In this Thanksgiving episode of Actual Ag Samantha sits down for a cranberry chat with Amber Bristow of @cranberrychats! Amber is a cranberry grower in Wisconsin who grew up on her family's sixth generation family cranberry farm and is running the farm with her Dad. During their conversation Amber explains to Samantha how cranberries are grown (here's a hint, it's not exactly in water like you might think!!!), her farm's co-op connection with Ocean Spray, what a day in the life of a cranberry farmer looks like, and your odds of purchasing cranberry products for your Thanksgiving table that Amber and her family grew! Tune in to Ambers's latest episode of her podcast, Forward Farming, and be sure to follow her on Instagram @cranberrychats. Be sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode and stay up to date on all things Actual Ag! If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode!

In this episode of Actual Ag Samantha discusses all things cowboy culture with Antonio James. Antonio is a cowboy in Texas who grew up in Detroit and is now the host of the new podcast, Cowboys of Dixie. During their conversation Antonio and Samantha discuss the true definition of a cowboy, three things every cowboy needs, what a day in the life of a cowboy looks like, and what they think the future of the cowboy holds. Tune in to Antonio's latest episode of Cowboys of Dixie and be sure to follow him on Instagram @cowboysofdixie.  Be sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode and stay up to date on all things Actual Ag! If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode!

In this episode of Actual Ag Samantha speaks with Dr. Eric Peatman, Director of the Southeastern Fish Genetics Co-operative Project and Professor in the School of Fisheries at Auburn University. During their conversation they discuss what GMOs are, how they are created, if they are necessary, and whether or not consumers should be fearful of them. The Genetic Literacy Project that Dr. Peatman mentioned as suggested source for more information regarding GMOs and genetics in general.  Be sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode and stay up to date on all things Actual Ag! If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode!

In this series I am speaking with Dr. Kate Thornton, Director of Global Education in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University and the Director of Research and Academic Initiatives for the Hunger Solutions Institute, as well as renowned author and journalist Roger Thurow, who is well known for his work covering global affairs for The Wall Street Journal and for being a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for the series that he copenned on famine in Africa. Contact our speakers through email: Dr. Kate Thornton - [email protected] Roger Thurow - [email protected] Links to find Roger Thurow's three books on Amazon: Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change The First 1,000 Days Links to films suggest by Roger Thurow and Dr. Kate Thornton during this episode: Hunger In America (1968) A Place at the Table For more information on Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute  Additionally, more information can be found on the amazing Kirchner Food Fellowship website If you are food insecure or need help finding food resources use the following: Dial 2-1-1 for essential community services. Through this calling center you can be connected to local resources such as food or clothing banks, shelters, rent or utility assistance, as well as work support, access to services in non-english languages, support for older Americans and people with disabilities, children, youth, and family support, and suicide prevention services. Alabama County Food Guide website Also make sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us there any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode. If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode! 

In this series I am speaking with Dr. Kate Thornton, Director of Global Education in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University and the Director of Research and Academic Initiatives for the Hunger Solutions Institute, as well as renowned author and journalist Roger Thurow, who is well known for his work covering global affairs for The Wall Street Journal and for being a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for the series that he copenned on famine in Africa. For more information on Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute  Additionally, more information can be found on the amazing Kirchner Food Fellowship website that Dr. Thornton spoke about Also make sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us there any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode. If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode! 

In this episode of Actual Ag Samantha speaks with Alex Tigue, Extension Agent and PhD student at Auburn University, who you may remember hearing from in one of our older episodes "Hormones in Animal Production". In this episode Alex and Samantha cover the recent JBS cyberattack including what happened, what we can expect as consumers as a result, and the current infrastructure of the meat processing industry. We also go on to discuss the key role that local meat processors could play if there were more of them and how you as a consumer can influence the meat processing industry.  If you are interested in checking out locally grown products in Alabama, use this link to find the Sweet Grown Alabama website that Alex mentioned Similarly, you can find locally grown products in Georgia  If you are looking specifically to find locally grown Alabama beef, use the Alabama Cattlemen's Association website Be sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode and stay up to date on all things Actual Ag! If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode! 

In this episode of Actual Ag Samantha speaks with Dr. Kim Mullenix, Extension Beef Systems Specialist and Associate Professor from the Department of Animal Sciences at Auburn University. During their conversation they discuss what forages are, the important role they play in cattle production, the sustainability of their production, and they discuss emerging production ideas such as grass-fed beef and regenerative agriculture! If you are interested in checking out the resources Dr. Mullenix suggested in this episode use the following: The Alabama Beef Extension website  Alabama Beef Extension team on Facebook  Be sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode and stay up to date on all things Actual Ag! If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode! 

In this episode Samantha goes solo and defines animal rights and animal welfare, explains the difference between activism and advocacy, and gives you tips on how to discuss these highly ethical topics with someone who's opinion is different from your own. She also does an overview on animal rights organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and explains how their goals differ completely from animal welfare organizations such as the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Animal Agriculture Alliance (AAA). If you are interested in learning more about the topics talked about in this episode, the following links are some of the sources used and talked about: An amazon link to the textbook Samantha recommends in this episode, "Scientific Farm Animal Production: An Introduction to Animal Science Eleventh Edition"  The link to Animal Agriculture Alliances's website and be sure to check out their social media as well! You can find them on Instagram @animalagalliance Also make sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us there any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode. If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode! 

In this episode Samantha speaks with Kyle Clark of Clark Dairy Farms located in the Catskills Mountains in Delhi, New York. Kyle is not only a fifth generation dairy farmer working on the same land that his great-great grandfather originally bought, but is also the new owner and operator of his very own creamery. Their conversation focuses on the daily work that goes into being a dairy farmer, his lifetime experiences and how they amounted to him becoming an entrepreneur, and much more! For more about Kyle and Clark Dairy Farms check out his Instagram @clarkdairyfarms and Facebook page. If you are wanting to know more about his family's history and where to find Clark Farms' milk be sure to check out his website. Also make sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us there any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode. If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode! 

In this episode Samantha speaks with Jimmy and Robin Parnell and their children James Robert Parnell and Anna Grace Parnell! The Parnell family operates Parnell Farms which they describe as a diversified cattle business located in Stanton, Alabama. Their diversified cattle business includes cow-calf, stockers, and purebreds that they use as show cattle. Their conversation focuses on the family business, the roles they each fill as members of the family on the farm, and what they each believe is the one message they wish they could share with the world from their perspective as a family involved in animal agriculture.  For more about the Parnell family and their cattle business be sure to check out the Parnell Family's Instagram, @parnell_farms, and Facebook page. Also make sure to follow the podcast's Instagram page, @actual_ag! DM us there any questions you may want to have answered in a future episode and be on the lookout for an upcoming giveaway. If you want, leave me a voice message with your questions about agriculture and they might just be included in an episode!