Against the Grain: The Farm Aid Podcast

Jessica Kurn and Michael Foley
  • 4.7 (23)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Against the Grain: The Farm Aid Podcast Podcast

“Against the Grain” is the Farm Aid podcast, designed to bring the magic of Farm Aid’s annual festival to listeners year-round. Listeners will hear from artists and farmers, advocates and food experts, activists, and policymakers–all of whom are working towards building a more just and equitable farm and food system. Farm Aid’s Jessica Ilyse Kurn and Michael Stewart Foley will take you all over the country, from Farm Aid’s backstage and Homegrown Village to rural and urban farms and farmers’ markets. There, you’ll meet the extraordinary citizens who make up the Farm Aid universe, fighting the industrial agriculture giants, holding the government accountable, and shifting the culture towards a food and farm model that is better for farmers, the planet and for all of us. Learn more at www.farmaid.org/podcast

Episodes

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Against the Grain Bonus EP 3, Zach Ducheneaux: Administrator with An Ear to the Ground

    As we heard throughout the first season of Against the Grain, American farmers have historically struggled to get the United States Department of Agriculture to listen to, and address their most pressing concerns. That was certainly true when Farm Aid was founded in the midst of the 1980s farm crisis when farmers were pushed off their land due to loan foreclosures. We've also heard that there's a range of reasons why farmers - particularly farmers of color and Tribal producers - feel a sense ...

    18 min

  2. JUN 28

    EP 5: For Tribes, Food is Economy

    Food desert is a term that is used in reference to the absence of good quality, nutritious food in a particular geographic area. But as Chef Bleu Adams of Indigehub says in this episode of Against the Grain, a more appropriate term is "food apartheid" because there's nothing natural about the absence of good food for Native Americans. For Tribal producers and eaters, the legacy of colonization and land theft carries on in the structures of food apartheid on what is, ostensibly, tribal land. A...

    21 min

  3. MAY 9

    EP 4: It's Not the Cow, It's the How

    As Farm Aid artist Micah Nelson says, "the soil is the most fundamental source of life." When Micah and his family were riding out the pandemic at their ranch in Luck, Texas, they decided to start growing their own food. But as anyone who lives in Texas Hill Country can tell you, it is rough, rugged terrain, frequently distinguished by densely packed, seemingly inhospitable earth. Fortunately, Micah's mother, Farm Aid board member Annie Nelson, encountered Tina and Orion Weldon at the farmers...

    20 min

  4. APR 8

    Rick Bayless, The Farmers' Chef

    We just got back from Luck Reunion, a music festival held on Farm Aid president Willie Nelson's ranch every March. There, we got to interview a lot of artists, farmers, and chefs. In this special bonus episode, you'll hear from superstar chef Rick Bayless, who traveled to Luck from Chicago. Rick recounts how, years ago, when he lived in Mexico, he noticed that no matter where he traveled, if folks had a really strong local agricultural economy, the food in the restaurants an...

    11 min

  5. FEB 12

    Ep. 3 - Nobody's Just Accidentally Losing Land

    How do farmers lose land? As Kenya Crumel of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance says, it's not like losing a set of keys: "Nobody's just accidentally losing land." Rather, she explains land has been taken – specifically from Black farmers – through a variety of means over the last century. The decline is staggering! In the 1920s Black farmers held somewhere between 15 and 19 million acres of land and represented 14% of all American farmers. Today, Black farmers represent 1% of all A...

    22 min

  6. 12/22/2023

    Neil Young: Truth to Power

    We know some of you may be traveling in the next week or two, so we created this bonus episode as our holiday gift to you. In this episode we’ll highlight one of our Farm Aid board members, the legendary Neil Young. Enjoy and happy holidays from Against the Grain and Farm Aid. Learn more at https://www.farmaid.org/blog/neil-young-truth-to-power/

    8 min

  7. 12/05/2023

    Ep. 2 - Hoodwinked

    As Farm Aid board artist Dave Matthews says, “the vast majority of people are good, the vast majority of people are community driven and want to take care of each other,” and understanding that fact can motivate us to change the farm and food systems that prioritize corporate profits over communities. In this second episode of Against the Grain, called “Hoodwinked,” you’ll hear from artists Dave Matthews and Allison Russell, former contract poultry farmer and whistleblower Craig Watts, and or...

    33 min

  8. 10/19/2023

    Ep. 1 - There’s Something About Music

    As Farm Aid’s Executive Director, Carolyn Mugar says, “Music opens you up … you hear what's happening and you can take it in.” In this first episode of Against the Grain called, “There’s Something About Music,” you’ll hear from Margo Price, David Senter, and Carolyn Mugar about the power of music as a vehicle for social change. They’ll also regale you with stories — including archival sound from Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan — about the origins of Farm Aid. Learn more at: www.farmaid.org/...

    24 min

  9. 09/19/2023

    Against The Grain!

    A sneak peek at what's ahead on Against the Grain!

    2 min
  • 9 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

“Against the Grain” is the Farm Aid podcast, designed to bring the magic of Farm Aid’s annual festival to listeners year-round. Listeners will hear from artists and farmers, advocates and food experts, activists, and policymakers–all of whom are working towards building a more just and equitable farm and food system. Farm Aid’s Jessica Ilyse Kurn and Michael Stewart Foley will take you all over the country, from Farm Aid’s backstage and Homegrown Village to rural and urban farms and farmers’ markets. There, you’ll meet the extraordinary citizens who make up the Farm Aid universe, fighting the industrial agriculture giants, holding the government accountable, and shifting the culture towards a food and farm model that is better for farmers, the planet and for all of us. Learn more at www.farmaid.org/podcast

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