Broken Promises: 4-H's LGBT+ Controversy
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 4-H 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, then-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.
The Young Farmers Valentine's Lovecast!
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.
From Loss to Action Part 2 with the Washington Young Farmers Coalition, Farm Aid, and the National Farmers Union
*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 U.S. 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?"
Remembering a Young Farmer: From Loss to Action with the Washington Young Farmers Coalition
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 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/.
Seed Matters with Clif Bar's Matthew Dillon
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.
The Shutdown Show II with Secretary Tom Vilsack
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. We discuss what it is like to manage the USDA during a shutdown; the national economic impacts; whether farmers are really still in support of President Trump; and the immigration debate at the heart of it all.
The Shutdown Show with Politico's Helena Bottemiller Evich and Grain Farmer Andrew Barsness
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 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.
Farm Bill Politics 7: We Have a Deal! Listener Q&A and Young Farmer Wins with Andrew Bahrenburg
After months of waiting, we have a farm bill! Just before 10pm on December 10th, the 2018 Farm Bill dropped. The next day, 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.
Farming in a New Climate Reality with Mark Howden of the IPCC
In October, the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a stunning Special Report on Climate Change. The study found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate we will face devastating consequences across all sectors by 2040, much earlier than previously thought. The IPCC is "the single largest science-policy experiment in history" according to Professor Mark Howden, a Vice Chair of the IPCC and Director of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University. We talk with Mark about the report's findings, the politics of climate change in the U.S., and how farmers need to adapt to a new reality.
The internet is flooded with food photos, recipes and diet advice, partisan news, and farmer-inspired fashion, but who is listening to the farmers themselves?
Farmers grow your food and manage nearly half of all land on Earth! It’s time to pay attention to the policies, programs, and events that are shaping the future of agriculture.
Join host Lindsey Lusher Shute, Executive Director and co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition, for a fresh, farmer-centric take on food and farm policy. We talk with policy makers, experts and advocates, and, of course, farmers, about the most critical issues facing farming in the United States.
Lindsey has spent the past 8 years growing the NYFC movement from a few volunteers to a network of over 140,000 members and advocates. She was recognized as a “Champion of Change” by President Barack Obama, received the Glynwood “Harvest Award,” was named one of Food Tank’s “20 Food Leaders Under 40,” and an “American Food Hero” by Eating Well Magazine.
Learn more at youngfarmers.org
Subscribe and let us know what you think, and what you want to hear next, in the review section.
Edited by Hannah Beal and recorded at Radio Kingston.
Made in Kingston, NY