Best Agriculture Podcasts (2024)

1
What does diet culture have to do with racism? [replay] 51:00

1h ago51:00

51:00

“Speaking directly to Black women and wanting Black women to know that their bodies are not the problem. The way that our bodies are treated and problematized and pathologized, we’re often taught that it’s our fault, that it’s our problem to fix or we just need to love our bodies out of societal oppression.” This week on the show a conversation wit…

1
16/08/24 National Grid "bulldozes" crops, bluetongue rising across Europe, coppicing, challenge of finding fruit pickers 13:57

1h ago13:57

13:57

How pylons ruined a harvest: a Suffolk farmer speaks of his frustration after National Grid dug up his field, two days before a barley crop was due to be harvested.Bluetongue virus is on the rise. With more cases affecting livestock in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, the Chief Vet is warning farmers here to be extra vigilant.20 years ago, Sal…

1
15/08/2024: Drought; wildfires; Dry stone walls 13:42

30m ago13:42

13:42

After all the wet weather this year, there is talk of both drought and wildfires this week. Two separate reports published this week have highlighted the threat they pose to people and the environment, both in the UK and further afield. Dry stone walls are an integral part of our landscape from Orkney to Cornwall. It is estimated that there are abo…

1
14/08/2024: Organic oilseed rape; Thatched buildings; Dumped waste 13:52

1h ago13:52

13:52

Farmers this year are growing less oilseed rape than they have for the last 30 years. That is partly due to the expense of growing it, the dreadful wet weather preventing crops getting established, and the fact that it succumbs to the Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle. A group in Scotland however are growing it organically - so how do they do it? Thatched b…

1
13/08/2024: UK border rules; traditional craft skills; record low harvest 14:00

6h ago14:00

14:00

Plant breeders are worried that UK border rules mean new seed varieties, which need to be trialled in fields in England, are being delayed. The Shropshire and Herefordshire countryside is peppered with traditional farmhouses and cottages dating back hundreds of years, and homeowners are being taught the skills to maintain them for the future. Farme…

1
12/08/24 Grouse shooting; Berry glut; Rural skills 12:03

1d ago12:03

12:03

The Moorland Association says the wet weather this year means it will be the worst grouse season for decades. Some shoots won't have a single day's shooting because there aren't enough birds. High rainfall during the nesting period means has had a big impact on red grouse. In turn, the association says there'll be far fewer seasonal jobs, and it'll…

51
10/08/2024: Mental health; Bovine TB; Timber and woodland; Sheep shearing record 25:02

3d ago25:02

25:02

A BBC Local Radio 24 hour farming event to encourage young farmers to support each other with their mental health. Farmer led badger vaccination could be a way forward in eradicating TB in cattle, a study of a four year pilot programme in Cornwall says that it has seen the percentage of badgers testing positive for TB drop from 16% to zero. Timber …

1
Problem solving you can eat 51:00

4d ago51:00

51:00

“I grow tomatoes at my house. My mom’s such a good shot, she was shooting cherry tomatoes off their stems” This week on the show it's back to school and into the garden. We meet kids in an after school garden club at Benjamin Franklin Elementary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Next we drop into a multi-age classroom in Bloomington where kids work with a c…

101
09/08/2024 Woodland report; Rewilding forests; Donkey farm 14:17

5d ago14:17

14:17

The latest comprehensive survey of woodland across Scotland, Wales and England has just been published. The Bunce report first carried out woodland surveys across 103 woods, back in 1971. They were revisited in 2001, and the same sites were surveyed again in 2021. The latest report, commissioned, initiated and coordinated by the Woodland Trust has …

101
08/08/2024: 24 hours of farming; First combine ride; Safety of tree surgeons 14:05

5d ago14:05

14:05

BBC Local Radio holds a special 24 hour farming event to encourage young farmers to support each other with their mental health. A man from Essex has a childhood dream come true - experiencing harvest from inside a combine’s cab. And when it comes to the physical felling of trees or carrying out pruning at great heights, it’s a potentially dangerou…

151
07/08/2024: Oilseed rape, Sea lettuce in Jersey, Timber 13:41

6d ago13:41

13:41

This year the UK is growing less oilseed rape than it has for 30 years, it has become too expensive and risky for many farmers to use it as a crop. Clearing up a green, smelly carpet of seaweed known as sea lettuce from the beaches of Jersey. And we import more than 80% of the wood we use in this country, and there are calls for far more of that to…

1
06/08/2024: Bovine TB vaccine trial; Storm damage; Welsh vegetables in schools 13:56

7d ago13:56

13:56

The results of a farmer led badger vaccination trial against Bovine TB which are being released today show promising results. A clear up campaign from the damage caused to forests in Scotland by a storm in 2021 continues to this day. And a pilot project in Wales which aims to get more Welsh vegetables into schools, the plan is to grow the horticult…

1
05/08/2024 Farmer confidence; Lough Neagh pollution; Forestry 12:09

8d ago12:09

12:09

A third of farmed land in England and Wales is rented, and there are warnings that tenant farmers are facing more challenges than those who own the land they work. A government survey carried out in April this year and published last week found that when asked if they were very confident that changes to the post-Brexit payment schemes in England wi…

1
03/08/2024: Crime in the Countryside; Renewable Energy; Rural broadband 24:37

11d ago24:37

24:37

Many rural people are feeling 'vulnerable and intimidated' because of crime according to the National Farmers Union. Figures out this week from the insurers NFU Mutual put the cost at just under £53 million last year - up from 50 million in 2022. The new Labour government is putting renewable energy at the heart of its plans - it wants to double th…

1
Insect drama in the coffee field 51:08

14d ago51:08

51:08

“When the phorids arrive, the ants release a pheromone that tells their nest mates, all the other ants that are in the vicinity, their sisters that are in the vicinity, tells them ‘Careful! The phorids are here! You better go back to your nest or get paralyzed.’” This week on the show, we get to nerd out on insects with Ivette Perfecto who studies …

1
02/08/24 Planning and the green belt; Battery storage on farms; Buffalo farmer. 14:04

11d ago14:04

14:04

County councils are concerned about how rural areas will cope with new housing targets set by the Labour government. It plans to build one and a half million homes by 2029 and is setting mandatory targets for councils. Many of those new homes are to be built on bits of the green belt which will be reclassified as grey belt - what does this mean for…

1
01/08/2024: Rural crime; Anaerobic digestion; Dairy farms 13:45

13d ago13:45

13:45

The latest figures out today from the insurers NFU Mutual put the cost of rural crime at just under 53 million pounds last year - up from 50 million in 2022. The renewable energy options open to farmers are various, and the one that would seem to be tailor made for agriculture is anaerobic digestion - or AD. This is the process where silage and slu…

1
31/07/2024: Farming widow speaks; Sheep farming; Hydro-electric power 13:45

14d ago13:45

13:45

The family of a famer who took his own life say they believe a farm inspection which found he had used the wrong sort of ear tag on just 18 sheep contributed to his death. The National Sheep Association welcomed the new farming minister Daniel Zeichner to its biennial show. And a farmer saves on his electricity bills using the power of water on his…

1
30/07/2024: Rural broadband, Weather and the harvest, Solar farms 13:59

15d ago13:59

13:59

A survey by the NFU has shown that while there has been some improvement in the provision of superfast broadband, only 34% of farmers who responded have a fibre connection. A farmer in the depths of his harvest has his fingers crossed that this spell of hot sunny weather will continue. Solar farms built on farmland are an increasingly controversial…

1
29/07/2024: River pollution, Rural energy, New game butchery 11:55

16d ago11:55

11:55

Campaigners are calling on the Welsh Government to do more to clean up the River Wye, after people were warned not to swim in a section of the river - which was only recently named the first official river bathing area in Wales. An expert outlines the challenges of providing rural renewable energy infrastructure without upsetting the people who liv…

1
27/07/24 Farming Today This Week: what next for agriculture in Wales? 25:07

18d ago25:07

25:07

A special panel programme recorded in front of an audience at the Royal Welsh Show. Charlotte Smith discusses the future of agriculture in Wales with Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, deputy president of NFU Cymru, Abi Reader and Rachel Sharp, director of Wildlife Trusts Wales. Produced by Beatrice Fenton.…

1
Connecting through food at the public library 51:00

18d ago51:00

51:00

“When you think of literacy and you think of what does that mean and what are all the parts of it– think about reading a recipe. Think about measuring the ingredients. Think about learning how to cook. Think about planning a meal, or budgeting for that meal.There are so many things that are learning-through-play, learning-through-doing-it, in a tea…

1
26/07/2024: Illegal fishing in Wales; sheep shearing; robot dog 14:06

19d ago14:06

14:06

Angling groups have warned that illegal fishing is an "out of control" problem on rivers in Wales with serious impacts for endangered species like salmon, and physical danger for anglers. Mobile sheep shearers are hard at work on a farm near Edinburgh, before the head woman Una Cameron tries to break the world record for shearing in a few weeks' ti…

1
25/07/24 - The Royal Welsh Show 2024 14:02

19d ago14:02

14:02

This programme comes from the 120th Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells. 250,000 people are expected to attend across 4 days, with 7000 livestock entries. It comes during an eventful week in Welsh politics, with the Cabinet Secretary of Climate Change and Rural Affairs in the Welsh Government set to become the new Deputy First Minister. So what does i…

1
24/07/2024: NAO report into farming; A tree nursery; Insect study 13:58

21d ago13:58

13:58

A report by the National Audit Office into farming published today shows much room for improvement. A tree nursery in Fife has been working hard to become better for the environment, and is now pushing to become carbon-negative. The longest running scientific study into the impact of cereal farming on invertebrates, the Sussex Study which is run by…

1
23/07/2024: Agriculture budget; Scottish national park; Rural crime; Horticulture 14:05

22d ago14:05

14:05

Three conservation groups say farming budgets need to rise substantially to meet legally binding targets on nature and climate. Scotland is to have a new national park and Galloway, in the south west of the country, has been chosen as the preferred location. Not everyone is happy, a local farmer gives his views. Avon and Somerset Police have confir…

1
22/07/2024: Flooding, Nurseries, Farm safety 11:42

23d ago11:42

11:42

New figures out today confirm that farming is the most dangerous job in the UK, the Health and Safety Executive says 35 people lost their lives on farms last year. A Kent nursery which imports more than £3 million worth of plants a year has built a control point on its premises to help it save money on post Brexit checks on the UK border. And there…

1
20/07/24 - Farming Today This Week: Housebuilding, solar farms and Welsh farm policy 25:03

25d ago25:03

25:03

What will this week's announcement by the Government on changes to the rules on planning permission for large scale housing projects and for solar farms on agricultural land mean for the countryside? The Welsh minister in charge of policy on climate change and rural affairs has drawn up new payment schemes for farmers to apply for as the EU's Commo…

1
The inclusive vision of The National Young Farmers Coalition 51:01

25d ago51:01

51:01

“We’ve been presented with problems today that we’ve never dealt with before as an agriculture industry–like climate change. And I don’t think that the approach we’ve taken, historically, is going to work here…As long as I’ve heard the words ‘climate change,’ I have heard that Indigenous practice is the solution.” This week on the show, a conversat…

1
19/07/2024: Seasonal Workers Visa Review; Cricket Bat Willow: Organic Farming Pressures 13:43

26d ago13:43

13:43

Examining the findings of seasonal workers visa review and the potential impact of any scaling back of the scheme on food security. As more people across the world take up cricket Marie Lennon investigates the demand for bats is having on willow production. And reporter Sarah Swadling meets an accountant turned organic farmer who says the weather t…

1
Can traditional foods help manage disease? 50:59

1M ago50:59

50:59

Have you ever had a hunch about something, tested it out and been shocked by the results? That’s what happened to public health scholar Funmi Ayeni. She took a traditional Nigerian home remedy and applied the rigors of scientific research to test its efficacy. The results were nothing short of jaw dropping. This week on Earth Eats, food research th…

1
Indigenous foodways as tools of empowerment 51:00

1M ago51:00

51:00

“As I started to think more about theories around food, and it’s a thing that we do every day without fail, and it really shapes the way that we interact with one another, it shapes the way we interact with our environments, the ways that we create networks of relationships–being able to name it has given it a power to be able to use it to tap into…

1
Learn about specialty brewing with local fruits at Upland’s Woodshop 51:00

2M ago51:00

51:00

“We use wood so that we give the various microorganisms sort of a place to colonize and live from batch to batch. And over time those colonies and those species that have taken hold will change, they’ll drift and so, you’ll develop a unique character to each tank that’s really interesting.” This week on the show we dive head first into a giant oak …

1
Historian Rebecca Spang on the strange origins of the restaurant 51:00

2M ago51:00

51:00

“The dominant vocabulary for talking about restaurants is ‘what food do they serve, what are the good dishes?’ People think that’s the only thing that’s important about restaurants.” Today on the show we talk with Historian Rebecca Spang, about the origins of restaurants, and what they mean to us today. “The experience just of knowing that there ar…

1
Palm oil is everywhere–Max Haiven talks about why that matters 51:00

2M ago51:00

51:00

“When you begin to zoom out, you realize that in fact palm oil is all around us, and the world, in a strange way, is made of palm oil; and we’re all, in a certain way, made of palm oil–in the sense that we use it to reproduce our bodies and to clean our skin and to live the lives that we live in a globalized world.” This week on the show, a convers…

1
Beth Hoffman speaks frankly on the financial challenges of farming [replay] 49:50

2M ago49:50

49:50

“It’s a great thing to be outside, to have birds chirping, to be around green grass, and animals. But the problem has become, that you can’t really be a business unless you are a financially viable business.” This week on the show we explore the economics of small scale farming, and debunk some of the myths of the agrarian lifestyle. We talk with B…

1
Tacotarian’s plant-based tacos aren’t just for vegetarians [replay] 51:00

3M ago51:00

51:00

“There are a lot of people, they like the faux meats and they want to eat a Carne Asada that reminds of the actual, like, Beef Carne Asada. There are a lot of people who try to steer clear from the faux meats, so we wanted to have plenty of veggie items on the menu for them as well. We really wanted to represent different ingredients and different …

1
Food sovereignty in times of transition 51:52

3M ago51:52

51:52

“It’s not about simply that protectionism and nationalism–that we only want to make sure that we eat Lithuanian food. It is a much deeper sense of urgency that as a state–and its political sovereignty–depends on the ability to produce food and feed its population for a long time.” This week on the show a conversation with sociologist Diana Mincyte …

1
Can chefs shape our food system? 51:38

3M ago51:38

51:38

“There’s a restaurant on almost every street in our various cities–they are woven into the fabrics of our communities, and they are deeply embedded in our lives. Restaurants are the places we go to celebrate marriages, to mourn divorces, the places we go to gossip with friends to celebrate after church and they become these places to hear the stori…

1
Taking on Monsanto: journalist Carey Gillam tells the story of Lee Johnson vs. Big Ag [replay] 51:00

3M ago51:00

51:00

“We all need to eat to survive and the quality of the food, the access to the food--the type of food that we eat is central to our health and to the health of the planet.“ This week on the show, a conversation with Carey Gillam, the author of The Monsanto Papers--Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice. And we have a …

1
Turkish hand pies spark childhood memories for Derya Dogan 49:10

3M ago49:10

49:10

“Imagine, we have dinner like at 7, 8 pm–my baba would take all of the çörek to the bakery and have it baked and he’s back home at 10pm–doesn’t matter! Fresh tea, hot tea, feta cheese, olives–breakfast. That’s like your night breakfast the day before Eid.” This week on the show, we spend time in the kitchen with Derya Dogan . She walks us through t…

1
In celebration of Earth Day: a conversation on the deep roots of regenerative farming 51:00

4M ago51:00

51:00

“When I try to understand–why on earth would agriculture be practiced that way? The answer is colonization. The answer really is, this wasn’t about managing land for everyone’s mutual benefit. This was a process of extraction.” In honor of Earth Day earlier this week, we are revisiting an important conversation about regenerative agriculture with L…

1
What a garden can mean–when you need it most 48:46

4M ago48:46

48:46

“And she brought two jars of lilacs, like [a] drink made of lilacs. She brought also cups and everybody could try it. It was really something like a miracle for me because I have never thought that it could be drunk in this way.” This week on the show, a story about a community garden in Tallinn, Estonia. We talk with Jerry Mercury, a political imm…

1
Get ready for food truck season, and ice cream with the Chocolate Moose and Pinoy Garden Cafe 51:00

4M ago51:00

51:00

“And as the blade rotates and the interior cylinder freezes, it begins to churn the ice cream into a wonderful fluffy content that will be established shortly thereafter.” This week on the show, let’s kick off the summer season with a story about ice cream. Toby Foster talks with Jordan Davis and Elijah Lawson of the Chocolate Moose, Bloomington's …

1
Three generations collaborate to cook a favorite Cuban dish 46:33

4M ago46:33

46:33

“You know, you’d wake up the day before, in the morning, and there was Grandma, already in the kitchen. You’d just get the smells, the aromas of the garlic and the citrus from the mojo, and you know it was just kind of ingrained in the memory of sitting there with my grandma while she was preparing it and just talking…” This week on the show, we di…

1
Youth in Indianapolis build personal and community resilience in the garden–with Groundwork Indy 51:00

5M ago51:00

51:00

“We’re not shooting for perfection, we’re shooting for richness of experience.” This week on the show, we revisit a conversation at Groundwork Indy with then Executive Director, Phyllis Boyd. She gives us a tour of their on-site garden tended by teams of young people in their youth development program. Then we take a drive around Northwest Indianap…

1
Present and future foodways in Ukraine–a conversation with Elizabeth Dunn 51:00

5M ago51:00

51:00

“After the peace, whenever that comes, we will have land that will have to stay out of production for years because it is so heavily mined or full of cluster bomblets.” This week on the show we talk with geographer Elizabeth Cullen Dunn about the current food landscape in Ukraine. We discuss what the future may hold for farmers and food producers i…

1
Sushi rolling, meatpacking and community gardening 51:53

5M ago51:53

51:53

“We know that there are all sorts of good chemicals that come out of the dirt and working with land–working with plants–that are beneficial to our mood and our health. For refugee populations that have had to be on the run or had to live in refugee camps for decades, having a little piece of land that you can tend to that you can take care of and t…

1
The future of food according to Alicia Kennedy 51:29

5M ago51:29

51:29

“I just wanted to provide context for folks because I do think that the conversation around plant-based food for the last eight years or so has been pushed toward a more corporate, vertical, lab meat, impossible burgers, beyond burgers, meat substitutes that act like meat and look like meat and has gotten really far away from whole foods and vegeta…

1
This new food truck makes top-notch, plant-based food to-go 51:00

6M ago51:00

51:00

This week on the show, Toby Foster talks with the creators of Planted, a local plant-based food truck and catering operation in Bloomington, Indiana. We learn about their inventive, plant-based menu and their commitment to sustainable practices. We have an interview with Julie Guthman about the troubled strawberry industry and we wrap up the show w…

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