What is American Food?

Red Tomato and Shirley Sherrod: Supporting Black-Owned Farms

It can be hard to perceive the ways that systemic racism affects food you eat, whether it's the inequitable efforts behind getting a package of pecans to market, or noticing the farmers who aren't present at the local farmers' market.It's a sad irony, that racial discrimination, largely based on skin color, is not, in fact, observable. But if we look hard enough, with a better understanding, we will see and maybe we will act.In Season 2, Episode 2, of "What is American Food?" - co-hosted by Hannah Semler and Ali Berlow-- you will hear the incredible story of activist Shirley Sherrod and her decades of partnership with Red Tomato. We hear how black farmers in Georgia sought out Red Tomato-- a small hybrid nonprofit food hub in the northeast-- to help get their watermelons, and years later their pecans to market. Shirley Sherrod, co-founder of New Communities, Inc., and Michael Rozyne, founder of Red Tomato, built a relationship of trust around fair food supply chains.Shirley Sherrod is a warrior for black land ownership and farmer equity. She's served as an activist, elected official, and community member addressing systemic racism in farming for the last 40 years. Shirley was born 1948, the daughter of black farmers in Georgia. After her father was murdered by a white farmer-- who was never convicted despite multiple witnesses-- Shirley chose to dedicate her life's work to community food systems and black farmers. She turned her experience of injustice into a quest for justice for others. During the Obama Administration, she was appointed to Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture-- only to be forced to resign after a smear campaign by Breitbart. She persisted, in pursuit of justice. Through it all, Shirley co-founded and continues to operate New Communities, Inc., which oversees a 200-acre pecan orchard on land that was once one of the largest and richest slave-labor operations in Georgia. In listening to Shirley's story, we feel that there is hope for restoration. And we hope that Shirley's passion and sacrifice, her resilience and joy, will bring you new light and understanding.You can learn more about New Communities at www.newcommunitiesinc.com.You can subscribe to new episodes and sign up for our newsletter at www.whatisamericanfood.com.We are so grateful to The Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation for their ongoing support to make this podcast happen. Check out more of their work at www.BJFFF.org.To continue learning about Black-owned land loss, systemic discrimination, and Shirley Sherrod, check out the following resources.Read about The Pigford CaseListen to The 1619 Podcast, episodes 5 (part 1 & 2)Order pecans from New Communities Inc.Check out events by The Federation of Southern Cooperatives

A Mighty Hybrid Food Hub in the Northeast

For the next few episodes of “What Is American Food?” we’ll be turning our attention from the southwest to the northeast. Red Tomato is an innovative non-profit food hub based in Providence, Rhode Island. For 25 years they’ve been partnering with small to mid-sized farms to help with marketing, logistics, and distribution.We’ll hear Red Tomato’s origin story from Michael Rozyne, Angel Mendez, and Sue Futrell. Plus, 8th-generation orchardist John Lyman gives us practical examples of how Red Tomato helps his farm partner with others to make sure everyone succeeds in the market.But Red Tomato’s story is not all sunshine and rainbows-- they almost lost everything in 2002, when a crucial piece of funding dried up. Their response ended up changing the entire way the organization functions, making it more resilient than ever.As the American food system recovers from the past year of disruption, we can all look to Red Tomato for an example of building trust and committing to sustainability and transparency, while honoring the dignity of all the people who provide our food.We’ll be making more episodes about Red Tomato, so be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app to be alerted whenever new content drops. You can also subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram.Guests:Michael Rozyne, co-founder of Red TomatoAngel Mendez, Executive Director of Red TomatoSue Futrell, Director of Marketing for Red TomatoJohn Lyman, 8th generation orchardist at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CTThe Six Founding Sisters:Team Red Tomato wanted to acknowledge their Six Founding Sisters in this podcast but we ran out of time! Here they are. They were with Red Tomato from 1997-1999 and all stayed on for years into the new millennium. Diane Rast has been the only graphic designer to have ever done any major work for Red Tomato, having designed every version of every logo and package and major promo piece for all 24 years.Marla RhodesIliana RivasKate LarsonBetty MacKenzieLynn ColangioneDiane RastDisclaimer: Ali Berlow is a member of Red Tomato’s board of trustees.

Bonus: A Conversation with Covilli Brand Organics

Covilli Brands Organic operates both a farm in Sonora, Mexico, and a marketing and distribution business out of Nogales, Arizona. What makes Covilli unique is that they are the only operation in North America that's 100% organic certified, and 100% fair trade certified. We hear from second generation farmer, Alex Madrigal, and his life and business partner, Iris Montano, as to their commitment to these approaches to both farming and the business side of things.We are grateful to have opened up this space for such important topics, shedding light on all the different farming and food production methods, whether we see them or not. They're a part of our daily lives, our daily choices, helping us understand the impact we create for millions of people along the supply chain with the food we choose to eat or not eat every day. This podcast is funded by the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation, with production support by Melody Rowell, and Ian Carlsen. Check back because soon we'll be dropping our next deep dive series focused on the nonprofit, Red Tomato.

Rights-Based Food Banking: Moving Produce Rescue towards Justice Across Borders

Guests: Michael Rozyne, founder of Red Tomato and one of the three founding members of Equal Exchange; and Robert Ojeda, Chief Programs Director of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and a founding member of Closing the Hunger Gap.Co-Hosts: Hannah Semler and Ali Berlow use multi-dimensional storytelling to explore what food security means from both ends of our food supply chain. We take a look from both sides of the MX-US border, learning more about the role produce rescue can have in support of hunger-relief, food security, and food justice when communities come together into focus as a shared story of fair trade, interconnected rights and, the right to food.This is the third episode in Season One: The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona’s Produce Rescue Efforts in Nogales.The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFB) which has rescued and redistributed over 100 million pounds of Mexico-grown produce over the last three years to 37 food banks in 33 states across the U.S., is in the process of developing a collaborative approach to its cross-border Nogales port of entry produce sector business solution, using a rights-based lens. Robert describes how his personal journey informs the work he is most passionate about - turning Community Food Bank into a partner and ally with the communities they support with additional access to food by inviting people in to participate fully in public life and holding that as a precondition to the role they might play securing their own food security.Michael shares his journey, weaving in and out of working with local and regional agricultural in the U.S., with his perspectives about international supply chains, and the importance of telling the stories of far away food production, while relearning how to value our local agriculture, here at home. His is a clarion call to narrative shifts and complex collaborations in order to transform food systems towards justice.‘What is American Food?’ is funded by the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation. Production support from Melody Rowell and Ian Carlsen. Music by Ian Carlsen. Barks by Barley.

Cross-Border Produce Rescue in Nogales, AZ

Episode 2: Cross-Border Produce Rescue in Nogales, AZHosts: Ali Berlow & Hannah SemlerGuests: Dana Yost of The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and Ida Posner of the Posner Foundation.The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFB) has redistributed over 100 million pounds of produce over the last three years to 37 food banks in 33 States across the US. We speak with Community Food Bank COO, Dana Yost, about their produce rescue operation plans across the border in Mexico, and the long term plans for addressing the root causes of hunger with workforce development programs in Nogales Arizona. We also speak with Ida Posner, Strategic Advisor to the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, about their support of Community Food Bank’s cross-border produce rescue program along the US-MX food supply chain. Our goal is to elevate the story of how sourcing surplus from Mexico farms, upstream from the Nogales port of entry, is in fact addressing food loss on farms at a critical point of the US food supply, while feeding hungry people in both countries. Through creative supply chain and collaborative logisitics, CFB's innovative Produce Rescue program will start addressing food waste and food security with partners on both sides of the border, giving back to the communities that feed this country with access to year-round produce.Audio Editing & Engineering: Ian Carlsen