The Food Chain

metrofarm
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It’s a fact! 100% of men, women and children eat food, and 97.5% of must buy their food from others who bring it from an average of 2,000 miles away. And so the hungry ask: ”What’s in this tomato? Who planted that broccoli? Is it safe to eat genetically engineered corn? Why are they irradiating meat? Are we running short of water? Why is China growing our apples? What will happen to us if we can no longer farm? How safe is our food chain?” The Food Chain is an audience-interactive syndicated newstalk radio program and podcast broadcasting weekly on radio stations and streaming on demand on the internet. The Food Chain, which has been named the Ag/News Show of the Year by California’s legislature, is hosted by Michael Olson, author of the Ben Franklin Book of the Year award-winning MetroFarm, a 576-page guide to metropolitan agriculture. The Food Chain is available live via GCN Starguide GE 8 and delayed via MP3/FTP. For clearance and/or technical information, please call Michael Olson at 831-566-4209 or email michaelo@metrofarm.com

  1. 6d ago

    Ep 1420 Start-up Cookies - From Kitchen to Nation

    Along the Food Chain with Michael Olson and ... Mandy Harper, Founder, CEO & Executive Chef, Wholesome Bakery  /// At the Natural Products Expo its easy to see what is the latest trend in food. The last time I attended the Expo, which was a few years ago, the dominant trend among the 4,000 vendors was soy.  It seemed like most every vendor of natural foods was infusing their natural foods with soy.  This year it seemed that very few of the manufacturers of natural food products were adding soy.  Gone!!! This year it seemed most all the manufacturers were adding protein ­– This with pea protein… that with hemp protein… and over there, whey protein… But as I cruised the exhibition halls, Wholesome Bakery of San Francisco caught my attention with a line of smartly packaged cookies.  What caught my eye was Wholesome’s positioning statement:  “What we leave out matters as much as we put in.”

    48 min

  2. 6d ago

    Ep 1419 Cooperating to Compete

    Along the Food Chain with Michael Olson and...  Sabrina Servais,  Farmer, Hamburg Hills Farm, Stoddard, WI, Member, Organic Vallely Farm Coopertive & Elizabeth McMullen, PR Program Manager, Organic Valley Farm Cooperative When farming alone for a distant market, farmers tend to be price takers. But when cooperating with other farmers, they may gain enough clout to become price makers.  And so we ask:    How do farmers cooperate to become price makers instead of price takers? My first MetroFarm speaking engagement was a three-day seminar for family-sized dairy farmers in Drummondville, Quebec.  The farmers were facing a fundamental change in their dairy industry, which was then being funded via government subsidies, but that would soon be forced to compete in the open market of the North American Free Trade Agreement against the industrial giants in the U.S. The organizer of the event, which took place in the snow-white of winter, wanted me to help the farmers find a way to survive the change. After listening to their fears of having to compete, without support from government subsidies, I suggested they consider establishing a marketing cooperative to differentiate their Quebec milk from the commodity milk of the industrial giants. I said, “What you have is not a commodity, it is something that is truly special, but you have to sell the world on how special it is.  If you don’t, all milk is white, and whoever can produce the most white milk for the least coast will likely win the consumer dollars. That is free trade.” Shortly thereafter, I met some folks at a farm conference in California who were doing what I advised the Quebec farmers, which was to cooperate with other farmers to gain some clout. They called themselves the Organic Valley Farm Cooperative, and they had something truly special to sell.  Recently I ran across the Organic Valley folks at Natural Products West, and learned their coop now has over 1,800 family dairy farm members, with sales over a billion dollars per year.  Today its time to ask…. How do farmers cooperate to become price makers instead of price takers?

    48 min

  3. 6d ago

    Ep 1418 Perils of Protein Powders

    Along the Food Chain with Michael Olson and...  Sally Fallon Morell, Founding President, Weston A Price Foundation and Editor & Co-Author  of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats The food trend is obvious to anyone who attended the recent Natural Products Expo in Anaheim.  Just add protein!  This trend in natural foods leads us to ask:   Do protein powders do a body good? I attended the recent Natural Products Expo in Anaheim to see what I could see about the trend in food, and of course, to find stories for the Food Chain Radio – Podcast. When I last attended the Expo, a few years ago, the dominant trend among the 4,000 vendors was soy.   It seemed like every vendor of natural foods in the hall had somehow managed to infuse their natural food with soy.  Soy was here… soy was there… soy was everywhere!  This year I did not see a single mention of soy among the 4,000 vendors of natural food products.  Gone!!! Most of what I did see, just about everywhere I looked, were “natural food” products that had been infused with added protein ­– This with pea protein… that with hemp protein… and over there, whey protein… Yes, it was pretty obvious to one and all that the dominant trend in natural foods is to…  just add protein.  That protein powders are now taking such a prominent role in the nation’s diet leads us to ask… Do protein powders do a body good?

    48 min

  4. May 11

    Ep 1417 Guarantors of Farmers Market Authenticity

    One of the most effective ways to get rid of pesky competitors is to establish laws and regulations that make it very difficult for competitors to operate.  That leads us to ask: How did farmers regain the right to sell food directly to consumers?  The 1417th edition of the Food Chain Radio Podcast with Michael Olson hosts David Sanford, Commissioner, Santa Cruz California Department of Agriculture, for a conversation about the partnership that guarantees the authenticity of Certified Farmers Markets and the foods thereof.    Topics include how California’s small farmers won the right to sell their food directly to consumers; how the authenticity of farmers markets and the food thereof is guaranteed; and speculation as to what might be done to increase the awareness and utilization of Certified Farmers Markets.

    50 min

  5. Apr 25

    Ep 1415 The Lipstick Farmer's Food Train to the Governor's Mansion

    A FOOD CHAIN RELEASE FROM MICHAEL OLSON  Those on both sides of the political spectrum look at what has become of the great State of California and wonder: ‘What happened?’  This leads us to ask: Did California eat too much nonsense? The 1415th edition of the Food Chain Radio Podcast with Michael Olson hosts Elaine Culloti, California’s “Lipstick Farmer,” for a conversation about food, trains, and her campaign to be California’s governor.  Topics include speculation as to why California has become the nation’s “U-Haul-Ass” state; The Lipstick Farmer’s proposal to use trains to deliver food from farmers to California’s cities; and why a full audit of government is needed to determine what happened to California’s missing money.  Show On-Demand Recording:  #1415 The Lipstick Farmer’s California Food Train Archive Host:  www.metrofarm.com

    54 min

  6. Mar 26

    Appraising Farmland

    In her novel The Good Earth, Pearl Buck wrote, “If roots are to bear fruit, they must be kept well in the soil of land.”  Her thought leads us to ask:    Which farmland is best for bearing one’s fruit?    We have been hearing a lot about farmland recently.  We’ve been hearing how very wealthy people like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates have been using the millions and billions pouring into and out of their businesses to buy up vast tracks of America’s farmland; how mysterious entities from China are buying up farmland near America’s military bases; and how entrepreneurs have been buying up farmland covered in greenhouses for the purpose of growing America’s cannabis. The true value of all that farmland is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it.  And there are a lot of reasons why people buy farmland. Today, we focus on those who want to obtain farmland to grow food, flowers and fiber as a business. And we are fortunate to have one who knows how to find the true value farmland for a business.  Please welcome…  Chuck Allen,  Chuck Allen Properties, Watsonville, CA

    46 min

  7. Mar 19

    Ep 1413 Feeding the Obstinate Child

    Michael Olson hosts Danielle Flint - Danny the Nanny You would think a hungry child would want eat just about anything, but a lot of hungry children only eat what they want to eat.  And so we ask:  How do you get an obstinate child to eat what you want them to eat? The 1413th edition of the Food Chain Radio Podcast with Michael Olson hosts Danielle Flint, Maryland’s Danny the Nanny, for a conversation about feeding the obstinate child. Topics include the ways in which children express their obstinacy about eating what they are supposed to eat; ways in which adults try to manage their obstinate children; and how a nanny must somehow justify the demands of obstinate child and frustrated parents.

    54 min

  8. Feb 21

    Ep 1412 Rocky Oaks Goats - Just Kidding!

    No kidding!  It's true.  Having had to catch a plane and fly away, we missed kiddentine in California's great Central Valley.   Our loss leads us to ask: Have you had the opportunity to play with the kids?  The 1412th edition of the Food Chain Radio Podcast with Michael Olson hosts Margie Weber, Co-Owner, Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery, for a conversation about raising goats in a vertically integrated dairy.  Topics include why goat dairy; the raising of goats in a semi-rural environment; and the selling of goat dairy products direct via farmers markets.

    54 min
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About

It’s a fact! 100% of men, women and children eat food, and 97.5% of must buy their food from others who bring it from an average of 2,000 miles away. And so the hungry ask: ”What’s in this tomato? Who planted that broccoli? Is it safe to eat genetically engineered corn? Why are they irradiating meat? Are we running short of water? Why is China growing our apples? What will happen to us if we can no longer farm? How safe is our food chain?” The Food Chain is an audience-interactive syndicated newstalk radio program and podcast broadcasting weekly on radio stations and streaming on demand on the internet. The Food Chain, which has been named the Ag/News Show of the Year by California’s legislature, is hosted by Michael Olson, author of the Ben Franklin Book of the Year award-winning MetroFarm, a 576-page guide to metropolitan agriculture. The Food Chain is available live via GCN Starguide GE 8 and delayed via MP3/FTP. For clearance and/or technical information, please call Michael Olson at 831-566-4209 or email michaelo@metrofarm.com

Information

  • Creator
    metrofarm
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Food Chain