Farm To Table Talk

Natalie Bogwalker, c0-author of The New Natural Food Garden, discuses her journey from living in a log cabin to selling her business Wild Abundance and focusing on gardening education. She shared insights about her new book, which features beautiful photography and practical gardening advice, and discussed her approach to cooking with homegrown ingredients. The conversation explored how gardening can provide both financial savings and mental health benefits, with Natalie emphasizing that growing food can lead to a more fulfilling lifestyle rather than necessarily generating income. Rodger and Natalie also discuss the importance of preserving food and creating recipes using seasonal ingredients. www.growingwise.net  

Getting enough iron from the food we eat is something most of us take for granted, but about 2 billion people worldwide have an iron deficiency, the Number 1 nutritional deficiency globally. An international research team led by scientists in Brazil have come up with a way to boost iron content in rice, which is one of the most consumed foods. Farm Table Talk talks with Dr. Felipe Ricachenevsky about research at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, where he is working to biofortify rice with higher iron and zinc content through genetic modification using CRISPR technology. Felipe explained that approximately 25-30% of the world population lacks sufficient iron and zinc in their diets, particularly affecting children in developing countries where rice is a staple food. He explains his lab’s approach of combining two iron transporters to achieve a 50-70% increase in iron concentration in rice grains, though this came with some trade-offs in waterlogged conditions. The discussion also covered the broader context of genetic modification, including the challenges faced by Golden Rice and how public perception shifted from accepting genetic improvements to opposing them when they were primarily used for pesticide-resistant crops. [email protected]  

In May of 2014 The Noble South opened its doors and began crafting a restaurant based on a fresh farm-to-table approach. With a clear vision of incorporating the highest quality seasonal ingredients with style, The Noble South leans into relationships with local farms that use organic practices, culinary collegaues and consumers resulting in the rich tradition of Southern fare with a lighter and fresher appeal. Proximity and supporting local and surrounding communities are at the forefront of their philosophy. By minimizing the distance between the growers and our tables they ensure that only the freshest ingredients make it to the menus while allowing them to do their part in reducing the environmental impact of transporting food longer distances. www.thenoblesouthrestaurant.com

A new farm bill has passed out of the House Agriculture Committee to be considered by Congress. If successful it will be the first Farm Bill passed since 2018. Commodity programs, crop insurance and foreign market development are increased but nutrition programs are not. SNAP cuts from recent legislation were not recovered, yet. Nor have corn growers gotten the expansion in ethanol programs that they sought. California’s proposition 12, requiring specified space for animals if the meat is to be sold in Caliofornia would be ended, as would certain local or state limitations on application of pesticides near public buildings. CA Congressan Mike Thompson has been meeting with farmers to hear their concerns and needs. As the Farm Bill moves to Congress, he shares what farmer’s are saying and how he plans to help.

In this episode of Farm to Table Talk, Rodger interviewed Jeremy and Stacey Hill about their homesteading practices and food preservation techniques. The Hills, who operate Gooseberry Bridge Farm in Missouri, shared their journey from suburban gardening to homesteading a 12-acre farm with dairy cows, goats, pigs, and an extensive vegetable garden. They discussed their use of freeze-drying as a modern preservation method, explaining how it maintains food quality and allows for shelf-stable storage. The couple also described their agritourism business, which offers educational farm visits for families. Throughout the conversation, Jeremy and Stacey emphasized the importance of starting small with food preservation and encouraged listeners to explore local food networks and farmers markets. They share what they’ve learned on the podcast and their new book: The Preservation Garden – How to grow a garden for fermenting, canning, pickling, dehydrating, and freeze drying. www.gooseberrybridge.com

The United States Supreme Court by a vote of 6 to 3 has struck down President Trump’s tariffs, to the relief of most farmers who have experienced severe financial losses and rising costs of farm inputs. The 2025 tariffs, imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IIEPA) covered nearly all trading partners, but China faced rates exceeding 100 percent. In response, Beijing escalated retaliatory duties on key agricultural imports. Almonds were hit with a 45 percent tariff. As a result American Agriculture has suffered, especially soybeans in the Corn Belt. In California alone agricultural exports to China collapsed with the total value of 13 major commodities dropping 57 percent, according to research at UC Davis.. California Congressmen Jim Costa, MIke Thompson and John Garamendi met with California farmers the week of the Supreme Court ruling where there were expressions of strong opposition to the Trump imposed trade wars. House Ag Committee member, Congressman Jim Costa explained the implications of the trade issue and the scheduled mark up to the proposed Farm Bill that is getting underway. Here are Congressman Costa’s opening remarks to the farmers and a follow-up exchange with Congressman Thompson at a farmer meeting at the Yolo County Farm Bureau Office in Woodland California. For further data and analysis of agricultural issues from tariffs to labor reform subscribe ([email protected]) or download the ARE Update https://giannini.ucop.edu/publications/are-update/  

The future of agriculture will utilize the development and application of robotic technology. Jaisimha Rao explains a robotic machine that uses AI and cameras to distinguish between crops and weeds, then sprays herbicides specifically on weeds. There is potential of humanoid robots in agricultureJ. Their AI system identifies weeds using visual recognition, contrasting it with text-based AI models like ChatGPT. The system involves collecting and annotating weed images by agronomists in India, which are then used to train the AI model. Once trained, the AI can recognize specific weed species and control the dual-tank system to apply the appropriate herbicides in a single pass. All mechanical manufacturing for their robots is conducted in the US, with only cameras being sourced from India. www.niqorobotics.com

At a time when America’s meat industry faces increasing consolidation, fragile supply chains, and the closure of rural processing facilities, Better For Butchery’s acquisition of the Princeton Kentucky plant represents a rare, forward-looking investment in independent meat infrastructure. Backed by USDA Rural Development financing, the facility will serve as a scalable, high-integrity co-packing and processing hub designed to help farmers, ranchers, and emerging meat brands reach market without sacrificing quality, transparency, or control. USDA Rural Development played ia critical role n enabling the acquisition. The facility was financed through an MPILP loan backed by the USDA aimed at strengthening rural economies, expanding domestic meat processing capacity, and supporting independent producers seeking alternatives to large-scale industrial packers. the facility now serves as Better For Butchery’s centralized processing, packaging, cold storage, and fulfillment hub. Purpose-built to support third-party brands, the operation enables consistent quality, reliable scheduling, and national distribution for farmers and food businesses that have historically struggled to access scalable processing. Better For Butchery’s acquisition marks a turning point for the company—from turnaround operator to platform-scale processor—and formally launches its co-packing and third-party processing services for emerging and established food brands committed to ethical sourcing and operational transparency. Chris Roach, CEO of Better Butchery joins Farm To Table TAlk to share what’s possible when public investment and private execution align. “With USDA Rural Development’s support, we’re rebuilding meat infrastructure in a way that works for farmers, workers, and brands alike—right here in rural Kentucky. Our approach is proving that modern, compliant, and values-driven meat processing can be decentralized to establish a new meat economy that is better for farmers, better for animals and better for all of us.” www.BetterForButhery.com www.porterroad.com  

2030 will be here before you know it with a new world for food. .Ozan Ozaskinli is a Food Futurist and manufacturing strategist who’s asking questions about the future of what we eat and how we’ll produce it. He’s led transformation projects across 17 industries, spent 20+ years at firms like BCG, and now runs Value Gene, where he helps U.S. manufacturers modernize before tech disruption makes them obsolete. Originally from Europe, a big part of Ozan’s POV is how far ahead Europe is when it comes to food systems and what the U.S. can (and should) borrow before it’s too late. He talks about food in 2050, factory floors in 2025, and how leaders need to embrace change now.

For the first time in 30 years America’s top Agriculture state, California, finally has a member on the Agriculture Committee of the US Senate, Senator Adam Schiff. Speaking to over a thousand farmers at Eco Farm, Senator Schiff called on farmers and consumers to engage and to make their voices heard. Senator Schiff spoke with Farm To Table Talk and addressd over 1,000 farmers at Eco Farm.

There is something good about local farms supporting schools, distributingCSA (Community Supported Agriculture), hosting a market at the farm and selling organic produce at area Farmers Markets. A farming program that delivers goodness in all these ways is aptly named Something Good Organics. Carolyn Givens shares why they do what they do and why the school and local community they supply are glad they do. Carolyn Givens says they take pride in supporting John Givens Farm’s commitment to cultivating Certified Organic Produce for their community. somethinggoodorganics.com [email protected] @somethinggoodorganics for Instagram

Each year, about 32% of the food produced across the world is lost or wasted. Tackling food loss and waste has been on the global agenda for decades, with policymakers citing it as a contributing factor to issues like food insecurity and environmental degradation. Despite this attention, food loss and waste remain a challenge across the world.A new book from researchers at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) provides an evidence-based framework for addressing food loss and waste as a means to improve access to healthy diets. In “Wasted Potential: Tackling Food Loss and Waste Across Transforming Food Systems,” TCI alumna Jocelyn Boiteau and Director Prabhu Pingali set forth a policy agenda that builds demand for diverse, nutritious foods in order to incentivize food loss and waste reduction while mitigating tradeoffs between food security, environmental sustainability and socioeconomic welfare. In addition to stimulating demand for safe and nutritious foods, they call for investments in value-adding innovations like processing, packaging and cold chain infrastructure, as well as public infrastructure and financial services that improve market access.“Wasted Potential” was published by Springer as part of its Sustainable Development Goals Series. It is available to download through open access.

Farmers across America are beginning to worry that 2026 is bringing a Farm Crisis comparable to the early 1980’s when Willie Nelson launched Farm Aid to draw attention and support to the plight of farmers. Ray Yeung has been farming for over 40 years in northern California and although recently experiencing really good yields, he sees farming costs exceeding returns and that is simply unsustainable. A farm crisis could be felt beyond the farms to farm suppliers and consumers. Viable farms are ncessary, so what is to be done? Yeung always knew he’d be a farmer. His father, Joe Yeung, started farming near Woodland CA after returning rom the Korean War in the 1950s. Ray worked on his dad’s farm for decades before branching out on his own to grow processing tomatoes, pumpkins, winter squash and other commodities. Yeung sold his heirloom tomatoes at farmers’ markets, and by the early 2000s, the heirloom craze was in full swing. Today, he grows about 20 varieties, including pineapple, pink brandywine, green zebra, and Cherokee purple. (Processing tomatoes are profitable today.)

While nutrition science knows about 150 well-documented nutrients, there are approximately 135,000 additional molecules in foods that have health impacts but are not tracked in nutritional databases. Laszlow Barabasi, a physicist and network medicine researcher at Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School, explains how these compounds work in the body, noting that many have therapeutic effects when consumed in specific concentrations. Certain food combinations, like those in the Mediterranean diet, can mitigate negative health effects of red meat, and ultra-processed foods contribute to health issues despite their popularity. Understanding these compounds is important for treating specific conditions, yet the basic principles of a healthy diet remain simple: eat plenty of vegetables, exercise, sleep well, and maintain a balanced diet closest to the Mediterranean model. www.barabasilab.com www.truefood.tech

Rebuilding our regenerative supply chain is a priority focus of Eco Farm, where a panel of women lead the way in sharing what they’re doing to make a difference. Led by “Reaping What She Sows” author Nancy Matsumoto, the keynote EcoFarm panel reveals how transparency and equity in the food system must progress. Nancy Matsumoto’s book and the Eco Farm panel fights for a healthier more just system and answers the question: How should we eat. www.eco-farm.org

Farmers are supoosed to share $12 billion dollars to make up for lost markets, higher costs and lower prices due to President’ Trump’s global trade war. The Wall Street Journal editorial said President Trump said he was “delighted to give American Farmers $12 Billion” in economic Assistance. The President of the the American Soybean Assoiation told CNN that this was just “a bandaid on an open wound” because what farmers want is an opportunity to make a living, to make a profit from the market, “not being dependant on the next program to keep us from bleeding to death.” Blake Hurst, Missouri soybean farmer, substack author, sometime guest editorial writer to the Walls Street Journal and friend of Farm To Table Talk has some strong feelings and insights he shares with Farm To Table Talk.