No Farms No Future gets to the heart of America’s food system. Each episode will illuminate a pressing issue faced by farmers and ranchers: How can we protect farmland against threats like development? How can we promote equitable access to farmland, especially for BIPOC, queer, and female farmers? And why is farmland a solution to the climate crisis, but only if we get farming right?
Hear from farmers and ranchers as they make the tough decisions that will shape their future—and ours.
Tune in for monthly episodes, created in collaboration with American Farmland Trust and Heritage Radio Network.
In some ways, Illinois farmers have it good. Much of the state boasts rich, dark soil that helps rank its production of corn and soybeans among the highest in the nation. Because the Prairie State is receiving frequent and more intense rainfall, it is increasingly important that farmers adopt conservation practices to keep soil nutrients in place. One of the best ways to combat this trend is to plant cover crops, which provide a natural way of protecting the soil and improving water quality. Thanks to American Farmland Trust’s support for the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Fall Covers for Spring Savings program, more Illinois farmers are using cover crops, saving cash, and engaging in sound conservation practices.
In this episode of No Farms No Future, we’ll introduce you to 26-year-old farmer Frank Rademacher and AFT’s Midwest Director Kris Reynolds. Both are experienced Illinois farmers, and have been working with and promoting the use of cover crops for years.
No Farms No Future is a podcast created through a collaboration between Heritage Radio Network, American Farmland Trust, and The Food Voice.
Resources:
Rademacher Farms
Fall Covers for Spring Savings Crop Premium Discount Program
AFT Midwest District
Illinois Corn Growers Association
Illinois Dept. of Agriculture (Cover Crops page)
To learn more about American Farmland Trust go to farmland.org.
Episode photo by Shawn Linehan
No Farms No Future is powered by Simplecast.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
