Young Farmers Podcast

Lindsey speaks with Matt Russell, an Iowa farmer and executive director of Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, an organization that brings people of all faiths together in conversation about critical issues, like climate change and the future of rural America. Matt sees an opportunity for farmers to be on the forefront of climate innovation and mitigation, and being in Iowa, he's in a great place to influence policy and the 2020 presidential debates-he's already influencing them, in fact, as co-author of recent New York Times Opinion piece, "What Democrats Need to Know to Win in Rural America." Recorded at the studios of Radio Kingston, edited by Hannah Beal, produced by Jessica Manly. Big thanks to our podcast intern Maia Banayan. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/opinion/democrats-iowa-caucus.html https://iowaipl.org/ Photo: Jim Young/Reuters

"We need to understand the challenges young farmers are facing regionally in order to create solutions." Lindsey checks in with Karen Gardner, National Young Farmers Coalition's Pennsylvania Policy Associate, about what she's hearing from beginning farmers in PA, and the upcoming Pennsylvania Young Farmers Report, "Growing Pennsylvania’s Future: Challenges Facing Young Farmers and Recommendations to Address Them." Join the #morefarmers movement at youngfarmes.org/join. The Pennsylvania Young Farmers Report hits the internet later this month! Become a member and join the #morefarmers movement at youngfarmers.org/morefarmers Recorded at the studios of Radio Kingston. Thanks to our amazing editor, Hannah Beal, producer, Jessica Manly, comms manager, Bilal Sarwari, and podcast intern, Maia Banayan. Special thanks to Margaret Schlass, a busy PA young farmer who took the time to chat with us for this episode, but whose audio we very unfortunately lost due to a major tech glitch! Photo by Don Hol

Lindsey talks with Kate Greenberg, Colorado's new Commissioner of Agriculture, and former Western Program Director with the National Young Farmers Coalition. Lindsey and Kate check in about what it's been like to be the youngest person, and first woman, to hold this role in Colorado, as well as Colorado's plans to address climate change, land access barriers, and to support its next generation of farmers and ranchers.Kate's advice to young people looking to move into roles of leadership in food and agriculture? "Just do it." Surround yourself with people that love and support you, and don't wait until you feel ready, because you probably never really will.Follow Kate on instagram @coagcommishhttps://www.colorado.gov/pacific/agmain/commissioner-kate-greenberghttps://civileats.com/2019/02/11/meet-kate-greenberg-colorados-new-commissioner-of-agriculture/https://www.youngfarmers.org/2018/12/commissionergreenberg/http://www.journal-advocate.com/sterling-local_news/ci_32351814/young-farmers-director-gets-top-post-n

California produces more food than any other state in the nation. Over one-third of U.S. vegetables and two-thirds of U.S. fruits and nuts are grown in California. But drought, wildfire, and the impacts of climate change are increasing across the state. How are the farmers doing? And how are the young farmers doing? Lindsey talks with Mai Nguyen, Young Farmers' California Organizer, based in San Diego, who is also a heritage grain farmer, activist, and former climate researcher. Mai authored the 2019 California Young Farmers Report for the National Young Farmers Coalition which drops later this week.

Last week, the USDA's NASS released the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture, the first count in over five years of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who run them. What do we know now about the state of agriculture in this country? Lindsey talks with Erin Foster West, Young Farmers' federal policy director, about the rise in female farmers, decrease in farmers of color, and what the 6.4 million data points mean for the future of farming. The 2017 Census of Agriculture: https://www.nass.usda.gov/ Young Farmers Census press release: https://www.youngfarmers.org/2019/04/census2017/

On February 7th, 2019 Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey introduced a resolution in Congress recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal. The resolution starts by listing the many ways that climate change will devastate this country, including mass migration, wildfires, a trillion dollars of economic damage, and then it puts forward ideas to simultaneously reduce emissions and build a just and prosperous society. Farmers are in there of course. Agriculture is estimated to contribute up to 1/4 of global greenhouse gas emissions, and farmers are on the front lines of global weather changes. Lindsey interviews Eric Holt-Giménez, Executive Director of Food First, who recently wrote "The Green New Deal: Fulcrum for the farm and food justice movement?" https://foodfirst.org/the-green-new-deal-fulcrum-for-the-farm-and-food-justice-movement/ https://foodfirst.org/ https://www.gp.org/green_new_deal Photo credit: National Sustainable Agriculture Coaliti

Lindsey is joined in the studio at Radio Kingston by freshman Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY-19) to talk about his hotly contested race for office, representing the needs of beginning farmers in DC, and how he's trying to reach across the aisle in an era of "political tribalism." After the show, Lindsey and Jessica debrief. National Young Farmers Coalition is proud to have our VP of Policy and Campaigns, Sophie Ackoff, as well as several member farmers on Rep. Delgado's 19th Congressional District Agriculture Advisory Board, including Wes Hannah and Bryn Roshong, Solid Ground Farm; Hudson Valley Young Farmers Coalition, Tianna Kennedy, Star Route Farm; Greater Catskills Young Farmers Coalition, Ben Tyler and Greta Zaro, Unadilla Community Farm; Leatherstocking Young Farmers Coalition and Bari Zeiger, Frost Valley Farm. Photo from left: Michelle Hughes, Lindsey Lusher Shute, Rep. Antonio Delgado, and Sophie Ackoff in Washington, DC.

Passed in 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) is one of the most progressive, influential environmental policies in U.S. history. The CWA is charged with keeping U.S. waters "fishable and swimmable," and protected from pollution. Recent proposed changes from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would rollback these protections by changing the legal definition of "waters of the United States" (WOTUS). Lindsey talks with law professor Mark Squillace about the details of the Trump administration's proposed changes and how they could impact agriculture and the environment. The comment period on proposed revisions to WOTUS are open until April 15, 2019. The public can comment via regulations.gov. Summary of proposed EPA WOTUS definition change. EPA Comment Link. Professor Mark Squillace. Edited by Hannah Beal, produced by Jessica Manly, and recorded at the studios of Radio Kingston. Cover art American College of Environmental Lawyers.

The Bracero Program began in 1942 as an agreement between the United States and Mexico to bring laborers to the U.S. to replace men who were leaving farms to fight in World War II. The program didn’t end with the war, however, it actually grew by hundreds of thousands of workers, and continued until 1964, laying the foundation for our current agricultural guest worker programs. Lindsey discusses the program's history, and its intersections with contemporary immigration, labor, and food justice issues with Dr. Matthew Garcia, professor of History and Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth College. Further Resources: Matthew Garcia: https://home.dartmouth.edu/faculty-directory/matthew-j-garcia Bracero History Archive: http://braceroarchive.org/about Cows, Land, and Labor Conference at Dartmouth College: http://cowslandlabor.com/ Image credit: Time.com

The 4-H program's mission statement includes "a promise to America's kids to reflect the population demographics, vulnerable populations, diverse needs, and social conditions of the country." In 2017, however, USDA administration pressured the national 4-H organization to retract its LGBT+ inclusion policies. Shortly after, John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas, the progressive 4-H Youth Development Program director who had been working hard to boost equity and diversity, was fired. Lindsey speaks with Chaisson-Cardenas, Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, former director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and investigative reporter Jason Clayworth about the implications of these actions and what's next for the youth leadership organization and its 6 million members. Further resources: The retracted policies: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5096567-Iowa-Policy.html https://4-h.org/about/what-is-4-h/ https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2018/11/18/4-h-transgender-lgbt-io

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all! To celebrate, we're talking with some of our farmers about L.O.V.E. We’ve got some tips from a couple that have been farming together for 44 years, a story of finding a farm partner and true love on “The Tinder,” and a surprise Valentine’s message for a certain Young Farmers Podcast host. Recorded at Radio Kingston, edited by Hannah Beal, music by Tom Daly and "Memories in Love (ID 1144)" by Lobo Loco. Featuring: Two Bear Farm, Whitefish, MT: http://twobearfarm.com/ Abbie Corse, The Corse Farm Dairy, Whitingham, VT: https://thecorsefarmdairy.com/ Carolina Mueller, Middle Ground Farm, Austin, TX: http://middleground-farm.com/ Cara Fraver, National Young Farmers Coalition, Business Services: https://www.youngfarmers.org/ Harrison Topp, Topp Fruits, Paonia, CO: https://www.youngfarmers.org/2017/03/national-uncertainty-community-hope-and-pruning/ Jeff and Annie Main, Capay, CA, Good Humus Produce: https://www.goodhumus.com/ Ben Shute, Hearty Roots Farm, Germantown, NY: http

Warning: This episode deals with topics surrounding suicide, and may not be appropriate for all audiences. Suicide rates among farmers and farm workers are among the highest of any occupation in the United States (CDC data). In part two of this series on farmer mental health, we talk to members of the Washington Young Farmers Coalition about the organizing they launched in response to the loss of founding member Justin McClane in 2017. We also hear from Matt Perdue of the National Farmers Union, Joe Schroeder of Farm Aid, and journalist Debbie Weingarten, author of the pivotal Guardian piece on farmer suicide, "Why are America's farmers killing themselves?" We hope this series will contribute to the effort to break down the stigma surrounding farmer mental and behavioral health, inspire policy change, and grow support for programs addressing the farmer mental health crisis in this country. Take action today. Text "Farm Crisis" to 40649 to be connected with your Members of Congress to tell

Warning: This episode deals with topics surrounding suicide, and may not be appropriate for all audiences. Suicide rates among farmers and farm workers are higher than in any other occupation in the United States. We start this two-part series with the story of Justin McClane, a founding member of the Washington chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition, who we lost to suicide in 2017. Our hope is that by telling Justin's story, and sharing the powerful organizing his community of young farmers in Washington State launched in response to his death, we can contribute to the effort to break down the stigma around mental and behavioral health, inspire policy change, and grow support for programs addressing the farmer mental health crisis in this country. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Hotline at (800) 273-TALK (8255). You can also speak with someone directly at the Farm Aid Hotline at (800) FARM-AID (327-6243). For further resources, please visit https://farmcrisis.nfu.org/. https:/

This week, Lindsey talks with Matthew Dillon, Senior Director of Agriculture at Clif Bar & Company, about Seed Matters, the company's organic seed research initiative. We talk about the challenges of food labeling for consumers, the differences between organic and conventional seed breeding, genetic consolidation in the U.S. food system, and Clif Bar's ag policy efforts. Learn more about Seed Matters at www.seedmatters.org. https://seedmatters.org/news-from-the-field/

Tom Vilsack served as the 30th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Barack Obama. Prior to his appointment as Secretary, Vilsack served two terms as the Governor of Iowa, in the Iowa State Senate, and as the mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Host Lindsey Lusher Shute and Secretary Vilsack discuss managing the USDA during a shutdown; the anticipated economic impacts; whether farmers are really still in support of President Trump, as widely reported; and the immigration debate at the heart of it all. Tell your Members of Congress it's time to end the #GovernmentShutdown. Text "ACTION" to 40649 to join our activist network and to be connected with your Representatives. Also add your #shutdownstories to @youngfarmerspodcast Link to action: https://p2a.co/SShIhTg?fbclid=IwAR0k4hOcI5BYy3x5EnzU4VMDyqid1IAG7eLNRv016YF8b9nACaek6e8wlxA

Will 2019 be a year without the USDA? Lindsey speaks with Andrew Barsness, a young grain farmer in Minnesota, and Helena Bottemiller Evich, a senior food and agriculture reporter for POLITICO Pro, about the government shutdown and its impacts on food and agriculture. Text ACTION to 40649 now to join our activist network and to let your Representatives know that young farmers need USDA agencies up and running ASAP. Helena Bottemiller Evich Andrew Barsness - Heart and Grain

After months of waiting, we have a farm bill! Just before 10pm on December 10th, the 2018 Farm Bill dropped. The next day, the Senate passed it through in a landslide, and on Wednesday, the House followed suit. Andrew Bahrenburg, NYFC's National Policy Director, fields some listener questions about what it all means for young farmers and the future of ag. Lindsey is joined in the studio with podcast editor Hannah Beal and NYFC's Communications Director, Jessica Manly. For NYFC's detailed analysis on young farmer wins in the bill: https://www.youngfarmers.org/2018/12/farmbillforthefuture/ Please rate, subscribe, and review and we'll read your comments and thank you on next week's pod! Follow us on instagram @youngfarmerspodcast to stay in the loop on Young Farmers Podcast news and to get your questions and opinions on the show.

In October, the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a stunning Special Report on Climate Change. The study found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, we will face devastating consequences across all sectors by 2040, much earlier than previously thought. The IPCC is "the single largest science-policy experiment in history" according to Professor Mark Howden, a Vice Chair of the IPCC and Director of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University. We talk with Mark about the report's findings, the politics of climate change in the U.S., and how farmers need to adapt to a new reality. https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments/ https://ccafs.cgiar.org/climate-smart-agriculture-0#.XArwlfZKjUI https://theconversation.com/new-un-report-outlines-urgent-transformational-change-needed-to-hold-global-warming-to-1-5-c-103237 http://climate.anu.edu.au/abo

"I felt legally supported to participate, emotionally safe, and that what I had to say was powerful - that it counts. Some of the power that I had lost through the [immigration] process, I was able to get back." The Spanish phrase "poder hablar" translates to both the ability to speak, and literally, the "power" of speaking. This week, we hear the powerful story of Isabel Quiroz of Tequio Community Farm in Mendocino, California. Isabel immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico four years ago, and was nervous about participating in the U.S. policy process, and about whether her experiences would be counted by Members of Congress. She shares with us about her journey to DC for our 2018 Convergence, and how becoming a young farmer advocate has helped her to gain a sense of agency as a U.S. citizen and to feel supported on her farm. "Tequio comes from an indigenous concept in México that makes reference to a work party, traditionally members of a community would gather on a weekly basi

Teaganne Finn, agriculture reporter for Bloomberg's BNA Washington Bureau, shares the latest on farm bill negotiations. The news? Things are actually moving forward. Teaganne's also been following the regulation of cell-cultured meat. Is it the meat of the moment, or the long distant future? Follow Teaganne on Twitter @Teaganne_Finn and on BGOV at https://about.bgov.com/blog/author/teaganne-finn/. ["Burgers grown in a lab are heading to your plate. Will you bite?"][1]