Farm and Fiddle

Attorney Stephen G. Jeffery has been defending farm families and farm communities since the 1990s when the first incursions into Missouri from industrial interests began. In those days, the corporate takeovers came from ag-related industries like concentrated animal feeding operations (cafos) that stole markets while polluting aquifers and waterways. Fast forward to the 2020s and we find industrial organizations backing data centers with thousands of computers that constitute "the cloud" where data is stored and manipulated. These centers create abnormal amounts of heat and are cooled by pulling water from aquifers, stealing it from traditional towns and farms that need it. In part 1 of this 2-part series, Mr. Jeffery outlined the threats to independent land ownership and to food security. In part 2, he details some of the strategies that landowners can use to fight the incursion by restricting the uses of privately-owned land to uses by farming or home ownership rather than industrial buildings.

Attorney Stephen G. Jeffery has been defending farm families and farm communities since the 1990s when the first incursions into Missouri from industrial interests began. In those days, the corporate takeovers came from ag-related industries like concentrated animal feeding operations (cafos) that stole markets while polluting aquifers and waterways. Fast forward to the 2020s and we find industrial organizations backing data centers with thousands of computers that constitute "the cloud" where data is stored and manipulated. These centers create abnormal amounts of heat and are cooled by pulling water from aquifers, stealing it from traditional towns and farms that need it. In part 1 of this 2-part series, Mr. Jeffrey outlined the threats to independent land ownership and to food security. In part 2, he details some of the strategies that landowners can use to fight the incursion by restricting the uses of privately-owned land to uses by farming or home ownership rather than industrial building. 

As the oldest radio program in the world to talk about sustainability, Farm and Fiddle loves taking a break from farming to talk about sustainable music. In this episode, old-time fiddler Howard Marshall plays old-time dance music with bass player Kathy Gordon, guitarist Heinrich Leonhard and multi-instrumentalist Asher Ferguson. Marshall talks about where the music comes from and all the musicians talk about how they found their sounds and their beloved musical instruments.

Melissa Vatterot, policy director of MCE, talks about bills that have been introduced in the Missouri legislature that affect water quality and definitions of ownership of water. She gives suggestions about how people can help protect water quality for today and tomorrow.

Missouri Rural Crisis Center was started in the 1980s when farmers were losing their lands due to government programs that left them in the lurch. Today MRCC continues to work against industrial takeovers that started in animal agriculture with giant facilities that raise thousands of animals in overcrowded buildings, polluting creeks, air and rivers for miles around. Tim Gibbons discusses these issues plus the takeover of Missouri farmland by foreign corporations. 

When Green Belt Express announced they were putting massive electric lines through North Callaway and Boone Counties, other national green-power corporations came into neighborhoods to access farm land for solar and wind "farms" to ship electricity to big cities in the east. These properties are expected to take land out of farming forever but Susan Burns and Mid-Missouri Landowners Alliance are fighting back. The issue has split rural communities that are unprepared for the problems of massive electrical transmission and already worn out by other big industries moving in. 

James Owen is Executive Director of Renew Missouri, an organization working to bring more sustainable energy options to the state. Among other topics is the legislative effort to allow community solar in Missouri. Many other states have this option so that developers can include electric generation in their plans for subdivisions, apartment complexes, commercial buildings and so forth. In Missouri at present, only power companies recognized by the Public Service Commission can sell power to consumers. Bills at the legislature now can enable the change, opening a whole new way to provide electricity to consumers.

Dave Dillon is Vice President of Public and Media Relations. A St. Louis native, he chose to go to college in Fulton and has spent much of his career working on rural issues, partly with the MO Department of Agriculture. In this interview with Margot McMillen, Dillon talks about why rural hospitals are having such a hard time and what this means for rural communities. It's more than the health of the population: Employers and new residents look for health care when they choose a community. 

This podcast features interviews with three of the staff of Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Ryan Fielder, music conservator, Gabe Francisco, draft animal coordinator and Kitty Durham, farm manager, talk about their jobs and the Shaker community legacy. While the village today has restored buildings and added modern electricity and internet, the heritage is deep: 100 years ago, a religious group that wanted to practice equality between men, women and all races, came to America from England. These Shakers practiced sustainability in all aspects of life, sharing jobs, growing their food, sheltering widows and orphans. Today, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill maintains a collection of their buildings and practices what the Shakers preached. The young staff is recovering the music, the use of draft animal power and the farm-to-table meals that the Shakers brought to their new homes. 

Consumers from the mainland are usually ignorant--or don't care--where their ocean fish comes from and we certainly don't think about it coming from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, suspended just a few miles offshore. And these CAFOs aren't in the news even though we read about plastic pollution and chemicals flowing from farmland into the Gulf of Mexico. Don't Cage Our Oceans is a coalition bringing together businesses, environmental groups, food safety advocates and other organizations that are interested in cleaning up the oceans and not in creating more pollution. They ask President Biden to revoke the Trump era Executive Order 13921 that allows industry to site these giant fish factories and exempts them from oversight. In this podcast, Campaign Directory Andriana Natsoulis talks about the potential and the hope for the future, as well as the danger posed from these fish factories suspended in giant nets in the ocean. 

Fiddle player and performer Mike Fraser and Howard Marshall, champion fiddler and author of three books on Missouri fiddling, gave this workshop as part of the Big Muddy Folk Festival in Boonville, Missouri, on May 15, 2022. Their teaching style is conversational and they cover a wide range of topics, from the differences in fiddle styles to variations in tuning to where fiddle tunes come from. To illustrate their points, they play their fiddles, ably backed up by Kathy Gordon, Heinrich Leonhard and Tenley Hansen. 

In this episode, Deb Hudman of A.T. Still University, talks about her project and the various ticks and their diseases. Missourians can mail ticks to her lab--and we've sent her thousands of them--and she classifies them then looks for disease that they might transfer to humans, our pets, our livestock or the wild creatures living in our many ecosystems. On her website, she has begun to post maps and data and you can mail ticks to her to be sure your county gets attention. Download this podcast to learn more, and tune in to Farm and Fiddle Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Central Time on KOPN 89.5 FM and KOPN.org.

In this episode of Farm and Fiddle, which aired at 6 p.m. Central Time on KOPN 89.5 FM in mid-MIssouri and KOPN.org on the worldwide web, plant diagnostician Pent Tian tells about his laboratory and his work identifying plant problems. His advice is sought by professionals and amateurs in all kinds of plant businesses or avocations. This year, Missouri has had a very wet, chilly spring, which means Peng will see a lot of fungus problems. He tells how to identify those and what to do about them. We also may see an influx of new predatory insects like the lanternfly, a bug that can destroy forests and fields. Missourians should be on the lookout for these creatures. There are other dangers, such as herbicides drifting in from nearby fields. If it attacks plants, Peng has seen it, so gardeners, farmers, forester, landscapers and plant lovers should become familiar with his work. 

North Carolina farmer Craig Watts had a 2-year honeymoon with the poultry industry, built four poultry barns and struggled to pay them off with a contract under corporate rule. He learned too late that the corporations hold all the cards. In this interview, Watts explains how the system works. The farmer takes on all the debt but has no control over the inputs supplied by the corporations. They can bring a farmer "sorry" birds or even let the farmer run out of feed. The corporations supply animals, feed, transportation and a market that often pays less than 5 cents a pound for finished chickens. When he finally paid off the buildings, the corporation demanded expensive improvements that put him back into debt. In the future, Watts worries, there will also be animal diseases to plague factory farms. Like many others, Watts got out of the business and is converting his barns to sustainable agriculture and selling to markets that he can choose.

Sherri Dugger, Executive Director of The Socially Responsible Agricultural Project, talks about how SRAP helps communities faced with problems caused by Industrial Livestock Farming. Many communities learn about the health problems, water pollution, and air pollution caused by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. If a community learns that a CAFO is coming into the neighborhood, SRAP will help with organization and find experts with proof that other communities have been ruined by a CAFO. SRAP can find data that can help with the fight. SRAP can also help contractors who have signed up and learned that the corporate figures don't add up. Our next podcast features an interview with one of those contractors.

Beef prices at the grocery store are sky high, but cattle ranchers aren't seeing new profits. It turns out that the giant corporations are squeezing consumers and blaming supply chain problems, but cattle ranchers suffer from lack of competition because only a few corporations own all the markets. And consumers don't know where their meats come from because labeling is misleading. Labels that say "USA" can be used for meat imported from other places and processed here. In this podcast, 4th generation Angus cattle man Jeff Jones gives the view from on the farm. The Jones family business raises cattle on pasture and not in confinement, so the animals stay healthy without the need for antibiotics and medicines. Consolidation of the industry is hurting businesses like this because it turns out that only a few giant corporations control the business and there is no competition for the cattle raised by family farms. 100 years ago, Congress passed the Packers and Stockyards Act to prevent this kind of consolidation but that law is not being enforced. There is a solution... break up the corporations.

When Afghan refugees come to mid-Missouri, they find welcome from community organizations with direction from Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri. In an interview with Margot McMillen, three organizers tell how these new neighbors come to the community and how  community members can help them adjust to their new homes. McMillen talks to Dan Lester, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, Frishta Aslami, Afghan Program Coordinator and Ashley Wiskirchen, Director of Communications. The three describe how community organizations from Columbia, Jefferson City and Fulton help the refugees adjust to new homes, schools and other community services. 

This interview originally aired on 9-22-21 with Carol Davit and Margot McMillen. Carol talks about what makes a prairie, what plants and animals depend on prairie ecosystems and where you can find prairies in mid-Missouri. 

Webster Davis, Secretary to Missouri's NAACP chapter, and a black farmer, talks about challenges and progress in the agricultural community. Davis focuses on new legislation at the federal level introduced by Cory Booker and co-sponsored by many progressive senators in Congress. Webster talks about the difficulty of finding markets, faced by all small farmers, and expresses hopefulness about the progress of bringing new voices to the agricultural system. 

Organic grower Dan Kuebler has been well-known to mid-Missouri farmers and consumers for decades. Now he is working to convert part of his farm to the growing of hemp, a new crop in Boone County. To make the transition on the hill where he farms, Dan has brought in truckloads of composted sawdust and new dirt to create a terrace-like terrain. He plans new infrastructure as well, and takes listeners on a journey to create a new way of growing a crop that was, after all, traditional in Missouri from settlement times. 

Update on bills working through the state capitol this session. Josh visits with Brian Smith, lobbyists with the Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC). The mission of MRCC is to preserve family farms, promote stewardship of the land and environmental integrity and strive for economic and social justice by building unity and mutual understanding among diverse groups, both rural and urban. Brian has been watching some laws progressing that don't align with MRCC's mission and he shares. The hot topic this year is local control.

Rhett & Josh (both veterans) discuss topics and issues related to veterans. Special Guest Doug Bannister calls in and shares his experiences as a veteran.

Missouri Organic Association has recently received the gift of buildings for offices in Hartsburg, in rural Boone County. Their new location will benefit farmers and other food producers with the addition of a certified kitchen to process products for sale throughout Missouri. Jackie Casteel is charged with bringing the dreams to life, and in this interview she tells how the work is going and reveals plans for MOA's winter conferences.

This episode covers home-based skills from the past like natural fabric dyes and the safety-first maintenance of wood stoves. KOPN community radio has been around since 1973, so the archives provide a treasure trove of information, much of it passed from person to person in interviews before the internet. In this episode of Farm and Fiddle, Rhett dives into the shelf of old recordings and finds some gems for the D.I.Y. generation.

Art Cullen and the Storm Lake Times made history a few years ago when the small-town newspaper won a Pulitzer for editorial reporting. They take their local issues seriously, covering the courthouse, local schools and immigrant populations. In a state where conservative values are often taken for granted, Storm Lake has managed to quietly integrate a population of immigrants recruited by the meat factory industry. They have found that immigrant kids stay around to help their families rather than leaving for the big city. The Times, striving to serve all populations, has found success... Art Cullen tells us how. 

The subject of happy dogs and happy dog owners is especially important in a time of covid-19 lockdowns. Howie Shucard, dog trainer, says the most important time in a dog's life is early puppyhood when dogs should be exposed to all kinds of people in all kinds of settings. This early socialization prevents many future problems and results in a secure, attentive dog that an owner can work with. He has trained his own dogs to recognize and respond to hundreds of words. He hopes this podcast episode will help many owners and dogs from experiencing the frustration of poor communication or, worse, aggressive behavior. 

This program, which aired on July 8, 2020, begins with regular feature, "Agriculture in the News," focusing on land grabs by investment firm TIAA in Brazil. Then, the featured interview is with Dr. Elliott Murphy, Kansas City pulmonologist now involved in the fight against factory farming in Cooper County, Missouri. Dr. Murphy talks about the importance of health ordinances to protect citizens and the battle to steal local control from local-county health boards. The legislature has passed laws that favor factory farms, even while knowing that the factories, or concentrated animal feeding operations (cafos) are centers for pollution and disease. 

The interview with Dr. Robert Lawrence for the July 15 episode went longer than we could broadcast on a 60-minute show. Portions of the interview had to be cut including the closing remarks. We feel that Dr. Lawrence’s messages are important to share and so have included some of the cut portions in a bonus podcast.  In this bonus podcast Robert shares information about coronavirus data and a website he uses to track data. He shares information about a mega-industrial hog corporation working in Missouri, that is owned by an international corporation and how today’s markets are working.  He discusses ecological issues including the international movement of water through selling grain on international markets. A serious impact on aquifers. And of course human health issues are discussed in detail with real life stories of the science and the impact on communities that the current industrial agricultural system is creating. There’s more…hope you enjoy!

Josh interviews Dr. Robert Lawrence, founder and retired Director of the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Lawrence has spent multiple decades clinically treating and studying patients suffering from exposure to CAFO's. In this episode Dr. Lawrence shares stories and scientific studies regarding specific health risks that result when CAFO's enter a community. Thank you Dr. Robert Lawrence for sharing your knowledge and experience. Music from the episode: Soldiers Joy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX8REhXsStA&feature=shareOver the Waves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipVRxN4K99IPeacock Rag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkwn4xzMYFI

The discussion begins with stinging nettle and moves to other plants as time passes. A lot of topics are mentioned. Hope you enjoy. Nadia has extensive knowledge in cultivation of native plants. Thank you Nadia for sharing. 

This conversation with Steve Smith covers the following issue: When the Environmental Protection Agency approved dicamba-tolerant soybeans for planting, the approval followed the failure of other chemical-dependent GMO (genetically modified organism) crops. Weeds had quickly become tolerant of the chemical Roundup, which was the first poison spray to be used on growing GMOs. Now, agribusiness is going to more potent chemicals. Dicamba-tolerant crops, introduced in 2017, are the first of a long list of future crops and the EPA's rubber-stamp approval has meant that thousands of acres were quickly planted. For neighbors, the spray is particularly damaging because it can readily turn into a vapor and drift wherever the wind blows. In 2019, state departments of agriculture were overwhelmed by complaints--so many that they could not investigate fast enough. A coalition of organizations, including National Family Farm Coalition, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety and Pesticide Action Network, N.A., sued EPA in court and won! It's the beginning of a long battle against well-armed opponents, but in this David-and-Goliath court case, the right side prevailed.

Rodale Institute was the first farming organization to experiment and promote organic principles. Indeed, Rodale was the inventor of organic farming, insisting that the soil be nurtured and pests be fought without petroleum-based chemicals. On their Pennsylvania property, they try new and old experiments for row-cropping, vegetable farming, livestock maintenance and equipment innovation by using techniques they've perfected through the years. Now they are bringing their ideas to the midwest with a cooperative venture in Iowa. Kristine Lang talks to Margot McMillen about the work being done there and explains how midwestern farmers can get in touch and learn more

In 2017, the Missouri State Legislature passed a law allowing the cultivation of hemp in Missouri. Dan Kuebler of the Salad Garden in Boone County is one of the early adopters for the new crop. With his co-worker Garrett Fosse, Dan explains how he's learning the new system and what it will mean for his farm. 

Buttigieg spoke about the importance of farmers' markets, which is a place where people of different backgrounds come together, but he also realizes that international markets have been a major pain point for farmers because of unfair trade agreements and the recent rush to tariffs to manipulate policy. He is concerned about quality of life issues, pollution and climate change. He was the only candidate at the forum to mention the painful fact of farmer suicides. 

Cory Booker is the only black person left in the race. He has met with farmers in several states to gain an understanding of what's going on. His resounding last statement includes, "I'm here because people that didn't look like me helped me..." As he ended this talk, he got a standing ovation from the crowd of Iowa farmers. 

Amy Klobuchar was one of four presidential candidates invited to the Iowa Farmers Union annual meeting. As a Minnesotan, she is well-aware of the problems facing farmers. She covers issues around trade wars, climate change, the aging rural population, consolidation of industry and the favoritism for wealthy now shown by the present administration, especially in the tax bill. 

It may be surprising to learn that two of Iowa's broadbased farm organizations--Iowa Organic Association and Iowa Farmers Union-- brought Democratic candidates to their annual meetings last week. But Iowa has always had a core of progressive support, from the days of the Granger movement to today. Sanders was invited to both meetings and in this podcast addresses the organic farmers. You can tell he's studied the issues and, indeed, my friends in Iowa report he has met with small groups and learned their issues. This podcast is one of four that will be posted by Farm and Fiddle today, joining podcasts of speeches by Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Booker. 

Farm and Fiddle hosts Rhett Hartman and Margot McMillen begin the conversation with Steve Jeffery with the questions, "what is a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation" and continue with background on CAFOs in Missouri, including the dismantling by the legislators of protections for neighbors and the environment. Jeffery is involved in lawsuits against the state, challenging the new make-up of the Clean Water Commission and the 2019 passage of Senate Bill 391, which takes away the right of counties to make their own rules to protect the health of their citizens. 

Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center was an early entry into the magic of horse therapy for people of all ages, with all kinds of needs. In this episode, founder Karen Grindler talks about CCTC's beginnings in 1989 with four horses and the present Center with 20 horses and hundreds of volunteers. The Center's work with autistic children, PTSD-stricken veterans, recent amputees and brain-injured persons is well-known nationally and has contributed to discoveries on the benefits of the horse-human bond. 

While Kentucky whiskeys are famous, they are made mostly with Missouri ingredients--corn, other grains, and aged in MIssouri-made barrels. Agronimist Gary Hinegardner spent a career studying heritage corn types--corn that tastes good even though it might not yield as high as commercial hybrids. Then, he went to work for the world's largest oak barrel maker, using wood sourced from Missouri forests. On retirement, he put his knowledge to work creating world-class, gold-medal whiskeys, building a distillery in New Florence. Now, with 30 other distilleries, he launches a statewide "expedition" of Missouri spirits makers.

In this half hour podcast, Josh Stevens, forester, talks to Rhett Hartman about forest products--medicinal, food and wood--and how to manage them in Missouri forests. It turns out that, besides sourcing local foods, Missourians can source local lumber and wood products. 

Susan Williams and Tena Potts are leaders in their Cooper County community. They have been fighting against corporate power that seeks to take over Cooper County's clean air, water and land to place a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) in their midst.  The outrage prompted passage of a Health Ordinance for the county which simply demands that CAFOs follow the same rules as ordinary farmers with small numbers of animals. It was a triumph when MIssouri's Clean Water Commission agreed with the county, but lawmakers shut the door on that possibility by allowing the governor to change the makeup of the Commission so that more Big Ag flaks could join. Next, the CWC replaced citizen representatives with industry insiders and reversed the decision. The case has been accepted for a hearing by the Supreme Court. 

While surrounding counties host thousands of CAFOs, Jefferson County has managed to keep the incursion to a minimum. Rosenberg credits constant vigilance and a community willing to work. Learn more at https://www.jfaniowa.org/

Scott Dye has been active as an organizer for communities faced with the incursion of a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, or CAFO. His own family farm, in northwest Missouri, is now surrounded by CAFOs owned by a Chinese firm that bought out Smithfield a few years ago. Being keenly aware of how factory farming takes over the market and destroys neighborhoods, Scott has dedicated his life to helping other communities resist. One of the states he works in, North Dakota, has been effective in controlling CAFOs and in this episode Scott explains how the character of that state helps communities organize and win. To learn more, visit https://sraproject.org/

This podcast continues the conversation with Steve Jeffery, and gives the early timeline of the fight in Cooper County, Missouri, which will soon be heard in the Supreme Court. Jeffery is keenly aware and articulate about the part that politics has played in fixing laws so that citizen voices are shut out.

Attorney Steve Jeffery has been working with neighborhoods that fight the incursion of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations into their midst. Having begun his career as an environmental lawyer for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), he knows the problems that occur when under-funded departments try to protect citizens with the few tools allowed by lawmakers. Nevertheless, Steve and his clients persevere, only to find their success thwarted by out-of-state corporations, sometimes polluting the environment to produce food that is exported to other nations.