Local Dirt

The Last Crop Film, One Farm at a Time and Day at the FARM 2.6

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Last Crop Film and One Farm at a Time Project.

Film maker, Chuck Schultz, from BluePrint Productions and local farmer, Annie Main, from Good Humus Produce join us to talk about Chuck's new film, The Last Crop, which delves into the nation-wide issue of an aging farmer population, farm succession and transition. Farmers Jeff and Annie Main have been working for over 10 years to ensure their land will continue to be farmed and managed organically after they retire.

Annie also talks about the latest initiative in their saga to preserve their farmland with the One Farm at a Time project. One Farm at a Time gives community members the opportunity to invest in the future of the farms and farmers that provide their food. Jeff and Annie's farm, Good Humus Produce, located in Capay, CA, is the first family farm the project aims to preserve.

The Agricultural Sustainability Institute will be hosting a free public screening of The Last Crop film, still a work in progress, followed by a panel presentation on Thursday, February 9th from 6:30-8:30pm in 1322 Storer Hall at UC Davis. Light snacks will be catered by the Davis Food Co-op. View a trailer of the film here!

A Day at the FARM 2.6.
Anna Ruth reports from the FARM 2.6 Day at the FARM event that happened this past Saturday. FARM is an alternative form of non-violent protest, reclaiming public space to build community, providing services for under served and transient populations and/or rehabilitating toxic land.

FARM hosted several workshops, including compost building, orchard irrigation, fruit tree planting, fiber and dye garden planting, beekeeping and more! To learn more about FARM and FARM 2.6, visit the FARM website!

Announcements!

Students for Sustainable Agriculture is hosting a Seed Swap, February 14th at the Student Community Center
Visit The Pantry at UC Davis, located in Lower Freeborn, for free stuff for UC Davis Students!

Music!
This week's show featured music from the West Nile Ramblers and Conor Oberst.

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Beginner Farmers at the Cloverleaf Farm, Part 3 and Fair Trade Bananas at UC Davis

2012-01-31T23:16:00.000-08:00

Beginner Farmers Series: Cloverleaf Farm, Part 3

Big changes have come to the Cloverleaf Farm over the past three months. Sasha and Emma decide to bring on two new partners to help share the workload of their new farm. Local Dirt introduces the newest members of the team, Aubrey and Marissa, and hear why they are excited to be a part of the all-women farm team. Local Dirt joins the ladies in their first ever pruning workshop in their brand new fruit orchard. Check out the new Cloverleaf Farm website! And sign up for their blog! Photo courtesy of Eric Winford.

Fair Trade Bananas come to UC Davis.

UC Davis students Selina and Ari chat about banana production and consumer choice. Bananas are America's favorite fruit. The top five banana companies, including Dole, Chiquita and Del Monte, control 80% of the global banana production. Selina and Ari delve into the social injustices prevalent the global market for bananas. In an effort to encourage consumers to make the choice to purchase Fair Trade Certified products, including bananas, Selina and Ari will be working with their peers and UC Davis Dining Services to promote Fair Trade February on campus during the entire month of February!

Announcements.

Seed Saving Workshop this Friday, February 3rd at the Bowley Center at UC Davis at 6:30pm!
A Day at FARM 2.6 this Saturday, February 4th at 11:00am. Workshops include: tree planting, pruning, wood scouring, bee hive building, and many more. Following the workshops will be a darn dance, so bring your best square-dancing moves!

Music.

Music from Sufjan Stevens, Electro Coco, Max de Castro, The Abyssinians and Pamelo Mounk'a!

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Sustainable Food and Farming Conference, Joel Salatin, Labeling Genetically Modified Organisms

2012-01-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

Today on the show we listened to coverage from the Sustainable Food and Farming Conference that happened this past weekend in Nevada county. Anna Ruth recorded talks by Michael Ableman and Joel Salatin. She also talked with David Edwards who is part of a grassroots coalition to require that foods containing GMO ingredients be labeled. To learn more about this campaign: http://www.labelgmos.org/

We also discussed GMOs and the recent decision by BASF, a German chemical company, to stop selling GM Amflora potatoes in Europe. The company cited widespread consumer opposition to their genetically modified products and has decided to focus their operations and sales in America and Asia. The only biotech crop now grown in Europe is a Monsanto corn variety.

Songs we played:

Dar Williams- As Cool As I Am

Woollen Kits- Out of Whack

P.F. Commando- Allt Ok

The Champs- Tequila

To listen to today's show click here!

Nyame Selassie: Ecobarrios USA, and Laurie Glover: author of "Off-the-road histories, California"

2012-01-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

Today's show features Neda Yousefian's interview with Nyame Selassie about the Ecobarrios USA movement which is based out of the Bay Area and also working in Detroit, New Orleans, and Atlanta. For more information about the Ecobarrios movement check out their website: www.ecobarrios-usa.org. Like the Facebook page Ecobarrios USA by clicking here.

Then we spoke with Laurie Glover, a UC Davis lecturer, about her new book On the Road Histories, California. You will never see California the same way again! A great book about the history of this beautiful and diverse state.

Songs we played:

Jac et le Takeifa- Guissane

Fleet Foxes- Sun it Rises

Joni Mitchell- California

To listen to the show click here. (please excuse the minor tech difficulties we had at the beginning!)

Solar Panels in the Mojave & Cofed Retreat : Food, Politics, and Cooperative Business

2012-01-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

For the first show of 2012, local Dirt co-host AnnaTruth covers the Cofed retreat in Berkeley, California. Tune in to hear from leaders, organizers and students who are doing work to change the world we live in, one coopreative at a time. AnnaTruth chats with Janaki Jagannath, a small farmer from Southern California and recent graduate of UC Davis, about what it takes to start a coop: organizing, business planning, fundraising and campaigning.

We then hear from Anna Isaacs, Cofed's Northwest regional organizer, and former worker-owner of the Flaming Eggplant, a cooperative cafe on the Evergreen State campus in Olympia, Washington. After traveling to Venezuela and working with farming, grocery, and food processing cooperatives, she became aware of the rich history of coops in the United States, which is what brings her to

Danny Spitzberg, lead trainer of cofed, formerly worked with Slow Food UW in Madison Wisconson

Vassar studetns Zach Zielman and Marshall Daily tell us about their draems of opening the Pumpkin Patch on the Vassar College campus

Anna Davidson: Art/Science Fusion and Natalia Kresich: Social Action and Occupy UCD

2011-12-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

On the show today we had Anna Davidson in the studio to talk about the Entomology 1 Art Science Fusion class and their one-evening exhibition Cabinets of Curiosity that was held on Saturday, December 3rd. In this class students learned about insects and then made art with clay, painting or found objects. For more information about this and other art science fusion courses at UCD: http://artsciencefusion.ucdavis.edu/

The second half of the show was dedicated to

talking about recent Occupy UC Davis events including the re-naming of Dutton Hall to Paulo Friere Open University. We had Natalia Kresish, a UCD student activist, in the studio to share her thoughts and experiences on social action and

the Occupy movements here at UCD and in San Francisco.

The music we played today:

The Buena Vista Social Club songs: Chan Chan and Candela

Fela Kuti: Teacher Don't Teach Me No Nonsense

Click here to listen to the show!

Michael McQuarrie, UC Regents Meeting 11/28

2011-11-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

We had Michael McQuarrie in the studio to talk about the history of student movements, social change and the current events surrounding the Occupy movement. Dr. McQuarrie is a professor in the Sociology department at UC Davis and has worked extensively with grassroots community organizing, especially with labor unions.

For the second part of the show we played a segment from the open comment part of the UC Regents meeting that was held on four UC campuses on 11/28. We also discussed the Occupy UC Davis teach-ins that are happening on campus this week.

For the full schedule of The Dissent Lectures click HERE.

Click here to listen to the show!

Occupy Oakland, Davis, and UC Davis: after the pepper spray

2011-11-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

Go here to listen to the show!

Soul Food Farm, Swords into Plowshares, Farmer-Veteran Coalition

2011-11-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

The first half of the show features Alexis Koefed of Soul Food Farms in Vacaville. Her operation features pastured poultry including eggs and meat. For more info about her farm and CSA go to www.soulfoodfarm.com

The second half will be dedicated to Veteran's Day, we will be speaking with Paul Cox, a Vietnam veteran who is an activist and advocate for veterans of current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More info available at http://www.swords-to-plowshares.org/

Then we turn to Michael O'Gorman, a founder with the Farmer Veteran Coalition based here in Davis. The Farmer Veteran Coalition seeks to give opportunities to young veterans as they return to civilian life as production farmers, what O'Gorman calls "the second most challengin job in the U.S." after serving in the military. More info about how to get involved with the Farmer-Veteran Coalition is available at http://www.farmvetco.org/

Click here to listen to this week's show!

Russell Ranch tomatoes, Domes Community Build!

2011-11-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

Local Dirt today has some great guests

The first half of the show will be feature Emma Torbert and Dani Lee, who will be discussing a brand new product that they have been developing: Russell Ranch sun dried tomatoes!

In the second part, Veronica Pardo and Ben Pearl discuss the Domes Community Build, which was a fantastic 4-day event with over 150 volunteers who donated time, labor, skills, food and more to make the Domes ADA accessible, as well as improve the structural integrity of the 39-year old- cooperative living structures that have become iconic to Davis since they will built in 1972

Click here to listen to this week's show!

Food Day, Ryan Galt, Halloween, Domes Build!

2011-10-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ryan Galt, CRD professor, gives a talk about the issues of the current food system tying in the Occupy Wall Street movemnet, the "New Economy", and the role of the young generation.

Happy Halloween, Folks, Local Dirt reccommends you use Fair Trade Certified chocolate to celebrate!

For more information about Fair Trade Certified chocolate, visit http://fairtradeusa.org/

The Domes Community Build is this weekend, please come out to the Domes to rebuild them and make them ADA accessible! for more information on how you can help, go to www.bagginsend.org

Click here to listen to the show!

Occupy Davis

2011-10-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

Today's show is dedicated to the Occupy movement. We are talking to local activists Bernie Goldsmith, Carmen Forts, and Jessica. We will also be speaking with Sophie Bosselman, a former UC Davis student who is currently in New York and has been present at Occupy Wall Street.

To listen to the show, click here!!

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Celebration

2011-10-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

An exciting new era has come to UC Davis - an era when students can come to learn about sustainable agriculture and graduate with a Bachelor's degree in it! Anna Ruth and Natalie Yahr report from the celebration of UC Davis' new Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Major.

Speakers include Tom Tomich, Director of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis, Maggie Lickter, UC Davis alumna, Mark Van Horn, Director of the UC Davis Student Farm and various UC Davis students and staff.

Click here to listen to the show!

Hoes Down Harvest Festival and Beginning Farmers Sasha and Emma

2011-09-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hoes Down Harvest Festival!
The 24th annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival is this weekend in the beautiful Capay Valley at Full Belly Farm! Dani chats with Hallie Muller and Jeff & Annie Main, some of the key folks that pull together the harvest festival each year to learn more about what it takes to build a 600 Hay Bale fort, turn a working farm into a family festival and celebrate rural living and sustainable agriculture with over 3,000 families each year!

Don't miss the Hoes Down Harvest Festival this year. A great musical lineup, including Driving with Fergus and the local Mad Cow String Band. Great food, contra dancing, farm workshops and more!

Visit www.hoesdown.org to find out more about this year's event!
Photo courtesy Hoes Down Harvest Festival.

Beginning Farmer Series: Cloverleaf at Bridgeway Farms
Dani checks back in with beginning farmers Sasha Klein and Emma Torbert of the Cloverleaf at Bridgeway Farms. This past weekend marked the finale of their first season of farming. Learn from these beginning farmers about some of the challenges of starting a farm from scratch and some of the rewards of being a part of a local agricultural community.

The Cloverleaf at Bridgeway Farms is located off the Kidwell Rd. exit on HWY 80. Their farm stand is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-6pm. You can also find them at the Woodland Farmers Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays!

To learn more about their farm, check them out on Facebook!
Photo courtesy Matthew Hoffman.

Music.
This show features music by The Mad Cow String Band and Driving with Fergus. Both bands will be playing at the 2011 Hoes Down Harvest Festival at Full Belly Farm the first weekend of October, 2011!

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Alan Hastings and Carl Boettiger; Population Biology

2011-09-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered about stochastic forces, theoretical biology, invasive species, tipping points or the intersection between mathematical models and ecology? This week's show features grad student Carl Boettiger and his advisor, Alan Hastings, Phd in population dynamics and applied mathematical models.

To listen to this week's show, click here!

Temple Grandin, EcoFair Marin, Drought in Texas

2011-09-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Co-Host Anna-Ruth talks with Dr. Temple Grandin, the keynote speaker at EcoFair Marin, about what to expect in her class, her work in slaughterhouses, issues surrounding animal rights, and imperative " for little ag and big ag to stop throwing rocks at each other".

Check out Dr. Grandin's new book "Improving Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach", available on amazon for purchase.

Also check out Dr. Gransin's website here

Followed by a discussion with co-host Dani Lee about the meat industry and the future of food prices, including the drought in Texas and its affect on cattle ranchers.

The show concluded with sounds from EcoFair Marin, where Ambassa Cantave performed. Cantave is a co-founder for Grind for the Green and his music is "ushering hip hop and dub music into the realms of futuristic electro rock"

EcoFair Marin, which happened this past Sunday, September 4th, is the first annual community celebration to inspire a healthy and sustainable Marin.

Music Played:

Woodie Guthrie "This Land is Your Land"

Dead Prez "Be Healthy"

Click here to listen to this week's show!

Ryder Diaz, David Schwartz, Hazon

2011-08-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 28th's show featured an interview with Ryder Diaz from the UC Davis raptor center. Diaz is a UC Davis ecologist and expert in pollinator communities, and will frequent Local Dirt again in future shows, so stay tuned!

Next, David Schwartz talked with Anna-Ruth about the growing food movement, its connection to history, and the power students have to change the food system. Shwartz is a Real Food Challenge organizer.

Then we heard from the Hazon conference, which happened on the UC Davis campus from August 19-21st. Anna-Ruth spoke with one of the Hazon leaders Renna Khuner-Haber, delving into the meaning of sustainable food.

Next was a quick talk with Elisheva Margulies, a natural foods chef, about her affinity for seaweed, a uniqe vegetable packed with nutrients.

Finally was a talk with Rachel Shapiro, co-chair of the Jewish life committee, who spoke of her experience as a midwife, a transformative women's circle, and the importance of spirituality through practicality.

Listen to the show here!

Farmworker Justice March & Compassion: Davis, CA

2011-08-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Farmworker Justice March. Last Saturday, supporters of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) demonstrated outside the Davis Trader Joe's, demanding that the grocery chain sign the CIW's Fair Food agreement. In this part of the show, you can hear what that demonstration sounded like and what the local organizers had to say. The young organizers, Liz Fitzgerald and Natalia Margolis, talk to Natalie about the CIW's approach to protests, how they became leaders, and how they felt at their first CIW demonstrations. To download Liz's "Traitor Joe's" song, click here.
(Oops! When we broadcast this story, it was hard to hear some of the sound from the march. We've since fixed that. If you'd like to hear the better version, click here.)

Compassion: Davis, CA. For two years, David Breaux has stood on the corner of 3rd and C Streets in Davis asking people to write in his notebook their concept of "compassion." He has since compiled the entries into a book. David talked with Natalie about why he does what he does, what he's learned, and what he'll do next. If you'd like to write down your concept of the word compassion, visit David at 3rd & C. He's there for much of the day. And if you'd like to learn more about compassion, you can attend David's presentation "An Experience with Compassion" this Wednesday, 7-8pm at the Davis Community Church (412 C St., across from the Farmers' Market).

Check out this video about David's compassion project:

David Breaux on Compassion from Robb Davis on Vimeo.

Music.
"Goin Down South" by R. L. Burnside and Lyrics Born (from A Bothered Mind on Fat Possum)
"Traitor Joe's" by Liz Fitzgerald
"Another Travelin' Song" by Bright Eyes (from I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning on Saddle Creek)

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Campaign for Fair Food & Bricks Bike Kitchen

2011-08-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

Local Dirt just purchased a brand spanking new audio recorder through a generous grant from the Davis Cooperative Community Fund! Having our own recorder means that we can record outside the studio more often and on short notice. We used the new recorder for both stories on this week's show. Hit us up if you know of something you think we should record.

Campaign for Fair Food. Damara Luce, National Coordinator of Just Harvest, a farmworker justice organization, talks about conditions in Florida's tomato fields and the Coalit ion of Immokalee Worker s' ongoing, successful campaign to improve those conditions. This audio was recorded with permission at last Tuesday's Kitchen Table Talks SF. The Kitchen Table Talks series is organized by Civil Eats and 18 Reasons. Visit the Kitchen Table Talks webpage to hear the whole panel discussion on modern tomatoes, which included Luce, Emma Torbert of UC Davis's Agricultural Sustainability Institute, and Fred Hempel of Baia Nicchia Farm & Nursery.

Want to get involved in bringing justice for farm workers in Immokalee, Florida? Check out the march happening in Davis, CA this Saturday from 5:30-6:30pm at the Davis Trader Joes.

Also, check out this awesome video that UC Davis alum, Liz Fitzgerald, made for the Campaign for Fair Food!

Bricks Bike Kitchen. A note from Natalie: Two weeks ago, I mentioned on the air that I wanted to produce some radio stories about kids & bikes. I'd gotten pumped on kids with bikes when I saw how much the kids I knew in New Orleans loved their bikes. A listener named Anne called into the station to tell me about a teeny tiny bike kitchen that her boyfriend and a friend had organized in the Sacramento housing project where he lives. They call it the Bricks Bike Kitchen, and you can't find it on the internet. She invited me to come out to record, and here's what I got. If you have a suggestion for a show topic, email us at localdirt@gmail.com or call us up (530.754.KDVS) during the show like Anne did.

Music.
This show features music by The Ditty Bops, The Dixie Bee-Liners, and The Dixie Chicks.

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Proyecto Azteca and Atrazine

2011-07-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Proyecto Azteca.
Jeremy chats with, Ann Cass, the Executive Director of Proyecto Azteca, a non-profit construction self-help program for unincorporated colonias located in southern Texas. Proyecto Azteca is a nationally recognized, community directed, self-help housing organization that has financed and trained more than 600 families in the construction and first time homeownership in over 50 Hidalgo County colonias. Photo courtesy Proyecto Azteca.

Atrazine up for Review.
This week, the Environmental Protection Agency will wrap up its two-year scientific review of atrazine, an herbicide found in 94% of U.S. drinking water. Kathryn Gilje, co-director of the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA) speaks with Natalie about how atrazine affect human health, what we can expect from the EPA's review, and what citizens can do.

Music.
Tonight's show featured music from...
- Josh Ritter
- Putamayo World Music, Brazilian Lounge
- Sons and Daughters, The Decemberists

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Art for Regional Change and The Carnito Story

2011-07-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

Art for Regional Change.
Jeremy talks with jesikah maria ross, Art of Regional Change director, about her latest project, Restore/ReStory. The project brings together scholars, students, artists, and residents to produce a public history website and associated audio tour of the Cache Creek Nature Preserve in rural Yolo County, California. Photos by Jeremy Raff.

Farmers Market Update.
Jenn provides a Davis Farmers Market update and explains why apricots are going to be scare this summer.

Meet Your Meat: Carnito
Dani chats with UC Davis student, Thibault Hoppe-Glosser, about his hog, Carnito, and animal he raised, slaughtered and ate. Thibault and Dani chat about the ethical implications of meat consumption and how consciousness of where food comes from played a key role in Thibault's adventure in backyard animal husbandry. Learn what it took to raise a hog for seven months, slaughter it, then eat it for dinner. Photo by Aaron Gardner.

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Davis Summers and Pride Weekend

2011-06-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Davis Farmers Market Update. The first of a weekly series of updates on the Davis Farmers Market, brought to you by Jennifer Heinlein from Good Humus Farms. Jenn chats about summer produce, the 'white dress' phenomenon, and more! What's hot at the market this week? Stonefruit, basil, cherries, summer squash, herbs, beets, strawberries, sunflowers... Image courtesy of Davis Farmers Market.

Davis Summers. What do local Davis-ites do with their hot, sweaty Davis summers? Find out more in this quirky segment of summer stories, tips for keeping cool, summer pop songs and the hottest and most intriguing aspects of summer entertainment. Image courtesy of TrekEarth.

Pride Weekend. Fabi and Jeremy chat about their experience in San Francisco for this past weekend's 42nd annual Pride activities. Learn more about the history of LGBT activism and celebration in San Francisco and the birth of San Francisco's Gay Pride festivities. See the 'videos' section below to watch clips from this weekends' festival. Image courtesy of FunCheapSF.

News.

America's first no-packaging grocery store coming to Austin - from Grist.org, written by Sarah Laskow
A warming planet struggles to feed itself - from the New York Times, written by Justin Gillis

Videos.
Jeremy captures scenes from the 42nd annual Pride activities in San Francisco.

Untitled from Jeremy Raff on Vimeo.

Whole Foods Parking Lot satire.

Music.
Tonight's show featured music from...
-Los Pregoneros Del Puerto, El Ahualulco
- James King, Leaving
- Victor Johnson, This Old Man
- Dan Zanes and Friends, Hop Up Ladies

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Solar Community Housing Association and Studying Sustainable Agriculture at UC Davis

2011-06-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

Solar Community Housing Association.
Founded by a group of alumni from the cooperative housing program at UC Davis, the Solar Community Housing Association (SCHA) is a Davis, CA based non-profit that encourages and creates community and respect for environment through affordable, cooperative housing. Ben Pearl, Project Manager for the SCHA, talks about the latest projects that SCHA is supporting in the community, including the new cooperative located at J St and 3rd. To learn more about the SCHA, visit http://schadavis.org/. Photo courtesy of the SCHA.

Studying Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at UC Davis.
Want to get your hands dirty? Learn how to drive a tractor? Understand the impact agriculture policy has on food access and health? Support non-profits in agriculture? Then the new Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) major is for you! Joanna Normoyle, recent UC Davis graduate and Internship Coordinator and Undergraduate Advisor for the SAFS program, chat about the launch of the new major and how it was developed. Joanna also talks about the Agricultural Sustainability Institute and the Student Farm at UC Davis. To lean more about the ASI, the Student Farm or the new SAFS major, visit http://asi.ucdavis.edu/. Photo courtesy of the University of California.

Music.
Tonight's show featured music from...
- Kate Wolf, Across The Great Divide
- Laura Gibson, Shadows on Parade
- The Devil Makes Three, All Hail
- John Gorka, Shadows in the Fields

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Butterflies, Climate Change and a Rally to Save the Domes at UC Davis

2011-05-31T20:08:00.001-07:00

Butterflies and Climate Change.
Butterfly Man, Dr. Arthur 'Art' Shapiro, professor of Evolution and Ecology at UC Davis, discusses his work observing butterflies and monitoring their population across the central section of California over the past 35 years. Art also talks about his global travels and research translating changes and observations within butterfly populations to global climate change. To learn more about Art's work, visit his website: butterfly.ucdavis.edu. Photo courtesy of UC Davis.

Rally to Save the Domes.
Jeremy and Anna Ruth report from the rally to save the Domes, which occurred at UC Davis on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011. Domes residents and community supporters presented letters of support to the UC Davis administration to save their community. Jeremy chats with Emily Galindo, Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and director of Student Housing at UC Davis. We also hear from Fred Wood, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at UC Davis, on the state of the Domes future and negotiations with the Solar Community Housing Association. To learn more about the Domes community, and how you can help, visit www.bagginsend.org. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Raff.

Announcements.
- Join us for UC Davis Farm-to-College Night on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 from 4:30-7:30pm at the UC Davis ARC Pavilion. Fun activities, live music and contra dancing with Driving With Fergus, games, prizes, and of course, a sustainable menu featuring local and organic ingredients. Learn more at dining.ucdavis.edu.

Music.
Tonight's show featured music from...
- Putamyo World Music - Brazilian Lounge and African Lounge
- Evangeline (playing live at the UC Davis Tri CoOps - Pierce on Thursday, June 9th at 8pm)
- Bon Iver

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Student Run Food CoOp and the Trellis Fund

2011-05-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Flatland Food Collective at UC Davis - Student Run Food CoOp. Sparked by an interest in more sustainable food options on the UC Davis campus, UC Davis students Kase Wheatley and Anna Ruth Crittenden joined teams with the national Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive to launch a cooperatively- and student-run cafe on campus! Jeremy Raff chats with Anna Ruth and Kase about their work with CoFed and students at UC Davis to begin the discussion around food, cooperatives and how to marry the two into a retail operation on campus: the Flatland Food Collective. Image courtesy of the Flatland Food Collective at UC Davis.

The Trellis Fund. Named after grape trellises because it provides a support framework for local initiatives to grow and become fruitful, The Trellis Fund was developed by UC Davis graduate students and brothers Peter and Tommy Shapland. Neda Yousefian chats with Peter, Tommy and Juliet Braslow, a UC Davis graduate student studying Horticulture and Agronomy and International Agriculture Development program, about the development of the Trellis Fund and some of the projects that have fruited from the funds networking structure and grant program. The Trellis Fund aims to link horticultural graduate students in the U.S. to agricultural NGOs/universities/government agencies in developing countries. Image courtesy of the Trellis Fund at UC Davis.

Announcements.
Rally to Save the Domes - UC Davis Domes residents are organizing a rally in support of their housing community! The rally will be held in the Memorial Union on Wednesday, May 25th 2011 from 2 to 5 p.m. To lean more about the UC Davis Domes community, visit http://www.bagginsend.org/. Image courtesy of the Baggins End Community at UC Davis.

Music.
Tonight's show features music from...
- Tow by The Devil Makes Three
- Mister Freedom by Mother Earth, Tree People
- De Noile, Na Cama by Doris Monteiro
- Hands in Pockets by Joanna Newsom

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Kathleen Merrigan: Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

2011-05-19T00:28:00.000-07:00

A talk by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan, about the significance of eating locally produced food, knowing your farmer and playing an active role in your regional food system.

The event was hosted by the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) of UC Davis and Students for Sustainable Agriculture.

The piece begins with a short introduction by Tom Tomich, director of the ASI, and a presentation of the Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award to Kelly Garbach.

Learn more about the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program.

Listen to Merrigan's talk in the audio player below. Download the audio file here.

Audio recorded on Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 at the UC Davis campus.

Living Off the Grid wih Kara Sweeney and Peace Corps in Mexico

2011-05-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

Living Off the Grid
Kara "Hrubs" Sweeney is a first year undergraduate in Biological and Environmental Engineering. She lived in an intentional community in northern Idaho 30 miles from the Canadian border completely off the grid. After apprenticing with Becky Kemery, author of Yurts: Living in the Round, Kara became inspired to build her own yurt out of pallets, which would otherwise not go to any use. Her next big project is a mobile house! Image courtesy Kara Sweeney.

Peace Corps: Mexico
Daniel Evans, a UC Davis alumni and the Peace Corps country director for Mexico, came on to the show and talked with Neda and Jeremy about the work that Peace Corps volunteers do around the world. Daniel served as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic and then came to UC Davis to study in the International Agricultural Development and Ecology programs. He went on to work in international development for 30 years. Speaking about opportunities in the Peace Corps, Daniel was especially excited about the Master's International program where students can attend graduate school and serve in the Peace Corps simultaneously. In response to some of the criticism of the Peace Corps with regard to volunteers being part of American foreign policy Evans said that the Peace Corps is independent of the State Department and each volunteer shares their own experiences with their host community and so is a representative of America but not in any formal way. To learn more about the Peace Corps or the Master's International program visit the websites: www.peacecorps.gov or www.peacecorps.gov/gradschool. Image courtesy Peace Corps.

Music!
Today's show featured music from Afro-Cuban All Stars, Compay Segundo, and the compilation 24 Anos De Musica Y Cultura! 1976-2000!

Announcements!

Take a quick survey about the UC Davis Student Farm!Win some free organic produce or a $20 gift card to the UC Davis Bookstore!
Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food! Check out Kathleen Merrigan, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, at UC Davis, Wednesday, May 18th from 2:00-3:00pm at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. More event info here!

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Whole Earth Festival Speaker Series 2011: Kim Stanley Robinson

2011-05-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Kim Stanley Robinson.

Award-winning science fiction writer and local Davis community member, Kim Stanley Robinson, came to UC Davis for the 2011 Whole Earth Festival speaker series.

Robinson is well known for his Mars trilogy, as well as Three Californias trilogy, The Martians, Antarctica, and The Years of Rice and Salt.

The underlying theme in most of Robinson's writing is ecological sustainability.

Robinson spoke at the 2011 Whole Earth Festival Speaker Series at UC Davis. Listen to his discussion in the audio player below. Download the talk here.

Whole Earth Festival Speaker Series 2011: Derrick Jensen on Civilization and Resistance

2011-05-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Derrick Jensen.

"We are the members of the most destructive culture ever to exist. Our assault on the natural world, on indigenous and other cultures, on women, on children, on all of us through the possibility of nuclear suicide and other means -- all of these are unprecedented in their magnitude and ferocity."

So began his first book, Listening to the Land. Why do we act as we do? What are sane and effective responses to outrageously destructive behavior? What will it take for us to stop the horrors that characterize our way of being? His work and life revolve around these questions.

Jensen spoke at the 2011 Whole Earth Festival Speaker Series at UC Davis. Listen to his discussion in the audio player below. Download the talk here.

Whole Earth Festival Speaker Series 2011: Penny Livingston - Stark on Permculture

2011-05-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

Penny Livingston-Stark.

Penny Livingston-Stark is internationally recognized as a prominent permaculture teacher, designer and speaker.

Penny has been teaching internationally and working professionally in the land management, regenerative design and permaculture development field for 25 years and has extensive experience in all phases of ecologically sound design and construction as well as the use of natural non-toxic building materials. She specializes in site planning and the design of resource-rich landscapes integrating, rainwater collection, edible and medicinal planting, spring development, pond and water systems, habitat development and watershed restoration for homes, co-housing communities, businesses and diverse yield perennial farms. Image and biography courtesy www.regenerativedesign.org.

Livingston-Stark spoke at the 2011 Whole Earth Festival Speaker Series at UC Davis. Listen to her discussion in the audio player below.

Download the talk here.

Davis Art About, Farm-to-School, Pomegranate Salon and Musings with a Davis Community Member

2011-05-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

2nd Friday Davis Art About, Farm-to-School and Pomegranate Salon.
Jeremy chats with several Davis community members about this upcoming 2nd Friday Davis Art About on Friday, May 13th from 5-9pm.

Rich, owner of Pomegranate Salon in Davis CA. This Friday, Pomegranate will be hosting several artists, including musicians, and also Berryessa Gap, a local winery. All proceeds from the wine sales at Pomegranate on Friday will support the Davis Farm-to-School program.

Talia Hack-Davies from Davis Farm-to-School came on to talk about the efforts that the Farm-to-School program has made in the community including recycling, school gardens, farm tours and healthy school lunches in Davis public schools. Talia also talked about the upcoming Tour-de-Cluck happening in Davis this weekend.

Jeremy also chats with several artists whose work will be featured at Pomegranate Salon on May 13th, including Chris Bell, Alexander Bonack and Morgan Hibbert-King.

Finally, Melanie Glover from the Downtown Davis Business Association, who coordinates the monthly 2nd Friday Art About events in Davis, chats with Jeremy about this Fridays events. To get a map of the events and locations for the Art About, check out the Downtown Davis Business Association website.

Farming, Humanure and Steinbeck - Musings with a Davis Community Member.
Community member, Bobby Johnson, chats with Neda, Anna Ruth and Jeremy about everything from urban agriculture to humanure. Bobby speaks about his undergraduate education in soil science, his love for tomatoes, the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, a non-profit that he helped to start, and his favorite crop, asparagus, and the phenomenon that occurs with your urine after consuming asparagus.

Bobby also chats about his work on the UC Davis Student Farm, human poop and how to utilize humane waste for recycling nutrients into our agriculture system. Bobby references the Humanure Handbook by Joseph C. Jenkins. Bobby's favorite books also include To a God Unknown and Cup of Gold, both by John Steinbeck.

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Village Harvest and State-Wide Student Convergence

2011-05-03T22:09:00.001-07:00

Village Harvest. Fruit trees scatter the streets, front yards and backyards of the Davis community, often times with their delicious fruit going to waste. Learn more about the local gleaning group, Village Harvest, in this week's show. Neda Yousefian sits down with Jagroop Guraya and Greg Gibbs. To learn more about Village Harvest, visit their website.

State-Wide Student Convergence. Over 300 students from across the state converged this past weekend at the UC Davis campus for the 10th annual California Student Sustainability Coalition Convergence. Dani and Anna Ruth report from the convergence, bringing you clips for keynote speakers, panelists, students and workshop leaders. To learn more about the CSSC, visit their website. Photo courtesy of Jay Erker.

Music!
Today's show featured music from, The Pleb, Laura Gibson, Driving with Fergus and Issa Bagayogo .

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

WEF Karma Patrol, Cob Benches and a chat with a student food warrior

2011-04-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

Whole Earth Festival - Karma Patrol.
Mona Mae, Karma Patrol (KP) co-director for the annual Whole Earth Festival (WEF), talks with Anna Ruth about this years' amazing Zero Waste festival. Whole Earth Festival is coming to UC Davis the 6th, 7th and 8th of May - Mothers' Day weekend - and it is going to be AWESOME. This year's theme is Consciousness Cultivating Compassion. To learn more about WEF and how to get involved in KP and keep the festival cool, check out the WEF wesbite! Image courtesy of UC Davis.

Cob Bench at the Domes.
Dani reports from the UC Davis Domes community at a cob trash bench building party on Earth Day, Friday April 22nd. Brennan Bird talks about students taking a hands-on approach to their education. Shawn King discusses the nitty gritty of cob and earth-bag building. We also hear a fun story about salvaging waste from Willee Roberts. To learn more about the Domes, check out the Domes website. More information about cob building and earth bag building, too! Photos by Dani Lee.

Food Warrior Kitty Bolte.
Kitty Bolte and Anna Ruth chat about seed banks, Real Food Challenge and farming.

Music!
This week's show features music from Driving with Fergus, Dixie Chicks and Iron and Wine.

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

WestCo Recap, Beekeeping and Colony Collapse Disorder

2011-04-13T23:08:00.001-07:00

WestCo Recap and Beekeeping Workshop.
Anna Ruth and Jeremy recap on some awesome workshops, including a beekeeping workshop, and other happenings at the WestCo conference, which took place in Berkeley, CA this past weekend. WestCo is the coming together of student cooperatives from all over the west coast, providing an opportunity to strengthen the cooperative community through skill share, communication, and some festive collaboration.

Jeremy also talked about the recent breakthrough for the honeybee colony collapse disorder, citing an article from the New York Times - Honeybee Killer Found by Army and Entomologist by Kirk Johnson.

From the Archives.
We re-streamed two brief shows from past Local Dirt episodes, including a brief stint on the Fair Food Project with Alida Cantor and the Real Food Challenge with Hai Vo.

Music!
Tonight's' show featured music from Bon Iver.

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Plastic Bag Ordinance in Davis, Russell Ranch Barn Dance and the Domes

2011-04-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

Plastic Bag Ordinance in Davis. Our favorite zero-waste specialist and UC Davis alum, Michael Siminitus, joined us on Local Dirt tonight to give use the dirt about the recently proposed ban of single-use plastic bags in Davis. Hear what Mike has to say about both sides of the argument - for and against the ordinance - and why the continuous production and use of film plastics is something we should be concerned about. Check out the Ban the Bag Davis Facebook Group to learn more!

Check out this awesome video from previous Local Dirt guest, AshEL Eldridge on plastic bags.

Russell Ranch Barn Dance Recap. Lots of fun, lots of dancing, lots of dirt. The Russell Ranch Barn dance that happened on Friday, April 1st with Driving with Fergus and Erik Hoffman was a great success. Anna Ruth talks about Erik Hoffman's calling skills, and how contra dancing supports community building.

Domes Work Party. Anna Ruth and Jeremy share sounds from the recent Domes community work party.

Red Tail Hawk. Great spoken word from Shannon Harney.

Music!
Tonight's' show featured music from Iron and Wine.

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

Welcome Spring and Russell Ranch Barn Dance

2011-03-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Spring snail says 'hello!'

Welcome back to Local Dirt. We took quite the hiatus, but are back and excited to bring you more local dirtiness!

This week's show:

New CoHosts!
Welcome to our new Local Dirt co-hosts Anna Ruth Crittenden, Neda Yousefian and Jenn Heinlein. We took the first half hour of Local Dirt to play twenty questions with Anna 'Truth' and Neda. Jenn is living it up in Guatemala, but should be here next week to introduce herself.

Russell Ranch Barn Dance!
Join Students for Sustainable Agriculture and the Agriculture Sustainability Institute in bringing in the spring quarter with quite the event! On Friday, April 1st Driving With Fergus and Erik Hoffman will be leading us in quite an awesome Contra Dancing affair! Never contra danced before? Don't worry, you'll pick it up quick. Food at 7pm (potluck) and dancing at 8pm. The event will be held at the big barn at the Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Research Facility (directions). From Davis it is simply west on Russell for 6 miles until you see the big LTRAS sign on the left, then up the path to the barn.

To learn more about the Russell Ranch Barn Dance, please contact Janaki Jagganath at jjagannath at ucdavis dot edu.

Music!
In this week's show we played:
- American Congress Library - Fiddle Tunes
- Joanna Newsom
- Driving With Fergus

LISTEN UP!
To listen to this week's show, visit this show link. Enjoy!
You can also download the audio file by right clicking on the link and saving it to your hard drive!

How Are You Doing?

2010-09-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

(This is the fourth -- and last for now -- installment of Small Closet Radio.)

Meet the question. On today's show, we look closely at the question, "How are you doing?" -- perhaps learning more than we ever wanted to know.
Make the question yours. How some folks use the question to do things that matter them, whether or not they matter to anyone else.
Hate the question. Sometimes, this question and questions like it just drive us crazy. We talk about why.
Avoid the question. You've probably dodged it once or twice. Stories of folks doing just that.
Make peace. The question might not always do what we think it does or want it to, but it might do something really important anyway. One idea on what that might be.

The voices:
Kevin Boise, David Breaux, Valentina Cekovski, Sara Kosoff, Gabi LeBlanc, Amy Lee, Elena Rossman, Roxanne Sarraille, and Pauline Yahr. Today's show was co-produced by Amy Lee.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Music Playlist:
"Smoothie Song" Nickelcreek (This Side on Sugar Hill)
"Spit On A Stranger" Nickelcreek (This Side on Sugar Hill)

Farmers & War

2010-08-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

(This is the third installment of Small Closet Radio.)

Growing peace. In 2005, farmer Michael O'Gorman started the coalition Farms Not Arms, hoping that the world would be a better place if "the folks who have the world in their hands, literally, got together to protect it, and to protect each other." Peace activism isn't exactly part of the farmer job description, but when you hear O'Gorman talk, it makes a lot of sense -- though these days he'd tell you that his only activism is growing food. We spend this hour looking at how war impacts farmers and rural communities, and what U.S. farmers are doing about it.

The voices:
Michael O'Gorman, organic farmer, founder of Farms Not Arms, and executive director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Jerry Pennick, director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives' Land Assistance Fund.
George Naylor, farmer and former president of the National Family Farm Coalition.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to download the mp3.

Risks & Choices On The Gulf Coast

2010-08-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

(This is the second installment of Small Closet Radio.)

Taking risks in the Gulf. When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in April, it began the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history -- and it took the livelihoods of fisherfolks and others in the Gulf Coast's seafood industry. Many of these people have taken jobs cleaning up and containing the spill with BP's "Vessels of Opportunity" program, but they've been forbidden to use respirators while cleaning up the toxic crude oil. In this hour, a look at the "choice" to do this work. We examine the risks that led to this situation, who's been making the choices, and what choice we've got left. (Photo credit: EndOfTheAmericanDream.com)

The voices:
Merle Savage, general foreman on the Exxon Valdez clean-up and author of Silence In The Sound.
Monique Harden, New Orleans-based lawyer and co-director of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights.
Dahr Jamail, independent journalist reporting from Louisiana.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to download the mp3.

Marijuana Legalization and Race

2010-07-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

(This is the first installment of Small Closet Radio, Local Dirt's summer substitute.)

California's marijuana laws could change soon. In November, California voters will decide whether to legalize, regulate, and tax adult recreational marijuana use. The decision, it turns out, has class and race implications that many don't recognize. In this show, we explore these implications.

Debate. Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness and retired Orange County judge James Gray discuss the details of CA Prop 19 and explain their hopes and concerns.

Race. Sociologist Harry Levine, co-author of the report "Targeting Blacks for Marijuana,"
explains that because of the way that policing works throughout the U.S., marijuana prohibition leads to tremendous racial and class inequality -- that, on average, people of color use marijuana less than white people do, but get arrested far more.

Listen here. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Music credit: "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" by The Asylum Street Spankers (God's Favorite Band on Yellow Dog)
Photo credit: Aliza Hausman, FrumSatire.net

Small Closet Summer

2010-07-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hey! As you might have noticed, Local Dirt's taking a break for the summer. In its place, I'll be producing one-hour radio pieces on a variety of topics, and they'll air every other week as "Small Closet Radio". On the alternate weeks, we'll play Bioneers, an internationally syndicated series about solutions to environmental problems.

I hope you'll like it -- feel free to let us know what you think!

Natalie

Methyl Iodide in California

2010-06-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

Methyl Iodide. California's Department of Pesticide Regulation is just days from a final decision on whether to permit growers to use methyl iodide, a dangerous new pesticide. First, we hear from Anne Katten of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. Back in September, as California's EPA was commencing its scientific review process, she discussed her concerns about methyl iodide with Local Dirt listeners. Nine months later, the EPA has approved methyl iodide use but will accept public comments through Tuesday. Paul Towers of Pesticide Watch updates us on the situation and possible state and national ramifications. To learn more about methyl iodide, read here. To tell the Department of Pesticide Regulation what you think about methyl iodide, email mei_comments@CDPR.ca.gov. (Photo credit: http://energyhealing.blogspot.com)

Endosulfan Ban. Paul Towers said that the U.S. EPA has recently taken some actions to protect Americans. This press release describe one example, this month's endosulfan ban.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to download the mp3.

Music Playlist.

"American Rivers" Tom Russell (Blood & Candlesmoke on Shout Factory)

"Deeper Well" Wailin' Jennys (Wailin' Jennys EP on Red House)

"Long Hot Summer Day" Sara Watkins (Sara Watkins on Nonesuch)

"Waiting on a Train" Jimmie Rodgers (Early Years 1928-29 on Rounder)

Whose University?

2010-06-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

This week, we bring you a special program, one that I've worked on all year. It's a four-act radio documentary investigating the public university -- what it is, who it's for, and how we understand it, especially right now. To try to answer these questions, we look closely at UC Davis. The show's got money that's blood, a school that's a corporation, plus vampires, factories, a double-decker bus, and an elephant (sort of).

Listen. Use the player below to hear the program, or click on "divShare" to download the mp3.

For a full list of notes and citations, download here.

This piece is covered by a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share-Alike copyright. Feel free to send links or re-post the mp3. If you'd like to rebroadcast it (in whole or in part), please contact me at ncyahr@gmail.com so that I can ask permission from my interviewees.

Extraordinary thanks to KDVS and UC Davis American Studies for making this project possible.

May the university be yours,
Natalie

Capay Organic and Appalachian Community Radio

2010-06-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

Capay Organic. Tucked away in the Capay Valley is Capay Organic, a medium-sized organic farm that operates a community supported agriculture (CSA), a wholesale operation, sells produce at local Farmers Markets and to local restaurants and institutions. Capay Organics also operates the retail operation, Farm-Fresh-to-You Store, in the San Francisco Ferry Building. Thaddeus Barsotti, one of three brothers who operates Capay Organic, came on to talk about the history of Capay Organic, the business behind organic agriculture, their focus on education and the successes of Capay Organic's business ventures.

Capay Organic will be hosting their annual Capay Tomato Event on Saturday, July 10th 2010 out at the farm. Join in on the community celebration centered around heirloom tomatoes. Live music, including the West Nile Ramblers, tomato tastings, activities for kids and families and farm tours will fill the afternoon. Photo courtesy www.farmfreshtoyou.com.

Covering Coal on the Radio. WMMT Mountain Community Radio in Whitesburg, KY serves a community whose members are seldom portrayed accurately in the mainstream media, says station manager Cheryl Marshall. On Local Dirt, Cheryl discusses the needs and interests of the station's audience. She explains how the coalfield station covers coal-related issues, acknowledging that coal plays a variety of roles in the lives of WMMT listeners. To hear WMMT, listen to the stream online or find a specific past show of interest to you. (Originally aired June 9, 2009.)

Listen. Listen to the show by using the audio player below. To download the mp3, click on the 'divShare' logo.

News.
A Mud More Complex Than the Garden Variety by Henry Fountain, New York Times, May 27, 2010.

Music Playlist.
"Hallelujah" by Martha Scanlan
"Big Bird In A Small Cage" by Patrick Watson on Wooden Arms, Peacefrog Holdings Limited
"Double Wide" by the West Nile Ramblers
"Minneapolis" by Lucinda Williams on World Without Tears, UMG Recordings Inc

Student Projects: Demystifying Raw Milk and Whole Earth Festival

2010-05-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

This week's Local Dirt show features student projects as part of an Action Research Team for the UC Davis Education for Sustainable Living Program.

Demystifying Raw Milk. Guest co-host Gina Drioane, talks about the basics of raw milk with dairy farmer Mark McAffee from Fresno's Organic Pastures. Mark goes into detail about the history of milk production and why raw milk may be considered nutritionally superior and more sustainable compared to pasteurized milk. To learn more about Organic Pastures and raw milk, visit the Organic Pastures website. Photo courtesy Organic Pastures.

Capturing Whole Earth Festival Excitement. Guest co-host Scott Birkestrand, covers the Whole Earth Festival live during the events that happened the first weekend of May. Photo courtesy Whole Earth Festival.

Listen. You can listen to the show in the mp3 player below, to download the show click on the 'divShare' logo.

Announcements.

- Looking for a cool UC Davis class for Fall 2010? Check out CRD 20: Food Systems, which has received rave reviews from students. For more info, read here or listen to this Local Dirt segment (about 36 minutes in).

Music Playlist.

"I Met Him on a Sunday" Laura Nyro & LaBelle (Gonna Take a Miracle on Sony)

"Teeth in the Grass" Iron + Wine (Our Endless Numbered Days on Sub-Pop)

"Orphan Girl" Tim & Mollie O'Brien (Away Out on the Mountain on Sugar Hill)

Music, Art, Environmental Education and Composting at the UC Davis Memorial Union

2010-05-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Music. Art. Environmental Education. AshEL Eldridge from Communitree, Art in Action, Green for All and the Alliance for Climate Education join us on Local Dirt to talk about his work with environmental education, his educational background at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. AshEL will be performing live on Saturday May 22nd at Music on the Green, starting at 5:00pm in Davis Central Park. Interested in supporting this event? AshEL is looking for a DJ to spin while he performs his spoken word pieces. Contact AshEL (seasunz3 at gmail dot com) for more information. During Music on the Green, AshEL will be performing works from his latest album - Earth Amplified. AshEL Eldridge performs as Seasunzs.

Composting at the UC Davis Memorial Union. Antonina Shapovalova and Serene Musallam from the UC Davis Honors Challenge joined Will Klein from the Campus Center for the Environment to update us on the compost pilot program that is currently happening at the UC Davis Memorial Union. The DHC students' initial study showed that over 70% of waste at the Memorial Union was compostable. Their work with ASUCD Project Compost, the ASUCD Senate and Campus Center for the Environment as well as Memorial Union staff and administrators within the UC Davis office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability has pushed the project forward. Photo courtesy Deeba Yavrom.

Listen. You can listen to the show in the below mp3 audio player; to download the mp3, click on the 'divShare' logo.

Music Playlist.

"Pagan, Pay Gone" by Midnite (Ras Mek Peace on Wild Child)

"Born Secular" by Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins (Rabbit Fur Coat on Team Love)

The Science Behind Compost and Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

2010-05-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

The Science Behind Compost. Dr Kate Scow, renowned soil microbial ecologist and faculty member in the Dept. of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis, and Alexa Sommers-Miller from ASUCD Project Compost discuss the science behind composting, the process of letting nature turn food and plant waste into useful, nutrient-rich matter. Composting is an alternative to sending food waste and organic matter to the landfill where it produces methane, a noxious greenhouse gas, as it decomposes. Kate and Alexa discuss compost methods, the creatures who make compost happen, and ways that composting might help save the world! They also talk about some problems that compost alone can't solve, like how what to do about the dangerous materials our society produces.

Listen.
Listen to the show below with the mp3 player, or click 'divShare' to download the mp3.

News.
Oil Spill Swells to 4M Gallons by the Associated Press in the New York Times

Announcements.

- Music on the Green: Free concert and educational event, Saturday May 22nd, 5pm @ Central Park in Davis.

Music Playlist.

"House by the Sea" Iron + Wine (The Sheperd's Dog on Sub Pop)

"Pray For Rain" Tim Grimm (Farm Songs on Vault)

"Poet In My Window" Nanci Griffith (Poet In My Window on Philo/Rounder)

"A Bird Without a Feather" R.L. Burnside (A Bothered Mind on Fat Possum)

Arizona Immigration Law from a Student's View and Struggles of African American Farmers

2010-05-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Arizona Immigration Law: A Student's View. Fellow Aggie, Fabiola Molina, from Texas A&M University, discusses her involvement in the march against the recent Arizona immigration law, signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer. Fabiola, a Texas A&M student senator, attended the march on Saturday in Austin, Texas and discusses her thoughts on the law and how it affects her as a student and her community. Image courtesy Monica Almeida from the New York Times.

The Struggles of Rural African Americans. Jerry Pennick, Director of the Fede ration of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund, explains specific injustices affecting rural African Americans. He discusses land loss, lack of access to credit and markets, and discriminatory lending practices -- including by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These long-standing problems, he says, persist today. The Federation promotes economic justice, a necessary prerequisite for sustainable agriculture. To learn more about Black land loss, check out the "Torn From the Land" series here and here. For more on the Pigford case, read this news article. Originally aired on 3/1/2010. Image courtesy Russell Lee, USDA.

Listen. Use the mp3 player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to download the mp3.

News Articles.
Arizona Enacts Stringent Law on Immigration from The New York Times by Randal C. Archibold

Announcements.
- It's International Compost Awareness Week! Check out Project Compost in the Quad and the Dining Rooms this week as well as tours of Segundo Dining Room and take a sneak peak of the organic waste diversion program happening on Tuesday May 4th/Thursday May 6th from 2-4pm.
- Project Compost Meetings are at 6:00pm on Mondays, check it out!
- Real Food Week is happening this week! Check out our last post for the awesome activities

Music Playlist.

"Goin' Down South" by R.L. Burnside feat. Lyrics Born (A Bothered Mind on Fat Possum)

"I Ain't Got You" by Rosie Flores and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts (Girl of the Country on Bloodshot)

"Night Train to Memphis" performed by Bobby Hebb (From Where I Stand on Warner Brothers)

"Great Atomic Power" by Charlie Louvin (Charlie Louvin on Tompkins Square)

Farmwork Freedom March, Real Food Week and School Lunch

2010-04-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Farmworker Freedom March. From April 16th through 18th, the Coalition of Immakolee Workers (CIW) came together with members of the farmworker community, student activists from the Student-Farmworker Alliance and Florida community members to rally against Publix, a large American grocery market chain. They marched 25 miles from Tampa to Lakeland, Florida to the Publix corporate headquarters. Janaki Jagannath and Liz Fitzgerald were among five UCD at the Farmworker Freedom March and they joined us on Local Dirt to discuss the experience.

Real Food Week. Kase Wheatley and Sarah Stockdale from Students for Sustainable Agriculture presented SSA's Real Food Week, which is occurring May 3rd-8th at the UC Davis campus. Two events each day are happening throughout the week, with gardening activities each day. The week is intended to build community and awareness around food and agriculture in the campus and local community. On Monday, May 3rd, SSA will be screening the film, DIRT. Check out the Facebook event here.

Behavioral Economics and School Lunch. How can we change the way students eat in the dining rooms and cafeterias across the nation? Jeremy and Dani talk about researchers Brian Wansink and David R. Just suggesting using behavioral economics, things like making students pay for dessert, to encourage students to choose healthier options in their school lunch programs. Wansink and Just propose simple, cost-free changes that can be made in the cafeteria that can promote positive behavior change. Check out the article, featured in Choices Magazine, here. Smarter Lunch Rooms: Using Behavioral Economics to Improve Meal Selection, by David R. Just and Brian Wansink.

Listen. Use the mp3 player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to download the mp3.

Announcements.

- This coming week (May 3-9) is International Compost Awareness Week! Stay tuned for related events.

Music Playlist.

"American Rivers" by Tom Russell (Blood and Candle Smoke on Shout! Factory)

"In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" by The West Nile Ramblers (Honkabilly Western Garage, self-released)

"Gulf Coast Highway" performed by Red Molly, written by Nanci Griffith, Danny Flowers, and James Hooker (James, self-released)

FUNDRAISER!

2010-04-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

KDVS, the happy home of Local Dirt for five years, has just begun its one fundraiser week of the year! I know, fundraising time is usually the least fun time to tune in to public radio, the fundraiser helps keep us on the air, and we promise to make the fundraiser shows as fun as possible! At KDVS, we're actually quite proud of our fundraiser: it's unusual short, it's only once a year, we routinely reach our goal, and we give away fun gifts to those who donate. So as Dani and I prepare to answer the phones night and day, we hope you'll consider contributing any amount you can afford. You can donate online at https://fundraiser.kdvs.org/ or call 877.399.5387 or 530.754.5387.

As they say, operators are standing by.

April 30, 2010: The fundraiser has passed, but you can donate to KDVS anytime you like. If you'd like to hear our 2010 fundraiser show, co-hosted by our former KDVS neighbor Mick Mucus and with guest appearances from former Local Dirt hosts Temra Costa and Tianna Dupont, listen here!

Coal Corruption and Zero Waste

2010-04-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Coal Corporations. Last week's Upper Big Branch mine disaster reminded America of the dangers of underground mining, but a closer look reveals that coal corporations make coal mining more dangerous than necessary. Lorelei Scarbro is a lifelong resident of West Virginia's Coal River Valley and a community organizer for Coal River Mountain Watch. She also works for the Coal River Wind Project, which aims to preserve mountains, reduce global warming, and improve life in coal communities by building a wind farm on Coal River Mountain. Back in November, I spoke to Lorelei after Massey Energy began blasting on that mountain, reducing the wind energy potential. On this week's show, we talk about the control of coal corporations on life and politics in Appalachian states. For news updates since this interview, check out Democracy Now!. (Photo credit: Ken Ward Jr.)

Zero My Waste. Michael Siminitus, recent UC Davis graduate and founder of Waste Busters, talks about his past work with the UC Davis campus to reach the waste diversion goals set by the University of California - zero-waste by 2020. Since graduating, Michael has turned his passion into a full-fledged business that helps event planners and businesses implement zero-waste plans. Recently, Michael has worked with the Davis Farmers Market to implement a zero-waste program for Picnic in the Park, diverting most of the organic waste to a local composting entity. To find out more about Waste Busters, visit the Zero My Waste website.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Announcements.

-The CSSC Convergence will take place at UCSD April 30-May 2. To register, visit this website.

-The film No Impact Man will screen in Davis on Tuesday April 20th, 6:30-8:30pm. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance. For more info....

Music Playlist.

"Come All You Coal Miners" by Sarah Ogun Gunning (Harlan County USA: songs of the coal miner's struggle on Rounder)

"Behind The Barricades" by David Rovics (Behind The Barricades: The Best of David Rovics on Daemon Records)

"You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" by Darrell Scott, performed by Red Molly (James on Red Molly)

Fandango for Farmworkers & Documentary on Dumpster Diving

2010-04-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Fandango. A sound collage from an evening of Son Jarocho music and information about the struggles and successes of tomato harvesters in Immokalee, Florida. Liz Fitzgerald, a member of the Student Farmworker Alliance, and Semilla band members Carmen, Manuel, and Pedro discuss farm labor conditions, student power, the upcoming Farmworker Freedom March, and how Son Jarocha music has been used as a flexible means of resistance. Since the fandango, Immokalee tomato harvesters have won another victory: the major food service provider Aramark joined their Campaign for Fair Food. Sodexo, which serves the UC Davis campus, is now the largest food service provider to not join the campaign. On Thursday, the ASUCD Senate will consider a bill allocating funds for five UCD students to attend the Farmworker Freedom March. If you'd like to support the bill, come to the meeting (6:10pm, in the Mee Room, Memorial Union 3rd floor). (Image courtesy of Liz Fitzgerald)

DIVE! Ever wonder what it would be like to eat food from a dumpster? In the film, DIVE!, film-maker Jeremy Seifert documents his life of diving for food in grocery store dumpsters. The film delves into issues around American consumption patterns and the enormous amount of food wasted each year in the US. On this episode of Local Dirt, Jeremy joins us to disucss the making of the film, his thoughts on food waste, and some ways to save food from being tossed into waste bins. DIVE! Living Off America's Waste will be screened on Wednesday April 7th, 2010 at 5:10pm in Chem 179.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Announcements.

- Really Really Free Market: This Sunday noon-sundown in Davis's Central Park. No money, bartering, or trading. Bring anything you'd like to give away. If weather is bad, postponed to next Sunday.

- Project Compost meetings: Mondays, 6pm @ MU 43 (in the Memorial Union basement). Show up if you'd like to help divert organic waste on campus!

Music Playlist.

"We're Marching On To Freedom Land" performed by Carlton Reese (Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1966 on Folkways)

"When Doves Cry" performed by The Be Good Tanyas (Hello Love on Nettwerk)

Sustainability Course, World Water Day, Work-Bikes on Campus

2010-03-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sustainability Course. This Wednesday marks the first day of another quarter of student-led sustainability education at UC Davis. Stephanie Castle, student organizer for the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP), joins us to discuss this year's course. ESLP is open to students and non-students alike, for credit or not. Action Research Teams (ARTs) provide the opportunity for students and community members to work on sustainability projects for an additional 2 units. Local Dirt will lead an ART about using the radio to explore sustainability. For more info on the course, check out the ESLP website.

World Water Day. March 22nd was World Water Day, when the world united to bring awareness to the most critical issues facing the globe today - water scarcity and water quality. Alexa La Plante from the Sacramento committee of Water for People came on to talk about water issues and what Water for People does to help increase access to safe drinking water for global communities. We also talked about bottled water. The clip featured in the show was Annie Leonard's 'Story of Bottled Water'. You can see the rest of the clip below.

A Work-Bike On Campus! If you've been on campus in the last two years, you might have seen Mike Griffith of the UC Davis Grounds Department riding a blue and gold three-wheeled, flatbed bike to haul equipment, green waste, or trash. Back in 2007, he co-wrote a proposal to get a campus sustainability grant, money his department used to purchase the work-bike. Mike describes his bike, his workday, and his hope to get more work-bikes on campus. Originally aired in June 2, 2009.

Listen. To hear the show, use the player below. To download the mp3, click on 'divShare'.

Announcements:

Check out the new compost bins in the Memorial Union! You can now toss food, paper products (plates, dishes, cups, etc), and compostable plastics in marked compost bins inside the MU. The organic waste will go to Jepson Prairie Organics for composting. Another change: you can combine all recyclable materials at the MU. If you're not sure what goes where, take a look at the signs by the elevators and the bakery.

Music Playlist:

"Winter's Come And Gone" by Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings (Hell Among The Yearlings on Acony)

"Bring Me Little Water Silvy" by Leadbelly (In The Shadow of the Gallows Pole on Rykodisc)

Methyl Iodide and IPM in Davis

2010-03-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

Methyl Iodide and Strawberries. Conventional strawberry production across the nation relies on fumigation of the soil currently using methyl bromide. The EPA will be deciding this summer whether or not to register methyl iodide as the new strawberry production soil fumigant. Anne Katten, Pesticide and Work Safety Specialist for California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation explains her concerns about permitting methyl iodide use in California. Originally aired on 9.26.2009.

Integrated Pest Management in Davis. Martin Guerena is the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) specialist for the City of Davis. Martin discusses how Davis is using IPM practices to reduce the application of harmful pesticides in and around Davis. To learn more about the IPM practices happening in Davis, check out the City of Davis website for IPM. To contact Martin, you can email him at mguerena (at) cityofdavis (dot) org . The city of Davis daily pesticide hot line number is 530-757-5261. Originally aired on 11.17.2009.

Listen. To hear the show, use the player below. To download the mp3, click on 'divShare'.

News.
Is Anyone Watching Over Organics? on Slashfood by Nichol Nelson

Music Playlist.
Sleeper by Laura Gibson; Beasts of Season on Hush Records
White Buffalo Dance by The Garcia Brothers; Songs of my People on Music of the World
It's Finally Sinking In by Jim Lauderdale & The Dream Players; Honey Songs on YepRoc Records

Announcements.
Check out the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) at UC Davis. You can take the course for credit or just sit in on guest speakers. ESLP begins March 31st and runs from 5:10-7pm every Wednesday during spring quarter in Chem 179.

Campus Waste Diversion and a Trip to the EC Garden

2010-03-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Campus Waste Diversion. The ASUCD Coffee House is currently undergoing renovations and further waste diversion practices are being incorporated in the renovation plans. Prior to opening the new Coffee House, the Memorial Union will be piloting an organic waste composting program - diverting both pre- and post-consumer waste through composting at Jepson Prairie Organics. Currently, pre-consumer composting is happening at the Coffee House with support from ASUCD Project Compost. Thank you to our guests, Will Klein from the Campus Center for the Environment, Sara Kosoff, ASUCD Coffee House employee, Bree Rombi, ASUCD Senator, and Alexa Sommers-Miller, ASUCD Project Compost director.

EC Garden. We took you out the the Experimental College (EC) Community Gardens on campus to welcome in the new garden coordinators, Lauren Cockrell and Skyler Blakesly, and take a tour form outgoing coordinator Tim Quick. The EC Garden is open to community members and students. You can find out more about the EC Garden by visiting the EC Garden website or the wiki page.

Listen. To hear the show, use the player below. To download the mp3, click on 'divShare'.

News.
Study suggests junk food taxes may beat healthy food subsidies on Grist by Tom Laskawy

Music Playlist.
"Rex's Blues" by Townes Van Zandt (Rear View Mirror on Sugarhill)
Michael Abbot performing live at the EC Garden
"Wind and Rain" by Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and David Steele (Songcatcher: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture on Vanguard)
"Emily" by Joanna Newsom (Ys on Drag City Inc)

UC Privatization and Child Labor in Agriculture

2010-03-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

UC Privatization. On November 19th, 2009, the University of California Regents approved a 32% increase in undergraduate fees beginning next fall. This fee increase, combined with program cuts, lay-offs, high administrative salaries and a growing number of administrative positions, has led to growing unrest amongst those concerned about public education in California, the U.S., and the world. Last Thursday (March 4th) served as a day of action for public education at all levels, nationwide. First, a news report on the day's local events from KDVS News Director Elizabeth Stitt and Public Affairs Director Amber Yan. Then, Dr. Karen Watson-Gegeo and graduate student Marguerite Wilson of the UC Davis School of Education discuss what the recent changes mean for the UC system and for California as a whole. For updates on UC activism, check out this site. (Interview originally aired 11/24/09. Photo courtesy of Indymedia)

Children in the Fields. Brandon Louie, California Regional Coordinator for the Children in the Fields projects, part of the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, talked about the reality of child labor in the US agriculture industry. To see the video of the movie clip played for the intro of Brandon's interview, check out this website. Brandon Louie can be contacted at louie@afop.org. (Originally aired 11/3/09)

Listen. To hear the show, use the player below. To download the mp3, click on "divShare".

Music Playlist.

"How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?" performed by The New Lost City Ramblers (Classic Protest Songs on Smithsonian Folkways)

"Don't You Let Nobody Turn You 'Round" performed by the Silver Light Gospel Singers (Art of Field Recording, Vol. 1 on Dust to Digital)

"Dakota Justice" by Peter Kater (Native American Currents on Silver Wave)

A Few Obstacles to Sustainability

2010-03-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

Sustainable agriculture. Sustainable eating. On Local Dirt, we talk about these things a lot. That's our thing. But what does "sustainable agriculture" mean for someone who's land has been stolen, or to someone who can't get a loan to buy land or capital? And what's "sustainable food" for someone living on a small income, or someone who doesn't have time to cook? On this week's show, we look at sustainability as a slanted playing field and we discuss a few obstacles to justice and sustainability.

Taxing Soda. UC Santa Cruz professor Julie Guthman talks about the politics of the so-called 'obesity epidemic' and how this relates to the taxation of processed foods. Professor Guthman argues that creating a healthy food system will require large economic policy changes, not simply consumer-focused changes. She is the author of Agrarian Dreams: the paradox of organic farming in California. You can also check out her article Bringing Good Food to Others which takes into consideration several of the cultural and class-related topics discussed in today's show. (Originally aired 10/13/09)

Spoken Word. UC Davis student and Sickspit poet Shannon Harney was kind enough to record a poem for us. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Listen. Use the player below to listen to the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Announcements.

- The Whole Earth Festival is currently seeking applications for bands, performers, artists, dancers, educational booths, workshops, and speakers. To apply, visit http://wef.ucdavis.edu.

- The Education for Sustainable Living Program lectures (spring quarter), Wednesdays 5:10-7pm. Students may take the class for 2 or 4 units, and anyone (student or not) can attend the lectures for free. The class aims to define sustainability broadly and consider it in new ways. Students may enroll in the class with the CRN 63662.

Music Playlist.

"Tramp" by Otis Redding (The Best of Otis Redding on Atco)

"Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" by the Asylum Street Spankers (God's Favorite Band on Spanks-A-Lot)

"Ida Red" by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (Legends of Country Music.... on Columbia)

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego" by the Asylum Street Spankers (God's Favorite Band on Spanks-A-Lot)

The Land-Grant Story

2010-02-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

Exploring the Land-Grant Mission. Between 1862 and 1890, two pieces of legislation known as the Morrill Acts laid the foundation for more than eighty-five land-grant colleges and universities -- of which UC Davis is one. On this show, land-grant schools: their origins, the criticism they've received, their potential, and their current state. We talk about what it will take to preserve and improve them for the future in a time of crisis and an age of privatization and globalization. First, we ask UC Davis students what they know and think about land-grant mission. Then we turn to a professor at another land-grant school. Dr. James Collier is a Professor of English and an Affliated Faculty Member in Science and Technology Studies for the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought at Virgina Tech. In 2001, Dr. Collier published a critical article on land-grant history. On Local Dirt, he explains what he thinks nearly ten years later. (Image courtesy of Iowa State University museums)

Listen. Use the player below to listen to the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

News.

We didn't read any news on the air, but check out this article: U.S. Approves Settlement for Black Farmers by Carrie Johnson for the Washington Post.

Announcements.

- The Education for Sustainable Living Program lectures (spring quarter ), Wednesdays 5:10-7pm. Students may take the class for 2 or 4 units, and anyone (student or not) can attend the lectures for free. The class aims to define sustainability broadly and consider it in new ways. Student may enroll in the class with the CRN 63662.

- Village Harvest Citrus Glean this Saturday, Feb. 27, 10am-1pm. Meet in the parking lot in front of CostPlus/World Market (at Anderson/La Rue & Russell in Davis) and bike or ride from there. If it is raining or looks like rain is emminent, call (toll free) 1-888-378-4841, EXT 730 after 8 AM for confirmation of the harvest.

Music Playlist.

"El Año Viejo" by The Blazers (Roots Music: An American Journey on Rounder)

"The Long Way Home" performed by Hot Club of Cowtown (Wishful Thinking on Gold Strike)

Farm Aid and Cupcakes

2010-02-08T22:45:00.000-08:00

Farm Aid. In 1985, Willie Nelson organized a benefit concert to help struggling farmers stay on their land. This year's Farm Aid concert will be the twenty-fifth, connecting audiences to food issues. But Farm Aid also does year-round work, connecting farmers to services, supporting farm incubators, and advocating for policy changes. In this week's show, Farm Aid's Communications Director Jennifer Fahey explains who Farm Aid serves and how the organization has responded to changes in agriculture over the years.

Let Them Eat Cake. Paulette Coffman and her two daughters Brittany and Chelsea own and operate the local cupcake bakery, Let Them Eat Cake, located on L St. between 4th and 5th in Davis, CA. The three ladies shared their backgrounds with us, how they came up with a cupcake bakery idea, and how they develop those awesome cupcake flavors, like the Dubliner, made with Guinness and Chocolate, and the Cookie Monster, stuffed with chocolate chip cookie dough and covered in cookie dough frosting.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

News.
Think-Tanks Take Oil Money and Use It to Fund Climate Deniers by Jonathan Owen and Paul Bignell on Commondreams.org
A Federal Effort to Push Junk Food Out of School by Gardiner Harris in the New York Times

Music Playlist.
"Amber Waves of Grain" by Merle Haggard (from Live From Austin, Texas on New West)
"Sheep, Sheep, Don'tcha Know The Road" by Bessie Jones & The Sea Island Singers (from Southern Journey, Vol. 6: Don'tcha Know The Road on Rounder)
"Lafayette" by Lucinda Williams (from Happy Woman Blues on Folkways)
"My Boy Builds Coffins" by Florence + The Machine (from Lungs on Universal Island)

A School Lunch Story & Fair Food Project

2010-02-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

School Lunch. Last Saturday, The Devil Makes Three and Mad Cow String Band performed at a benefit concert for the Davis Farm-to-School Connection, working to create an educational and cultural environment in our schools that connects food choices with personal health, community, farms, and land. On this week's show, we bring you a field report from the benefit concert. Children talk about the food and gardens at their schools, adults recall their school lunch memories, and Dorothy Peterson and Talia Hack-Davie talk about the successes and projects of the Davis Farm-to-School Connection.

Fair Food Project. Alida Cantor, from the California Institute for Rural Studies (CIRS), discusses the Fair Food Project, her work with the CIRS, and how farmers are working toward providing a safe and fair environment for their workers. To find out more about how you as a consumer can help support fair food, check out the Fair Food Project website for resources and to see the Fair Food Project documentary.

Students for Sustainable Agriculture will be screening the Fair Food Project documentary on Wednesday, February 3 at 6:30pm in the Campus Center for the Environment/Project Compost Office located in Lower Freeborn Hall at the UC Davis campus.

Listen. Use the player below to hear the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Music Playlist.

"Georgia Bottleneck Blues" by Cecil Barfield (Art of Field Recording, Vol. 1 on Dust to Digital)

"East Of Woodstock, West Of Viet Nam" by Tom Russell (Blood and Candle Smoke on Shout Factory)

"Carroll County Blues" by Gordon Tanner, Smokey Joe Miller and Uncle John Patterson (Art of Field Recording, Vol. 1 on Dust to Digital)

"Pow Wow Song" by Chippewa Nation (The Mississippi: River Of Song -- A Musical Journey Down The Mississippi on Smithsonian Folkways)

Announcements. Tickets are now available (but limited) for the Vagina Monologues! Three shows: Friday Feb 12th @ 7pm, Saturday Feb 13th @ 2pm and @ 7pm. You can purchase tickets on a sliding scale of $5-15 at the Women's Resources & Research Center on the UCD Campus. 10% of proceeds go to women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with remaining proceeds benefiting My Sister's House and Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Center of Yolo County.

Haiti & Davis Superfund Site

2010-01-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

Haiti Then and Now. As you've probably learned, on January 12th, Haiti suffered a catastrophic earthquake, followed in later days by forceful aftershocks. Democracy Now! reports that at least 150,000 have been buried; the death toll could top 300,000. According to the US Geological S urvey, Haiti will remain at risk for aftershocks for months to years. On today's show, Dr. Chuck Walker, Professor of History and Director of UC Davis's Hemispheric Institute on the Americas joins us to discuss Haiti's past, current, and future situation. (Photo courtesy of DesPardes)

Davis EPA Superfund Site. Located just next to the new Target shopping center on Second street in Davis is the Frontier Fertilizer EPA Superfund site. The location became a superfund site back in the 1970s when residual pesticides were dumped by employees of the Frontier Fertilizer company. Steve Deverel, from HydroFocus Inc., came on to talk about the history of the site and what is currently being done to remediate the chemical contaminants that are still present. Check out the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund Oversight Group to find out more. (Photo courtesy of the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund Oversight Group)

Listen. Use the player below to listen to the show, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Music Playlist:

"Don't You Let Nobody Turn You Round" by Silver Light Gospel Choir (Art of Field Recording, Vol. 1 on Dust to Digital)

"Perfect" by Two Sheds (Strange Ammunition on Loud Mouth Soup)

"Ti Chans (Pou Ayiti)" by Masters of Haiti (Rough Guide to the Music of Haiti on World Music Network)

Bay Area Subsistence Fishing & Farm Poetry

2010-01-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

Subsistence Fishing in the Bay Area. In the San Francisco Bay Area, many people, especially but not exclusively low-income people of color, fish for food to feed their families. But local pollution has contaminated fish near many urban areas, threatening those who eat the local catch. On Local Dirt, Torm Nompraseurt, a state organizer for the Asian Pacific Environmental Network and a resident of Richmond for more than thirty years, explains why subsistence fishing tends to be so economically and culturally important for those who do it. He explains that individuals respond differently to information about the risks -- and that for some, ceasing to fish doesn't seem to be a viable option.

Farm Poetry. Dori Stone (former Local Dirt host!) and Austin Smith share poems about agriculture and a few thoughts on how farming and poetry fit together in their lives. Dori reads her newest poem, "Happy Hour," and Austin reads "Instructions for How to Put an Old Horse Down" and "Song of the Lark." Austin's poetry has been published by Parallel Press, Longhouse, and ZYZZYVA, while Dori's non-fiction Beyond the Fence: A Journey to the Roots of the Migration Crisis was published by Food First last year.

Listen with the player below or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Music Playlist:

"Bring Me Li'l Water Silvy" by Leadbelly (In The Shadows Of The Gallows Pole on Tradition)

"What Am I Gonna Do (With The Rest Of My Life)" by Merle Haggard (Live From Austin, TX: Merle Haggard on New West Records)

"Just One Kiss" by Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers (Roots Music: An American Journey on Rounder)

Full Circle Farm and Gleaning in Davis!

2010-01-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

Full Circle Farm. Owned and operated by seven farm managers, Full Circle Farm is a small-scale farm just outside of Davis, CA. Marisol Lopez, one of the farm managers, came on to talk about the history of Full Circle, their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, the animals they keep and more. To learn more about Full Circle Farm and their CSA, you can check out their website. Note: due to computer failure, the interview is cut-off near the end. Recorded in May 2009.

Gleaning in Davis. Last year, Maggie Lickter and Liz Fitzgerald received and $10,000 grant to expand and improve gleaning/urban harvesting efforts in Davis. Recently, they've joined forces with the northern California gleaning organization Village Harvest, working together to simultaneously end food waste and food scarcity. On Local Dirt, they explain why gleaning is such a smart (and fun) form of activism, what goes into organizing a Davis glean, and how listeners can help. On their webpage, you can sign up to volunteer, share a tree/crop, lend storage space, or give money.

Listen to the show with the player below, or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

News:
Soda fountain machines harbor fecal bacteria, study finds by Rosemary Black, NY Daily News
Three approved GMOS linked to organ damage, an Op-Ed piece by Rady Ananda, Truthout.org

Music Playlist:

"Sleeper" by Laura Gibson (Beast of Season on Hush)

"Dink's Song" performed by Roger McGuinn, Pete Seeger, and Josh White, Jr. (Treasures From the Folk Den on Appleseed)

"Two Doves" by Dirty Projectors (Bitte Orca on Domino)

"Monday Mornin' Blues" by Mississippi John Hurt (Mississippi John Hurt Memorial Anthology on Genes)

Appalachian Radio and Community Gardening

2010-01-04T22:35:00.000-08:00

Covering Coal on the Radio. WMMT Mountain Community Radio in Whitesburg, KY serves a community whose members are seldom portrayed accurately in the mainstream media, says station manager Cheryl Marshall. On Local Dirt, Cheryl discusses the needs and interests of the station's audience. She explains how the coalfield station covers coal-related issues, acknowledging that coal plays a variety of roles in the lives of WMMT listeners. To hear WMMT, listen to the stream online or find a specific past show of interest to you. (Originally aired June 9, 2009.)

News:

- "Religion Shaping Mountain-Top Removal Debate in Appalachia Coal Country" by Peter Smith for the Louisville Courier-Journal

Community Gardens. Tim Quick, the outgoing coordinator for the UC Davis Experimental College (EC) Community Gardens, came on to talk about community gardening, the history of the campus EC Garden, how the EC Garden has changed in the past several years and how people can get involved in gardening at the EC Gardens. To find out more visit the EC Garden Davis Wiki Page or the EC Garden official site. Thank you, Tim, for your amazing work in the past four years!

To hear the show, listen here or click "divShare" to get the mp3.

Playlist:

"Kneebone" by Joe Armstrong & Group (The Alan Lomax Collection: Southern Journey, Vol. 13 - Earliest Times on Rounder)

"How Mountain Girls Can Love" by The Stanley Brothers (Bluegrass - Best of the Best with various artists)

"Holy Babe" by Kelly Pace, Aaron Brown, Joe Green, Paul Hayes, and Matthew Jones (Where Will You Be Christmas Day on Dust to Digital)

"Only The Lonely" by Roy Orbison (Black & White Night on Orbison Records)

WorldWide Opportunities in Organic Farming

2010-01-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

Natalie and Dani are still on break, so we pulled together yet another show from our archived interviews from 2008 and 2009.

WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Tuesday's show is a compilation of students experiences WWOOFing across the world.

WWOOF, Nepal. Austin Smith, a student at UC Davis, talks about his experience WWOOFing on a rice farm in Nepal back in 2006. Austin talks about the culture, politics and landscape of Nepal.

WWOOF, Thailand. Katie Cooper, also a student at UC Davis, talks about her experience WWOOFing in Thailand. Katie also worked on rice farm, an organic farm, but also enriched her experience teaching English with her host family as well. Katie talks about the culture, food and family traditions of Thailand. To learn more about Katie's experience, you can check out her blog.

Listen to the show with the player below, or click 'DivShare' to download the mp3.

News:
Vilsack questions USDA's climate change modeling by Jacqui Fatka (Farm Futures)

Music Playlist:
"Danny Callahan" by Conor Oberst (Conor Oberst)
"Hard Travelin'" by Woody Guthrie (Hard Travelin': Asch Recordings, Volume 3)

Appropriate Technology

2009-12-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

Natalie and Dani are enjoying their winter break, so this week's show is pulled together from our archives. Enjoy!

Whole Earth Festival and Appropriate Technology. Bryan Jungers, appropriate technology director for the 2008 Whole Earth Festival (WEF), came onto Local Dirt to talk with us about appropriate technology (AT) in transportation, farming and more. Bryan also talked about how AT was incorporated into the 2008 Whole Earth Festival and how to apply AT to our lives. Interviewed in May of 2008.

Agriculture, Life Cycle Assessment and Appropriate Technology at UC Davis. Elisabetta Lambertini, a PhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis, specializes in environmental biotechnology, environmental stressors in populations, gene transfer and regulation in microbes. Elisabetta discusses how appropriate technology can be applied to agriculture, life cycle assessment and more. Interviewed in May 2009.

Listen to the show with the player below, or click 'DivShare' to download the show.

News:
Pets Pollute More than Cars (Tree Hugger)

Music Playlist:
"Ain't No Reason" by Brett Dennen (So Much More on Dualtone)
"Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar" by the Louvin Brothers (A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers on Capitol)
"Gate Keeper" by Feist (Open Season)

Christmas Trees and Cool Cuisine

2009-12-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

Natalie and Dani are enjoying their winter break, so instead doing a live show, we bring you interviews from this time last year, one on Christmas trees and the other on a book called Cool Cuisine.

Christmas Trees. Lynn Wunderlich, Farm Advisor for UC Cooperative Extension in El Dorado and Amador Counties researches pest-resistant Christmas trees. She discusses the basics of growing and controlling pests in Christmas trees. Lynn mentions that consumers can support sustainability and reduce waste by buying from a local Christmas tree farm rather than a tree lot. Recorded winter 2008.

Cool Cuisine. Author Laura Stec came on to talk about her book, Cool Cuisine, which was released back in spring of 2008. In the book, Cool Cuisine, Laura delves into the issues that connect diet and climate change. Instead of the 'global warming diet' that many Americans are on, Laura provides a cleaner, healhier and greener way to eat in Cool Cuisine. On Local Dirt, Laura discusses the research and science behind her book, some of the culinary tips included to master a cleaner, greener diet, and more. Recorded winter 2009.

Listen to the show with the player below, or click "divShare" to download the mp3.

News:

"Developing Countries End Boycott at Climate Talks" (Associated Press)

For comprehensive, on-site coverage of the Copenhagen talks and climate justice, check out Democracy NOW!

Music Playlist:

"Wild Rover" by Sunnyside Up (Songbook, Vol. 2 & 3 on Old Town School)

"Shenandoan" by Amy Allison (Songbook, Vol. 2 & 3 on Old Town School)

"Hands in Pockets" by Laura Gibson (If You Come to Greet Me on Hush)

"Been a Long Time Traveling" by Addie Graham (Been a Long Time Traveling on June Appal)

"Hungry and Faint and Poor" by Addie Graham (Been a Long Time Traveling on June Appal)

"Hank and Lefty Raised My Country Soul" by Stoney Edwards (From Where I Stand on Warner Brothers)

"Pickin' Wildflowers" by Stoney Edwards (From Where I Stand on Warner Brothers)

California Center for Cooperative Development and NorCal Enviro. Justice

2009-12-08T20:08:00.001-08:00

Cooperatives. Luis Sierra, past Local Dirt co-host, is the Food and Agriculture Cooperative Development Specialist for the California Center for Cooperative Development. Luis discussed cooperatives in the area, how the CCCD has helped to support development of California cooperatives, and how cooperatives have touched his life.

Environmental Justice in NorCal. As the Copenhage n climate ta l ks begin, people around the world are working to draw attention to global warming causes close to home. At the Chevron headquarters in San Ramon, CA, 31 were arrested on Monday in one such action. Nile Malloy, Northern California Program Director for Communities for a Better Environment, explains some of the environmental and climate justice problems affecting Northern California communities. We focus on Contra Costa and San Francisco, discussing Chevron's R ichmond oil refinery and activism to make it less dangerous. (Photo courtesy of Global Community Monitor)

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News:

We didn't read any news on the show, but if you'd like to learn more about climate justice, check out this cool coverage.

- Sacramento News & Review's cover story.

- Democracy NOW!. Amy Goodman and crew will broadcast from Copenhagen for the next two weeks, bringing many voices on climate change policy. In the Davis area, you can hear their daily broadcast on KDVS 90.3 on weekdays from 12-1pm, on KDRT 95.7 from 9-10am (yesterday's broadcast), and online.

Music Playlist:

"La Guanabana" by Son de Madera (Son de Madera on Urtext)

"Rape of the World" by Tracy Chapman (New Beginning on Elektra)

Climate Justice and Olive to Bottle Milling Event

2009-12-01T20:17:00.001-08:00

Climate Justice. Anne Petermann, Executive Director of the Global Justice Ecology Project, explains why climate change is an environmental justice problem, and why we need more comprehensive, inclusive solutions than we can expect from the upcoming climate change summit in Copenhagen. Her organization facilitates New Voices on Climate Change, amplifying unheard ideas. To learn more about climate justice, check out Mobilization for Climate Justice, whose website links to related organizations.

Olive to Bottle Mobile Milling Event at UC Davis. The UC Davis Olive Center hosted the Olive to Bottle Mobile Milling Service at UC Davis on Tuesday, December 1st. The event took place off of Hutchinson road in the olive orchards. At the event, Local Dirt interviewed Andy Robinson of Prospero Equipment Corporation, David Garcia-Aguire from Olive to Bottle, Nicole Sturzenberger from the UC Davis Olive Center, Kevin Rogers from Olive to Bottle, and Harben Taber and Jean Chevalier of Taber Ranch. The audio portion also features Dan Flynn from the UC Davis Olive Center. Olive Press is the mill that Taber Ranch currently uses to mill olives; Mike Madison's ranch is the mill the UC Davis Olive Center will be using to mill olives for the '09 harvest.

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Announcements:

- The Davis Feminist Film Festival is seeking film submissions. For more info, click here.

Music Playlist:

"Drunken Sailor" by Dan Zanes & His Band (Old Town School of Folk Music, Vol. 1 on Bloodshot)

"Young Emily" by Doug and Jack Wallin (Family Songs & Stories on Smithsonian Folkways)

"Stars of Leo" by M. Ward (Hold Time on Merge)

The Enorosi Oliomatic 700 in action - the brown tube is the olive
paste, the spicket on the left is dispensing the fresh-pressed olive oil

Mark Robinson - Owner/Operator of Olive to Bottle
Dan Flynn - Director of the UC Davis Olive Cener

- Olive Art -
Kevin Rogers - Master Miller, Olive to Bottle

UC Davis Olives - ready to be pressed by the mobile milling service

UC Privatization and UC Davis West Village Project

2009-11-25T22:56:00.000-08:00

Privatization. Last Thursday, the University of California Regents approved a 32% increase in undergraduate fees beginning next fall. This fee increase, combined with program cuts, lay-offs, high administrative salaries and a growing number of administrative positions, has led to growing unrest amongst those concerned about public education in California, the U.S., and the world. From the UC Davis School of Education, Dr. Karen Watson-Gegeo and graduate student Marguerite Wilson discuss what these changes mean for the UC system and for California as a whole. For updates on UC activism, check out this site.

West Village. Sid England, the assistant vice chancellor for environmental stewardship and planning within the office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability at UC Davis, come on to talk about the West Village development. West Village is a 205 acre developed planned to house 4,350 people including faculty, staff and students. This mixed-use development will be incorporating sustainable environmental design in order to create a zero-net energy and low impact community. To find out more about this project, you can check out the West Village website.
Image courtesy the UC Davis West Village website.

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Music Playlist:

"Oh! Chicago" by The Yayhoos (Down To The Promised Land: 5 Years of Bloodshot Records on Bloodshot)

"Zulema Waltz" by Santiago Jimenez, Jr. (Roots Music: An American Journey on Rounder)

"Love in Vain" by Robert Johnson (Martin Scorcese Presents the Blues: Robert Johnson on Columbia Europe)

"Hey Liza Jane" by Otis Taylor (Recapturing the Banjo on Telarc)

Davis Integrated Pest Mangagment and Coal Ash

2009-11-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Martin Guerena is the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) specialist for the City of Davis. Martin discusses how Davis is using IPM practices to reduce the application of harmful pesticides in and around Davis. To learn more about the IPM practices happening in Davis, check out the City of Davis website for IPM. To contact Martin, you can email him at mguerena (at) cityofdavis (dot) org . The city of Davis daily pesticide hotline number is 530-757-5261.

Jeff Ruch, Executive Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) explains coal ash and its possible risks. Citing a lack of scientific studies of coal ash's safety, PEER worries that recent attempts by the EPA to help move this coal waste product into "the stream of commerce" will cause harm. Check out "Coal Ash from U.S. Blamed for Dominican Towns Birth Defects" for a related news story.

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Music Playlist:

"Delgadina" by Mercedez Lopez (American Roots Collection on Smithsonian Folkways)

"Woke Up This Morning" by Abner Jay (One Man Band on Subliminal Sounds)

"Wasteland of the Free" by Iris Dement (The Way I Should on Warner Brothers)

Announcements:
Green Bag Lunch - Tuesday, Nov. 24 - 12:30-1:30pm in the MU Fielder Room at UC Davis
Get together with other campus folks who are concerned about campus resource use, general environmental stewardship and sustainability related issues, and learn from others about what is going on at UC Davis when it comes to these issues. Light refreshments included...