One Bite is Everything

I think this is at the heart of the regenerative movement: a going back. That's what I did to bring you this episode. I went back into some of the conversations I've had here and found three guests who said the same thing in completely different ways.Rick Clark is a fifth-generation farmer in Indiana. Adam Alexander is a seed collector in Wales, known as the Seed Detective. Chef Sean Sherman is an Oglala Lakota chef in Minneapolis. All three believe that the future of food depends on remembering what we've lost: in the soil, in the seed, and in our culture.In this episode:Rick tells the story of the spring rain that washed his perfectly worked field onto the road, and why the thing his father taught him wasn't how to farm, but how to think.Adam explains why seeds have memory, how farmers in Ethiopia have gone 800 years without famine, and why saving a single tomato seed makes it yours.Sean describes growing up on Pine Ridge without Lakota food, the beach in Mexico where everything changed, and how Owamni went from buying out of the back of a hatchback to helping build an Indigenous food economy.Farmer Spotlight: CalebThis episode launches the For Farmers weekly farmer spotlight, and those stories will be featured here on the podcast too. Our first spotlight is Caleb, a 14-year-old raising heritage Cayuga ducks in West Virginia. He is the youngest person ever to apply for a For Farmers grant. The For Farmers community fully funded his duck run in less than 12 hours. Now you can help with what comes next by shopping his wish list: [LINK]Find our guestsRick Clark: farmgreen.landAdam Alexander, the Seed Detective: The Accidental Seed HeroesChef Sean Sherman: Owamni, NATIFS (natifs.org), and the Indigenous Food Lab. His newest cookbook is Turtle Island.Mentioned in this episodeCaleb’s wish listThe Tuesday 5:18 am letterOne Bite Is Everything is part of Heritage Radio Network. Sound editing and original music by Russell Chapa.

What does a farmer mean to a community? Ask the people who nominate them, and you'll hear about far more than food. You'll hear about the neighbor who lends a transplanter, the farmer who rebuilds after losing everything, the one who teaches kids where food comes from, and the one who holds a whole farmers market together.This episode began with a question. After I spoke at a conference in Massachusetts with Farming Falmouth, someone in the audience asked how more people could hear the stories inside For Farmers Movement nominations. So this week, I'm reading twelve nominations from 2026 out loud, in the words of the people who wrote them: customers, chefs, fellow farmers, friends, and family.Together, they paint a picture of what farmers mean across the country. Land finally owned after years without it. Sheep herded on ancestral ground in the Navajo Nation. An orchard replanted after a fire. A farm rebuilt after development took the original. A youth program graduate who came back to run the farm. And farmers who, in one nominator's words, "collaborate instead of compete."I also share why the For Farmers Movement exists. Many of the farmers who apply can't get loans or other grants. They don't have the collateral, they can't front the money for reimbursement-based programs, or they don't meet years-in-business requirements. My grants have none of those hoops. A nomination is often the first step that connects a farmer to funding, resources, and a network of people who want them to succeed. And it tells a farmer something every farmer deserves to hear: you matter to us.Farms featured in this episodeGrounded Roots Farms, Rocky Mount, NCHoghan Yahzi Land Restoration Project, Ganado, AZThe Blooming Hands Collective, Niwot, COTwin Peaks Orchards, Newcastle, CAMack's Farm, Davie, FLCherry Rock Farm, Brandon, SDRiver View Land & Livestock, Crown City, OHGarden-Raised Bounty (GRuB), Olympia, WACremAree Goat Farm and Dairy, Pelham, NCMinerva's Meadow, State Center, IACape Cod Flower Truck, North Falmouth, MAHappy Bird Poultry Farm, Isle La Motte, VTWhat you can do in the next five minutesTell a farmer what they mean to you. Nominate themShop a farmer wish listIf you know a nominated farmer, remind them that grant applications are due October 12, National Farmers DaySubscribe to my Tuesday letter, in your inbox every Tuesday at 5:18 AMOBIE FactsTop 3% of podcasts globally#22 on millionpodcasts.com's top 100 food podcasts#87 on their top 100 agriculture podcastsMore engagement than 88% of podcasts on SpotifyFive-star rating averageProud part of Heritage Radio NetworkConnectInstagram: @xoxofarmgirlWeb: forfarmersmovement.comSound design and original music by Russell Chapa.

The Loneliness Between UsFrom your plate to the rest of the world, One Bite Is Everything connects the food you eat to the people, policies, and stories behind it.This episode started with a letter exchange between Maria Rodale and Wendell Berry, and one line stuck out: "I think lonely people join movements." Through the For Farmers Movement, we have seen and heard about loneliness and isolation. In fact, it's at the heart of why the Movement started. This is an episode about two kinds of loneliness, and about what happens when the people growing our food and the people eating it actually find each other.ResourcesListen to Maria Rodale on the pod. Maria Rodale on SubstackYour Support for the Show MattersLiked the show? Leave a 5-star rating and review to help us bring you more incredible guests, conversations and listeners like you. Top reviews on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or you can leave your review here.Share it with others! Did you know that OBIE is shared more than 88% of all shows?! (Spotify wrapped 2025)You can share it from your listening app, or screenshot it and share it on your socials! Tag @xoxofarmgirl & use hashtag #OneBiteIsEverythingConnect on Socials IG @xoxofarmgirl & FacebookOne Bite is EverythingFrom your plate to the rest of the world, One Bite is Everything explores the connections between food, health, community, the environment, and the economy. Through conversations with farmers, chefs, researchers, advocates, and food system leaders, host Dana DiPrima examines how food touches every aspect of our lives and why understanding our food system has never mattered more.OBIE FactsTop 3% of all podcasts globallyTop 100 food podcasts (22)Top 100 agriculture podcasts (87)More engagement than more than 88% of all podcasts on SpotifyFive-star rating averagePart of Heritage Radio Network, home of the top voices in foodConnectFollow Dana at @xoxofarmgirl and learn more about the For Farmers Movement at forfarmersmovement.com.Co-production for interview episodes by Sonia Dhillon. Sound design and original music always by Russell Chapa.

What happens when a farmer stops doing things the way they've always been done and starts asking whether there's a better way?Scott Park began farming in California in 1974 with a degree in political theory, almost no agricultural training, and plenty to learn. More than five decades later, he's built a large-scale farming operation by questioning conventional wisdom, experimenting, paying attention, and learning to work with nature rather than against it.His new book, Growing Rogue: The Adventures of Changing How I Farm, draws on 53 years of meticulous daily records and a lifetime of trial, error, observation, and discovery.In this conversation, Scott and Dana explore the tension between maximizing yields and maximizing profits, why healthy soil can be a farmer's greatest ally, and what happens when agricultural advice overlooks the value of firsthand experience. They discuss cover crops, water retention, technology, the economics of changing farming practices, and the importance of thinking beyond a single growing season.Scott also makes a compelling case for why there is no universal recipe for farming well. What works on his California farm may not work somewhere else, but the underlying principles of observation, experimentation, adaptability, and long-term thinking can travel.This is a conversation about farming, but it's also about questioning assumptions, embracing imperfect progress, and having the courage to try something different.Scott's book: Growing Rogue: The Adventures of Changing How I Farm, published by Chelsea Green on September 29.Get involved: For Farmers Movement connects farmers and eaters through stories, grants, wish lists, and simple ways to support the people who grow our food. Visit forfarmersmovement.com .Subscribe to Bite Sized for Dana's weekly writing about food, farming, and the ways they connect to everything else.If you enjoyed this episode, give One Bite Is Everything five stars, leave a review, and share it with someone who might appreciate Scott's perspective.And, as always, eat like it matters. Because it does.

For years, small livestock farmers and ranchers have been saying the same thing: access to processing is one of the biggest obstacles to getting locally raised meat to customers.In this episode of One Bite is Everything, Dana DiPrima revisits two earlier conversations that show just how long this problem has persisted.In 2022, Carrie Edsall of Black Willow Pond Farm described what happened when a processing appointment she had booked more than a year in advance disappeared while finished pigs were literally sitting on the trailer. Her story reveals how few alternatives many farmers have, why the right kind of inspection matters, and how quickly extra driving, lost time and unavailable appointments become real costs for a small farm.In a later conversation, local-food advocate Liz Reitzig explained the regulatory bottleneck behind some of those problems, including the distinction between USDA-inspected and custom-exempt processing and the proposed changes contained in the PRIME Act.Now, in September 2026, Washington is finally taking up many of the same issues.A September 4 executive order directs USDA to examine barriers to interstate meat sales, expand support for small and regional processors, increase participation in existing interstate inspection programs, address competition in livestock markets, and identify federal barriers affecting state-inspected and custom-exempt meat.But the executive order is not a finished solution.Some changes can be made administratively. Others may require changes to federal law. The PRIME Act remains before Congress. USDA has been given deadlines to study important barriers and make recommendations. And none of it matters ultimately unless policy changes translate into something tangible for farmers: more viable processors, more appropriate processing capacity, workable market access, and appointments when animals are ready.Farmers and ranchers have spent years pushing this issue into public view. Washington is finally paying attention.The deal isn’t done yet.In this episodeCarrie Edsall of Black Willow Pond Farm on what happens when a processing appointment disappears, the hidden costs farmers absorb when processing is hours away, and why access to custom processing doesn’t necessarily allow a farmer to sell meat through the markets their business depends on.Liz Reitzig explains the processing “choke point,” the difference between USDA-inspected and custom-exempt processing, and what the PRIME Act seeks to change.Dana brings those earlier conversations into the current beef-processing debate, explains what the September 4 executive order does and does not do, and looks at the decisions still ahead for USDA, Congress, farmers and ranchers.ResourcesSeptember 4, 2026 Executive Order: Promoting Fair Competition in Livestock Markets and Expanding Market Access for American Meat ProducersThe PRIME Act, H.R. 4700USDA Cooperative Interstate Shipment ProgramUSDA Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) ProgramOriginal One Bite is Everything conversations with Carrie Edsall and Liz ReitzigOne Bite is EverythingFrom your plate to the rest of the world, One Bite is Everything explores the connections between food, health, community, the environment, and the economy. Through conversations with farmers, chefs, researchers, advocates, and food system leaders, host Dana DiPrima examines how food touches every aspect of our lives and why understanding our food system has never mattered more.OBIE FactsTop 3% of all podcasts globallyTop 100 food podcasts (22)Top 100 agriculture podcasts (87)More engagement than more than 88% of all podcasts on SpotifyFive-star rating averagePart of Heritage Radio Network, home of the best voices in foodConnectGet the story behind the story in Dana's Tuesday letter, delivered at 5:18 AM every Tuesday: subscribe hereKnow a small farmer doing great work? Nominate them here.Every episode lives at forfarmersmovement.com/one-bite-is-everythingFollow Dana at @xoxofarmgirlCo-production by Sonia Dhillon. Sound design and original music by Russell Chapa.