Young Farmers Podcast

We're just returning from our Annual Leadership Convergence in DC, and we're especially grateful for all of the amazing young farmers in our Coalition, fighting for a bright and just future for agriculture. Listen in this week for some words of gratitude from Lindsey Lusher Shute, and a big announcement on some changes ahead for the Coalition. Here's some footage from #NYFCconvergence 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ROLibZNh1A&list=PLGjXOe-nEUH0H6X5TYStoiDGCY8SraR0z And here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes! Cranberry relish (sub in maple syrup for sugar) https://www.oceanspray.com/en/Recipes/By-Course/Sauces-Sides-and-Salads/Fresh-Cranberry-Orange-Relish Ottolenghi's sweet potato mash with herb salsa https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/27/yotam-ottolenghis-coriander-recipes Edna Lewis' buttermilk biscuits https://louisiana.kitchenandculture.com/recipes/edna-lewis-hot-crusty-buttermilk-biscuits Apple-ginger crisp https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/apple-ginger-crisp-

After years of spraying, Dewayne Johnson, a groundskeeper, believes the herbicide Roundup, which contains glyphosate, caused him to develop Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a rare and very painful form of skin cancer. So, he filed a case against Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup. Four years later, a jury awarded Mr. Johnson $289 million dollars in damages (recently reduced to $78 million). Many, many farmers use Roundup, and the question of how dangerous it is has been studied. The EPA found it to be safe, yet the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer found it to be "probably carcinogenic in humans," so mixed results. Monsanto, for its part, maintains that Roundup is safe but faces over 9,000 similar cases across the country. This week an Oakland, California judge said that another case will go forward next March. This week, Lindsey speaks with one of Mr. Johnson's lawyers, Mark Burton. Mark tells us about the case and how they managed to win it. The Monsanto Papers Dewa

This week, NYFC's Michelle Hughes interviews Leah Penniman, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, food justice activist, and author of the new book "Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land." Leah talks about her history, her spirituality, and her work training the next generation of black and brown farmers to build a more sustainable and equitable food system. “Black people have a history in regenerative agriculture that is not circumscribed by slavery, share cropping, and tenant farming. We have tens of thousands of years of history innovating and coming up with dignified solutions to solving hunger in our communities without destroying the planet.” NYFC members get 35% off of Leah's book at Chelsea Green Publishing, join today! www.youngfarmers.org/join Soul Fire Farm: http://www.soulfirefarm.org/ Farming While Black at Chelsea Green: https://media.chelseagreen.com/product/farming-while-black/

The 2014 Farm Bill has been expired since October 1st. What does this mean for young farmers and ranchers and the USDA programs they rely on? This week, we catch up with Andrew Bahrenburg, our National Policy Director and guy on the ground in DC, about the effects of the expiration and fate of these so-called "stranded" programs. We also chat with USDA Economist Dr. Anne B.W. Efland about the history of the bill, and what's at stake if a new bill isn't passed this year. Also, a reminder to VOTE in the midterm elections this Tuesday, November 6th. In the meantime, you can take action today by calling your Reps and telling them that young farmers need a #farmbillnow. Text "FARM BILL" to 40649. "Expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill: Some Potential Implications"

This week, Lindsey talks with NPR's Food and Agriculture Correspondent, Dan Charles, about the controversy surrounding the herbicide Dicamba, and the drift damage it has caused to other crops and wildlife across the country. A few years ago, Monsanto engineered Dicamba-resistant soybeans because many weeds had developed tolerance to their popular product, Roundup. Many farmers were thrilled, and this year, soybeans were planted on approximately 89.6 million acres in the U.S. - 40% of these are Dicamba-tolerant. Although dicamba is highly effective at weed control, it can volatilize into the air, traveling for miles, and damaging non-resistant crops, trees, and other plants nearby. EPA will have the final say on whether growers can use Dicamba on their crops in the next few weeks. More by Dan Charles on the Dicamba debate: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/09/27/651262491/a-drifting-weedkiller-puts-prized-trees-at-risk https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/10/09/654847573/despite-a-ban-arkansas-far

In 1920, 14% of U.S. farmers were black - today less than 2%. Land ownership by Black farmers has also declined over the past 100 years, from 15 million acres to roughly 2 million acres. These numbers are tough, but some say they would be even worse without the leadership of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. Lindsey talks with Cornelius Blanding, executive director of the Federation, about Black land loss, how coops are helping black and rural communities, and their work with young black farmers. The Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund http://www.federationsoutherncoop.com/ October is National Co-op Month! National Cooperative Business Association: ncba.coop #farmbillnow Text "FARM BILL" to 40649 to support the FOTO/2501 program and other programs young farmers and farmers of color rely on. Find us on Instagram @youngfarmerspodcast

The internet is flooded with food photos, recipes and diet advice, partisan news, and farmer-inspired fashion, but who is listening to the farmers themselves? Farmers grow your food and manage nearly half of all land on Earth. It's time to pay attention to the policies, programs, and events that are shaping the future of agriculture. Our host, Lindsey Lusher Shute, co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition, provides a fresh, farmer-centric take on food and farm policy. We talk with policy makers, experts and advocates, and, of course, farmers, about the most critical issues facing farming in the U.S. and globally. Edited by Hannah Beal and recorded at Radio Kingston. Visit us on Instagram @youngfarmerspodcast! https://www.youngfarmers.org/category/podcast/

In celebration of Indigenous People's Day, Lindsey speaks with Clayton Harvey of the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona about how farming has shaped his spiritual identity and helped keep Apache traditions and language alive in his community. Clayton shares how his journey to Standing Rock has influenced him, and inspired other indigenous young people to farm. His farm, Ndée Bikíyaa, has a mission of promoting personal and cultural health among White Mountain Apache through agriculture. “In Apache, the word for mind and land are the same. It goes to show the relationship that our people had with the land-we're one with the land…Our mother [earth] is alive and has a heartbeat in the same sense that our mind is alive…we can eat all the healthy food, we can be active and involved in our community and our ceremonies, but if environmental health isn't right, then we're just a broken puzzle.” https://www.facebook.com/ndeebikiyaathepeoplesfarm/ https://gardenwarriorsgoodseeds.com/2014/09/19/ndee-bikiyaa-the-peo

Hurricane Florence has been a disaster on many levels, leaving economic, social, and environmental destruction in its path across the Carolinas. In North Carolina, a locus of global pork production, continued flooding has also led to a livestock death toll in the millions. This week, Lindsey interviews Tom Philpott, former farmer, and current food and ag correspondent for Mother Jones, about the complex future of confinement meat production in the U.S., and the clean up poultry and hog producers face in the storm’s aftermath. Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/09/2-weeks-after-florence-we-still-dont-know-how-toxic-carolina-waterways-are/ The Secret Ingredient Podcast: http://thesecretingredient.org/ The Bite Podcast: https://www.motherjones.com/topics/bite/ USDA CAFO facts: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/people/?cid=nrcs142p2_000482 https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/livestock/afo/ Disaster Assistance for Young Farmers: http

Hurricane Florence has caused an estimated $1 billion in damages to farms in the Carolinas, and the destruction continues. Lindsey interviews Davon Goodwin, a North Carolina farmer and manager of the Sandhills AGInnovation Center, to find out what it looks like on the ground, how farmers are trying to recover from the losses, and what can be done to build resilience to natural disasters in the future. AND, the farm bill expires September 30th. Ryan McCrimmon of Politico's Morning Agriculture gives us the rundown on what to expect by, and after, the deadline. Politico Morning Agriculture: https://www.politico.com/morningagriculture/ Sandhills AGInnovation Center: https://sandhillsag.com/ USDA Disaster Assistance Programs: https://www.youngfarmers.org/2018/09/drought-wildfire-hail-is-there-a-usda-disaster-assistance-program-to-help-your-farm-or-ranch/ Crop Insurance for young farmers: https://www.youngfarmers.org/2018/08/one-young-farmer-is-thankful-for-crop-insurance-could-it-be-right-for-you/

Can farmers save the planet? We all know that the weather impacts agriculture, but farmers are also changing the weather. Dr. Nathan Mueller, head of the Mueller Lab and Assistant Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, walks us through cutting edge research on the complex and interesting relationship between agriculture and climate, and some of the powerful ways farmers can steer global environmental change. The Mueller Lab: https://www.ess.uci.edu/~nmueller/people.html Climate Change and Agriculture: https://www.ess.uci.edu/~nmueller/research.html Check back soon for the new study on climate change and the future of the global beer supply! Xie, W, W Xiong, J Pan, T Ali, Q Cui, D Guan, J Meng, ND Mueller, E Lin, and SJ Davis. in press. Decreases in global beer supply due to extreme drought and heat. Nature Plants. Episode Transcript This is the Young Farmers Podcast. I'm Lindsey Lusher Shute. We already know that weather impacts farmers and the food system. So what will the

As the September 30th farm bill expiration date looms, Lindsey checks back in for a status update with NYFC's National Policy Director, Andrew Bahrenburg. What do the "Fab Four" have to do with farm bill conference negotiations? Will Congress pass a final farm bill in time? And what will happen to the programs young farmers rely on if they don't? Take action, and tell your Representatives that we need a #farmbillnow. Text "FARM" to 40649 today. For more about the farm bill programs young farmers rely on: https://www.youngfarmers.org/2018/09/beginning-farmer-and-rancher-training-programs-in-danger-of-farm-bill-cuts/ https://www.youngfarmers.org/2018/09/young-farmers-rely-on-the-organic-cost-share-program-to-afford-organic-cred/ Episode Transcript This is the Young Farmers podcast. I’m Lindsey Lusher Shute. Currently, there is a Senate version of the farm bill, and a House version of the farm bill. And unless they resolve their differences, the farm bill will expire at the end of this month

"If we don't start doing things differently, there won't be agriculture to pass down." Climate change is a hot-button political issue, but in the Western U.S., no one can deny that the drought and above average temperatures are real. Mike Nolan, a young farmer in Mancos, Colorado, gives an insider perspective on farming in extreme weather conditions, building resilience, and shares how an innovative conservation policy idea that started over beers and ended up in the Senate farm bill. What is the path forward for farmers in the arid West? Mountain Roots Produce: https://mountainrootsproduce.com/aboutus/ U.S. Drought Monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Drought Diaries: https://www.rmfu.org/homepage-2/latest-news/happening-now/the-drought-diaries/ Episode Transcript This is the Young Farmers Podcast. I’m Lindsey Lusher Shute. Today I’m speaking with Mike Nolan, a farmer at Mountain Roots Produce, and chapter leader at the Four Corners Farmers and Ranchers Coalition th

Today’s bonus episode is about an important program in the 2018 Farm Bill that needs your support: Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO). Tiffany Washington, Navy Veteran from Austin, Texas, shares her personal journey to farming, and how farm bill programs are helping her find success. Take action: Text "Farm" to 40649 to join NYFC's Team Farm Bill Farmshare Austin: https://www.farmshareaustin.org/ Texas AgrAbility: http://txagrability.tamu.edu/

It's hard to imagine anyone thinking more about the weather than farmers, but then again, there's Chief Meteorologist Mark Brusberg of USDA’s agricultural weather and assessments group. This week, Lindsey talks with Mark about the ways that drought, extreme weather, and the changing climate are impacting farmers and agricultural production globally and here at home. Mark also talks about "the blob," building farm weather resilience, and how farmers can keep track of it all. Mark Brusberg https://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/2018/bios/Mark_Brusberg.pdf US Drought Monitor https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Tropical Tidbits https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/ The Blob https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob_(Pacific_Ocean) Weather Underground https://www.wunderground.com/ NOAA Weather https://www.weather.gov/ Introduction Lindsey: This is the Young Farmer’s Podcast. I’m Lindsey Lusher Shute. First, a quick announcement. If you’re in New York State or care about state policy, I want you to know that NYFC just relea

Commodity farmers across the nation are struggling under the weight of low prices and tariffs, resulting in bankruptcies and crisis in farm country. In this second conversation with Roger Johnson, farmer and president of the National Farmers Union, we talk about how putting controls on production may be the toughest and most important battle for the future of agriculture. Episode Transcript Lindsey: Hey, this is the Young Farmers Podcast. I’m Lindsey Lusher Shute. In our last episode, Roger Johnson, President of the National Farmers Union, walked us through how US commodity producers face declining prices and a trade war with China. I’m looking for ideas about how family farmers can get out of this mess and stay in business. Today, we’re going to see if Roger can offer us any solutions. Selwyn Justice: Hi, this is Selwyn Justice of Justice Brothers Ranch in beautiful Waddell, Arizona, where we grow citrus and raise beef cattle. I’m a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition because even beginning farm

President Trump's trade war is sending U.S. agricultural markets into shock. Roger Johnson, farmer and president of the National Farmers Union, talks us through the situation on farms, the $12 billion bailout, and what it all means for the future of U.S. agriculture. Episode Transcript Hey, this is the Young Farmers Podcast. I’m Lindsey Lusher Shute. Okay, let me tell you about this trade war. On March 8th, President Donald Trump put tariffs on steel and aluminum from all countries except Canada and Mexico. In response, on April 2nd, Chine put tariffs on 128 U.S. farm products. The very next day, April 3rd, the U.S. went after 1300 good from China, and the day after that, April 4th, China fought back with 106 new tariffs on the U.S. including soybeans, the country’s top agricultural export to China. Commodity producers already have a tough time getting good prices, and this trade war is making things even harder. Today, I am speaking with farmer and President of the National Farmers Union, Roger Johnson. This

In celebration of farmers market week, we bring you an interview with Ben Feldman of the Farmers Market Coalition. Ben talks about the state of farmers markets across the nation; why farmers may soon have a hard time selling food to customers using SNAP/EBT; and how the farm bill could help farmers markets thrive.

Immigrants make up nearly three-quarters of all farmworkers in the United States. Their labor is critical to US farms and consumers, but being an immigrant farmworker can come along with some major challenges -- from the risk of deportation to basic safety. Lindsey Lusher Shute interviews Iris Figueroa, staff attorney at Farmworker Justice, about these issues. They talk about who farmworkers are, the recent Goodlatte bill to change guestworker policy, and a proposal to give farmworkers legal status. www.farmworkerjustice.org

Eric Sannerud of Mighty Axe Hops and the Central Minnesota Young Farmers Coalition talks about the campaign to pass the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit in Minnesota. This new law gives a tax credit to landowners who rent or sell their land to a new farmer. This year, a million dollars have been allocated for this bill and 162 farms were sold or rented to beginning farmers. Hear about how this ambitious group of young farmers stood up for the future of agriculture in the state and helped to solve one of its toughest challenges.