It's a fact! Every man, woman and child eats food, and 99.999% of us buy food from others who bring it from an average of 2,000 miles away. And so the hungry ask:

"What's in this tomato? Who planted that broccoli? Is it safe to eat genetically-engineered cornmeal? Why do they irradiate meat? Are we running short of water? Why is China growing our apples? What will happen to us if we can no longer farm? How secure is thisfood chain?"

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.

Read or Participate in our online forum for discussion about current and past shows.

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Recent podcasts

Show #588:AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DINNERS - 04-05-2008 (8.82 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Authors Bill and Cheryl Jamison Subject: 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 memorable meals in exotic locations.

Show #587: MEXIFORNIA - 26-04-2008 (8.63 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Victor Davis Hanson Subject: 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 Latin America is different than immigrant labor from other parts of the world; and what our future might be as we continue to feed ourselves with the cheap labor of foreign hands.

Show #586: - 19-04-2008 (8.51 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Human Geographer Jennifer Blecha and Animal Breeder Richard Gradwohl Subject: 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 being raised in a metropolitan environment; and the obstacles municipalities construct to obstruct the raising of animals for food.

Show #585: END OF CHEAP FOOD - 12-04-2008 (8.35 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Paul Elerick, Internatonal Food Broker Subject: 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 83% in three years; and how, as some predict, half the world’s population may soon go hungry.

Show #584: INVASION OF THE INVASIVES - 05-04-2008 (8.6 MB)  Listen Now Guests: David Theodoropoulos, author of Invasion Biology, and Lori Williams, Executive Director of the National Invasive Species Council Subject: 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 “invasive species;” whether non-native species can wreak irrevocable harm on native environments; and whether invasive species should be tolerated or eliminated.

Show #583: KILLING THEM SOFTLY - 29-03-2008 (8.7 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Thomas Wittman, President of Gophers Limited and Dr. Myles Bader, author of Club the Bugs and Scare the Critters Subject: 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 should, or should not, be managed; how agriculture, horticulture and home gardening has come to parting of the ways on how to manage pests; and whether pests can be managed “humanely.”

Show #582: TO SPRAY OR PRAY? - 22-03-2008 (8.64 MB)  Listen Now Guests: California Department of Food and Agriculure Secretary AG Kawamura and CDFA entomologist Dr. Bob Dowell Subject: 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 problematic for CDFA; how CDFA will attempt to operate within the competing demands of federal and local governments, and national and international markets; and what might happen to the nation’s salad bowl should CDFA fail in its attempt to manage the LBAM.

Show #581: WHICH WAY TO GROW? - 15-03-2008 (8.63 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Judith Redmond from the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and a spokesperson from the Specialty Crops Farm Bill Alliance Subject: 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?” Topics include why we came to a fork in the road to growing leafy greens in the nation’s salad bowl; why the 2007 Farm Bill has become the focal point in determining which way we will grow; and what the decision will mean to the nation’s leafy green farmers and consumers.

Show #580:CAGED FOR LIFE - 08-03-2008 (8.62 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Anita Mengels from Californians for Sound Farm Animal Agriculture and Paul Shapiro from the Humane Society’s Factory Farming Project Subject: 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 evolution of animal agriculture from farm to factory; the ethics of raising animals in cages; and who, or what, should govern the size of those cages.

Show #579: FARMS IN THE CITY - 03-03-2008 (8.49 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Milwaukee’s Grow Urban and New York City’s Make Brooklyn Bloom farm conferences Subject: 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 growth of crops in their midst; and whether farms and cities can indeed prosper together.

Show #578: BEYOND THAT KITCHEN DOOR - 23-02-2008 (8.55 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Retired restaurant inspector Roger Houston and restaurateurs Michael Clark and Chip Kirchner Subject: 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...

Show #577: THE BIG DRY - 16-02-2008 (8.65 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Australian Hypnotherapist Rick Collingwood Subject: 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 drought is having on farm communities of Australia; what governments can do to ameliorate their situation; and how Collingwood uses hypnotherapy to help farmers manage severe stress.

Show #576: COOL is Coming! - 09-02-2008 (8.48 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Tom Buis, President, National Farmers Union Subject: 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 responsible for the safety of food; why Congress passed the Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling law in 2002; and how industry has prevented the enactment of COOL for the past six years.

Show #575: MARK ON THE BEAST IV - 02-02-2008 (8.76 MB)  Listen Now Guests: United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Bruce Knight Subject: 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 leads us to ask, "What impact will NAIS have on the production of food in the United States?" Topics include the purpose(s) for which NAIS is being established; how NAIS will operate at national, state, local and individual property levels; and what impact the program will likely have on the production of food in the United States.

Show #574: COFFEE BREAK - 28-01-2008 (8.82 MB)  Listen Now Guests: author / coffee roaster Dean Cyclon of Orange, MA Subject: 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 include a brief look at the1500-year history of coffee; how coffee has become the second most traded commodity on earth, and the impact that trade has on the people who grow coffee; and a trek through Ethiopia, Summatra, New Guinea, Peru and other coffee growing regions.

Show #573: MARK ON THE BEAST III - 19-01-2008 (8.7 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Vermont farmer Sharon Zecchinelli and Missouri farmer Doreen Hannes Subject: 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 register their premises with government and keep track of the movements of each of their animals. Topics include how a voluntary Federal program is becoming a mandatory state program; why small farmers believe NAIS will drive them, and their support industries, out of business; and how NAIS may discourage individuals from raising their own food.

Show #572: ENERGY FROM LIFE - 12-01-2008 (8.75 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Juan Enriquez, founder of Harvard Business School’s Life Science Project, cofounder of Synthetic Genomics and managing director of Excel Medical Ventures Subject: 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 traditionally relied on chemistry to process that hydrocarbon energy; and how biology might allow us to greatly reduce the costs of hydrocarbon energy.

Show #571: TABASCO ROAD - 20-12-2007 (9 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Jeffrey Rothfeder, Author, McIlhenney's Gold Subject: 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 McIlhenney family can make Tabasco Sauce; and how the McIhenney family business kept the McIlhenney family together through 140 years of American history.

Show #570: A RUN FOR THE HONEY - 20-12-2007 (8.87 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Douglas Whynott, author, Following the Bloom Subject: 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; what kinds of adventures are experienced when commercial bee keepers move their hives back and forth across the country in search of nectar; and how the business of bees works.

Show #569: WHO'S IN CHARGE? - 15-12-2007 (8.99 MB)  Listen Now Guest:Caroline Smith DeWaal, Director of Food Safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest Subject: 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 distances that are now involved in our daily diets; the impact these distances have on such common food items as meat, vegetables and even pet food; and who, if anyone, is in charge of food safety.

Show #568: A VINEYARD IN TUSCANY - 09-12-2007 (8.68 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author Ferenc Mate Subject: 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 vineyard in the Tuscany (and throughout Europe) is different than establishing one in the U.S.; and how one might survive with a small label wine in a world market dominated by big labels.

Show #567: From Frying Pan into the Fire - 01-12-2007 (8.83 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Sally Fallon, Weston A. Price Foundation Subject: 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 find good fats?” Topics include why we are turning away from trans fats to liquid vegetable oils; what impact liquid vegetable oils will have on our body; and where we should be looking to find good essential fats.

Show #566: The Garagistes of Jefferson - 29-11-2007 (8.25 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Various Food and Wine producers of the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon Note: Apologies for the sound quality! Subject: 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 and wines. Topics include a brief history of how the garagistes of France became the garagistes of Jefferson; what these individuals had to go through to establish their food businesses; and why some of their products are now becoming known throughout the world as the "best of the best."

Show #565: KING CORN - 17-11-2007 (8.69 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Ian Cheney, Co-Producer, King Corn Subject: 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 one based on grain; what impact that transformation has had on the culture of agriculture; and whether eating all that corn is good for the body.

Show #564: A REAL RAW DEAL? - 11-11-2007 (8.95 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Mark McAfee, Founder, Organic Pastures Dairy; California Department of Food and Agriculture declined to appear, saying “We're reluctant to participate in a debate.” Subject: 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 people prefer raw foods to sterilized foods; how AB 1735 may eliminate the production of raw dairy products; and what future, if any, will be left for those who wish to consume raw dairy foods.

Show #563: 80% RIGHT! - 03-11-2007 (9.01 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Janice Stillman, Editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Subject: “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 to ask them, “Is the globe really warming?” Topics include a brief history of why and how the Almanac became a leading predictor of future weather; secrets the Almanac is willing to divulge about its weather predicting technologies; and what next year’s weather will be like across the land.

Show #562: THE LIES OF LABELS - 27-10-2007 (8.81 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Mike Adams from the Consumer Wellness Center Subject: 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?” Topics include how labeling laws enacted to protect consumers are often used to mislead them; the different tricks labelers use to hide ingredients; and how to find the lies on labels.

Show #561: Strawberry-Flavored Prozac - 13-10-2007 (8.89 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Karl Hoffower from the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (American Psychiatric Association declined to participate) Subject: 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 include why U.S. and Canadian children as young as one year are fed psychiatric drugs; what impact those drugs have on behavior; and whether any alternatives exist that could be used to modify problem behavior.

Show #560: Got (Organic) Milk? - 06-10-2007 (8.9 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Will Fantle from the Cornucopia Institute and Clark Driftmier from Aurora Organic Dairy (tent.) Subject: 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 paperwork to prove it. This family feud leads one to ask, “Can big be good?” Topic include... Topics include why Cornucopia has leveled charges of impropriety against Aurora; how Aurora is fighting these charges; and whether industrialized dairy farms should be allowed to operate with the “organic” designation. Question of the Week: Should industrial-scale dairy farms be allowed to call themselves “organic?”

Show #559: The $100,000,000 Mouse - 04-10-2007 (8.76 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Jay Lehr, Science Director from the Heartland Institute and Kieran Suckling, Policy Director from the Center for Biological Diversity Subject: 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?” Topics include why the Preble’s mouse was listed as an endangered species; what impact that listing has made on the communities of the Rocky Mountains; and whether new genetic tests should be used to delist the Preble’s mouse.

Show #558: Preparation 501 - 22-09-2007 (8.94 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Manresa restaraunt's David Kinch and Love Apple Farm's Cynthia Sandberg Subject: 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 dollars and sense?” Topics include what it takes to win a place as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world; how striving for perfection led David and Cynthia down the garden path into the mystical realm of biodynamics; and how close they can get to perfection and still earn a dollar.

Show #557: Angels in the Pantry - 15-09-2007 (8.89 MB)  Listen Now Guest: University of California Sociology Professor Melanie Du Puis Subject: 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 a better nation?” Topics include the difference between what we think we should eat and what we actually eat; how angels led the nation into the politics of food; and why we follow food evangelists through their confusing gospels of contradictory advice.

Show #556: IN THE BAG - 08-09-2007 (8.85 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Judith Redmond and Kira Pascoe from the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and Scott Horsfall from the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement Subject: 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 protect consumers?” Topics include the two kinds of farms that produce the nation’s leafy green produce; why one kind of farmer believes the food safety protocols developed by the other will not protect consumers but will harm farmers; and what alternatives exist, if any, to the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement.

Show #533: Revisiting the Political Pig - 06-09-2007 (8.74 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Dr. Laina Farhat-Holtzman Subject: 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?” ( Answer in Forum #533) Topics include the cultures in which the pig is taboo; the theories as to why the pig became a political animal; and how barbequed pork helped saves lives during the religious inquisitions of the Dark Ages.

Show #555: - 25-08-2007 (9.09 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Eric Haeberli & Phineas Hoang, founders of We Love Jam, and Poppy Tooker of Slow Food USA Subject: 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!” Topics include why the Blenheim apricot lost out to modern varieties of cots; how two Silicon Valley residents discovered one last Blenheim tree and made a business of its cots; and why the Blenheim apricot was boarded on the Slow Food USA “Ark of Taste.”

Show #554: - 18-08-2007 (8.46 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author / Baker Daniel Leader Subject: 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 bakers continue to survive in marketplaces dominated by industrial bakers; how location and tradition influence the baking of local breads throughout the world; and how local breads can be reintroduced into communities in which none exist.

Show #553: HUNGER'S FRIENDS - 11-08-2007 (8.78 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Jennifer Parmelee from the United Nation’s World Food Programme Subject: 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 include why the need for food aid continues to escalate in spite of all that is done to end that need; what impact price increases have on the agencies that feed the hungry; and what, if anything, can be done to end hunger.

Show #552: Foods of Color - 04-08-2007 (8.87 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Jim Motavalli, editor of E Magazine Subject: 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.

Show #551: Buffalo in the House! - 02-08-2007 (8.9 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author Richard Rosen Subject: 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; and why the couple’s distant relative nursed a buffalo calf to adulthood in her Santa Fe home.

Show #550: A Billion Here... A Billion There.... - 21-07-2007 (9.03 MB)  Listen Now Guests: John Keeling from the National Potato Council and Larry Mitchell from the American Corn Growers Association Subject: 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% of the country’s farmers; and which farmers should get the money.

Show #549: - 14-07-2007 (8.92 MB)  Listen Now Guests:David Friedberg from Weatherbill, Michael Loik from the University of California, Mike McGinnis from Agriculture Online, and Ron Wegner from WTXS Subject: 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 have on agriculture; and what food producers can do to protect against wild weather.

Show #548: From Pilgrim to Pioneer - 08-07-2007 (8.55 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Roger Welsch, co-author, Cather's Kitchens Subject: 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 pilgrim and pioneer foods; how kitchens worked without gas, electricity or running water; and how food ways led to cultural ways.

Show #547: FOOD OR FUEL? - 30-06-2007 (8.99 MB)  Listen Now Guests: David Blume, author, Alcohol Can Be A Gas Subject: 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 resources are being diverted from food production to fuel production; what impact that diversion has on the price of food; and whether we can farm for fuel and food.

Show #546: IS BIGGER BETTER - 24-06-2007 (9.1 MB)  Listen Now Guest: University of California Professor Emeritus Willam Friedland Subject: 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, “Is bigger better?” Topics include why agriculture pursues economies of scale; what impact those economies have on the people of ag; and what alternatives exist, if any, to size in the production of food.

Show #545: Samuari, Supermarkets & Sushi - 09-06-2007 (8.76 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Trevor Carson, Author, The Zen of Fish Subject: 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 sushi and sashimi; how these foods became American fast foods; and why the preparation of these foods is considered art as well as craft.

Show #544 : - 02-06-2007 (8.98 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Angela Logomasini from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Subject: 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 environmental policy; the consequences of these changes on birds, mosquitoes and people; and whether these environmental policies should be reconsidered.

Show #543: 40,000,000 Farmers Needed - 26-05-2007 (8.51 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Richard Heinberg, author of the Oil Depletion Protocol Subject: 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 currently rely on oil for our daily bread; what might happen to our supply of food should oil no longer be available; what can be done today to prepare for what might happen tomorrow.

Show #542: COOL is Hot! - 19-05-2007 (8.7 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Bill Bullard from R-Calf USA and Barry Carpenter from the National Meat Association Subject: 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?” Topics include who is responsible for the safety of food; why some believe manufacturers should be forced to reveal the origin of food; and why others believe country of origin labeling to be an unnecessary expense.

Show #541: Mother's Mercury - 12-05-2007 (8.79 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Caryn Mandelbaum, GotMercury.org / Stacey Reynolds, mother Subject: 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 survive our demand for Made in China?" Topics include how mercury is accumulated in the food chain; why babies in utero are most vulnerable to mercury poisoning; and what happens when the human body has ingested too much mercury.

Show #462 Revisted: The Man Who Listens to Horses - 07-05-2007 (8.46 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Monty Roberts 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 violence for modifying behavior; and a consideration of the similarities between children and horses.

Show #540: What's in a Name? - 29-04-2007 (8.78 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Ronald Eustice from the Minnesota Beef Council and Wenonah Hauter from Food and Water Watch Subject: 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 leads one to ask, “What’s in the name?” Topics include why some believe irradiation is the best solution to the problem of contaminated foods; why others believe irradiation is a threat to a healthy food chain; and why the government wants to allow irradiation to be called by another name.

Show #539: GRANDMA'S WAR KITCHEN - 26-04-2007 (8.69 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author Joanne Lamb Hayes Subject: 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 rationed during WWII; which foods became the most difficult to obtain; and how people coped with the diminished supply.

Show #538: 39,000 POISONED PETS - 14-04-2007 (8.72 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Veterinarian Jean Hofve Subject: 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 time; how one might protect their pets from such an event; and whether what happened to pet food can happen to people food.

Show #537: THE JOY OF EATING - 08-04-2007 (8.73 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Roger Welsch, Anthropologist and Author of "Diggin in and Piggin Out" Subject: 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 whether women should be allowed to marinate them); how bad food can make a good meal, and good food can make a bad meal; and whether sedentary people can truly enjoy eating.

Show #536: War in the Salad Bowl - 01-04-2007 (8.57 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Open Microphone Subject: 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, “Which side will win the consumer dollar?” Topic include...

Show #535: A SPRING OF DYING BEES - 24-03-2007 (8.73 MB)  Listen Now Guests:Professors Eric Mussen from the University of California, Davis, and Jim Amrine from West Virginia University Subject: 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 the food chain should we lose our bees; and what solutions might there be to halt the die-off.

Show #534: Human Rice - 10-03-2007 (8.84 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Karen Stillerman, Union of Concerned Scientists and tentative from Ventria Bioscience Subject: 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 some oppose the planting of this rice; and whether the potential benefits of this rice outweigh its potential risks.

Show #533: - 03-03-2007 (8.74 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Historian Dr. Laina Farhat-Holzman Subject: 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 why Moses led his people out of slavery and away from pork; how pigs made it easier to convert heathens into Christians; and how barbequed pork helped people survive the religious purges of the Dark Ages.

Show #530: HUMANE ANIMALS? - 24-02-2007 (8.8 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Wayne Pacelle, President of the Humane Society of the United States, and Eric Nelson, Director of R-CALF USA Subject: 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 agriculture has changed how animals are raised; why some believe industrial animal farms are inhumane; and whether there is a humane way to raise food animals that is economically viable.

Show #531 : - 17-02-2007 (8.77 MB)  Listen Now Guests: National Farmers Union, Organic Farm Research Foundation and Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance Subject: 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 given this money; and who now wants in on the action.

Show #530: BIG GOVERNMENT VRS LITTLE BUGS - 10-02-2007 (8.62 MB)  Listen Now Guests: California State Senator Dean Florez Subject: 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 contaminations; why some believe government must act to provide food security; and how government’s efforts to protect us would differ from industry’s efforts.

Show #529: WWOOFING AROUND - 04-02-2007 (8.65 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Leo Goldsmith from WWOOF USA and WWOOFER Rebecca Rukeyser http://www.wwoofusa.org/ Subject: 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 WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), how WWOOF makes it possible for young and old alike to work on farms and ranches around the world; and what kind of adventures WWOOFing brings.

Show #528: E.COLI 0157:H7 AND FARMERS - 27-01-2007 (8.71 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Tim Chelling from the Western Growers Association, Dick Nutter, a Farm Bureau consultant and former Ag Commissioner, and Joe Pezzini, VP of Ocean Mist Farms Subject: 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 managed its exposure to E.coli 0157:H7 over the past 25 years; what steps agriculture is taking after the latest contaminations; and to what extent can agriculture protect us from E.coli 0157:H7.

Show #527: THE POPPY AND THE TEA - 21-01-2007 (9.19 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Mark "Dr. Tea" Ukra Go to TeaGarden Subject: 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 consumption of tea caused it to war with China over opium; and whether the Opium Wars hold any lessons for modern times.

Show #526: A CLEAN GREEN MONEY MACHINE? - 13-01-2007 (8.69 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author John Berlau from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Subject: 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 to grow crops and manufacture goods; what relationship exists, if any, between environmentalism and our trade deficit with China; and whether we can have a clean environment while remaining competitive in world markets.

Show #525: ANOTHER MAGIC OF MUSHROOMS - 07-01-2007 (9 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author / Mycologist Paul Stamets Subject: 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 look into the world of mycelium; how Stamets discovered that spores from certain mycelium could allow for the control of ants and termites; and how this discovery might lead to a healthier environment.

Show #486 : - 05-01-2007 (5.04 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author Mark Kurlansky Subject: 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 business of early New York City was built, quite literally, on mountains of oyster shells; and what finally happened to end one of the great culinary orgies of all time.

Show #484 : Local or Organic? - 26-12-2006 (4.78 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author / Farmer Michael Abelman and Columnist / Farmer Steve Sprinkel Subject: 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 foods and local foods are no longer the same foods; and which is more important to the security of our food chain—foods grown organically or foods grown locally.

Show # 524: - 18-12-2006 (8.91 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author & Webmistress Patricia Rain www.vanilla.com Subject: 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 is really in the vanilla-flavored “natural” foods we eat.

Show #523: BIG FOOD - 09-12-2006 (8.87 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Alex Avery from the Center for Global Food Issues and Michele Simon from the Center for Informed Food Choices Subject: 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 relationship exists, if any, between large food corporations and obesity / diabetes; whether large corporations are capable of providing good food; and what alternatives exist, if any, to the corporate form of food business.

Show #522: BILLIONS OF BOTTLES OF BUCKS - 02-12-2006 (9.05 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Water Consultant Arthur von Wiesenberger Subject: 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 drinking water; why we now spend $11 billion a year on water bottled in plastic; and how to become a smart consumer of drinking waters.

Show #521 : TALKING ANT OF PERU - 26-11-2006 (9.04 MB)  Listen Now Anthropologist / Author Jeremy Narby Ph.D Subject: 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 Narby believe animals and plants have intelligence; how indigenous people access that intelligence; and what lessons we might learn from this intelligence.

Show #520: Going Up The Country - 18-11-2006 (9.27 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author, Farmer, Former City Dweller Roger Welsch Subject: 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 life they are likely to find on that farm; and the kind of mistakes they often neglect to avoid.

Show #519: E.coli 0157:H7... The Bug - 11-11-2006 (8.88 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Kansas State University Professor James Marsden and University of California Davis Professor Trevor Suslow Subject: 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 human life; and what those of us who happen to eat food can do to survive its presence.

Show #518: Wild Horse Power - 06-11-2006 (9 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Rhonda Massingham, co-author of Among Wild Horses Subject: 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 of wild horses; a look at how they live in the wilds of the Pryor Mountains, and how we manage their populations.

Show # 517: Blood Moon - 29-10-2006 (9.13 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Author / Chef Jessica Prentice Subject: 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 tradition of the blood moon; why many now turn to vegetarianism; and whether slaughtering animals has a legitimate place in the modern food chain.

Show # 516: BOMBING BACTERIA - 25-10-2006 (8.79 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Charles Smith, Ph.D., Author, The Process of New Drug Discovery ande Development http://www.crcpress.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?sku=2779&parent_id=&pc Subject: 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?” Topics include how new antibiotics are discovered; how they are tested on animals and people; and whether the discovery of new antibiotics can keep up with the rapidly evolving “super bacteria” now inhabiting our hospitals.

Show #515: Farming for Fairies - 14-10-2006 (9.22 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Pyschologist Nicola Amadora Subject: 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; why it might be useful to grow for fairies; and how to farm or garden for them.

Show #514: WAL-MARTING ORGANICS - 07-10-2006 (9.08 MB)  Listen Now Guests:Sam Fromartz, author of Organic, Inc., and Ronnie Cummins, Founder of the Organic Consumers Association (Wal-Mart declined.) Subject: 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 of organic food; the industrialization of the organic industry; and why some warn that Wal-Mart’s entry into the organic industry could lead to the demise of organic standards.

Show # 513: BIG PIG - 30-09-2006 (8.86 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Oklahoma State Senator Paul Muegge and a representative from the National Pork Producers Council Subject: 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 hog farms have disappeared during the past 16 years; what impact this concentration has on the economy of the heartland; and whether concentration will provide for a more secure food chain.

Show # 512: Placer Gold - 23-09-2006 (8.86 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Christina Abuelo and Joanne Neft Subject: 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 disappearing from the Sierra foothills; how Abuelo and Neft developed a local food industry in which farmers now bring in up to $4,000 per day; and the technology for developing local food industries in other markets.

Show #511: Transmissible Madness - 18-09-2006 (8.47 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Susan Fallace, Author, Mad Sheep Subject: 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 include the “madness” diseases (encephalopathy) of the food chain; how one might prevent a herd or flock from contracting these diseases; and why the USDA slaughtered the Fallace family’s “safe” sheep.

Show #510: Food or Fuel? - 12-09-2006 (8.41 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Peter Golbitz, Soyatech LLC; Larry Matlack, American Agriculture Movement, David Blume, Alcohol Can Be A Gas Subject: 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; the impact this diversion is having on the production of food; and which will eventually come to dominate our productive resources– food or energy.

Show #462: The Man Who Listens to Horses - 12-09-2006 (8.46 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Horse Behaviorist Monty Roberts Subject: 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 violence for modifying behavior; and a consideration of the similarities between children and horses.

Show #509: Foraging the Finest - 26-08-2006 (9.23 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Produce Forager Kerry Clasby Subject: To stay on top in the world of haute cuisine, restaurant chefs must serve food that is the best of the best. 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 foraging helps the top chefs stay on top; and what impact restaurant chefs have on the ways we grow and process food.

Show #508: Hemp's High Hurdle - 26-08-2006 (8.65 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Jeanette McDougal, National Alliance for Health & Safety and John Roulac, Founder & CEO of Nutiva Foods Subject: 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 hemp and marijuana; why it is legal to import hemp into the United States, but not legal to farm it; and what impact the legalization of hemp might have on the nation's drug use.

Show #507: Greenwashed Milk - 26-08-2006 (8.52 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Mark Kastel, Senior Policy Analyst, The Cornocopia Institute Subject: 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 farms be allowed to call themselves "organic?" Topics include why The Cornocopia Institute filed a legal action against the nation's leading dairy brand; whether that brand is breaking the letter or the spirit of the "organic" appellation; and whether industrial agriculture should be allowed to call itself "organic" agriculture.

Show #506: Return of the Strong Arm - 26-08-2006 (8.68 MB)  Listen Now Guests: John Fund, Editorialist at The Wall Street Journal; Philip Martin, Professor of Ag Economics at UC Davis Subject: 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 updated Bracero program could bring order to immigration anarchy; and what alternatives are being offered to a Bracero program.

Show #505: The Fuss Over Factory Farms - 26-08-2006 (8.54 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Paul Shapiro, Director of the Humane Society's Factory Farming Campaign, and Dr. Susan Watkins from the University of Arkansas' Center of Excellence for Poultry Science Subject: 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 farms can be "humane;" and what alternatives there might be, if any, to factory farming food.

Show #504: Stalin Redux? - 26-08-2006 (8.79 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Thomas Pawlick, author of The End of Food, and Cyrill Vatomsky, host of the Embassy of the New World Order radio program Subject: 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?" Topics include why Stalin purged the family-scaled farmers of the Soviet Union; why they were also forced off the land throughout the Americas; and what impact their loss might have on the security of the food chain.

Show #503: Public Enemy #1 - 26-08-2006 (9.06 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Thomas Wittman, Gophers Limited http://gopherslimited.com/ Subject: 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 without poison has become a necessity; and the best ways to control gophers without poison.

Show #502: Blithe Farmer - 26-08-2006 (8.71 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Mike Madison, Farmer & Author of Blithe Tomato http://www.heydaybooks.com/public/books/bt.html Subject: 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 bought a Swedish tractor; how Javier the Egg Man promotes diversity; and why Margo's marriage license dissolved in the El Nino rains.

Show #501: Magic Bullets & Super Bugs - 26-08-2006 (8.66 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Ronald Goossens, David Hodges and Christopher Smith from Phage International www.phageinternational.com Subject: 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?” Topics include the evolution of super bacteria; the dangers presented by super bacteria, especially in hospitals; and how bacteriophage therapy might be used to fight infection from the super bacteria.

Show #500: Living the Dream! - 26-08-2006 (8.45 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Nancy Tappan & Vernon Hixson, Trium Winery, Rogue River, Oregon http://www.triumwines.com/ Subject: 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 long-term commitment; the different kinds of labor required of the body and the mind; and the experience of tasting that first glass of wine.

Show #499: Real or Fake? - 26-08-2006 (8.81 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Katherine Eban, Author, Dangerous Doses www.dangerousdoses.com Subject: 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 corporations make millions by cheating the drug consumer; and what consumers can do to protect themselves.

Show #498: The Pop of Corn - 26-08-2006 (7.02 MB)  Listen Now Guest: Gary Redenbacher Subject: 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 up with the Pop of popcorn.

Show #497: Who's Hungry Now? - 26-08-2006 (8.41 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Ross Frazier, Willy Elliott-McCrea and Lee Mercer from Second Harvest Food Bank www.secondharvest.org/ Subject: 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; and what, if anything, can be done to prevent a hungry future.

Show #496: From Grass to Gas - 26-08-2006 (8.55 MB)  Listen Now Guests: Nathanael Greene, Natural Resources Defence Council www.nrdc.org & David Blume, Author, "Alcohol Can Be A Gas" www.permaculture.com Subject: 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) ethanol; what obstacles must be overcome before cellulosic ethanol can become a viable energy source; and how a carbohydrate-based economy would differ from a hydrocarbon-based economy.

Past podcasts