Young Farmers Podcast

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POTUS vs. WOTUS: What Side of the Clean Water Debate Should Farmers Be On? Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

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.

Braceros: The Controversial History of US-Mexico Farm Worker Programs with Dr. Matthew Garcia Mar 08, 2019

Show notes

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

Broken Promises: 4-H's LGBT+ Controversy Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

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-iowa-john-paul-chaisson-cardenas-iowa-state-university-civil-rights/1572199002/

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2019/01/23/4-h-congress-information-trump-agency-push-dump-lgbt-policy-usda-lqbtq-stand-for-projects-policy/2662533002/

https://youtu.be/tyYUpzjJVxU

https://youtu.be/PN0SJjNh0sQ

Illustration was created for the Des Moines Register by Mark Marturello.

The Young Farmers Valentine's Lovecast! Feb 14, 2019

Show notes

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://www.heartyroots.com/

From Loss to Action Part 2 with the Washington Young Farmers Coalition, Farm Aid, and the National Farmers Union Feb 08, 2019

Show notes

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 them to fully fund the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN).

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:

Policy Victories for Family Famers from Farm Aid: https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Farm-Advocacy-Policy-Changes-List.pdf

Joe Schroeder at Farm Aid: https://www.farmaid.org/author/joeschroeder/

https://farmcrisis.nfu.org/.

https://www.facebook.com/wayoungfarmers/photos/a.243951272306662/1374009989300779/?type=3

http://www.washingtonyoungfarmers.org/political/hb-2671/

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/sowing-the-seeds-of-mental-health/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/06/why-are-americas-farmers-killing-themselves-in-record-numbers

Recorded at Radio Kingston and edited by Hannah Beal.

Remembering a Young Farmer: From Loss to Action with the Washington Young Farmers Coalition Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

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://www.facebook.com/wayoungfarmers/photos/a.243951272306662/1374009989300779/?type=3

http://www.washingtonyoungfarmers.org/political/hb-2671/

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/sowing-the-seeds-of-mental-health/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/06/why-are-americas-farmers-killing-themselves-in-record-numbers

Seed Matters with Clif Bar's Matthew Dillon Jan 26, 2019

Show notes

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/

The Shutdown Show 2 with Secretary Tom Vilsack Jan 16, 2019

Show notes

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

The Shutdown Show with Politico's Helena Bottemiller Evich and Grain Farmer Andrew Barsness Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

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

Farm Bill Politics 7: We Have a Deal! Listener Q&A and Young Farmer Wins with Andrew Bahrenburg Dec 14, 2018

Show notes

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.

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