The Artisan Situation Podcast Zach Kaiser

Interview and Photos by Zach Kaiser

Our guest today, Mary Berry, is continuing the work and stewardship that her father exclaimed in that book over forty years ago. Working at the Berry Center, located in her hometown of New Castle, in Henry County Kentucky, Mary is spending her time farming, advocating for farmers, building more resilient communities, and creating economies for the farming population living there. I sat down with her in the Spring of 2017, while traveling west through the rolling hills of Kentucky. Join us at the table, this is Mary Berry, of The Berry Center in New Castle, Kentucky.

While driving through the rolling hills of Kentucky I was recommended to meet Chad Rosen, owner and operator of Victory Hemp Foods. Known by many as the hemp guy around town, Chad is working to create the largest hemp processing facility in the country that could help catapult the hemp industry into full gear. Chad has his head on a swivel, working with politicians, farmers, retailers, and manufacturers to create the ideal environment for the industry to have a sustainable future. Join us at the table as Chad explains to us what he is doing and why hemp is so important. This is Chad Rosen of Victory Hemp Foods…

The act of sustainable agriculture and organic farming is still considered by many as practice on the fringes. When Norman Borlaug presented the ideas of the “Green Revolution,” “traditional farming techniques” or those focused on sustainable agriculture have been considered more of an obstacle than a resource. It was a revolution focused on the goal of industrialization with the sacrifice of biodiversity, Wes Jackson explained, in his segment from Letters to a Young Farmer. Farming is hitting a critical pressure point. The average age of a farmer as reported by the AGCensus is 58 years old, and only 6% of these farmers are under the age of 35 years old. There is an incredible need for young farmers to take to the fields and farm the land left behind by this older generation of farmers. Jack Algiere is working hard at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to help build resourceful, passionate, and thoughtful farmers. The center located in Pocantico Hills, New York, sits right at the lower tip of the Hudson Valley only 30 miles from Manhattan. His team works with children, high school students, and using their world-renowned Apprentice Program to build farmers for the future. He oversees a diverse farm operation that includes pastured livestock, grains, field crops, fruits, wild landscape, flowers, and compost. He uses all of these areas of the farm to create a dynamic farm system. Jack fell in love with farming in the early 90s and never looked back. This is Jack Algiere, Farm Director of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Join us at the table...

Taylor is a powerful energetic figure that captures the energy around her and shares that with others in the form of enthusiasm. Today, Taylor runs the business side of the Suarez Family Brewery located in Livingston, New York, but is also one of the founders of Good Food Jobs, a platform that provides job listings focused on genuine food related opportunities. Her journey as a food citizen can teach us a lot about ourselves, and her enthusiasm for understanding how people embrace food in their lives is inspiring.

After a year of contract brewing, Diamondback Brewing set their sights on finding their own space and now have a bustling tap room in Locust Point in South Baltimore. Next to the smokestack that sits centerstage in the tasting room, I sat down with Tom to see what life is like in the brewery through his eyes. This is Tom Foster of Diamondback Brewing. Listen In. 

Today, we are going to talk about the apple. Adams County, Pennsylvania is the fifth largest county for apple production in the United States. It is home to apple growers, processors, and cider makers of all sizes. Nobody's hand is more on the pulse of this community than Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm. His family has been farming the land in Adams County since 1901 and has seen the apple industry grow from its nascent beginnings into a burgeoning industry.