a podcast
with real farmers
A journey of self-discovery brought Alice VanderHaak full-circle after growing up in a small WA farming community. Hear her share how passionate she is about sustainability, and how that influences every aspect of her small farm in Snohomish, WA, Lowlands Farm.
Even though Americans eat lots of onions, the tasty vegetable doesn't often get the spotlight. Hear from onion farmer Kevin Kudsk about how onions are grown, harvested and stored right here in Washington state, not to mention his personal journey to becoming an onion guru!
Flor de Maria Maldonado's parents were farmworkers, and now the family owns their own small cherry, pear and apple orchard in Tonasket, WA. Coming back to the family orchard at the beginning of the pandemic, Flor de Maria and her brothers face an uphill battle to carry on their parents' legacy.
Traveling from the east coast with her home in tow, Lulu Redder settled in western Washington and started Feral Woman Farm, raising hogs, goats, sheep and chickens for meat. Lulu talks about the challenges and benefits of running a small farm off the grid, and ongoing barriers to change in the food system, particularly for locally-sourced meats.
Arriving in the US with virtually nothing, Manuel Imperial and his family began building Imperial's Garden from the ground up 37 years ago. He shares his incredible journey as an immigrant farmer, and the unique insight he's gained into the food system and its dysfunction.
Brady Karstetter and his family grow apples, cherries, pears, sweet corn, field corn, beef, hay and more in the Quincy, WA area. As you can imagine, it's a lot to manage, but Brady explains how it's not just the crops that make his life stressful.
Admitting she fears for her young son's future as a family farmer, apple and cherry orchardist Leah Eddie reveals the intense pressure that Washington's tree fruit farmers face, and how she hopes it changes.
Despite carrying on the legacy of one of Washington state's oldest farming families, farmer Jay Gordon is as innovative and focused on the future of our food system as anyone.
Ashton Beanblossom had a big decision to make when her parents recently decided to retire from dairy farming. Hear how she struggled with the sense of loss, but then chose to build her own dairy -- with an interesting twist.
Living in the shadows is how Miguel Navarrete describes growing up as an undocumented person, explaining what it's like to feel invisible and isolated. Miguel opens up about coming to the US and earning legal status in this week's episode. He also shares how the technology he's responsible for maintaining as an IT Manager on an Eastern Washington dairy defies people's perceptions of farming.