American Family Farmer

Architect Javier Ponce is the founder of the Smart Floating Farms project (SFF) and currently a registered architect in Barcelona, SpainJavier graduated from Monterrey Institute of Technology in México and holds a Master's degree in Advanced Architecture from UPC University in Barcelona. Between 2007-2009 Javier worked for british architect Norman Foster in London, where he was exposed to different scales and types of projects worldwide.On his return to Barcelona, Javier founded his own design studio JAPA architects for the production of strategic projects which aim is to have a positive impact on people's daily life. He is both an architect and an entrepreneur, interested in exploring the symbiotic relations immersed in nature and on how to integrate them in a positive way into daily human life. The Smart Floating farms project is the result of this way of thinking, an initiative which aims to question other complementary ways of bringing healthy clean food production closer to our cities.Find out more at  h

Bullock Farms is a family owned and operated 100 acre farm located in beautiful central New Jersey with gently rolling hills, green pastures and open farmland. Brett Bullock and his sister are the sixth generation of farmers at Bullock Farms in Cream Ridge, NJ, which was founded in 1860. Brett grew up on the farm and then went to college at University of Vermont, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Plant and Soil Sciences. He then spent some years as a self-professed ski bum before starting work at a nursery specializing in ornamental trees. In 2009 he moved back to NJ and back to his family farm where he works everyday and has overseen special projects like the creation of the Screamin’ Hill Brewery that opened on the farm in 2014.The generations have seen many changes. In the early days, alfalfa, corn and potatoes were the main crops grown on the farm. Cranberries were grown in bogs owned by the Bullocks in nearby Prospertown and processed on the farm in the Cranberry House. Potatoes and grain were grown

Jack Algiere is the farm director at Stone Barns Center. Jack graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in horticulture and has been actively farming since the early 1990s. His lifetime of experience in organic, biodynamic and ecological systems brings a broad diversity of experience in greenhouses, orchards, fields and pastures. Jack oversees the diverse farming operations, multispecies pastured livestock, grains, field crops, greenhouse, fruit, flowers and compost in a four-season agroecological system. In the Stone Barns Center's new book, Letters to a Young Farmer, some of the most influential farmers, writers and leaders of our time share their wisdom and insight in an anthology of 36 essays and letters. There are now more farmers over the age of 75 than between the ages of 35 and 44 and we are about to witness the largest retirement of farmers in U.S. history. The future hinges on the investments we make today in the next generation of farmers. If we invest in farming that is adaptable

Daniel De Carvalho is the Global Director of Corporate Communications of Zaluvida, the makers of Mootral, a new natural feed supplement for cows. Zaluvida, a biotech company that tackles health challenges ranging from antibiotic resistance to livestock emissions, claims to instantly reduce cow methane emissions by at least 30%. The powdery supplement, which is compressed into pellets and mixed into cattle feed streams, is made of two basic ingredients, garlic and citrus extracts.Zaluvida’s team of researchers have found that the two compounds combined improve cows’ ability to digest without emitting excess methane in the process. While cow farts are often blamed for the bulk of their methane emissions, it’s really their burps that are the culprits–and that is what Mootral is most effective in neutralizing.Mootral (a portmanteau of “moo” and “neutral”) can help farmers make more money, and help the environment at the same time. The actual amount of supplement needed to deliver the 30% methane-reduction is very

When he’s not networking with hemp researchers and growers, or briefing legislators like Senator Mitch McConnell about the multi-billion-dollar boost that federal legalization of hemp would give to the economy, hemp industry consultant Josh Hendrix of CV Sciences can usually be found conducting interviews with the media as part of his mission to educate young and old about the many benefits to be derived from one of Man’s oldest agricultural crops: hemp.Josh Hendrix is a member of the Technical Advisory Council for the National Hemp Association and founder of the Kentucky Hemp Industries Association. He currently serves as the Director of Business Development for CV Sciences, Inc. where he works with farmers, universities, businesses, industry associations, and government agencies to help create the infrastructure necessary to establish a modern domestic supply chain for hemp in the United States.  A few hemp factoids:Find out more at www.pluscbdoil.com. ***Listeners can also take advantage of a 15% discount

Pamela Rickenbach co-founded Blue Star Equiculture in 2009 with friends in Philadelphia wanting to create a permanent home for retired carriage horses. With many years experience working alongside first nations people in sharing their messages to the world with National Geographic senior editor and author Harvey Arden, Pamela wanted to include indigenous native people's wisdom in developing a holistic and culturally sensitive approach to restoring our connection to our "working" equine friends. From the beginning of operating our farm native peoples and traditional horse people from all over the world have contributed their thoughts about how to go about reconnecting a community whether local, national or global to their horses with pride, respect and compassion. Pamela has lived on the farm from the beginning in 2009 and will always be available to help build and share this amazing mission with whoever feels drawn to be involved and help care for it. Blue Star Equiculture™ is a 501c(3) non-profit organizatio

After attending the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a B.A. in Political Science, John went back to his roots and spent time living in Italy where he worked at a variety of farms and homesteads.  While overseas, John realized agriculture was extremely important to him and he wanted to continue the lifestyle within the United States.  Upon his return John spent two years working at local farms within central New Jersey where he improved his skills and techniques for growing organically.  Having grown up in Titusville, New Jersey, his opportunity to farm in Lambertville was serendipitous.  In his spare time, John enjoys public radio, mushroom hunting, getting lost in record stores, playing guitar, and a competitive game of disc golf.Rolling Hills Farm was named in the 1980's when it was an ostrich farm and when residents of Lambertville would skate on the pond in the Winter. Today we raise vegetables, herb, fruits, and mushrooms on the land generations past lived on. 

Dena Hoff, Vice President of the National Family Farm Coalition, has farmed most of her life and has raised sheep, cattle, alfalfa, sweet corn, edible dry beans, and other crops on her farm in Glendive, Montana, since 1979. She is an active member of her rural community, serving on the Water Commission and the local food cooperative, as well as Montana-based Northern Plains Resource Council.  She represents NPRC to the Western Organization of Resource Councils and to the NFFC. With Doug, she discusses the relentless efforts by multi-national agribusiness and extraction corporations to control our food and agriculture system and what the NFFC is doing in the fight to sustain non-GMO, heritage and indigenous seeds and fresh, potable waterLearn more about her and her work with the National Family Farm Coaltion at www.NFFC.NET

Jackie Allenbrand started the PHARM Dog USA program in 2005.  PHARM stands for: Pets Helping Agriculture in Rural Missouri. She and her husband used dogs on their own farm to work the cattle and wondered if a dog could be trained for further farm use.  After meeting a farmer with a partial leg amputation and talking with him about his dog she decided to pursue the idea of training dogs for farmers dealing with an illness or injury.  Since developing the program the group has placed several dogs with farmers with a disability or illness that need the help of a 4-legged farm hand.  The program uses Border Collies for herding purposes and Labs saved from shelters or rescues for service work. Opening gates and retrieving tools are a few things dogs can be trained to do on the farm. PHARM Dog USA became a not for profit in 2012.Jackie and her husband Chris live on a farm in NW Missouri and have a cow/calf herd. Find out more at www.PharmDog.org

Jesse Laflamme, CEO of Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, took over the family business from his parents, Gerry and Carol. He has raised the bar even higher with his with his commitment to small-scale farming, organic foods, humane treatment of animals, and conservation. Jesse and his wife Sandra love having their children help out at the farm in Monroe, NH.In the podcast, Jesse addresses egg labeling confusion and explains the differences between free range, cage free, organic and pasture raised eggs that many consumers are confused by. P&G’s prides themselves on handling their hens in humane ways, and explains how other egg producers can follow their lead and what food labeling regulators can do to stop misleading claims about eggs. Find out more about Jesse Laflamme and his company at www.PeteandGerrys.com

Wes King has worked on sustainability and food policy issues for nearly ten years. He staffs NSAC’s Marketing, Food Systems and Rural Development Committee. Before joining NSAC, Wes spent the previous six years at NSAC member organization, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, working on food access, farmers markets and working-lands conservation policy; and leading efforts to create a more risk and scale appropriate regulatory environment for farms and local food businesses. Prior to that he worked for the Illinois Environmental Council. Wes holds an M.A. and B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois.In this segment, Wes answers questions like - What kind of work does the NSAC do?-How does the NSAC influence farming and ag policy?-The next Farm Bill and how it will support local and regional food systems.-The current proposal to cut funding for USDA rural development programs -The decision at USDA to eliminate the Under Secretary of Rural Development and its impact Find out more about Wes and his wo

Melissa Miller is the education director of the Beginning Farmer Institute at the National Farmers Union. She is responsible for the planning, development, promotion and delivery of youth and adult educational and leadership programs and events. As NFU’s Education Director Melissa is passionate about giving all producers the educational resources they need to succeed, including women and beginning producers.Prior to NFU Melissa managed Common Good City Farm, an urban farm in downtown Washington DC.  At CGCF Melissa grew food for her local neighborhood as well as put on educational events throughout the year to connect community members to local food. Melissa is a first generation producer who currently owns Ladybell Farms in West River, Maryland. Ladybell Farms is a cut-flower CSA farm that also sells herbs and mushrooms.Find out more about Melissa and her work with the NFU at www.beginningfarmers.org

Phil and Juany Noble own and operate Sage Mountain Farm, where they are an active part of the organic food revolution that is sweeping across the country. Starting with a small garden, they ended up having some extra produce; not wanting to let anything go to waste they decided to sell it at the local farmer's market.  When locals asked for more and more produce, they decided to become regulars at the market and thus Sage Mountain Farm was born. All of their fruits and vegetables are grown on the family farm using sparkling clean natural well water and healthy organic processes. At the high desert property, they also use organic guidelines to raise steers, chickens and pigs. Motivated by their passion for bringing produce to the marketplace, and their love for the outdoors and farming, they planted fruit trees, fenced of the property and purchased some of the land adjacent to their original 5 acres.They now own multiple properties and have started Sage Mountain Beef, where they also offer green-fed beef and p

How do you make cheese? This was the question Bob and Ricki Carroll asked back in the 70’s before there was such a thing as home cheese making. Intent on becoming more self-reliant, the newlyweds welcomed two dairy goats Mary-Lou, and Dinah to their backyard farm in Ashfield Massachusetts, and began searching far and wide for supplies, ingredients and resources. Working with what little they could find, they began to experiment. Thus began the cheese making journey of a lifetime!Cheesemaking Made Easy, written by Bob in 1981, was later expanded by Ricki, renamed Home Cheese Making, and has become a bible for home and artisanal cheese makers alike, selling hundreds of thousands of copies.Since then, this little company has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines, Ricki and Bob had an appearance on The Today Show, Ricki helped start the American Cheese Society, and, after attending one of Ricki’s classes, the acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver wrote about the class in both Food and Wine magazine and

An Indiana native, Anne Hazelett is currently the Assistant to the USDA Secretary for Rural Development. She has worked on agriculture and rural issues for over fifteen years. Working in both the U.S. House and Senate, Hazelett has most recently served as Republican Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry where she was an advisor on many issues impacting rural America from Farm Bill programs to broadband and child nutrition. In addition to her public service in Washington, Hazelett was the Director of Agriculture for her home state where she managed the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and was an advisor to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels on agriculture and rural issues.Doug gets to the bottom of what exactly the Rural Development Agency of the USDA does, as well as tackling the issues of what role the agency plays in working with small rural farms, how Rural Development is helping with the Hurricane Harvey disaster and how the UDSA RD is trying to tackle the nation

NFU President Roger Johnson was elected National Farmers Union’s 14th president during the organization’s 107th anniversary convention in 2009. A third-generation family farmer from Turtle Lake, N.D., Johnson previously served as North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner, a position he was first elected to in 1996. Johnson grew up in Farmers Union, participating in the organization’s youth programs, serving as a county president and chairman of the board of a local Farmers Union cooperative. As president, Roger is the chief executive and public spokesman for the organization.He talks to Doug about the NFU’s upcoming fly-in - When members of congress come back into town, NFU will have close to 300 members fly in to lobby their members of Congress. Also on the table is the depressed farm economy, health care, and NFU’s push for increased use of ethanol and advanced biofuels.

Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds and other animals bring us one in every three bites of food we eat. Pollinators form the underpinnings of healthy and sustainable ecosystems that support a multitude of wildlife. For years, pollinator populations have been in decline and this decline is attributed most severely to a loss in feeding and nesting habitats. In addition, environmental degradation, the misuse of chemicals, pests and disease, and now climate change are all contributing to shrinking and shifting pollinator populations.Val Dolcini, formerly the Administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency, is a fifth generation Californian, a passionate supporter of American farmers and ranchers, and a firm believer in the promise of our nation's rural places.  He is currently the President & CEO of the Pollinator Partnership, an organization dedicated to the support and protection of pollinators throughout North America. This year, Val and his team have collaborated with Blondie's Debbie Harry to lau

Bill Tomson has been an agriculture reporter for 22 years. He graduated from Central Michigan University and started his career as a correspondent for Knight Ridder in Sao Paulo, Brazil, reporting on soybeans, corn and wheat production. Bill also covered the automobile and telecommunications sectors there.Since then, Bill has covered ag for Dow Jones, Politico and now Agri-Pulse in Washington DC. Bill currently focuses on trade issues for Agri-Pulse, where he recently broke the story on the details of the U.S.-China deal to resume beef trade.The U.S. dairy sector is fighting harder than ever on several fronts to halt the European Union’s global efforts to block cheese producers in other countries from using names like Roquefort, Asiago and Gorgonzola on the products they export.“We can’t afford to lose this race with the EU,” Vilsack said. “Mexico is our number-one market … for dairy products, so clearly what happens here will make a difference to the nearly 42,000 (U.S.) operations that are producing product

Jonathan White, the son of a math professor and an editor, fell in love with cheese when,  as a twenty-one year old engineer, he had been shipped off to London to manage a project, where his local grocery had no less than forty types of cheese! (This was in 1977, when his US supermarket stocked three colors of the same cheese!)Twelve years later, after falling in love and marrying a young modern dancer named Nina, he moved with his wife and infant to the woodlands north of New York City. Nina had two young ballet students whose father, American musical legend David Amram, kept goats on his hobby farm. When little Alana and Adira turned their noses up at the prospect of drinking goat's milk, David turned to Jonathan and said "Pops, you like to cook, want to try to make something out of all of this milk?"After a few years of hobby cheesemaking, Jonathan realized that he liked his hobby better than his job.Twenty-four years later, Jonathan and Nina are making cheese and bread at their Bobolink Dairy and Bakehous

Tinicum CSA is a partnership between Bucks County native John Crooke and Minnesota native Stefan Streit, who met each other in 2012, while they were both working as CSA apprentices at Sisters Hill Farm in Stanfordville, NY.John grew up sharing the chores with his brothers on his parents’ dairy farm.  His interest in vegetable farming began at Cornell University, where he co-managed the student farm at Dilmun Hill.  He is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Paraguay, where he worked for three years in Agricultural Extension and Corps Member Coordination.  For his part, Stefan grew up in Minnesota, and not long after college, worked as an Americorps member for an environmental restoration non-profit in Seattle.  Together, John and Stefan have a shared vision for Tinicum CSA.  They believe there are four essential elements of Tinicum CSA.  First, they insist that what they do must be good for the members who participate in the CSA.  They  believe that what they grow is healthy, nourishing, and a good value for