John is a husband, father to four, small farmer, author, and speaker. After serving on the board of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, he was asked to serve as interim Executive Director and now full Executive Director. John has participated in the small farming and food freedom movement in many ways over the years, serving as administrator for one of the largest local food buying clubs in the nation (Whole Life Buying Club).

He acted by standing up with the members of that buying club to unjust enforcement actions that denied them access to real food, protesting the FDAs harassment of farmers and consumers seeking real food. John regularly speaks across the nation on matters related to food, health, and farming.  He and his family steward the 35 acres that they like to call Some Small Farm.

John and Greg have an eye-opening chat about the rights of farmers and growers in America.

Listen in and learn about:

• His unlikely path to where he is now, from a junk food eating video game junkie teenager to the highly active advocate for real food and farmers
• What health issues arose due do his eating lifestyle
• Why he was motivated to shift his mental view of himself and the world
• The CSA adventure that he took with his wife that developed over time
• The unbelievable examples of intervention that are now motivating his participation in the food movement
• Why he believes the government is involved in the food and agricultural industries
• How food regulation is being used in ways that we did not originally plan
• How his organization is working to help small farms and farmers
• How he included a warning with his marriage proposal
• How his buying club stood up to the State Health Department
• What rights are available to farmers and growers who are being told what they can sell and to whom
• Some of the issues that raw milk farmers have dealt with and the help that is available
• How milk is key to the alternative food system
• What services the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund offers
• How to join the the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund if you are a farmer, a homesteader, or just an interested person.
• And a lot more

Go to our Podcast page at www.urbanfarm.org/blog/podcast/ to find photos, links, and more information on this podcast, as well as for each of our other great guest interviews.  You can also sign up for weekly email summaries of the interviews.

Michelle’s love for gardening most likely was imprinted during her childhood in Switzerland where she grew up surrounded by green and lush vegetation. She spent most of her childhood in her parents’ garden, connecting on a deep level with nature.  In her mid-twenties, she moved to Phoenix for a 6-month adventure. And now, after 19 years, she calls Phoenix her home. 

Michelle is a trained graphic designer who received her Masters exploring biomimetic and sustainable graphic design. She is full-time faculty at the Design School at ASU. These days, her garden provides her with much needed time for restorative energy while she is working on her second Master’s through the newly established Biomimicry Program at ASU as well as on the Biomimicry Professional certification through Biomimicry 3.8. 

Listen in and learn about:

• Her path from Switzerland to Phoenix and how a six month visit became a life long stay
• How a career in graphic design made her feel that she was helping to add to the problems
• When that lightbulb hit that helped her see a new path
• What biomimicry is and how it has been around for a VERY long time
• A few great examples of some biomimicry examples in production today
• How a spider web is now saving lives of birds around the world
• Considering the end result of resource use
• Her awareness of a personal conflict and how she has changed her journey to being vegan
• Some of her challenges adding biomimicry to her gardening
• What she wishes humans would learn about our stay on the planet
• What she named her urban farm and why

As well as:

• Her biggest failure – her story about feral roosters and how she created a new ecosystem in her neighborhood
• Her biggest success – her story on how she was able to add a bit of biomimicry education to her class on storytelling
• What drives her
• And her one piece of advice for Podcast listeners

Go to our podcast page at http://www.urbanfarm.org/blog/podcast/ to find photos, links and more information on each of our guest interviews.