Raw Milk: Science vs. Wellness Culture
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
This episode of "Digging In" examines the modern resurgence of raw milk, which has transitioned from a niche farm product into a wellness status symbol for approximately 11 million Americans seeking more "natural" foods. Crucially, there's a significant safety disparity in the dairy aisle, with raw milk accounting for 95% of all milk-related illnesses. We also debunk the "clean farm" myth, explaining that even healthy cows can shed dangerous pathogens like E. coli and Listeria that cannot be eliminated by sanitation alone. We also clarify that homogenization is a mechanical...
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The New U.S. Nutrition Guidelines: A 'Real Food' Reset
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
This podcast explores the newly released 2025-2030 USDA/HHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This health reboot represents a fundamental shift toward real, whole foods to combat the rising tide of chronic disease and obesity. Moving away from clinical calculations, the new standards prioritize protein intake at every meal, the consumption of full-fat dairy without added sugars, and a diet rich in produce and healthy fats. This policy overhaul explicitly discourages ultra-processed foods and refined carbohydrates, aiming to simplify nutritional advice into a common-sense framework....
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Venezuela: A Study in Economic Mismanagement
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
After decades of government mismanagement of the economy, can Venezuela get back on the road to real food security?
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Why aren't we eating cultivated meat yet?
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
Cultivated meat is no longer science fiction, but it isn't quite mainstream reality either. It is stuck in a fascinating limbo of regulatory battles, scaling challenges, and consumer skepticism. But the technology is marching forward, often funded by the very meat companies you might expect to oppose it. Do you think it will be on your grill by next summer? Let us know by filling out our reader poll at the . And read the . Happy eating!
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Beef Tallow's Return: Trend or Truth?
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
This week's we're xamining the surprising return of beef tallow as a popular ingredient in cooking and wellness and contrasting its health concerns against vegetable oils. Is this trend driven by scientific evidence or a preference for "ancestral" and "natural" practices over established public health guidelines? There's been a historical shift away from saturated fats like tallow due to concerns about heart disease, noting that the science on the risks of high saturated fat intake remains consistent despite contradictory social media narratives. We're also creating parallels between...
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Digging In: The Future of Food with Lucy Stitzer
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
At a recent event addressing a New York State farming community, Lucy Stitzer speaks about the evolving landscape of agriculture, emphasizing the crucial relationships between farmers, governments, and consumers. Lucy highlights the remarkable growth in agricultural output alongside a surging global population and the imperative for increased production. She also discusses the impact of governmental policies, particularly concerning trade, tariffs and biofuels, on the profitability of American farms. Lucy also digs into the transformative role of technology, such as precision agriculture...
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Digging In: Should we worry about RoundUp in Girl Scout Cookies?
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
Recent social media concerns have arisen regarding the presence of pesticides, specifically glyphosate, and heavy metals in Girl Scout Cookies. In this podcast, we're explaining how trace amounts of glyphosate can end up in food through agricultural practices. However, these particulates are significantly below safety limits set by the EPA. The key to minimizing exposure is dietary variety. Ultimately, we're encouraging consumers to rely on scientific sources like the FDA and EPA for accurate information and emphasizes that the trace levels found in cookies do not pose a health risk when...
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Digging In with Aaron Wetzel, John Deere's Precision Ag Systems Expert
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
In this episode of "Digging In", Lucy speaks with Aaron Wetzel, Vice President at John Deere for Production and Precision Ag Production Systems. A key theme throughout their discussion is John Deere's enduring success. This is largely attributed to its commitment to customers, focus on quality and innovation, and doing things the right way by creating value for the customer, addressing labor challenges, and promoting sustainability through technology. In this way, Wetzel details how John Deere has transformed itself from a machinery manufacturer to a customer-centric...
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Red food dye: Toxic or tame?
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
This podcast episode of explores the FDA's ban on Red Dye No. 3, prompted by the Delaney Clause, a decades-old law that mandates banning any food additive causing cancer in animals. The discussion highlights the complex interplay between regulation, public perception, and scientific evidence, questioning whether the ban truly benefits public health given potentially larger nutritional issues like excessive sugar consumption. While watchdog groups see this as a victory and a push towards stricter regulations as seen in Europe, the hosts ponder if this focus on a single ingredient distracts...
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How Will Tariffs Affect Overseas Trade?
Dirt to Dinner: Digging In
This week's podcast delves into the intricate relationship between tariffs, ocean freight, and the future of the US food system. It highlights the US's significant role in global agricultural trade, both in exports and imports, while noting a considerable trade deficit. We also emphasize the importance of ocean freight in moving these goods, particularly through major ports like New Orleans. The podcast also explores potential disruptions from new tariffs on key trading partners like Mexico, drawing parallels with past trade wars and their impact on American farmers. We close with...
info_outlineScientists work every day to unlock more value in the staples we've relied upon for literally hundreds of years. We get better, more nutritious food and innovative new uses that meet real market needs, and we get smarter consumers to boot. Our food system does more than ever before to provide a steady stream of information so we can all make better, smarter food decisions.
None of that happens by chance. It takes money and lots of it. It takes work by thousands of researchers all pointed toward finding answers to some of the toughest issues we still wrestle with in our food system. It takes a concerted effort to get the word out to people.
But who's in charge of this endeavor? Not the government, not fancy think tanks, not big business or big universities. All those folks play a role in important roles, but we often overlook what hardworking, financially-challenged farmers who drive research and better consumer understanding of our food.
In this episode of Digging In, we're turning to the peanut industry to provide a stellar example of these organizations that work on behalf of its farmers. The National Peanut Board, a research, marketing and promotion organization for peanut farmers in the U.S., is headed up by Bob Parker, current CEO; and Ryan Lepicier, current Chief Marketing Officer and next CEO. Together, Bob & Ryan have worked for more than a dozen years to turn the commitment of peanut producers across the United States into something really, really important to the interests of consumers everywhere.
Here's who we're speaking with in this episode:
Bob Parker joined the National Peanut Board, a farmer-funded research, marketing and promotion organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, as its president and CEO in 2012. At the National Peanut Board, he has focused on the mission of improving the economic condition of America’s peanut farmers and their families. Those efforts have centered around promoting the increased consumption of U.S.-grown peanuts domestically and internationally, addressing barriers to consumption such as peanut allergy and supporting production research to make peanut farmers more productive, efficient and sustainable.
The 2023 peanut crop is the 47th of Parker’s professional career, although he has been around peanuts his entire life. He has a broad range of experience in peanuts and agriculture, both domestically and internationally, from growing, processing, public policy and marketing. Parker is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in agricultural economics.
Ryan Lepicier serves as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the National Peanut Board with a passion for fueling peanut demand and consumption. He will begin his role as NPB president and CEO on January 1, 2024. He and his team are working to make peanuts the most relevant nut among millennial consumers by ensuring people are thinking about peanuts differently, talking about peanuts positively, engaging with peanuts more often, and buying more peanuts.
Lepicier has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication from the University of Oregon and an MBA from Auburn University. He likes his peanut butter straight from the jar on a spoon. Crunchy, please.