Summit Replay: Leah Penniman & Matthew Raiford

05/11/21 • 68 min

For this week’s episode, we’re excited to bring you a rich conversation and Q&A between two paramount leaders in food sovereignty and farming: Leah Penniman and Matthew Raiford. This segment is a replay from our recent Eighth Annual Farm to School Summit.

Before we get started, a few Georgia Organics’ announcements! Mark your calendars! We’re celebrating farmers, virtually, on Thursday, May 27 for Georgia Organics’ Annual Awards! You can learn more at georgiaorganics.org/awards, this is a FREE member event celebrating all-star farmers in Georgia. And get ready to party for serviceberry season with Serviceberry Fest ATL on June 3! You’ll catch amazing chefs and beverage folks creating serviceberry-based bites and drinks...You’ll even catch ATL Foodcast guest host Quianah Upton with a Nourish Botanica pop-up! Get your tickets and details on Facebook, searching Serviceberry Fest ATL!

To kick off this week’s episode, we have a quick intro by Georgia Organics’ Farm to School Director Kimberly Della Donna. She provides much-deserved credit to the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning and the valuable sponsors who brought this 8th annual Summit to life, this time virtually! “The Summit is a celebration of spirit and ‘pandemic positives,’” says Della Donna.

Leah Penniman is the Co-Director and Farm Manager of Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, NY and author of Farming While Black. Matthew Raiford, the CheFarmer, is the owner and farmer of Gilliard Farms in Brunswick and the author of Bress 'n' Nyam.

Their conversation centers around fostering a love of the earth and growing food in the young generation, the definition of food sovereignty, and beyond. They share a passion for preserving ancestral agricultural practices that honor the earth, regenerating the soil, and advocating for food sovereignty in their communities and beyond. Enjoy this thought-provoking and motivating conversation and Q&A.

To learn more about Georgia Organics’ Farm to School work visit farmtoschool.georgiaorganics.org/. To learn more about about Soul Fire Farm, visit soulfirefarm.org/. To learn more about Gilliard Farms, visit gilliard-farms.com/.

Previous Episode

A Farmer, A Chef, and A Climatologist: Chris Edwards and Jarrett Stieber, Pam Knox

Welcome to another episode of the Atlanta Foodcast by Georgia Organics!

This week, we’re exploring farming, cooking, and climatology with some great guests. To kick things off: a farmer and chef conversation with Chris Edwards, farm manager of Sparta Gardens in Sparta, Georgia, and Jarrett Stieber, chef and owner of Little Bear in Atlanta’s Summerhill. We then caught up with agricultural climatologist Pam Knox, director of the UGA Weather Network and a UGA Extension Specialist.

First, we have the incredible farmer-chef duo Chris Edwards and Jarrett Stieber. Chris Edwards is the farm manager at Sparta Gardens, founded lby Robert & Suzy Currey. Chris has spent over 10 years as an organic farmer in Georgia and in Ghana. Chris’ expertise and passion for farming matches perfectly with the talent and sourcing commitments of Chef Jarrett Stieber of the now one-year old Little Bear. Enjoy their conversation!

Next, we’re speaking with Pam Knox about Georgia’s climate, why organic farming matters, why the new administration is signaling meaningful change. As the director of the UGA Weather Network (weather.uga.edu), Pam and her team communicate the intricate daily weather details that farmers rely on across 86 stations in Georgia. We spoke about her title “Agricultural Climatologist” and why climate must be central to agricultural discussions moving forward.

To learn more about Sparta Gardens, visit spartagardens.com and follow them at facebook.com/spartagardensga and @spartagardens.

To learn more about Little Bear, visit littlebearatl.com/ and follow them at @littlebearatl.

To learn more about Pam Knox’s work, visit site.extension.uga.edu/climate.

Next Episode

Special Episode: Meet Four Award-Winning Farmers!

Welcome to the Atlanta Foodcast: Awards Edition! I’m ME Comms Dir at Georgia Organics. We’re bringing you this special episode to celebrate the Georgia Organics Annual Awards, an ongoing virtual celebration of some truly remarkable farmers, leading up to an online get-together with these farmers on Thursday, May 27.

To register and learn more about this event and read more about these Annual Awards, visit georgiaorganics.org/awards. We also have two exciting cookbook events with Chef Asha Gomez and CheFarmer Matthew Raiford, in partnership with A Cappella Books, check out the Events on our Facebook page to learn more.

We’re thrilled to announce this year’s winners:

First, the Barbara Petit Pollinator Award, named in honor of Barbara Petit, a remarkable community food advocate who served as Georgia Organics’ past president. This award acknowledges individuals with exceptional success in advancing Georgia Organics' mission of “Good Food for All” by spreading—pollinating—the movement throughout community life.

The winners of this year’s Barbara Petit Pollinator Award are Brennan and Gwendolyn Washington of Phoenix Gardens, our first guest on today’s show! The Washingtons are successfully farmers and icons of leadership in Georgia and the Southeast; they offer an urban agriculture education-focused property, that has indeed risen from the ashes and thrives in Lawrenceville. They have impacted countless farmers across the Southeast, and we’re excited to recognize their incredible work through this award.

In 1997, the Land Steward Award was created by Georgia Organics to honor an individual or individuals who have contributed significantly to the organic agriculture movement in the state of Georgia.

The Land Steward Award recognizes the farmer with significant commitments to the tenets of organic agriculture, including soil fertility, biodiversity, and more.

The winners of this year’s Land Steward Award are Chris and Jenny Jackson of Jenny Jack Farm. Chris and Jenny embody the meaning of this award through their dedication to sustainable scaling, a cared-for team, community connection, and, of course, fostering a better environment through soil health and organic growing practices.

In this segment, Brennan and Gwendolyn talk with friend and fellow agriculture consultant-leader James Ford of Square O Consulting (squareoconsulting.com/). They discuss the history and mission of Phoenix Gardens and why mentorship and resource-sharing is so critical to the success of future generations of farmers in Georgia and beyond. They have had a profound impact on sustainable agriculture in our state and countless individuals have benefitted from their passion and wealth of knowledge.

Next, we feature Land Steward Award winners Chris and Jenny Jackson of Jenny Jack Farm. Katherine Kennedy, Executive Director of Concrete Jungle and former apprentice at Jenny Jack, interviews the Jacksons about their 15-year farming career, lessons learned, and why they continue farming. You’ll even hear cameos from their very special guests Amos and Tulsi as they explain how to grow a farm while raising children and finding balance in their life.

Thank you for joining this special Annual Awards edition of Georgia Organics’ Atlanta Foodcast. Once again, we hope you join us online for a get-together and celebration of these winners on Thursday, May 27 via Zoom. This event is FREE for Georgia Organics members. Learn more and register at GeorgiaOrganics.org/awards.