Flipping the Table

The midterms are fast approaching, there's still no farm bill, and farm country is in crisis. Jenny Lester Moffitt, a 5th generation California farmer, former USDA undersecretary and former deputy secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture shares her perspectives on the moment and a path forward to a brighter future for agriculture and our food system.

Originally recorded at the 2026 Old Salt Festival in Montana, this conversation with Stephen Hohenrieder is now available as a standalone episode. Roots of Change's Michael Dimock and Coco Sanabria speak with Stephen, CEO and Founder of Grounded Capital, about the role of purpose-driven capital in building stronger regional and regenerative food systems. Drawing on decades of experience investing in agriculture and food businesses, Stephen shares why regenerative agriculture is gaining traction, how thoughtful capital can strengthen entire food ecosystems, and what it will take to build a more resilient food economy.

We live in a challenging moment, where our traditional institutions are failing to address our many challenges. But there is hope. Jon Alexander, the British author of Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us, shares how deliberative democracy, citizens assemblies, relational public services, and wealth building are emergent around the globe. Food system transformation is one of the brightest examples of a renewed form of much needed citizenship.

Through Timber Ridge Land & Cattle in Southwestern Alberta, the Halls are pioneering a model of ranching rooted in a simple belief: the land they steward is a gift, and it's their responsibility to leave it healthier, more resilient and abundant for generations to come. Their approach reflects what many now call regenerative agriculture or holistic management, but for the Halls, it began more simply: with a responsibility to care for a thriving ecosystem, and along the way, figure out how to make that commitment work as successful ranchers. In the final episode of our 2026 Old Salt Festival series, Michael Dimock talks with father and son, Glen and Cody Hall, and Sheldon Atwood of Western Ranchlands Corporation about stewardship, succession and education, the interdependence of rural and urban communities in regional food systems, and what becomes possible when we manage working lands for ecological, economic and community health.

You may know Wendell Berry for his writing on what we stand to lose through industrial agriculture—and what it will take to defend farmers, preserve small farms and agrarian culture, and advocate for equitable and ecological land stewardship. But you should also know his daughter, Mary Berry. As Executive Director of The Berry Center in New Castle, Kentucky, Mary is carrying her multigenerational family legacy, philosophy and values into action. Through farmer education, direct marketing projects for local producers, a demonstration farm, cultural events and programs that strengthen local rural communities, Mary and her team are showing what a more equitable, ecological, and agrarian farming future can look like. Enjoy our fifth out of the six podcasts featuring voices for the Old Salt Festival where Michael Dimock sits down with Mary to learn about the Berry family legacy, why small-farm agriculture matters, and the work of building a future in which farmers and healthy rural economies can thrive.