Episode 23 – Planting the seeds of local agriculture

by Lynne Whitbeck | Jul 10, 2018 | Down to Earth, Farming, Soil, Working with Nature

Planting the seeds of local agriculture Bill McDorman is executive director of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance in Ketchum, Idaho, and co-founder of the Seed School. We discuss the rapidly-growing seed-saving movement, and its benefits for a more sustainable and local...

Episode 22 – Cattle grazing, community building, and ecosystem restoration

by Lynne Whitbeck | Jun 27, 2018 | Down to Earth, Grazing, Radical Center, Rural Communities, Working with Nature

Cattle grazing, community building, and ecosystem restoration Ariel Greenwood and Guido Frosini are first-generation ranchers in northern California. They recently organized the first annual Transhumance Festival (the next one is in May of 2019), which brought sheep...

Episode 21 – Eating wild foods in the industrial age

by Lynne Whitbeck | Jun 12, 2018 | Down to Earth, Health and Nutrition, Working with Nature

Eating wild foods in the industrial age What’s the difference between one head of lettuce and another? A lot, journalist Jo Robinson tells us. The foods we eat that are freshest and closest to their wild ancestors are healthier and can prevent many of the chronic...

Episode 20 – Saving the Gunnison Sage Grouse: Community Conservation in Action

by Lynne Whitbeck | May 31, 2018 | Down to Earth, Policy, Radical Center, Rangeland Science, Rural Communities, Working with Nature

Saving the Gunnison Sage Grouse: Community Conservation in Action In Gunnison, Colorado, there is an innovative collaboration led by the National Resources Conservation Service and involving local conservation groups and state offices to conserve the Gunnison Sage...

Episode 19 – Fowl play: our insane poultry system and how to fix it

by Lynne Whitbeck | May 15, 2018 | Down to Earth, Economics, Health and Nutrition, Poultry

Fowl play: our insane poultry system and how to fix it Why is it that poultry breeds in the US grow so fast and large that they cannot stand or walk properly, that they have poor immune systems, and they don’t provide good nutrition or even flavor? Andrew...

Episode 18 – Science, Spirituality, and Agriculture: The Faithlands Initiative

by Lynne Whitbeck | May 1, 2018 | Down to Earth, Faith, Farming, Radical Center

Science, Spirituality, and Agriculture: The Faithlands Initiative Religious leaders as farmers, regenerative agriculture as a spiritual practice: Faithlands, an initiative of the Agrarian Trust, is all about community-building, food security,...