindfulness practice and social justice awareness. Her cup is filled by the outside places, silly friends with microphones, passion for life, and folx sharing their good medicine with each other. “My focus is learning to be a good elder in order to support those out in the community fighting for all us to BE. In my work, I see a lot of suffering of black and brown folx who are warn from fighting to be their full selves. With Gathering Roots, the intention is creating a place where that burden can be released, people can fill their cups with joyful learning and the beauty of the Earth, witnessed and empowered to be all that they are.” 

You can learn more about Gathering Roots at their website: https://gatheringroots.org/ 

Throughout the episode we make reference to the work of: 

Reverend Angel Kyodo Williams : https://angelkyodowilliams.com/ 

Michelle Lee, Author of Working the Roots : https://kpfa.org/episode/the-herbal-highway-may-9-2019/ Llama Rod Owens: https://www.lamarod.com/ 

Leah Penniman: https://www.endoftheworldshow.org/blog/2020/5/6/apocalypse-survival-skill-4-braiding-seeds 

My Grandmother's Hands: https://www.resmaa.com/books 

Music credit to Made By Finja by Sascha Ende Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6171-made-by-finja

John Wesley is a curator, cultural ambassador, and community organizer. He is passionate about designing and producing experiences that connect diverse cultures and cultivate joy. JW is the founder and director of Seattle Bipoc Organic Food Bank; an organization dedicated to providing everyone with clean water and organic food. Their strategy is centered around outreach to the most vulnerable and underserved communities, beginning with the BIPOC community. Their goal is to help connect individuals and families to sustainable ecosystems, instead of merely focusing on short term solution. #foodcomesfromfarms 

Emma Shorr, a WAYFC Board member, and John share a conversation about food access in Seattle, what it takes to start a community-driven food bank and the importance of feeding folks organic veggies. You can find more information about John’s project on Instagram @seattlebipocfoodbank and their GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/seattle-bipoc-organic-food-bank-fund In this show John talks about some of the great farm and food projects in the Seattle region led by and serving BIPOC folks. 

Become a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition at youngfarmers.org/join and join our advocacy network by text FARMERS to 40649.

Danny Woo Garden: https://www.dannywoogarden.org/ Yes Farm: https://www.facebook.com/yesfarmofficial/ Nurturing Roots: https://www.facebook.com/pg/NurturingRoots206/posts/ Percussion Farms: https://percussionfarms.org/ Beacon Hill Food Forest: https://beaconfoodforest.org/ Music credit to Made By Finja by Sascha Ende Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6171-made-by-finja License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We turn the mic on Lindsey this week for the finale episode of our first season of the Young Farmers Podcast. The National Young Farmers Coalition's Sophie Ackoff, VP of Policy and Campaigns, and Holly Rippon-Butler, Land Access Program Director, join Lindsey in the studio to talk about the early years of the Coalition, big wins, favorite memories, and what's next.

National Young Farmers Coalition website
www.youngfarmers.org

Become a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition
youngfarmers.org/join

Farm Generations Cooperative
https://www.farmgenerations.coop/

Lindsey on her transition from Young Farmers
https://www.youngfarmers.org/2019/01/edsearch/

Recorded at the studios of Radio Kingston. Edited by Hannah Beal and produced by Jessica Manly.

Today we dive into the heady world of industrial hemp. Hemp is no longer just for Canadian cereal companies and scratchy beige t-shirts. This low-THC strain of cannabis, think of it as the well behaved fraternal twin to marijuana, is, as of the 2018 Farm Bill, a legal crop in all 50 states. And the hemp hype is real, mostly because of CBD, a hemp extract that's popping up in everything from $8 cans of seltzer, to medicinal tinctures, and even Carl's Jr hamburgers. But if there's such huge consumer demand for hemp, and it doesn't even get you high, why was the crop criminalized in the first place? And now that it's legal, what does this mean for farmers across the country who want to start growing it? We talk with Michael "Mr. Hemp" Bowman and Ben Banks-Dobson of Hudson Hemp and Old Mud Creek Farm.

Special thanks to our podcast editor, Hannah Beal, producer, Jessica Manly, Ben Banks-Dobson, and Michael "Mr. Hemp" Bowman.

More on industrial hemp and CBD:
https://nifa.usda.gov/industrial-hemp
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrebourque/2018/12/17/how-hemp-and-the-farm-bill-may-change-life-as-you-know-it/#1bfcbe2e694c
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/us/cbd-cannabis-marijuana-hemp.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/14/magazine/cbd-cannabis-cure.html

Hudson Hemp:
http://www.hudsonhemp.com/

Michael Bowman:
https://www.agprofessional.com/article/how-serve-growing-hemp-market
https://www.agriculture.com/news/crops/what-farmers-need-to-know-about-growing-hemp
https://www.agweb.com/article/three-potential-paths-for-farming-hemp/

Show art credit: Hudson Hemp @hudsonhemp