Agroecology Uprooted

Episode 1: System Failure

As the war in Iran squeezes fertilizer and fuel supplies, there is renewed attention on the vulnerability of global food systems. But the roots of this current crisis go much deeper. In episode one of Agroecology Uprooted, we begin with a look at the systems that shape how we produce and access food, the ways that the industrial food system is pushing our planet beyond its natural boundaries, and the potential for a radically sustainable approach to food and agriculture: Agroecology.
 
This episode features interviews with Dr. Bonnie Keeler of the University of Minnesota and Pat Mooney, founder of ETC Group.
 
Agroecology Uprooted is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. IATP works at the intersection of policy and practice to advance just, sustainable food systems. You can support our work at iatp.org/donate.

Introducing: Agroecology Uprooted

New podcast miniseries coming soon from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: Agroecology Uprooted.
With food systems and the planet in crisis, what would true resilient, sustainable, and just solutions look like? The answer may lie in a method called agroecology, a holistic approach to food, agriculture, nature, and social systems that’s already taking root around the globe. In this upcoming series, hear from farmers, scientists, food movement leaders, and other experts about what agroecology is, how it works, and why a transition to agroecology is needed now more than ever.
New episodes drop every two weeks starting April 14, 2026. Transcripts and notes available at iatp.org.

How to Fight a Factory Farm Episode 4: Cleaning up the CAFO Mess

The rise of factory farms in the U.S. didn't happen by accident. Corporate influence over our political system has created policies that subsidize and incentivize the industrial model and allow factory farms to pollute with impunity, even creating new revenue streams that greenwash their climate impacts. Our food system does not have to be this way. Members of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment are working to build sustainable alternatives to factory farms while advocating for policy reforms to dismantle the CAFO system and level the playing field for independent family farmers.
In the final episode of the series, hear from Frank James of Dakota Rural Action, Rebecca Wolf of Food and Water Watch, Bonnie Haugen of Land Stewardship Project and Noah Earle of Missouri Rural Crisis Center on how we got into this mess, and how to get out of it.
How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.
References, further reading and ways to get involved
Support the Farm System Reform Act
Packers and Stockyards Act In-Depth, Bryce Oates, 2024
Why we need an Agricultural Market Volatility Relief Program, CFFE, 2023
Biogas or Bull****? Friends of the Earth & Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, 2024
 

How to Fight a Factory Farm Episode 3: Communities Fight Back

Despite the well-documented harms to the environment and rural economies, the CAFO system continues to expand. But its growth is not inevitable. In South Dakota, Iowa and all across factory farm country, everyday people are stepping up and organizing their neighbors to prevent factory farms from being built in their communities. How to fight a factory farm? People power.
In this episode, hear from Vanessa Namken and Frank James of Dakota Rural Action and Barb Kalbach and Hugh Espey of Iowa CCI on how they successfully stopped CAFOs from being built near their homes.
How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.
References and further reading
"13 Groups Sued EPA Demanding Stricter CAFO Regulation — the Court Struck Them Down." Sentient Media, October 2024.
Pounds of manure produced by dairy cows: University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine
"A mega-dairy is transforming Arizona’s aquifer and farming lifestyles." High Country News, August 2021

How to Fight a Factory Farm Episode 2: The Price We Pay

What does it mean to get big or get out? As CAFOs began to take over livestock production in the U.S. through the 1990s, the consequences of this corporate-controlled, vertically-integrated system rippled throughout rural economies, putting smaller independent farmers and their suppliers out of business, and trapping others in debt and dependence on exploitative meat companies. In this episode, hear from Missouri Rural Crisis Center’s Rhonda Perry and Tim Gibbons and Iowa CCI’s Barb Kalbach and Hugh Espey on the price we pay for factory farms.
How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

How to Fight a Factory Farm Episode 1: Raising a Stink

What is a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), and what does it mean that nearly all farm animals in the U.S. are now raised in them? Factory farms are a major change from how livestock was traditionally raised, and the billions of gallons of manure produced by these facilities are causing major problems for neighbors, the environment and anyone downstream. Independent family farmers and rural communities are facing the brunt of these consequences, but they're not going to take it lying down. 
In this episode, hear from Rebecca Wolf, Senior Food Policy Analyst at Food and Water Watch, along with Iowa CCI's Barb Kalbach and Dakota Rural Action's Kathy Tyler on the pollution crisis created by factory farms, and what it means for those living nearby.
References and further reading
The CAFO Next Door, REAMP Network, June 2024
Factory Farm Nation: 2024 Edition, Food and Water Watch
Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry, Austin Frerick, 2024
US Factory Farming Estimates, Sentience Institute, 2019
Environmental Regulation of Hog Feeding Operations, Chen, C.-T. and G. Lade, Iowa State University, 2018
Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs), EPA, 2024
How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

Introducing: How to Fight a Factory Farm

Coming October 2 from the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, a new four-part podcast series about factory farms, and the farmers and rural organizers fighting to end them: How to Fight a Factory Farm.
 
How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

The Farm Bill Uprooted Update: What's going on with the Farm Bill?

Eight months after the original deadline, there’s been some movement on the new Farm Bill – but political conflicts and agribusiness influence present a challenge. Learn about how the policy process works and hear from IATP’s Michael Happ and Ben Lilliston about the House Farm Bill draft and what comes next. 

The Farm Bill Uprooted Episode 6: Solutions

In Episode Six of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from experts from across the food system on what changes are needed in the 2023 Farm Bill and beyond. From nutrition access to fair markets to climate resilience, a better food system is possible; it’s up to us to demand it. 
 
References and Further Reading: 
Closing the Meal Gap Act 
Improving Access to Nutrition Act 
Enhanced Access to SNAP Act 
Hot Foods Act 
Meat Packing Special Investigator Act 
Farm System Reform Act 
Fairness for Small Farmers Act 
EQIP Improvement Act 
Agriculture Resilience Act 
RAFI-USA Marker Bill Tracker 
Why we need an Agricultural Market Volatility Relief Program 

The Farm Bill Uprooted Episode 5: Insecure

The Farm Bill shapes our food and farm system in the U.S., and, through the Nutrition Title, helps millions of Americans afford food. But with nutrition assistance programs like SNAP vulnerable to cuts, and rural food access weakened by decades of corporate consolidation, how well is the Farm Bill really serving eaters? In Episode Five of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from IATP's Erin McKee VanSlooten, Kate Hansen of the Center for Rural Affairs and Marcus Grignon of the Rural Coalition, on what's needed to rebuild community-based food systems and create a Farm Bill that's by and for the people.
 
References and Further Reading:
Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Farm Bill priorities
Food Price Outlook, 2023 and 2024, (2023) USDA Economic Research Center
A Short History of SNAP, USDA
A Quick Guide to SNAP Eligibility and Benefits, (2023) Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Farm to School Grant Evaluation, (2023) IATP & UMN