The podcast showcases what real people in farming communities think of the issues raised in my documentary — each episode brings the highlights of a post-screening discussion to you. From the challenges of revitalizing rural communities to unconventional ways to direct market grain, every community I've visited has its own flavour, and this is a way to see what's happening in the rest of the country.
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You can find the podcast in all the usual places. Links to all of the big players are listed below, just click the icon to take you there. If you know someone who would be interested in hosting a discussion, please do get in touch
Recorded in Brockville, ON What happens when the land that feeds us becomes increasingly difficult for the next generation of farmers to afford — while the cli
Recorded in Brockville, ON What happens when a local farm has plenty of food to sell, but fewer people are buying it? At Heartbeet Farm in Kanata, Ontario, fa
Just Food - Ottawa, ON Who gets to farm when farmland is too expensive for farmers to afford — and what happens when we take the market out of the equation? F
What happens when the passion for farming, the community built around food, and the realities of making a living from it don’t quite add up?
Ottawa Valley Farm to Fork - Douglas, ON What counts as work when there isn’t a paycheque attached to it… and what happens when we stop measuring the value of
How do we decide when to pay for something or when we ask for that thing from our social circles and our community? And why do we run our economy in a way that only notices value when we pay for it, and not when we get it from our friends?
In Thornbury, I find a room of people who aspired to grow food — and also to grow a community and a culture around that. Their idealism is palpable, and so is the urge to act on that idealism.
Alvaro’s farm is possible because of direct support from his family and community. And he sells his produce directly back to them.
A dust storm in Manitoba reveals which farms lose their soil, where that soil ends up, and the ways that building good soil also help build stronger communities.
I’m a bit obsessed with the romance of farming. But, that’s not what a farmer who’s overworked and under-thanked wants to hear. This episode is about the suitability of the word ‘romance’ in farming, and what farming is ultimately all about.
If you spend a lifetime making interest payments on a piece of land, do you ever really own it? How do young farmers get started if the cost of farmland outstrips the amount they can earn from it?
What happens when it’s time to pass a farm on to the next generation? Should it be sold to the highest bidder? Inherited by the oldest son? How do we make sure that the wealth stays with the farm — and that the next generation can afford to take over?
A big advantage of the farming lifestyle is community. Which makes it that much harder to farm successfully as a single farmer. Rachelle Ternier at Prairie Garden Seeds has some unusual ways to build a ‘we’ as a single farmer.
Small prairie towns are disappearing. There aren’t enough people left to keep the towns viable, and the young people leave and don’t come back. Revitalizing these towns means convincing the youth that the small-town life is a viable one.
What levers do we have to take commerce out of the commodity market? To live outside the logic that says the lowest price is the best price? At Farm 140, I found a room full of people figuring out how to do just that.
The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan has bought the farm — literally. Has farming become a charity case? According to Community Foundation leader Kevin Ronaghan, buying a farm is the best investment they can make in building a community.
Farming is a tough, tough business. The saying goes, get big or get out, and big stress comes with big business. But what if that isn’t true? Maybe smaller farms are just what we need to stay connected to our food.
I’m at to Klippers Organics for the season opening of their on-farm restaurant, Row Fourteen. A couple things have changed there since I filmed there in 2020, and award-winning head chef Derek Grey joins us to talk about why he’s now an electrician.
This episode features Holger Schwichtenberg, of The Old Agassiz Place in Agassiz, B.C. We chat about the issue of succession and how the farm gets passed along to the next generation; the emotions and finances involved in making the big decisions.
This first episode features Seann Dory, of Salt & Harrow farm in Tsawwassen, B.C. We talk about a previous project that he may be better known for, Urban Digs, and how they secured land by "offering tax-breaks to parking lot owners". Find out more about the tour at https://thehandsthatfeedus.ca/