Best Agriculture Podcasts (2024)

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

1h 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

29m 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

1h 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

4d 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

2h 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

38m 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
18/07/2024: Dairy, Kings Speech, EV range anxiety 14:03

36m ago14:03

14:03

One of the country’s large dairy processors is ending contracts with many smaller farms because it says they don’t supply enough milk and because of welfare and sustainability concerns. What will the announcement by the government on changes to the rules on planning permission on large scale projects in housing and for solar panel farms mean for th…

1
17/07/2024: Welsh farm payments, Rural doctors, Health drones 14:01

1h ago14:01

14:01

The Welsh minister in charge of policy for climate change and rural affairs has drawn up the preparatory offer to farmers for the replacement to the EU payments scheme. Getting an appointment with a doctor when you live in a rural area presents challenges, one GP surgery outlines how it deals with the issue. And could drones help with some aspects …

1
16/07/2024: Climate change; Rural housing; Moorland learning 13:49

42m ago13:49

13:49

A climate change think-tank is urging the new government to enable farmers and landowners to pick up the pace to meet net zero emission targets. People living in a Gloucestershire village who have been campaigning against house building, have formed a Community Land Trust to plan and propose new developments that they do want to see - smaller homes…

1
13/07/24 Farming Today This Week: The new Defra Secretary, Great Yorkshire Show, new planning rules in rural areas 24:43

11d ago24:43

24:43

The Great Yorkshire Show was the first chance for the new Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, to chat with farmers since his appointment, less than a week before. The new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has committed to relaxing planning rules for house building. It could mean quite a change for rural areas; especially…

1
Can traditional foods help manage disease? 50:59

1d 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
12/07/2024: Welsh farm payments, Michael Mosley a tribute, Lab-grown meat, AI in ecosystems 14:04

1d ago14:04

14:04

There is a response from farmers to the Welsh government consultation with its farmers on the replacement for EU funding which previously caused mass protests. A personal tribute to the late broadcaster and doctor Michael Mosley known on Radio 4 for his series Just One Thing, which was aimed to improve our health, and wellbeing. A preview of Radio …

1
11/07/24 - The Great Yorkshire Show 14:00

2d ago14:00

14:00

The 165th Great Yorkshire Show takes place this week just outside Harrogate. There are 35,000 people due to attend on each day and 8,500 livestock entries taking to the show rings. Anna Hill meets some of the people showing their pigs, learns about different breeds of pigeon and attends the Battle of the Butchers. She also meets the new DEFRA Secre…

1
10/07/2024: Great Yorkshire Show; Coughing pigs; AI weather forecasting 14:28

3d ago14:28

14:28

Farmers at the 165th Great Yorkshire Show say what they are hoping to come from the new Labour government. The dream of farmers is to be able to accurately predict the weather, now a group of scientists are pitching in to help with AI – Artificial Intelligence. AI is also assisting on a pig farm, helping the farmer to predict if any of his animals …

1
09/07/2024: New farming minister; Rural housing; Robots 14:14

4d ago14:14

14:14

The new Chancellor Rachel Reeves has committed to relaxing planning rules for housebuilding, a representative of various rural groups gives her response. Corinne Pluchino is the new Chief Executive of Action with Communities in Rural England - ACRE - a national charity representing 38 county based organisations across England. The new Secretary of …

1
08/07/24 Artificial intelligence for agri market research, Lakenheath Fen, vertical salad farm 11:57

5d ago11:57

11:57

From interpreting pigs coughs to detect disease to analysing biodiversity data; all this week we’re going to be talking about artificial intelligence and its use in agriculture. Today, how AI is being used to sift out inaccurate agricultural market research. A year ago the RSPB started turning land that was once arable fields, next to its site at L…

1
06/07/24 - Farming Today This Week: Election analysis, soft fruit farming and bee breeding 25:00

7d ago25:00

25:00

Labour have won the General Election - so what does it mean for food, farming and the environment across the UK? We visit a soft fruit farm where flexible solar panels are being draped over the polytunnels to produce both electricity and strawberries from the same land. And most beekeepers sell honey - but we visit a pair who also sell queen bees, …

1
Indigenous foodways as tools of empowerment 51:00

8d 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
04/07/24 University investment, farmer comedian, blueberries 13:59

8d ago13:59

13:59

Reading University has bought £16m worth of farmland to improve its research into food and farming. The 635-acre site at Tanners Farm, Farley, includes pasture, arable land and woodland and is an addition to the farmland and facilities the university already owns. The university's vice-chancellor said the purchase would help secure the future of ag…

1
03/07/2024 - Creamery closure, bee numbers, wildflowers, Scottish raspberries 14:04

10d ago14:04

14:04

A creamery which has been producing Stilton since 1780 is due to close its doors with the loss of 60 jobs. Tuxford and Tebbutt in Melton Mowbray is owned by the farmer co-operative Arla, which has been trying to sell the creamery as a going concern.They've blamed the closure on what they say is a decline in the speciality cheese market. Dairy indus…

1
02/07/24 - Danish methane tax, Electric Berries and rural/urban voting habits 14:06

11d ago14:06

14:06

Danish farmers are facing a tax on methane from cattle, pigs and slurry. The charges will be based on how many animals a farmer has, and what sort of farming system they use. There will be money available for farmers to introduce technical solutions, such as covering up slurry storage, to reduce emissions. We visit a soft fruit farm in Kent which i…

1
01/07/2024 Fishing industry's election wish list; Breeding bees; Soft fruits 12:02

12d ago12:02

12:02

"Fishing is about food - it's not a conservation problem, or heritage activity, or a hobby" the words of the fishing industry to politicians as we enter the final few days of campaigning before the general election. The National Federation of Fisherman's Organisations is calling for an incoming government to develop a national fishing strategy. Now…

1
29/06/2024 - Farming Today This Week: Election Special 25:00

14d ago25:00

25:00

Charlotte Smith hosts an "election special" looking at rural manifesto promises - she explores what's on offer on food, farming, the environment and rural services. She's joined by rural correspondents from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons…

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

15d 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
28/06/2024 Election manifestos; Flower farming; Hemlock 13:53

15d ago13:53

13:53

All week we've been looking at party manifestos and politicians' pledges on food and farming. We've head from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats - today we round up what the other parties are offering the countryside. We meet a family of flower growers in Cornwall who've been farming in the Tamar Valley for half a century. Barry Ri…

1
27/06/24 Lib Dem's Manifesto, Groundswell regenerative farming, Sark considers Sunday tractors 13:40

16d ago13:40

13:40

All this week we're hearing from the main political parties on what they're offering farmers and rural communities this election. Today it's the turn of the Liberal Democrats who say they'll put an extra £1 billion a year into the agriculture budget. When the Groundswell show started eight years ago it was a small event for the then rather niche 'r…

1
26/06/24 - Labour's Manifesto, regen farming and high yielding wheat 14:13

17d ago14:13

14:13

A "New Deal for Farming" including better trade deals and more public procurement of home grown food - we hear what's in the Labour Party manifesto on farming, the environment and rural communities. It's part of a series of political interviews with the main parties that will run on the programme across the week. Groundswell is the biggest UK event…

1
25/06/24 - Conservative manifesto, venison in school and dormice reintroductions 13:49

18d ago13:49

13:49

An extra billion pounds across the next Parliament for farming and legally binding targets on food production - we hear what's in the Conservative Party manifesto on farming, the environment and rural communities. It's part of a series of political interviews with the main parties that will run on the programme across the week. Learning about food …

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

24d 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

29d 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

1M 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

1M 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

2M 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

2M 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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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

5M 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…

1
Meet the guy who cooks for flies–and for science 50:55

5M ago50:55

50:55

“Bloomington is known in the science world--if you say Bloomington, people think fruit flies.” This week on our show, we tap into the 15 years deep Earth Eats archive, for one of my very favorite stories. It’s about our visit to the kitchen of a science building on the campus of Indiana University, where they prepare food for a tiny organism that s…

1
Episode 5: Land Access Now! 39:20

5M ago39:20

39:20

Access to land is the number one challenge facing the next generation of farmers in the US. Centuries of discrimination and land theft have put this resource out of reach of farmers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Everyday in the US we lose 2,000 acres of viable farmland to development. With millions of acres on the verge of changin…

1
Author Jori Lewis on the natural and human history of the peanut 51:00

5M ago51:00

51:00

"Peanuts had become popular because of this movement of new American pastimes that were accessible to like the common man, or the common person. So, baseball and theater halls and circuses--all of those places became places where people were interested in buying peanuts." This week on the show Kayte Young talks with Jori Lewis. She’s an award winni…

1
Episode 4: What’s the Future of Urban Agriculture? 45:30

5M ago45:30

45:30

Despite an increasing number of farmers growing food in cities urban agriculture wasn’t acknowledged in the farm bill until 2018. Lisa Held, journalist with Civil Eats and former Farm Report host provides the scoop on how the Farm Bill will impact the future of urban ag. Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall, co-hosts of HRN’s Fields podcast, give us…

1
Episode 3: Linking Farms and Food Access 35:11

6M ago35:11

35:11

The nutrition title was first included in the 1973 farm bill. It’s projected to make up 84% of total Farm Bill spending, with most of the funds going to SNAP. That’s because the program helps more than 40 million low-income individuals provide food for their families each month. Some of those people are farmers. In this episode, we talk to Mark Nic…

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