http://www.metrofarm.com/ The Food Chain is an audience-interactive newstalk radio program that airs live on Saturdays from 9am to 10am Pacific time. The Food Chain, which has been named the Ag/News Show of the Year by California's legislature, is hosted by Michael Olson, author of the Ben Franklin Book of the Year award-winning MetroFarm, a 576-page guide to metropolitan agriculture. Podcast Generator 0.8 - podcastgen.sourceforge.net Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:09:35 -0800 en All content copyright 2004 Michael Olson http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2012-01-28_759dpills.mp3 Depressed, anxious, and can’t sleep, oh my! Though modern times are making us thoroughly distraught, a prescription for happy pills will help us find peace. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2012-01-28_759dpills.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:09:35 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2012-01-21_758doliveoil.mp3 Some are virgin. Others are extra virgin. The rest are not very virgin at all. It’s difficult to tell which is which when shopping the sublime and scandalous world of olive oil, and so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2012-01-21_758doliveoil.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:02:14 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2012-01-14_757dgmos.mp3 Like the Dutch boy with a finger in the dike, grandmother Pamm Larry is trying to stop the flood of genetically modified organisms washing over the land by forcing the labeling of GMO foods. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2012-01-14_757dgmos.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:47:58 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2012-01-07_756dmfglobal.mp3 Thousands of U.S. farmers lost over 1.2 billion dollars when MF Global’s off-balance-sheet leveraged repo-to-maturity play on foreign sovereign debt collapsed into bankruptcy. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2012-01-07_756dmfglobal.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:04:05 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-12-18_755dfarm_bill.mp3 The federal government will soon craft a new Farm Bill that will give billions of dollars to the largest, most profitable farms in the nation. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-12-18_755dfarm_bill.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:21:04 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-12-10_754dteenagers.mp3 In the name of safety, the federal government is establishing rules that will prohibit teens from working on family farms. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-12-10_754dteenagers.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:09:38 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-12-04_753dhappiness.mp3 We took the wrong turn on the road to the good life, and now find that, as a people, we are anxious, broke, and overweight. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-12-04_753dhappiness.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:21:07 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-11-20_752dcruel.mp3 When the prison replaced meat with the nation’s most popular health food ingredient, prisoner Eric Harris sued. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-11-20_752dcruel.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:10:25 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-11-12_751dchildren.mp3 When the nation was young we raised children on farms and gave them chores to do. Now we raise children in cities and give them allowances to spend. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-11-12_751dchildren.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:59:30 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-11-05_750dmarijuana.mp3 When Matthew Cohen’s crop of medical marijuana became the object of a great tug of war between Mendocino County and the United States of America, many paused to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-11-05_750dmarijuana.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:19:28 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-10-29_749dtoxicity.mp3 Methyl Bromide, a poison gas banned by international treaty, helped the strawberry industry grow from 2,000 acres to 26,000 acres. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-10-29_749dtoxicity.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:30:27 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-10-23_748dgoat.mp3 Across the nation armed government SWAT teams arrest private citizens for buying and selling fresh whole foods from each other. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-10-23_748dgoat.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 23 Oct 2011 07:17:40 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-10-15_747dfat.mp3 In the last 15 years, the U.S. government used $17 billion of taxpayer money to subsidize production of corn starch, corn syrup and soy oil. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-10-15_747dfat.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:22:50 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-10-08_746ddistance.mp3 The headline read, “Long Road from Farm to Fork Worsens Outbreaks,” and the story told of how distance exacerbated the recent canteloupe contamination that killed some and sickened many. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-10-08_746ddistance.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:44:46 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-10-01_745dgmo.mp3 They say 80 percent of our processed foods now contain genetically modified organisms, which our government claims to be safe. This leads one to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-10-01_745dgmo.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 01 Oct 2011 13:28:59 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-09-25_744dvariety.mp3 Where once we had hundreds of apple varieties from which to select and taste, we now have Red and Golden Delicious. This leads one to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-09-25_744dvariety.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:42:06 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-09-18_743dwaste.mp3 It is one thing to save and recycle-– to waste not; it is another thing to make profitable use of what we do recycle– to want not. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-09-18_743dwaste.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:45:36 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-09-10_742dcontrol.mp3 The FDA is reclassifying herbs, vitamins, and dietary supplements as “synthetic food preservatives,” which means many of them may be pulled off the market and the rest subjected to extreme regulation. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-09-10_742dcontrol.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:29:29 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-09-08_741drestaurant.mp3 Virginia Woolf said it, and we believe it to be true, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” That being the case we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-09-08_741drestaurant.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:16:58 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-08-27_740dsprouts.mp3 Sprouted seeds, or “sprouts” as they are commonly called, are truly the freshest of foods because they are, well, still living. Sprouts are also the frequent subjects of food contaminations, and thus lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-08-27_740dsprouts.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 27 Aug 2011 13:41:36 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-08-20_739dmonsanto.mp3 With its roundup herbicide and roundup-ready genes, the Monsanto Corporation has made growing crops a lot easier. Some, however, say Monsanto’s technology has spawned a new pathogen that causes abortion rates of 20% to 45% in the animals that feed http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-08-20_739dmonsanto.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:48:27 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-08-18_738dkahumoku.mp3 10,000 years ago, when we turned from feeding ourselves with nature to feeding ourselves with agriculture, we grew shorter and weaker. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-08-18_738dkahumoku.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:24:50 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-07-30_737dallergies.mp3 12 million Americans are allergic to food, and 6 million of them are children who cannot yet fend for themselves. Allergic reactions to food range from dermatitis to death. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-07-30_737dallergies.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:48:56 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-07-26_736dgrassfed.mp3 Before WWII, cattle were fed out on grasses like hay. Today, they are fed out on grains like corn and soy, antibiotics, and other nutritional supplements. Some are turning back to grass-fed, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-07-26_736dgrassfed.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:59:33 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-07-16_735dcowboy.mp3 The federal government has direct ownership of 650 million acres of the USA. Some of these public acres may be exploited by private businesses, like ranchers. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-07-16_735dcowboy.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 16 Jul 2011 13:58:15 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-07-09_734dmoney.mp3 There is no “fed” in the Federal Reserve System. There are only private banks which loan the public funny money that the public must pay back, with interest, using real money. This web of debt leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-07-09_734dmoney.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:06:16 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-07-02_733dwater.mp3 Water makes up about 90 percent of growing plants, and thus is the lifeblood of our food chain. However, the pending implementation of new water quality rules in California leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-07-02_733dwater.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:55:30 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-06-26_732dbees.mp3 They say bees provide for thirty percent of the food we eat. They also say more than thirty percent of our bee colonies are collapsing. This thirty percent business leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-06-26_732dbees.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:16:31 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-06-18_731drats.mp3 We fear dirty rats, and so endeavor to kill them with poison. Our poison, however, also kills creatures that prey on rats, which means there are ever more rats to poison, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-06-18_731drats.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 18 Jun 2011 12:42:33 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-06-11_730dimmigrant.mp3 The Supreme Court has upheld Arizona’s law penalizing businesses that hire illegal immigrants. Georgia has passed a similar law, and other states are lining up to do the same. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-06-11_730dimmigrant.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:34:32 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-06-04_729dprice.mp3 In 1990, a loaf of bread cost $.70; today, the loaf costs over $3.00. Incomes, however, have not been growing at the same rate, and thus the true cost of food is going “through the roof.” This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-06-04_729dprice.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:42:42 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-05-28_728dmarket.mp3 The farther we go from the source of our food the less control we have over what’s in our food. It follows that to get the most control we must obtain our food directly from its source. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-05-28_728dmarket.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 28 May 2011 15:15:22 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-05-23_727dmilk.mp3 Amish farmer Dan Allgyer has been arrested by the Food and Drug Administration for selling fresh whole milk across state lines. The FDA’s police action leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-05-23_727dmilk.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 23 May 2011 07:19:47 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-05-14_726dgreen.mp3 Norman Borlaug’s Green Revolution made possible an explosion of the world’s population. But some say there is simply not enough green in the Green Revolution, and so the whole system must be redesigned. This leads one to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-05-14_726dgreen.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 14 May 2011 13:01:02 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-05-07_725dorganic.mp3 Some say up to 80% of the organic food in the United States is now imported from Brazil, China, Mexico and others. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-05-07_725dorganic.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 07 May 2011 11:25:34 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-04-30_724dseeds.mp3 “Bad seed is a robbery of the worst kind: for your pocket book not only suffers by it, but your preparations are lost and a season passes away unimproved.” George Washington’s thought leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-04-30_724dseeds.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:38:03 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-04-09_723drebellion.mp3 In the name of food safety, the federal government has taken total control of what we may feed each other. Sedgewick, Maine, has rebelled and passed the nation’s first “Food Sovereignty” law. This rebellion leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-04-09_723drebellion.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:55:15 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-04-02_722dbusch.mp3 During the peak of a brutal afternoon commute, when smog oppressively cloaked the sun, I had been passing alone through a singularly dreary tract of suburb, and at length found myself, as the commute wore on, within view of a melancholy Budweiser beer pla http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-04-02_722dbusch.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 02 Apr 2011 12:52:18 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-03-28_721dtrademark.mp3 City folk have been “urban homesteading” since the early 1980s. But then the Dervaes family trademarked the term, and now no one else may play. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-03-28_721dtrademark.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:46:41 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-03-19_720dfryingpan.mp3 We have decided to quit our jobs in the city to start a farm. Now we must ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-03-19_720dfryingpan.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:54:04 -0700 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-03-12_719dbeerbread.mp3 Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. As Santayana suggests, there is much in the history of food from which we can learn, and that history leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-03-12_719dbeerbread.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 12 Mar 2011 13:44:01 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-03-07_718dhistory.mp3 Santayana tells us, Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. There is much in the history of food from which we can learn, and that history leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-03-07_718dhistory.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:44:41 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-02-26_717dmary.mp3 To save the endangered Delta smelt, Judge Oliver Wanger turned off the water to California’s San Joaquin Valley, thus putting tens of thousands out of work and turning hundreds of thousands of acres into dust. But then along comes Mary, who says&#8 http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-02-26_717dmary.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:14:50 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-02-19_716dmoney.mp3 Once the Golden State, California is now an estimated $500 billion in debt, and thus has become the Red Ink State. This transformation leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-02-19_716dmoney.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sat, 19 Feb 2011 16:21:46 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-02-13_715dalfalfa.mp3 The Obama administration has approved the release of Monsanto’s genetically-engineered alfalfa. They say farmers will be able to grow more crops, and that ain’t hay! But GE Alfalfa leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-02-13_715dalfalfa.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:50:40 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-02-13_714dtobacco.mp3 Tobacco was America’s first cash crop, and in fact, was the object of trade long before there was an America. Then tobacco became the scourge of millions, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-02-13_714dtobacco.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:44:46 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-12-13_616ddenialists2.mp3 The cluster of diseases known as AIDS has killed over 25 million people around the world. AIDS is said to be caused by the HIV virus, and thus to prevent AIDS one must manage HIV. Yet an increasing number are denying the efficacy of this claim, which le http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-12-13_616ddenialists2.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:19 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-03-28_630dchicken.mp3 Before radio, television or the internet, there were chickens, which came in hundreds of colors, shapes, and sizes, and were kept in flocks at family farms and city homes. This history leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-03-28_630dchicken.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:18 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-07-26_597dfire.mp3 “Fire is a natural part of the environment, about as important as rain and sunshine. Fire has always been here and everything good evolved from it.” - Dr. Harold Biswell http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-07-26_597dfire.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:18 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-04-19_586dlivestock.mp3 The price city people pay for animal protein is going through the roof. And so we ask, “Can livestock be raised in the city?” Topics include the emerging trend of raising animals for food in the city; which animals are most conducive to be http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-04-19_586dlivestock.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:17 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-08-05_506Dbracero.mp3 There are millions of jobs for the taking, and millions of hands willing to take them. This leads one to ask, "Should we return to the days of the strong arm?" Topics include why the Bracero ("strong arm") Program was abandoned in 1964; whether an upda http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-08-05_506Dbracero.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:16 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-01-28_574dcoffee.mp3 Many of the big issues of the day– globalization, immigration, women’s rights, pollution, self-determination– are associated with the production of coffee. And so we pause to ask, “What’s in your cup?” Topics includ http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-01-28_574dcoffee.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:16 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-06-02_544dddt.mp3 Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was so powerful it helped end the use of DDT. But pointing to the millions who suffer from malaria, some now ask, “Should we end the ban on DDT?" Topics include the extent to which Silent Spring changed e http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-06-02_544dddt.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:15 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-10-23_702dcannabis.mp3 California’s illicit cannabis crop is worth $14 billion and the state’s politicians can get their hands on that money by making the crop legal with Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. This proposition leads us http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-10-23_702dcannabis.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:15 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-05-15_682dchild.mp3 Some say they are too young to work and must be protected with federal legislation until they grow up; others suggest if they are deprived of that work they may never grow up. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-05-15_682dchild.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:14 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-12-12_663dgeorganic.mp3 They are married with children: She is the chair of the UC Davis Plant Genetics Lab and he teaches at the UC Davis Organic Farm. Their suggestion of a future filled with genetically-engineered organic foods leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-12-12_663dgeorganic.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:14 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-10-03_654dindia.mp3 Though seven out of every ten Indians depend on income from farms, they are selling off their farmland to the world’s corporations. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-10-03_654dindia.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:13 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-07-14_549dweather.mp3 Droughts here, floods there, global-warming everywhere! And so we pause to ask, “Is weather going wild?” And, if so, “How will we grow food?” Topics include whether, or not, weather is going wild; what impact global warming would http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-07-14_549dweather.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:12 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-11-01_611dwildlife.mp3 In the leafy green fields of the nation’s salad bowl, growers are killing off wildlife. One grower was reported to have poisoned his ponds to prevent frogs from hopping around his fields. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-11-01_611dwildlife.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:12 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-10-31_658dscarcity.mp3 The Man of Steel’s plan: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. To enforce this plan on a population of recalcitrant city people, Joseph Stalin used the ultimate weapon– food. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-10-31_658dscarcity.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:11 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-01-09_665dhappiness.mp3 We try to eat our way to happiness, only to become fat and sad. The length of our waistlines, and our sleepless nights, leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-01-09_665dhappiness.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:11 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-08-10_599dorganic.mp3 One study says organic food is better than conventional food. The next study says there is no difference between organic and conventional. These studies lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-08-10_599dorganic.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:10 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-08-04_552dcolor.mp3 When it comes to food, white could be beautiful, but mostly its not! Topics include the impact white foods, like sugar and flour, have on our diet; why government policy encourages consumption of white foods; and what foods of color add to our diets. http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-08-04_552dcolor.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:10 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-01-30_668dpharms.mp3 We are a nation of drug users-. We take them in the morning to wake up, at midday to stay awake, and at night to sleep. Our use leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-01-30_668dpharms.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:09 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-05-17_589dfoundation.mp3 Agriculture is the foundation upon which we build all our sandcastles. This foundation appears to be failing as the hungry riot for food in 37 developing nations. And so we ask, “Why can’t the world’s hungry feed themselves?” T http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-05-17_589dfoundation.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:08 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-11-14_660dgallo.mp3 The family enterprise began, like many others, in the black market and, when sufficient cash accrued, grew into respectability. This history leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-11-14_660dgallo.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:08 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-05-26_636dpest.mp3 This from a concerned listener: “No… Don’t spray! Just do not spray! No more chemicals. No pesticides. No bad stuff on my food, our community, our health.” Okay. But wait! What about the pests? http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-05-26_636dpest.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:07 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-08-26_509Dforager.mp3 To stay on top in the world of haute cuisine, restaurant chefs must serve food that is the best of the best.Ê This leads us to ask, "Where does one find the best food?" Topics include what it takes to be the best in the restaurant business; how Clasby's http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-08-26_509Dforager.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:07 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-10-25_610dpopulation.mp3 We have spent more than we earned and now must borrow $10 trillion from our children to keep from going belly up. To make it easier for children to pay our bill, we could have more children, and allow for more immigration. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-10-25_610dpopulation.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:06 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-10-16_701dbedbugs.mp3 Sometimes the big eat the small; other times the small eat the big. This time small bedbugs are eating big cities, and they are coming to our city soon. The freckle-sized monsters lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-10-16_701dbedbugs.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:05 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-08-02_551dbuffalo.mp3 Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam. Wait, what’s this… a buffalo in the house? Topics include why buffalo were slaughtered to near extinction; how, in the 1850’s, a Texas rancher and wife saved the great herd from extinction; http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-08-02_551dbuffalo.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:05 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-06-06_637dnano.mp3 To feed our future, we will need to produce more food with less natural resources. Some point to the technology of the nano and say, “Salvation is on the way!” And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-06-06_637dnano.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:04 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-06-27_640dmoscow.mp3 The equation was simple: From each according to his abililty, to each according to his need. But there was not enough ability, or too much need, and the USSR collapsed into ruin, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-06-27_640dmoscow.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:03 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-10-06_560dorganic.mp3 The Cornucopia Institute claims that Aurora Organic Dairy sells milk that is not really organic. Aurora, which produces private label organic milk for Wal-Mart, Target, Costco and Safeway, claims that its milk is indeed organic, and that it has the paper http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-10-06_560dorganic.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:03 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-10-17_656djuice.mp3 It’s pure, and natural, and squeezed fresh. And so we buy the orange juice and drink it to break our fast and start our day. Still, we wonder… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-10-17_656djuice.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:02 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-10-29_517dblood.mp3 When autumn nights brought cold and darkness, our forebears put away meat for their winter. We now live in a different kind of world, which leads some to ask, “Should we not take the blood out of the blood moon?” Topics include the traditio http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-10-29_517dblood.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:01 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-06-09_545dsushi.mp3 It began as a way to preserve old fish, but became a way for millions to eat fresh fish… fast! This leads one to ask, “How did the way of the samurai become the American way to eat sushi-on-the-go?” Topics include why so many now eat http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-06-09_545dsushi.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:00 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-10-04_607dnevada.mp3 The federal government owns approximately one-third of the land in the United States. One day, rancher Wayne Hage went to war with the government over his right to graze livestock on that public land. Wayne Hage’s war leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-10-04_607dnevada.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:59 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-12-07_615aids1d.mp3 HIV / AIDS currently accounts for an estimated 80 percent of all American financial aid to world health and population issues. Yet an increasing number are denying the efficacy of this food chain, which leads us to ask: http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-12-07_615aids1d.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:58 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-01-05_486_d_oyster.mp3 They call it the “Big Apple.” But if history is any measure, it should really be called the “Big Oyster.” Topics include why the first Europeans found Manhattan Island to be a veritable “garden of eatin;” how the bus http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-01-05_486_d_oyster.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:58 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-09-12_462chorse.mp3 Subject: "Violence is never the answer," claims horse whisperer Monty Roberts. This leads us to ask: How can one break a horse by whispering to it? Topics include the various techniques for breaking horses; why gentleness works better than viol http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-09-12_462chorse.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:56 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-07-14_503Denemy.mp3 They can burrow through an acre in a single day and then go on to destroy up to half the crop on that acre. This leads one to ask, "How can one control gophers?" Topics include a know-your-enemy profile of the pocket gopher; why controlling gophers with http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-07-14_503Denemy.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:56 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-09-15_557dadvice.mp3 We have become a nation of avid readers and nervous eaters. Many write books that tell us how to eat. We read these books because we want to know what is healthy, safe, sustainable and just. This leads us to ask, “Can we eat our way into becoming http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-09-15_557dadvice.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:55 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-06-19_686dimmigrantii.mp3 They sneak across the border by the millions to work in our fields, thus you and I can eat cheap food. But our reliance on cheap labor leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-06-19_686dimmigrantii.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:55 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-10-14_515dfairies.mp3 Psychologist Nicola Amadora believes farmers and gardeners should grow for fairies-. This leads one to ask, “Are fairies real?” And, if so, “Why bother growing for them?” Topic include... whether fairies are real or imagined; http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-10-14_515dfairies.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:54 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-02-17_531dfarmbill.mp3 Every year, the government hands out $20 billion of our lunch money to those with outstretched hands. This leads us to ask: “Who should get the money?” Topics include why the U.S. subsidizes its food chain $20 billion a year; who has been g http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-02-17_531dfarmbill.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:54 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-11-13_705dbiomass.mp3 California has elected to reduce its carbon emissions by up to 30% beginning in 2012. This decision has sparked a stampede to figure out how, which leads us to ask…. http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-11-13_705dbiomass.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:54 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-04-14_538dpets.mp3 We have poisoned 39,000 of our pets by feeding them commercial pet food from 100 different companies. This leads one to ask, “What’s in the food?” Topics include why so many pets came to be poisoned by so many pet food companies at one http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-04-14_538dpets.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:53 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-12-20_570dbees.mp3 They are the last to freely move livestock across the great American landscape. But since their livestock is not cattle, perhaps we should call them... beeboys and beegirls! Topics include how one in three bites of food we eat is made available by bees http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-12-20_570dbees.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:53 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-02-01_622dhope.mp3 During the Great Depression, wind picked up the nation’s cropland and carried it away in great, suffocating clouds of dust. Where there were no crops, there was no hope. Some say a succession of five-year Farm Bills may cause the same kind of dest http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-02-01_622dhope.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:52 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-05-01_680dshrimp.mp3 The bite is on… We heard it on the radio: “All you can eat shrimp. Come and get em!” And so, mouths watering in anticipation, we stampede across the floor and out the door for… But wait… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-05-01_680dshrimp.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:52 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-11-07_659dseeds.mp3 Four seed companies now control 75% of the seed marketplace, and two of them– Monsanto and DuPont– are at slugging each other out in court for more. The concentration of seeds in the hands of these giants leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-11-07_659dseeds.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:51 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-08-29_649dmoney.mp3 The government appears to be changing its agriculture lending policy so that only farmers who do not need money get money. This new policy leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-08-29_649dmoney.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:50 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-02-23_578drestaurant.mp3 Topics include a 38-year history of restaurant inspections; common and uncommon kitchen faults; and how restaurant inspectors decide where to eat when they eat out. Topic include... Guests: Retired restaurant inspector Roger Houston and restaurateurs M http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-02-23_578drestaurant.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:49 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-07-21_504Cstalin.mp3 In 1930, the United States had 6.3 million farms; in 2000, it had only 2.1 million. Some say the 27 million people who lived on those farms were deliberately forced off in a Stalin-like purge. This leads one to ask, "What did happen to all the farmers?" http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-07-21_504Cstalin.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:48 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-02-09_576dcool3.mp3 Imagine the surprise when it was revealed that a Taster’s Choice selection for best frozen spinach came from China! And so we ask, “Should manufacturers be forced to reveal a food’s source?” Topics include a look at who is respo http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-02-09_576dcool3.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:47 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-03-07_627dlincoln.mp3 Abraham Lincoln spent his first 21 years on the dirt-poor farmlands of the young nation’s frontier. His upbringing leads us to ask: http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-03-07_627dlincoln.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:46 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-08-12_507Dgreenwash.mp3 They say one should be careful of what one asks. Many small-scale farmers asked for an official definition to the word "organic," and got it. Organic farming then grew into a multi-billion dollar-a-year industry, which now leads some to ask, "Should big http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-08-12_507Dgreenwash.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:45 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-09-06_2007-03-03_533dpigs.mp3 The year of the pig has returned to China. This year, however, arbitors of the politically correct demand that the pig totem be covered so as not offend the Muslim minority. This leads us to ask, “Why did the pig become a political animal?” http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-09-06_2007-03-03_533dpigs.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:45 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-01-23_667draw.mp3 In 2006, government launched an campaign to eliminate raw milk. In 2010, raw almonds have been banned from the shelves of grocery stores. Today we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-01-23_667draw.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:45 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-02-02_713dpeace.mp3 When President John F. Kennedy issued the challenge: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” many asked… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-02-02_713dpeace.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:44 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-05-04_588ddinners.mp3 Sometimes we simply must get away, and what better way, to get away, then to eat our way around the world? Topics include how a meal’s set and setting affect how we experience that meal; what to watch out for when out around the world; and some me http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-05-04_588ddinners.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:44 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-07-18_690dwolf.mp3 Wolf number 690 lost her pack to disease and was forced to flee the protected confines of Yellowstone Park for the wilds of private property. Her flight leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-07-18_690dwolf.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:43 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-12-27_618dfoodchain.mp3 Congratulations! You have been appointed Secretary of Agriculture for the United States of America. Your appointment leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-12-27_618dfoodchain.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:43 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-12-15_569dsafety.mp3 Consider Michael Olson's Irrefutable Law of the Food Chain #2: The farther we go from the source of our food, the less control we have over what’s in that food. And so we ask, “Who is in charge of food safety?” Topics include the dis http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-12-15_569dsafety.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:42 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-04-04_631dlawyer.mp3 Campylobacter, E. coli, hepatitis A, listeria, norovirus, salmonella, and shigella are some of the food borne pathogens that lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-04-04_631dlawyer.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:39 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-08-18_554dbread.mp3 Industrialization has given rise to wonder breads in plastic bags, yet some still hunger for the old ways of fresh local breads. This leads one to ask, “What kind of hunger can only be satisfied with local breads?” Topics include why local http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-08-18_554dbread.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:37 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-02-02_575dnais4.mp3 The National Animal Identifiication System, or NAIS, is a new government program that seeks to register each premises in the United States that harbors farm animals, and then to track the movements of each of those animals from birth to death. This lead http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-02-02_575dnais4.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:37 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-08-11_553dhunger.mp3 Rising food prices… sky-rocketing transportation costs… escalating populations of the hungry… There is a perfect storm of trouble blowing along the food chain, which leads one to ask: How will we feed the world’s hungry? Topics http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-08-11_553dhunger.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:36 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-12-19_664dcalifornia.mp3 They turned off the water to the San Joaquin Valley, putting hundreds of thousands of acres and tens of thousands of people out of work. Now they are challenging Sacramento Valley water contracts dating back to the 1880s. Their work on behalf of endange http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-12-19_664dcalifornia.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:36 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-05-07_462dhorse.mp3 "Violence is never the answer," claims horse whisperer Monty Roberts. This leads us to ask: How can one break a horse by whispering to it? Topics include the various techniques for breaking horses; why gentleness works better than violence for http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-05-07_462dhorse.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:35 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-12-11_708dtestor.mp3 Some say S510, The Food Safety Modernization Act, is so onerous it will destroy our nation’s small farms, and so are trying to amend the Act to protect small farms. Others say “A microbe is a microbe,” and all should abide by the law, r http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-12-11_708dtestor.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:35 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-08-02_598gwaiter.mp3 We all enjoy having someone tend to our every need while dining out with family or friends. But who are those people who reach into our intimacies with a butter dish? And, hey… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-08-02_598gwaiter.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:34 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-02-10_530decoli.mp3 There have been 21 outbreaks traced to contaminated leafy-green produce in the past decade. Many suffered; some died. This leads us to ask: “Can government protect us from bad food?” Topics include a brief history of E.coli 0157:H7 food c http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-02-10_530decoli.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:34 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-03-27_675dcampesina.mp3 Agriculture, like most industries, appears to be growing in two directions: very big and very small. This observation leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-03-27_675dcampesina.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:33 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-11-26_521dshaman.mp3 While listening to a Shipibo shaman lecture on the efficacy of herbs along the headwaters of the Amazon, an ant bit into my index finger. Looking down from the vine I had been leaning against, the ant said… Topics include why anthropologists like http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-11-26_521dshaman.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:33 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-07-07_502Dblithe.mp3 To market... to market... to the farmers' market, for food with its farmers face on it, ambiance that is small-town friendly and people as real as the goods in their hands. And so we ask, "Can these people be real?" Topics include the why Eric the Dane http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-07-07_502Dblithe.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:33 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-01-27_528decoli.mp3 In 1982, it appeared on the hamburger patties of fast food. Since then, it has repeatedly contaminated the leaves of leafy greens. This leads us to ask, “Can farmers protect us from E.coli 0157:H7?” Topics include how agriculture has manag http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-01-27_528decoli.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:32 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-11-15_612dinvasives.mp3 Foreigners are sneaking in through the wide-open borders of the new world order. Some say the visitors are “invasive” and should be removed; others say there is nothing that can be done about them and we must therefore accept them. This leads http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-11-15_612dinvasives.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:30 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-06-26_687dvegas.mp3 This little pig went to market. This little pig stayed home. This little pig went to Las Vegas for a taste of filet mignon. Those pink porkers of Vegas lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-06-26_687dvegas.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:30 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-02-24_532dhumane.mp3 The debate over the 2007 Farm Bill will include a well-organized effort to ban the inhumane treatment of animals. This leads us to ask: “Can the animals we raise for food be raised humanely?” Topics include how the industrialization of ag http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-02-24_532dhumane.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:26 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-08-23_601dbluefin.mp3 Recently, a Hong Kong restaurateur purchased one fish for $55,700 at a Tokyo fish market. This kind of feeding frenzy led Marine Biologist Barbara Tuck to call bluefin tuna the “cocaine of the seas,” and leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-08-23_601dbluefin.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:25 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-09-27_653dleafygreen.mp3 Some say a national Leafy Green Marketing Agreement would protect against harmful micro buggies like E. coli 0157; but others say the agreement could destroy America’s small farms. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-09-27_653dleafygreen.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:24 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-08-29_696dpreserve.mp3 Now this will likely come as a surprise to many, but its true! Before we had refrigerators, we had food! On behalf of all the surprised, we ask... … http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-08-29_696dpreserve.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:24 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-07-11_642dsweeteners.mp3 The marauding bears had their choice between the regular and diet sodas left behind in the refrigerator. They left the diet sodas untouched. Those bears lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-07-11_642dsweeteners.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:23 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-07-28_505Dfactory.mp3 There are 8,570,000 references to factory farming accessible on the internet, and few are favorable. This leads one to ask, "What's all the fuss about factory farming?" Topics include a look at why animals are grown in "factory farms;" whether factory f http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-07-28_505Dfactory.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:23 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-04-24_679dsafety.mp3 Government-guaranteed safe food is coming, so get ready for brightly-packaged cake manufactured from GE soybeans, fortified with Chinese-made vitamins, flavored with nano grey goo of choice, and of course, colored green for sensitivity. But we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-04-24_679dsafety.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:23 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-05-09_635dchild.mp3 They say, “For decades, U.S. children, some as young as 10 years old, have been working in the fields with grave consequences for their health, education, and personal development.” They lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-05-09_635dchild.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:22 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-10-18_609dwolves.mp3 The howling of the wolves is both exhilarating and terrifying: exhilarating if you are a city person in need of the wild; terrifying if you are a country person in need of the civil. This howling leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-10-18_609dwolves.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:22 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-01-15_711dbelly.mp3 When young we eat and grow tall, but when middle-aged we eat and grow out. This leads many, if not most, middle-aged people to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-01-15_711dbelly.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:21 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-07-13_595dstomach.mp3 They say you can tell a lot about a person by the way they eat their food. If such is the case, we must be able to tell a lot about a nation by the history of its stomach. This leads us to ask, http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-07-13_595dstomach.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:17 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-03-10_534drice.mp3 The Department of Agriculture has approved the large-scale planting of rice containing human genes. This leads one to ask: “Can those human genes be kept down on the farm?” Topics include why some want to infuse rice with human genes; why so http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-03-10_534drice.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:16 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-08-21_695dashes.mp3 Those who live in some undeveloped nations are ten times more likely to live over 100 years than those who live in developed nations. Their diet of ashes leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-08-21_695dashes.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:15 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-09-18_511dsheep.mp3 To protect America from transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, USDA ordered Linda and Larry’s prized milking sheep slaughtered. This leads us to ask, “What did the Fallace’s milk sheep have to do with mad cows?” Topics includ http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-09-18_511dsheep.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:14 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-10-11_608dguerrilla.mp3 Cities, like forest fires, grow out from an ignition point, consuming land. Unlike burned forests, however, new growth does not willingly spring from inner cities. Enter gardeners who, with or without permission, plant new life in that no man’s la http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-10-11_608dguerrilla.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:14 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-09-22_558dmanresa.mp3 To become one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, you have to serve some of the best foods in the world. Manresa restaurant obtains its foods via the biodynamic technologies of Love Apple farm. This leads us to ask, “Do biodynamics make dollar http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-09-22_558dmanresa.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:12 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-08-30_602dgarden.mp3 When times get tough, the tough get growing… gardens. From the trenches of World War I, to the Warsaw ghetto and Japanese internment camps of World War II, to the desert sands of Iraq, individuals have turned ruin into garden. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-08-30_602dgarden.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:11 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-03-13_674dreparations.mp3 The Federal Government has admitted to discriminating against black farmers and taxpayers must now pay $1,250,000,000 to make good. These reparations lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-03-13_674dreparations.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:10 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-04-25_634dtwinkie.mp3 They became famous as a defense strategy in the San Francisco murder trial of Dan White. Fifteen billion golden cakes later we pause to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-04-25_634dtwinkie.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:10 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-06-05_685dnsect.mp3 There are mega trillions of them, and they are everywhere– in our hair, on our food, in our mattress. But after we smash one with enough force to knock over a baby elephant, we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-06-05_685dnsect.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:09 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-10-07_514dwalmart.mp3 Wal-Mart recently announced it will greatly expand its offering of organic foods, and will price organic only slightly higher than conventional. This leads some to ask, “Will Wal-Mart wal-mart organics?” Topic include... the short history http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-10-07_514dwalmart.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:09 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-06-30_501Cphage.mp3 Like magic bullets, antibiotics kill harmful bacteria and allow us to multiply like, well, mold in a Petri dish! Our magic bullets, however, do not kill all bacteria- some survive as "super bugs." This leads one to ask, "What can stop super bugs?" Topic http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-06-30_501Cphage.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:08 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-03-01_626dflordemayo.mp3 Some look to doctors and hospitals for healing and hope; others look to the smiling faces in Washington, DC. But a few still look to the wisdom of grandmothers, and they lead us to ask…. http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-03-01_626dflordemayo.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:08 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-04-10_677dorganic.mp3 The giants of industrial agriculture saw the light and became organic. To determine how organic they became, the government audited its National Organic Program. This audit leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-04-10_677dorganic.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:08 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-12-02_614ditaly.mp3 Sometimes we simply must break away and go to someplace really special, like Italy, and do something special, like discover the best wines of Italy. And so let’s break away and discover… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-12-02_614ditaly.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:06 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-09-18_699dgodsiii.mp3 “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.” Rahm Emanuel http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-09-18_699dgodsiii.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:04 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-09-11_698dgodsii.mp3 “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.” Rahm Emanuel http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-09-11_698dgodsii.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:04 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-06-30_547dethanol.mp3 Our oil companies have been tossed out of Venezuela, and so we rush to replace hydrocarbons with carbohydrates by planting corn from sea to shining sea. This leads one to ask, “Food or fuel?” Topics include the extent to which agricultural r http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-06-30_547dethanol.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:03 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-07-04_641dbears.mp3 Unkempt and bedraggled, they shuffle in from the woods where they spend the night with a pleading look of hunger in their eyes that says, “Feed me, feed me!” And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-07-04_641dbears.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:02 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-03-03_579dcity.mp3 Six decades ago, farms began leaving the city for greener pastures. Today they are returning. This leads us to ask: “Can farms and cities prosper together?” Topics include reasons why farms locate in or near a city; why cities tolerate the http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-03-03_579dcity.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:02 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-09-12_651dpavlov.mp3 When his goats ate the woodrat houses, instead of blackbrush shrubs, and became high-performace goats, Fred asked… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-09-12_651dpavlov.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:01 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-11-03_563dweather.mp3 “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get,” said Mark Twain. But when it comes to observing today’s climate in order to predict next year’s weather, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is most always 80% right. This leads us http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-11-03_563dweather.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:01 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-12-04_707dskin.mp3 Government is now restricting what we may eat, but is leaving us free to glop 10,500 chemicals on to make our skin look good. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-12-04_707dskin.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:21:00 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-10-10_655dpillowtalk.mp3 Two decades after the Prince of Wales was scorned for suggesting plants can respond to human speech, science is proving plants can actually talk. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-10-10_655dpillowtalk.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:58 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-12-18_709dsustainable.mp3 Words have meaning and names have power. “Sustainable” is a word that is trying to become a name, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-12-18_709dsustainable.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:58 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-06-14_592dfuel.mp3 As the world’s oil cartels squeeze us for our last dime, we look for relief to an economy fueled by carbohydrates instead of hydrocarbons. But this leads us to ask, “Which is first, food or fuel?” Topics include a look at whether corn http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-06-14_592dfuel.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:57 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-04-26_587dmexifornia.mp3 We feed ourselves with the cheap labor of foreign hands. But this leads us to ask, “How expensive is cheap labor?” Topics include how immigration is changing the social fabric of California and the United States, how immigrant labor from La http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-04-26_587dmexifornia.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:57 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-12-09_523dbigfood.mp3 Industrial agriculture has been taking the hits lately, with books like Omnivore’s Dilemma, Fast Food Nation and Appetite for Profit throwing the punches. This leads us to ask, “Can big food do the right thing?” Topics include what rel http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-12-09_523dbigfood.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:56 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-12-20_571dtabasco.mp3 Peppers, salt and vinegar. That is not all there is in that little red bottle of Tabasco Sauce, there's also 140 years of American history and we're going to pour it out! Topics include the two versions of how Tabasco Sauce was invented; why only the M http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-12-20_571dtabasco.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:56 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-05-12_541dmercury.mp3 We demand so much Made in China that a new coal-burning power plant must be built every week just to keep us satisfied. Mercury emitted from that burning coal wafts high into the air before falling into our water. This leads one to ask: “Can we sur http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-05-12_541dmercury.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:55 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-09-08_556dgreens.mp3 Contaminated spinach has again been recalled from the nation’s grocers. Some now say that industry-developed safety guidelines for farmers of the leafy greens will not solve the problem. This leads us to ask, “Will food safety guidelines pro http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-09-08_556dgreens.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:55 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-01-07_525dmushroom.mp3 600,000 homes are attacked by termites each year, costing U.S. homeowners about $1.5 billion. The answer to date has been ozone-depleting methyl bromide. This leads us to ask, “Can nature provide a better answer?” Topics include a brief loo http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-01-07_525dmushroom.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:54 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-09-30_513dhog.mp3 Smithfield wants to buy Premium Standard Farms. If approved, Smithfield will have 1.1 million pigs, which is nearly one-third of the nation’s slaughter capacity. This leads one to ask, “Is bigger better?” Topics include why 250,000 ho http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-09-30_513dhog.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:54 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-10-27_562dlabel.mp3 You buy the chicken labeled “100% Natural” because you want the best for your family. But up to 15% of that 100% Natural chicken’s weight may be salt water or seaweed! This leads us to ask, “Is there truth in labeling?” T http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-10-27_562dlabel.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:53 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-09-13_604dcages.mp3 Some say its best to raise food animals in cages. Others say cages are cruel and should be enlarged. In California, this matter-of-inches debate is coming up for a vote. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-09-13_604dcages.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:53 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-09-22_605damish.mp3 While we pull our plows with giant diesel-burning tractors, they pull theirs with teams of grass-eating horses. Speeding by, we look out the window and think, ‘How quaint.’ But somewhere down the road we pause to ask…. http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-09-22_605damish.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:50 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-05-26_496Dgas.mp3 Our daily bread travels an average of 2,000 miles on oil provided by those who simply do not like us. This leads us to ask, "Can we turn our grass into gas?" Topics include the difference between grain (or corn) ethanol and cellulosic (or biomass) ethano http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-05-26_496Dgas.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:49 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-09-12_510dfuel.mp3 As we move from an economy fueled by hydrocarbons to one fueled by carbohydrates we pause to ask: “Which will come first, food or fuel?” Topics include the extent to which natural resources are being diverted from food to energy production; http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-09-12_510dfuel.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:48 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-10-24_657dfarmsorfish.mp3 The fight is on for California’s water, with the salmon fishery extinct, 600,000 acres of prime farmland abandoned, tens of thousands out of work, and food banks distributing food from China. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-10-24_657dfarmsorfish.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:48 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-05-08_681dimmigrant.mp3 They sneak across the border to work in our fields. After tasting our Great American way, they’re here to stay, by the millions. So we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-05-08_681dimmigrant.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:48 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-10-09_700dpledge.mp3 Every once in awhile, like when you get to be 700, you should celebrate by doing something special. And so… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-10-09_700dpledge.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:47 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-08-15_647dschoollunch.mp3 Fish sticks, tater tots, and sloppy joes… If we are what we eat, then what have school lunches allowed us to become? And looking to our future… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-08-15_647dschoollunch.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:46 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-12-01_567dfat.mp3 Essential fatty acids are those that cannot be manufactured by our body, and therefore must be obtained from other sources. But when it comes to eating fats, some say we are now going from frying pan to fire! This leads us to ask, “Where can we fi http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-12-01_567dfat.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:45 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-12-18_524dvanilla.mp3 Its name has become synonymous with that which is boring. This leads us to ask, “Can vanilla be exciting?” Topics include a look at the vanilla farmers of the developing world; how Ms. Rain became the “Vanilla Queen;” and what i http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-12-18_524dvanilla.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:45 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-06-20_639dfood.mp3 During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration hired writers to document what America was eating. From these accounts it is evident that what we were eating is not what we are eating, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-06-20_639dfood.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:44 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-03-22_582dmoth.mp3 To spray or not to spray: that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the insatiable appetites of outrageous apple moths or, by opposing them with synthetic pheromones, end them. Topics include why controlling the LBAM has become so http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-03-22_582dmoth.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:43 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-03-14_628dfederal.mp3 They tell us it is for our own good, that they are simply trying to help, that we should trust them to do what we cannot do for ourselves. They lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-03-14_628dfederal.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:39 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-05-29_684danimal.mp3 “All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” If what Napolean suggests in Orwell’s Animal Farm is true, we wonder… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-05-29_684danimal.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:38 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-08-08_646dshopping.mp3 Michael Olson’s 3rd Law of the Food Chain: Cheap food Isn’t! In fact, cheap food can cost more and take longer to prepare. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-08-08_646dshopping.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:38 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-11-06_704dempires.mp3 History tells us when the harvest is good, civilization expands, but when the harvest is poor, civilization contracts. This lesson leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-11-06_704dempires.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:37 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-04-12_585dcheap.mp3 Money is down. Food is up. Riots are hot! And so we ask, “What happened to cheap food?” Topics include how the dollar is losing its value along the world’s food chain; why the price of the world’s food has risen an estimated 8 http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-04-12_585dcheap.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:36 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-02-06_669dsafety.mp3 He said, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste!” and so they are using tainted hamburger, peanut butter and spinach to take total control of the nation’s food chain. Their legislation leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-02-06_669dsafety.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:36 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-04-11_632dgas.mp3 Farming, they say, accounts for too much greenhouse gas and should be reformed. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-04-11_632dgas.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:35 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-12-26_484_d_local.mp3 Some say we should eat foods that are organic. Others say we should eat foods that are local. This leads us to ask, “Which is most important: organic or local?” Topics include why it is important to know how food is produced; how organic f http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-12-26_484_d_local.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:35 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-03-15_581dfork.mp3 One side says we must eliminate all of the natural elements that can harbor deadly E. coli 0157:H7. The other side says we must encourage those natural elements to grow healthier food. This leads us to ask: “Which way should we grow?” Top http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-03-15_581dfork.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:34 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-10-13_561dprozac.mp3 The anti-depressant drug Prozac is now available in a strawberry-flavored liquid to better serve the 8,000,000,000 U.S. school children that now take psychiatric drugs. This leads us to ask, “What are we feeding our children?” Topics includ http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-10-13_561dprozac.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:34 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-04-01_536dwar.mp3 E. Coli 0157:H7 has precipitated a civil war in the nation’s salad bowl. On one side are those who say all forms of extraneous life should be removed from farms. On the other side are those who advocate for adding more life. This leads us to ask, http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-04-01_536dwar.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:33 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-09-24_652damazon.mp3 2,500 years ago, Hippocrates said, "Let your food be your medicine." There is still one place where food is the only medicine, and it leads us to ask... http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-09-24_652damazon.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:33 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-07-18_643dsafety.mp3 The Federal government intends to make all food safe with HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. This legislation leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-07-18_643dsafety.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:32 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-04-03_676ddebt.mp3 We are riding a runaway train of debt, and this train is accelerating faster and faster along tracks that will end down the line, somewhere. This wild ride leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-04-03_676ddebt.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:31 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-06-24_546deconomies.mp3 When a farmer returned from WWII, he could make a good living-, pay his debts and send his children to college by farming 100 acres of tomatoes. Today, a farmer must grow over 2,500 acres of tomatoes to earn the same good living. This leads one to ask, http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-06-24_546deconomies.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:30 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-12-20_617dswat.mp3 The SWAT team held the Stowers family with assault weapons for nine hours while tearing their farmhouse apart looking for evidence. The Stowers’ crime? Selling farm-fresh foods to friends and neighbors! This SWATTING of farmers leads us to ask&#8 http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-12-20_617dswat.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:29 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-11-06_518dhorse.mp3 They escaped the conquistadors and mated with the liberated of trappers, settlers and farmers. They still roam free in the Pryor Mountains, where they lead us to ask, “Should we leave room for wild horses?” Topics include a brief history http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-11-06_518dhorse.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:29 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-09-05_650dnais5.mp3 Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you! And so we pause to ask…. http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-09-05_650dnais5.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:27 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-10-25_516ddrug.mp3 We developed the first antibiotics in the early 1930’s and, with the help of their magic, spread across the earth like mold in a Petri dish. This leads us to ask, “From where do antibiotics come?” And, “Will they come in time?&#82 http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-10-25_516ddrug.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:25 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-06-09_498Dpopcorn.mp3 It's the snack everybody loves to make, which leads one to ask, "Who put the pop in corn?" Topics include a brief look at the history of popcorn; how Gary's grandfather, Orville Redenbacher, built the world's largest popcorn brand; and stories of growing http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-06-09_498Dpopcorn.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:25 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-07-10_689dcommunity.mp3 When the going gets tough, the tough get growing. And what better way to grow than with friends and neighbors in a community garden. But all those community gardens sprouting up lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-07-10_689dcommunity.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:24 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-02-07_623dfood.mp3 A substantial percentage of the minerals, vitamins and protein in our food crops has simply disappeared over the past 50 years. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-02-07_623dfood.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:24 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-08-25_555djam.mp3 Once a favorite of just about everyone in America, the Blenheim apricot lost out in the race to industrialize our food chain. But a few years ago, one last tree was found in Silicon Valley, and now the race is on to “Eat it to save it!” Top http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-08-25_555djam.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:22 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-06-13_638dirony.mp3 There are three frightening ironies within the three simple sentences of this Chico Enterprise-Record letter to the editor: http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-06-13_638dirony.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:22 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-08-22_648dfruit.mp3 Mother nature never does get it just right, and so we keep fiddling with her work until we can grow the perfect fruit—one that could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-08-22_648dfruit.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:21 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-11-11_564draw.mp3 Along the food chain there are good bacteria and bad bacteria. But California AB 1735 suggests only dead bacteria should be allowed in dairy products. This leads us to ask, “Is raw milk toast?” Topic include... Topics include why some pe http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-11-11_564draw.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:21 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-07-21_550dfarmbill.mp3 Each year, the U.S. government spends about $90 billion to ensure that its citizens have cheap food. This leads us to ask, “Who should get the $90 billion? Topics include why governments subsidize agriculture; why 70% of U.S. subsidies go to 10% http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-07-21_550dfarmbill.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:20 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-01-19_573dnais3.mp3 o stop animal diseases, like avian flu, from sweeping through the nation’s 1.4 million farms, the Federal government has established a National Animal Identification System. NAIS asks all farmers and hobbyists who husband animals to voluntarily reg http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-01-19_573dnais3.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:20 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-08-14_694dautism.mp3 The rate of autism among the general population, according to the CDC, is one in 166. The rate of autism among the population of Chicago’s Homefirst Health Services is zero. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-08-14_694dautism.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:19 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-04-26_539drationing.mp3 We enjoy a plentiful supply of the best food the world has to offer. But there were times when knuckle of pork was a culinary treat. This leads one to ask, “What will we eat if times get tough… again?” Topics include how food was ra http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-04-26_539drationing.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:19 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-02-20_671dseeds.mp3 Where there were many seed companies, there are now but few. Their consolidation of the gene pool leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-02-20_671dseeds.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:18 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-03-21_629dniman.mp3 They moved the animal farm into a factory so we could have cheap food. But Michael Olson’s Third Law of the Food Chain says Cheap food isn’t! And so we wonder… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-03-21_629dniman.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:18 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-05-22_683dright.mp3 As living beings, nature gives us the right to eat food. But as citizens, government legislates what foods we have the right to eat. Given all the food laws now being passed, we must ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-05-22_683dright.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:16 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-07-03_688dlost.mp3 Now that food is produced in giant factories far, far away, it tastes like food produced in giant factories far, far away. But we remember what food tasted like when it was wild and free, and so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-07-03_688dlost.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:15 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-03-29_583dbugs.mp3 This from a concerned citizen: “No… Don’t spray! Just do not spray. No more chemicals. No pesticides. No bad stuff on my food, our community, our health!” Okay. But wait! What about the pests? Topics include whether pests s http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-03-29_583dbugs.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:15 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-05-26_543doil.mp3 Oil allowed us to move off the farm and into the city, where we now eat food that is trucked in from over a thousand miles away. This leads some to ask, “Who will feed us when we run out of gas?” Topics include the extent to which we curren http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-05-26_543doil.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:15 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-02-21_625dcorn.mp3 The good news is the price oil has returned to the $35 a barrel range. The bad news is the nation’s ethanol industry is going bankrupt and being purchased by oil companies. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-02-21_625dcorn.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:14 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-04-18_633dlife.mp3 Scientists in laboratories can take apart two living things and recombine them into a new living thing. Individuals in basements and garages now say, “Me too!” This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-04-18_633dlife.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:14 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-01-08_710dembassy.mp3 If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then the way to the world’s affection must be through its stomach. This thought leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-01-08_710dembassy.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:13 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-02-16_577ddry.mp3 They say that hope springs eternal, but sometimes it doesn’t! Consider, for one example, the farmers of Oklahoma, who lost their soil to the wind when rain stopped falling during the 1930s. Topics include the impact prolonged, record-setting dro http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-02-16_577ddry.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:13 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-11-22_613d_depression.mp3 Ask any of those who survived the Great Depression in the 1930s what they ate for dinner and you’ll likely get an ear full, if not a belly full. Their stories lead one to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-11-22_613d_depression.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:13 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-07-25_644dcapntrade.mp3 Take a big deep breath and hold it. Now, the Incorrect among us will exhale too much CO2. Their exhalations will therefore be capped and they forced to trade with the Correct among us for the right to exhale more. This heavy breathing leads us to ask&# http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-07-25_644dcapntrade.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:12 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-08-16_600dfuture.mp3 Special occasions are cause to pause for reflection. And so, on the occasion of our 600th edition of the Food Chain Radio program, we pause to reflect on… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-08-16_600dfuture.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:11 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-05-19_542dcool.mp3 Does it matter from where our food comes? Some say “No!” and go their way; others say “Yes!” and demand to know. This leads one to ask: “Should manufacturers be forced to reveal our food’s country of origin?” T http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-05-19_542dcool.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:10 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-02-14_624dcellulosic.mp3 To calculate the true cost of a gallon of gasoline, we must add a dollar a gallon for environmental and health costs. This additional dollar per gallon is paid by taxpayers, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-02-14_624dcellulosic.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:10 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-08-19_508Dhemp.mp3 They say it's a $250,000,000 crop waiting to be planted--but there is one hurdle. It is illegal. This leads one to ask, "Should the United States legalize the cultivation of 'industrial' hemp?" Topics include what differences exist, if any, between hem http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-08-19_508Dhemp.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:09 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-11-17_565dcorn.mp3 While the heart has reasons that reason does not understand, the heartland has corn– 80 million acres of corn. This leads us to ask, "Should we subsidize corn?" Topics include why our food chain was transformed from one based on grass to http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-11-17_565dcorn.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:09 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-08-01_645danchorbaby.mp3 An estimated 50% of the farm workers in the U.S. are without documentation. One way for them to gain some legitimacy is to have an American-born child. This strategy leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-08-01_645danchorbaby.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:09 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-08-07_693dpolice.mp3 When it comes to organic, they say, “Everybody’s got to play by the rules, whether they sell $1 or $10 million of product.” Their declaration leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-08-07_693dpolice.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:08 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-03-08_580dcages.mp3 We have learned to raise more animals in less space by confining them in ever-smaller cages. Some now say we are confining animals in cages that are simply too small. This leads us to ask: “How small is too small?” Topics include the evol http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-03-08_580dcages.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:07 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-09-23_512dgold.mp3 A few short years ago, 35% of the county’s farmers were 65 years or older, and more than half of the county’s farmers reported having no on to take over the farm. Then someone discovered Placer Gold! Topics include why farms were disappeari http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-09-23_512dgold.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:06 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-01-12_572dbiology.mp3 Every link in the food chain is affected by energy prices, and energy prices are going through the roof. This leads us to ask, “Can we produce cheaper energy?” Topics include how 86% of our energy comes from hydrocarbons; why we have tradit http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-01-12_572dbiology.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:06 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-12-05_662dautism.mp3 Consider: Whereas the rate of autism in the general population is 1 child in 166, the rate among the Amish is 1 in 15,000. This anomaly leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-12-05_662dautism.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:05 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-04-17_678ddirt.mp3 We look up to those who inhabit the top floors of skyscrapers for their ability to collect Other Peoples Money and hoard it for themselves. But now we must turn away from them and ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-04-17_678ddirt.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:05 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-10-04_559dmouse.mp3 The Preble’s jumping meadow mouse has been listed as an endangered species since 1998. Recent genetic tests, however, suggest it may not be a species at all! This leads us to ask, “Should we continue to protect the Preble’s mouse?&#822 http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-10-04_559dmouse.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:04 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-11-20_706dfoodies.mp3 When the going gets tough, the tough get going… to the kitchen for food. Then along comes the holiday season and our escapism becomes an obsession that leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-11-20_706dfoodies.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:04 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-01-21_527dtea.mp3 Its hard to imagine civilizations coming to blows over two plants, but they did… twice! This leads us to ask, “Will it happen again?” Topics include the introduction of tea into Europe during the 1600’s; why England’s consu http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-01-21_527dtea.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:03 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-01-10_619dfarmland.mp3 Cities are eating up our prime farmland at the rate of two acres per minute 24-7-365. This loss of farmland leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-01-10_619dfarmland.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:02 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-09-27_606dvavilov.mp3 Sometimes politics trumps science. It happened during Stalin’s “Land Reform” and Mao’s “Great Leap Forward.” Fortunately, it can’t happen here! Nonetheless, we pause to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-09-27_606dvavilov.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:02 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-03-24_535dbees.mp3 We know what happens with the birds and the bees. But it is the Spring of dying bees, and this leads us to ask, “What happens when there are no bees?” Topics include why bees are dying in such big numbers this Spring; what might happen to t http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-03-24_535dbees.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:02 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-07-19_596dfuture.mp3 We now live in a world where everything costs much more today than it did yesterday. This leads us to ask, http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-07-19_596dfuture.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:01 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-06-16_499Ddrugs.mp3 It's the law of the land! The more valuable an object, the more likely someone will counterfeit it. This leads one to ask, "What's in those pills?" Topics include a look why prescription drugs are being counterfeited; the ways in which individuals and http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-06-16_499Ddrugs.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:01 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-02-13_670dcannabis.mp3 It was a weed that became fashionable, and so was made illegal, and then medicinal, and is now, though still illegal, the nation’s most lucrative cash crop. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-02-13_670dcannabis.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:20:00 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-11-18_520dcountry.mp3 Decades ago, we left the farm for the city. Yet today we sing, I'm gonna leave this city, got to get away! This leads us to ask: “What will we find when we move back to the farm?” Topics include why city people move to the farm; the kind of http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-11-18_520dcountry.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:59 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-09-04_697dgodsi.mp3 “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.” Rahm Emanuel http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-09-04_697dgodsi.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:58 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-06-29_594dburke.mp3 When the U.S. Air Force wanted to determine which of its dining facilities was best, it called on California restaurateur Ted Burke, and made him, for the moment at least, the equivalent of a major general. This leads us to ask… Can an institution http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-06-29_594dburke.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:58 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-10-30_703dgreen.mp3 When times were good, California voted to reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide to fight global warming. But unemployment is now at 22% and the state is reconsidering its vote, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-10-30_703dgreen.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:57 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-11-21_661dcuba.mp3 When the Cuban government allowed for free farmers markets, citizens got food and farmers earned money. Now Cuba is shutting the markets down, which leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-11-21_661dcuba.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:56 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-04-05_584dinvasives.mp3 It seems as though invasive species are finding their way everywhere in our new world order of wide-open borders. This leads us to ask, “Should we tolerate or eliminate?” Topics include whether non-native species should be called “inv http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-04-05_584dinvasives.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:56 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-07-31_692dfish.mp3 I went fishing with fellow foodie Thomas in the beautiful waters of the Monterey Bay. We caught two healthy lingcod, which became the object of some magnificent meals. But those meals lead us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-07-31_692dfish.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:55 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-05-24_590dfats.mp3 Some time ago, omega-3 fatty acids were removed from the Western diet. As these fatty acids are an essential part of our body’s chemistry, we now suffer accordingly. And so we ask, “What happened to omega-3’s?” Topics include http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-05-24_590dfats.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:55 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-07-08_548dwelsch.mp3 With grocery stores near everyone’s front door, getting fed seems to be an easy thing to do. But those stores were not always there, which leads us to ask, “What can we eat that does not come from a store?” Topics include examples of http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-07-08_548dwelsch.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:53 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-03-06_673dpercy.mp3 Twice he took on the icy summit of Mt. Everest, and then he went after the biggest mountain of all, the Monsanto Corporation. And so we ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-03-06_673dpercy.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:53 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-01-27_621dmedicine.mp3 Hippocrates said, “Let your medicine be your food, and let your food be your medicine.” But Hippocrates was yesterday. Today we take pharmaceutical medicines, and they lead us to ask…. http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-01-27_621dmedicine.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:52 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-04-29_540dirradiation.mp3 Harmful bacteria from fecal matter has been finding its way into our food chain. Those bacteria might be killed with irradiation, yet many object to the process. The FDA suggests industry be allowed to call irradiation “pasteurization.” This http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-04-29_540dirradiation.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:52 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2011-01-23_712dvermont.mp3 Farmers and consumers in the tiny, landlocked state of Vermont have initiated a petition drive to reject the Federal government’s Food Safety Modernization Act. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2011-01-23_712dvermont.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:51 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-06-23_500Cdream.mp3 It's the dream! Turn a wild, scrub-covered hillside into an orderly vineyard, and then crush the grapes thereof into a premium wine. But before you dig we ask, "What lies between the dream and the lips?" Topics include what it takes to say "Yes!" to a l http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-06-23_500Cdream.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:50 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2009-01-17_620dwhitehouse.mp3 Daniel Bowman Simon and Casey Gustowarow are on a cross country mission in a topsy turvy bus to convince the new President to establish an organic farm at the White House. Their mission leads us to ask…. http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2009-01-17_620dwhitehouse.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:50 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-02-27_672dmoney.mp3 To be a successful banker, one must learn how to see into the future. And so we ask one of the world’s largest lenders to agriculture … http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-02-27_672dmoney.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:49 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-12-09_568dtuscany.mp3 Sometimes we simply must break the pattern– go someplace different and do something different. And so we travel to the Tuscany to establish a vineyard. Topics include why the Tuscany is attractively "human-scaled;" how starting a vineya http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-12-09_568dtuscany.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:49 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-09-06_603dirradiation.mp3 The Food and Drug Administration will now allow for the bombardment of of fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with gamma rays, thus allowing you and I to safely eat greens grown thousands of miles away. Some protest this move by the FDA, and so we ask&#823 http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-09-06_603dirradiation.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:48 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-07-24_691dbridges.mp3 While purchasing a cup of coffee from the booth at my local farmers market, I noticed that the proprietors, a husband and wife team of smiling seniors, were also selling world peace. And so I ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-07-24_691dbridges.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:47 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-12-02_522dwater.mp3 More than 40% of bottled drinking water comes from the taps of municipal water systems. This leads us to ask, “Why do we pay up to 10,000 times more for city water when it is bottled in plastic?” Topics include what differences exist in dri http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-12-02_522dwater.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:46 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2010-01-16_666dlions.mp3 There are lions in the neighborhood. My daughter saw one across the street in the playground of the elementary school. Their presence leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2010-01-16_666dlions.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:46 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-01-13_526decofreak.mp3 We have thrown the pro-business Republicans out of office and replaced them with the pro-environment Democrats. This leads us to ask, “Can we have a clean environment and do business?” Topics include how environmentalism affects our ability http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-01-13_526decofreak.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:44 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-11-11_519decoli.mp3 In 1982, it appeared on the hamburger patties of fast food; today, it is found on the spinach leaves of vegetarians. This leads us to ask, “Can we survive E.coli 0157:H7?” Topics include a brief history of 0157:H7; why it poses a threat to http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-11-11_519decoli.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:44 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-02-04_529dwwoof.mp3 One tragedy of industrial agriculture is that it takes youth off the land and thrusts them into the city, where they find little or no meaningful employment. This leads us to ask, “Where can youth find real work?” Topics include a history of http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-02-04_529dwwoof.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:43 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-06-22_593dchina.mp3 We have, for the most, lost the ability to make things for ourselves, and so must buy those things from China. Flush with our cash, the people of China can now afford to buy the foods that have made us tall and strong. This leads us to ask… http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-06-22_593dchina.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:42 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2006-06-02_497Dhunger.mp3 They say that, where obesity is becoming the major health issue, more and more are going hungry. This leads us to ask, "Who is hungry now?" Topics include the demographics of hunger in America; reasons why the incidence of hunger appears to be increasing http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2006-06-02_497Dhunger.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:42 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-11-29_566d_ii.mp3 In 1941 residents of Northern California and Southern Oregon voted to secede and form the State of Jefferson. Though the State of Jefferson now exists only in the mind, its Garagistes maintain their spirit of independence through the production of foods http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-11-29_566d_ii.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:42 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-03-03_533dpigs.mp3 The Year of the Pig has returned to China. This year, however, Chinese censors have requested that the pig totem be downplayed so as not to offend Muslims. This leads one to ask: “Why did the pig become a political animal?” Topics include http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-03-03_533dpigs.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:42 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2008-06-04_591dbees.mp3 Bees are so sensitive they appear to die at the first sign of trouble. As such, they have become the canaries in the mine of our environment. But this leads us to ask, “Why are bees thriving in the unnatural environment of Los Angeles?” To http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2008-06-04_591dbees.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:41 -0800 http://www.metrofarm.com/assets/podcasts/2007-04-08_537djoy.mp3 We city folk have learned to eat skinless, boneless breasts from factory-farmed chickens, and think ourselves intelligent for doing so. This leads one to ask, “What happened to the joy of eating?” Topics include why men love ribs (and whethe http://www.metrofarm.com/admin/../../assets/podcasts/2007-04-08_537djoy.mp3 webmaster@geekgrl.net Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:19:41 -0800