A bill passed in 2017 allowed Wisconsin farmers the opportunity to grow hemp for the first time in nearly fifty years. The first round of hemp farmers have finished harvesting their crops, including Whilden Hughes of Hughes Farms in Rock County. He’s just one of two farmers in Rock County, and one of only 184 […]
Food from the Radical Center with Gary Nabhan
On today’s pledge drive edition, Patty previews Fermentation Fest by talking with this year’s Featured Fermenter, Gary Paul Nabhan. They discuss Nabhan’s two new books, Food from the Radical Center and Mesquite, and reflect on family history, farming, food cultures, and the unique landscapes of the American Midwest and Southwest. Gary Paul Nabhan is an agricultural ecologist, ethnobotanist, […]
Women in Farming, featuring the Soil Sisters
Kick off Women in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Week with the Soil Sisters! Patty is joined in the studio by Dela Ends, Bethany Storm, and Erica Roth of Soil Sisters, a Wisconsin-based collective of female farmers focused on sustainable agriculture. They talk about their upcoming three-day event, the unique challenges of homesteading, the changing tide of […]
America the Bountiful: Fisherpeople, Family Farmers, and Food
On today’s show, we hear about the shared issues of community-based fisherpeople and family farmers, including the 2018 farm bill, climate change, local impact on the environment, and international trade policies regulating labeling. Patty and our guests discuss both Alaskan and Great Lakes fishing in relation to farming and advocate for the economic empowerment of […]
What Makes Soil Healthy
Tonight’s episode of the Perpetual Notion Machine looks into the radical notion of soil health. To some, soil might be just a “dirty” word. But new and extraordinary research at UW-Madison studies the simple and complex chemical processes breaking down organic matter that can contribute to soil health. PNM’er Kase Wheatley talks with two grad […]
Farming and Civil Rights with Ben Burkett
Monday host Patty Peltekos interviews Ben Burkett, former board president of the National Family Farm Coalition and operator of a 250-acre farm that consists of vegetable production, beef cattle, and timber. He has been active in farming since 1970 and has been a longtime civil right activist, challenging USDA discrimination against Black farmers. Mr. Burkett […]