Corporate pressure on U.S. farm policy has devastated rural communities as small and medium-sized farms get pushed off the land. Today some farmers find ways to re-build their local economies through co-operative business aimed at sustainable, local food production.

Speakers:

Doug Genens: Oral Historian with The State Historical Society of Missouri.

John Ikerd: Author and Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.

Mary Berry: Executive Director of The Berry Center, New Castle, KY.

Josh Pyles: Farmer and member of Our Home Place Meat grass-fed beef cooperative, Henry County, KY.

George Siemon: Co-founder and first CEO of CROPP/Organic Valley Cooperative.

Katie Nixon: President of The Kansas City Food Hub.

Since the mid-20th century, U.S. agricultural policy has favored corporate agribusiness over small to medium-sized farms. Devastation of rural economies has been the result. This episode traces the history of that move toward industrial agriculture and the response of farmers who are forming co-operatives to build sustainable, local food economies.

Music Break: 32:33 - 33:27 [:54]

Original songs “Spring Fork Creek” and “Portent” by The Lonesome Companions, available on their 2026 release “One More Round”.

Additional music is from Blue Dot sessions: “Again in the Spring-Sour Mash”, “Uncertain Ground”-Duck Lake, “Dolly and Pad”-Piano Mover, “Daylight Earned”-Illinois and Maco.

Resources:

https://www.johnikerd.com/

https://berrycenter.org/

https://berrycenter.org/initiatives/agrarian-culture-center/

https://thekcfoodhub.com/

The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry - or anything by Wendell Berry.https://www.berrycenterbookstore.com/product/the-unsettling-of-america/1321?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false

Small Farms Are Real Farms by John Ikerd - or anything by John Ikerd.

https://www.amazon.ca/Small-Farms-Are-Real-Agriculture-ebook/dp/B00V7AVMQ8

Owning Our Future by Marjorie Kelly - or anything by Marjorie Kelly.

https://marjoriekelly.org/books

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KOPN is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.

For information on KOPN go to: https://www.kopn.org/