agri-Culture

Belgium is a beautiful place in the Low Countries of Western Europe. Rich with art, culture and a globalized economic worldview, it has had more than it’s fair share of trauma throughout its history. It has been known as both the Crossroads and the Battlefield of Europe, and the strategic importance of this country has caused it to be used as either a tactical objective or a runway throughout its history (Just ask the Romans, the French, the Germans, the British, the Americans, th...

1 Juni 202050min

As we come to you on this Memorial Day 2020, we would like to pay remembrance to not only the men and women who have given their lives in service of our country, but also to the animals who did as well. Up until the last century, horses probably took the brunt of the wartime hit, and most severely in World War I. Though they were used primarily in cavalry units in prior wars, and still used in that way later, they were most commonly used for logistics - supply wagons, draft horses for ambulan...

25 Maj 202015min

It’s Heritage Breeds week at The Livestock Conservancy. This organization is one that you hear about on our podcast frequently, and for good reason. They are on the front line in the battle against extinction for some of the traditional agricultural breeds in the U.S. and abroad. The Conservancy’s mission is to do “research, education, outreach, marketing and promotion, and genetic rescues,” so we have a backup in place for animals in our agricultural production system.&nbsp...

18 Maj 202042min

The Six Degrees of Separation concept didn’t start with Kevin Bacon, believe it or not. We can thank Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy in 1929 for that idea. But regardless of who started it, it’s very much a home truth that humankind and all of the things in our periphery seem to be connected in some way with just a few steps, if you just look to see how. In walks Mary. Mary Carter McConnell, that is: Anthropologist, historian, research specialist, horse and dog breed...

11 Maj 202045min

Yep, it’s A Bug’s Life, come alive. Collecting seeds is a long-term gig, but it has to be done if the colony (that’s us humans) wants to survive. And even if you’re not on a little island or surrounded by hungry grasshoppers, there’s a reason to collect as many good seeds as you can, so the colony can be healthy and successful through the winter and the upcoming year. Everyone is finally having to pay attention, whether they want to or not, to the supply chain and th...

4 Maj 202056min

The whole planet is in the midst of an eruption of disease. Agricultural occurrences are no different than human epidemics, in terms of potential damage. The British Isles are on the list of places that come to mind when the words “agriculture” and “outbreak” are put together, not because they have any more than the rest of the planet, but because their battles over the last 30 years have been a particularly media-rich affair. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonl...

27 Apr 202044min

We have to admit – sitting at home is much more tolerable with the cool weather and rain we’ve had in California this year so far. If California has a stay-at-home order in place, it’s much easier with a crackling fire and a warm sweater. But we’re in mid-April, and those days are soon to be gone, so we’ll take this last moment to remember warm wools and thick sweaters. We bring you a visit with Jeri Robinson-Lawrence. She and her daughter Irina run Flying Fibers, a b...

20 Apr 202036min

We are constantly amazed at our agricultural system, and how fast and how far it seems to have come since the early days. And when people use the phrase “early days” with regard to agriculture in America, the usual mental picture has to do with Pilgrims, a multicultural exchange, squash, corn, and a turkey. But the turkey, although it is one of the few agricultural items in our food system that actually existed here before most of us, has not become the meat-producing animal that ...

12 Apr 202036min