We are so excited to have Mallory of Oregon AgLink on our show today to tell us a little bit about the amazing world of agriculture. Though it's a system we might not think of often, or if we do it's with mixed feelings, we all depend on the work of famers to provide the food we eat. Mallory has so much to share about how the farming industry works, is all inter-connected and is constantly adapting to market demand. She demystifies common food labels you encounter in the grocery store, as well as walking us through what certain terms do and do not mean. We walked away from this conversation feeling incredibly grateful for the work of the few (only 1.3% of the population) that feed the masses, and the intricate network that gets food to our tables every day.
The documentary Food Evolution was discussed throughout the episode, and here are all of Mallory's resources she mentioned:
Safe Fruits & Veggies - Calculator to see how many servings could be eaten without any adverse effects from pesticide residue
UC Davis - Biotech Program Blog
Cornell University - Alliance for Science
The Genetic Literacy Project
Biology Fortified - Crop Modification Techniques
Australian chemistry teacher James Kennedy’s blog: infographics of fruit (Scroll past the banana in Chinese to see all English versions)
TDF Honest Farming - Find Derrick Josi @tdfhonestfarming on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube -- raises cows for milk for Tillamook cheese, ice cream, etc. (Oregon coast)
Owyhee Produce's Shay Myers growing onions, asparagus, mint, and more on the Oregon Idaho border, went viral during pandemic and can be found @shayfarmkid on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, plus has a podcast called Produce Common Sense
The Farm Babe - Michelle Miller (on most socials)
Dr. Kevin Folta - scientist, science communicator, and professor at University of Florida and hosts Talking Biotech podcast
Tamar Haspel - James Beard award winning Washington Post columnist in pursuit of a more constructive conversation on divisive food-policy issues
Michele Payn - Author of 3 books - Food Bullying: How to avoid buying BS, Food Truths from Farm to Table: 25 Surprising Ways to Shop & Eat without Guilt, and No More Food Fights, can be found on most social media and has a podcast called Food Bullying
Come hang out! I can't wait to connect with you!