Farm To Table Talk

Farmers around the world are resisting industrial monoculture in favor of biodiversity and soil-first practices with practical land stewardship rooted in indigenous knowledge, community building and long-term economic resilience. Regenerating Earth: Farmers Working with Nature to Feed Our Future by Kelsey Timmerman (Patagonia Books) provides a global exploration of regenerative agriculture as told through the stories of farmers transforming the land—and their communities. Timmerman, who lives in rural Indiana and comes from a farming family, brings a neighbor’s eye and a journalist’s ear to the regenerative movement.

It is 100% true that small farms can be profitable however small farms increasingly need to do further processing. Just selling vegetables to a Farmers Market may no longer be a sufficient business model. Just a single farmer by themselves faces a very hard farm life. To be the best that it can be a single farmer will be better with a group or a couple people focused on making it happen. Michael Kilpatrick is a farmer and educator who is passionate about providing farmers with tools and systems that they need to thrive. He is host of the Thriving Farmers podcast, founder of Small Farm University, and runs his own farm operation with his wife Savanah and their 4 children at the Farm on Central in Southwest Ohio. www.growingfarmers.com

Small farms can be profitable farms, especially if they adapt and grow to include adding value to their production. Michael Kilpatrick is a farmer and educator who is passionate about equipping farmers with the tools and systems they need to thrive! He offers educational resources as host of the Thriving Farmer podcast and through his virtual summits and online community Small Farm University. He also runs his own farm operation with his wife Savannah and their four children at the Farm on Central in southwest Ohio. Thriving Farmer Podcast is available from your podcast sources.

Although it is appealing to go solo, succeeding in the food system today requires working in cooperation with others: family, neighbors, associations, boards, committees, suppliers, or customers. Working out a partnership or agreeing to serve on a board or committee, may not be what you signed up for but good luck trying to go it alone.  Blake Hurst is a farmer in North East Missouri, former President of the Missouri Farm Burieau, occasional guest farm column author in the WallStreet Journal and SubStack @HurstBlake.   He joins host Rodger Wasson who has also managed agricultural organizations to share the urgent need for  busy people to step up and form new relationships, serve on Boards and make contributions that matter.

With a growing population of 1.4 billion people to feed, farmers in India are under constant pressure to increase productivity despite diminishing resources. Nearly half the population and most rural livelihoods rely on agriculture.. With volatile weather patterns and pest infestations, crop diseases and limited natural resources , Dr. Sat Kumar Tomer, Founder and CEO of Satyukt Analytics, sought to revolutionize farming by harnessing satellite data to provide affordable, actionable insights for small and larger farmers across India. Dr. Tomer assembled a  team of researchers and engineers to build Satyukt Analytics. Together they developed Sat2Farm, a mobile application designed to empower farmers with real-time insights into crop health, water availability, and other crucial parameters. Central to Satyukt’s approach is the use of open-source satellite data from agencies like NASA and ESA. Dr. Tomer’s vision is to make Indian agriculture more efficient, sustainable, and resilient in the face of climate challenges. www.satyukt.com  

DC Central Kitchen combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation in Washington DC, providing hands-on culinary training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed.  Social ventures include serving scratch-cooked farm-to-school meals in DC schools, delivering fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets, and operating fast-casual cafes throughout the District of Columbia. Mike Curtin, CEO of DC Central Kitchen views food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds and build communities. www.dccentralkitchen.org

Ariane Daguin is the founder of D’Artagnan and the visionary behind the new All For One One For All (AOOA) Farm in New York’s Hudson Valley.Known as the “Mother of Farm-to-Table” in America, Ariane has spent decades shaping how we source, prepare, and think about our food. She introduced organic, humanely raised meat to top chefs across the U.S. and is now fully immersed in regenerative farming, community-based agriculture, and field-to-table education. Raised in a French culinary dynasty, daughter of a Michelin-starred chef, and now a farmer-distiller—Ariane brings tradition and transformation, ethics and flavor to Farm To Table Talk. www.alloneoneall.com www.dartagnan.com

What happens when an Amish farmer in the world's 4th largest Amish community, farming with horses, recognizes that overdosing with chemical "solutions "is killing the soil? When that Amish farmer  is John Kempf it leads to fresh eyes for actions that can bring soil back to life. In Europe for hundreds of years Amish farmers were known for resuscitating impoverished land and today's solutions will grow to include AI and resilient microbial communities. John Kempf hosts the Regenerative Ag Podcast and has established Agronomic consulting, with fresh eyes. www.advancingecoag.com    

There is Organic and there is beyond Organic to regenerative organic, including soil health, animal welfare and social. California Certified Organic Farmers, CCOF, advances organic agriculture for a healthy world:  advocating for organic policies, supporting the growth of organic through educationand grants and providing organic certification. A nonprofit organization governed by farmers and founded in California over half a century ago, today it serves North America and beyond with the support of consumers and policymakers. Kelly.Damewood  is the CEO of CCOF. Kelly has managed a small orgnaic farm before law school and ultimately becoming CCOF’s policy director, she has,spearheaded key initiatives such as passage of state legislation to improve an outdated regulatory program for organic farmers and creating a groundbreaking project to drive organic production and consumption in California. Kelly holds a Juris Doctor degree from Vermont Law School and a Master of Laws degree in agricultural and food law from the University of Arkansas School of Law. www.ccof.org

Food is life but our food system isn't helping. Designed in a different century for a different purpose—to mass-produce cheap calories to prevent famine—it’s now generating obesity, ill health, and premature death. We need to transform it into one that can nourish all eight billion of us and the planet we live on. That is the story learned in Food Fight by Stuart Gillespie. Dr. Gillespie has been fighting to transform our broken food system for the past 40 years. Stuart has been at the helm of the IFPRI’s Regional Network on AIDs, Livelihoods, and Food Security, has led the flagship Agriculture for Nutrition and Health research program, was director of the Transform Nutrition program, and founded the Stories of Change initiative, amongst a host of other interventions into public food policy. His work has driven change across all frontiers, from the grassroots to the political.FOOD FIGHT shines a light inside the black box of politics and power and, crucially, maps a way toward a new system that gives us hope for a future of global health and justice. Farmhand supports CSA farmers and this podcast: farmhand.partners/farmtotabletalk