The Farmers I Know
In The Farmers I Know podcast, Carolyn Hirshon honors farmers as thought leaders, encouraging them to share their stories and ideas on addressing social and environmental justice issues in their communities through sustainable agriculture.
WATER
September 27, 2023 • 24 MIN
Hear guests talk about how water connects to food and farming. Learn more about the community building work the guests do below: 1. Andre Strong Bearheart - No Loose Braids, IG: @no_loose_braids 2. Grace Oedel - Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, IG: @nofavermont 3. Rayna Benteah - Ts'uyye Farm, IG: @tsuyyafarm 4. Ron Boyd - Rio Grande Grain, IG: @riograndegrain 4. Clara Sandino - El Porvenir, IG: @elporvenir_nica
Brown Girl Farms: Ashlee Johnson-Geisse
March 25, 2023 • 29 MIN
Join me out in Hayward, California at Brown Girl Farms, and hear from the founder and farmer, Ashlee Johnson-Geisse about her journey of creating an incredible intentional farm space that brings her family and community together.
New Roots Community Farm: Susanna Wheeler
February 17, 2023 • 14 MIN
New Roots Community Farm in Fayetteville, West Virginia works to build a vibrant, just, and equitable local food system. Listen to Susanna Wheeler reflect on her journey as the Farm Director and describe how they use agriculture as a tool for community building and economic development.
Peasant's Parcel: Sharon Briggs
November 9, 2022 • 19 MIN
Sharon Briggs talks fungus! Learn about Sharon's journey to running an off-grid, sustainable mushroom farm in rural West Virginia.
SEEDS
September 13, 2022 • 42 MIN
What will the future hold for seeds? In the past century, we have lost over 90% of seed diversity. Seeds tell us stories. They give us abundance. Guests in this episode help us understand the power of a seed. Hear from Maebh Aguilar from Truelove Seeds, Reana Kovalcik from the Share a Seed Initiative, Jeanette Hart-Mann from Seed Broadcast, Ron Boyd from Rio Grande Grain, and Andrea Carter from the Native Seed Search.
Dodo Farm: Niyi Balogun & Tope Fajingbesi
May 23, 2022 • 10 MIN
The owners of Dodo Farm talk about their experience running a farm that prioritizes the health of the planet and their customers.
Calleva Farm: Max Hart
February 7, 2022 • 13 MIN
Max Hart is the director of agricultural education at Calleva Farms in Dickerson, Maryland. Max tends to crops and animals and uses the farm as an educational tool for running the kids' program that emphasizes experiential learning. Max’s passion and eagerness to evolve as a farmer pushes him to experiment with growing methods and understand the true history of regenerative agriculture.
Indigenous Peoples' Day
November 5, 2021 • 9 MIN
On the first federally recognized Indigenous Peoples' Day--October 11, 2021-- activists marched from Freedom Plaza to The White House demanding elected officials take action to protect the environment and put an end to expanding fossil fuel projects such as Line 3. Keshia Lawrence explains this movement and draws connections between environmental protection and food and land sovereignty.
Stoddert Elementary School Garden: Curt Canada
August 15, 2021 • 11 MIN
Curt Canda runs an incredible school garden program at Stoddert Elementary--where kids learn about being a steward of the earth and take part in a sustainable food system. He holds a master's in Elementary Education from American University and a master's in Social Work from the University of Iowa.
LAND
July 9, 2021 • 55 MIN
Hear from experts in land sovereignty talk about the social, political, and environmental issues that intersect with land. Featuring Eric Jackson with the Black Yield Institute, Kyla and Kandeaux hosts of the Farm Plug podcast, Dr. Maria Lawrence a professor at Rhode Island College, Holly Rippon-Butler with the National Young Farmers Coalition, and Eric Cassetta with The Land Institute.
NANIH Farm and Garden: Patrick Johnson
April 4, 2021 • 20 MIN
Patrick Johnson owns a farm in Richmond, Virginia called NANIH Farm and Garden. Patrick has a rich background in agriculture. He served in the Peace Corps, got his graduate degree from Cornell, and has been farming and teaching about farming for thirty years.
The Farm at Our House: Anh Doan
March 21, 2021 • 20 MIN
Today’s guest is Anh Doan. He manages a farm in Brookville MD called The Farm At Our House. I worked there a good chunk of last year. People are drawn to Anh. Our CSA is bustling with people hoping to catch a word with him—tell him about their home garden or ask advice on what to do with different greens or ask about his family even. He’s a talented farmer and loves to teach people about farming. But if you want to learn you need to be ready to give 100% --he expects this out of everyone. Including himself.
Deep Roots Farm: Ann Sutton
March 7, 2021 • 16 MIN
Ann Sutton or “Farmer Gale” is the owner and operator of Deep Roots Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. I met Farmer Gale while managing a farmer's market in Washington D.C. over the summer. One Sunday I had the chance to get to know her even better when I was asked to step in to work with her and her mother at her stand, prepping consumer orders to be rung up. We laughed, gave out bitter melon recipes, and when I started feeling the heat, they revived me with some of her mother’s homemade sorrel juice. Farmer Gale is dedicated to regenerative practices and building community through growing food.
Welcome To The Farmers I Know
February 28, 2021 • 4 MIN
This introductory episode is the origin story, sharing what inspired the project and what it hopes to achieve. It explains why hearing the voices of farmers is so important. Each week I will be talking with the people that grow food to nourish their communities, to gain a deeper understanding of what it will take to move towards a world that values agriculture as a tool to address climate change and eliminate food insecurity.