This Craft Nation

On Day thirteen of the trip, we talk with Chad Rosen - founder of Victory Hemp Foods.   Chad moved from California in 2014 and put down roots in Northern Kentucky, where Victory Hemp Foods is based. Chad was on the cutting edge of developing Hemp as a legal, American crop and is dedicated to bringing hemp into the rural economy where sustainable economic development is a priority. www.victoryhempfoods.com

We talk with Wes Shugart who founded Music City Leathers, continuing an American tradition by making custom cowboy boots, by hand the old way.  Wes lends an interesting historical perspective, along with a wealth of knowledge about how custom boots go beyond fashion statements and live as an example of functional art.  www.musiccityleather.com    

In Part Two of this incredible farm-tour interview with the legendary Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, we talk more about the overall farm rotation, but also get deeper into the food systems at large, how food gets to the consumer and how our choices can make a difference.  http://www.polyfacefarms.com/ http://www.polyfacefarms.com/joels-bio/

In Part I of a two-part interview, we tour Polyface Farms with the passionate and whip-smart, Joel Salatin, the "Lunatic Farmer."  Joel shows us everything from his cow-manure-composting pig beds to his mowing and mobbing cattle and his mobile chicken rigs, in this walking tour with loads of information about sustainable agriculture.

Kyle and Fred get a solid night of farmhouse-quality sleep in upstate New York, and enjoy a heartfelt conversation with Deanna Fox,  a food writer, teacher and a kind, supportive voice towards compelling stories and quality-driven, mindfully sourced, food and drink.

Fred and Kyle talk about the world of beer with John Holl, Co-founder and editor of Beer Edge and host of the Drink Beer, Think Beer podcast, over morning beers at Departed Soles brewery in Jersey City, New Jersey

Roger Sadowsky leads Fred and Kyle on a tour of Sadowsky Guitars in a warehouse building in Long Island, NY.  Roger is a world-renown maker, and he generously shares how his approach and methods developed over the years, including the impact of working with clients like Marcus Miller and Will Lee early in his career.  

Kyle and Fred arrive in Baltimore, MD and meet Founder and President of the American Distilling Institute Bill Owens for gin and tonics and lively conversation about brewing, distilling, photography and travel. 

Fred, Kyle, Jeff and Seth introduce the interviews from Third Man Records in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, MI.  They talk about the origin story of Third Man Records, and the context and method of pressing vinyl in the digital age.  

Fred and Kyle connect digitally and reflect on the current state of the project, how COVID-19 will impact the marketplace for makers and craftspeople, and what to expect in Season 3. 

In our final episode of this mini-series of Farm Aid interviews, we talk with Jennifer Fahy, Communications Director for Farm Aid. Jennifer helped put our whole day together and brings an interesting perspective to the entire series that balances the history of Farm Aid with their current and very forward-moving mission and message. 

At Farm Aid's 2018 Farm Advocate event, On the Road to Resilience, we were fortunate to talk with Savi Horne, Executive Director of the Land Loss Prevention Project  founded in 1982 by the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers to curtail epidemic losses of Black owned land in North Carolina.  Savi put many things into perspective, and helped us understand the severity of systemic discrimination; then and now. Joe Schroeder was the in-house Farm Advocate for Farm Aid, overseeing the hotline and working to connect farmers to the resources and organizations that could help.  Like Savi, Joe is straight and to the point; explaining several origins of farm crisis, and how the situation today is similar and different from the crisis of the eighties.  We recently learned that Joe has since gone on to work with farmers in another way.  Farm Aid wishes him well and continues to work with the passion Joe did to bring new farm advocates to the movement.

We continue our Farm Aid 2018 series of interviews from "On the Road to Resilience" with Farm Advocates from across the country, talking with Niaz Dorry, Coordinating Director at Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA) and Executive Director at National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC).  Niaz generously shares her passionate insights on the steps of Lyceum Center in Hartford Connecticut.     

Fred and Kyle chat with Chef Brandon Johns, owner of Grange Kitchen and Bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the tail end of Day Two of the original TCN trip.  Brandon and his crew have been on the bleeding edge of farm-to-table cooking for more than a decade. This rollicking conversation between old friends gets into the nitty gritty of quality and locally conscious cooking and eating; while often comically veering off into the ridiculous.    

We met with Shirley during the all-day workshop for the Farm Advocates in Farm Aid's amazing and inspiring Farm Advocate network.  Her intersection with Farm Aid began in 1986 when she was the Georgia state lead for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives at the inaugural United Farmer and Rancher Congress in 1986, in St. Louis, Missouri. Shirley's story, compassion and humility is moving and compelling.

We visit with the enthusiastically scientific and downright pro-biotic David Klingenberger of The Brinery in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Day two of our cross-country trek. David shares how a bumper crop of cabbage turned into a entrepreneurial adventure and shares his love of fermented foods in a deliciously inviting way. 

Part one of a six-part series of interviews recorded during our day with Farm Aid at their Road to Resilience workshop supporting America's agricultural heroes.  These interviews were for Craft My Under My Host magazine column in collaboration with Farm Aid.   Benny Bunting has served as RAFI-USA’s Lead Farm Advocate for over 20 years. In the course of his remarkably successful career as an advocate, Benny has assisted hundreds of family farmers. In 2008, Benny was awarded the prestigious Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Personal Service. The organization produced a short video about Benny and his truly tremendous impact on the lives and livelihoods of family farmers.  

Day two of our original TCN trip finds us in Ann Arbor, Michigan, talking to Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's Community of Businesses.  We start at the Roadhouse, for a sprawling tour before heading to the Deli, where it all started and eventually their Coffee Roaster and Bakehouse, where we talked to partner, Amy Eberling. Ari's unique perspective is compelling and shows through in Zingerman's vision and execution.  This is a longer interview, but a significant example of how individual entrepreneurs can impact their community.  www.zingermans.com

We enjoyed another tremendous Harvest Gathering in the fall of 2018.  We hosted a live conversation on the Farmer's Market Stage with Dede Alder and Joe Short, talking about community, art and the strength of coming together.   Dede Alder Joe Short Earthwork Harvest Gathering Earthwork Music

Fred and Kyle give their take on Day 1, and share the third interview of the day, featuring Daniel Juzwiak and Kara Aubin.  Kara | Daniel Jewelry has since morphed into Daniel Juzwiak Designs.  Daniel and Kara share their process and opinions on making modern & ethical adornment, with sustainable metals paired with ethical gemstones.  Daniel Juzwiak Designs on the Web @daniel.juzwiak.designs  Daniel Juzwiak Designs on Facebook