Usually Grounded by the Farm episodes include us interviewing a farmer, talking about the food they produce. And in this second season, we are interviewing farmers in various parts of the world. But this week, we hit several obstacles for interviews and listeners were nice enough to ask the questions. That put our host Janice Person in the interviewee seat! She talks all about visiting farms while traveling in various countries. (Podcast transcript available here — Traveling & Seeing Farms)

Here’s the video plea we posted on our Facebook & Instagram feeds:

In this Episode

Topics covered & questions asked in this episode include:

• Enjoying dried fruit — There is a tremendous dried fruit business coming out of Turkey. Have you ever been there?
• Tea production — We enjoy tea very much in the US. Have you been to tea plantations in Japan China or India (whether assam or ceylon which we know as Sri Lanka)? Teas from those regions are very popular.
• Terraced rice — There’s real Beauty in seeing rice grown in tropical areas, have you seen the terraced rice patties in the Philippines or Bali?
• Surprising things you’ve seen & farming methods — I was just wondering what is the most surprising farming that you’ve seen in your travels and whether it be something in the United States or somewhere else that you’ve been to. You know a lot of the traditional ways of farming that were used before there was a lot of machinery or one of the coolest machines?
• Comparing practices — In visiting farms, have you been to a farm that produces the same product or produce or whatever as farms you’ve seen in the US? If so, what was like a major difference that stands out to you? Do you also think that there are there’s a lot of sharing of we do it this way versus we do offer that way and that would imagine in certain parts of the world?
• Produce & enjoy their crops — I’m curious of the places that you’ve traveled what kind of crops people growing that they then turn around and eat and do you have any recipes?
• Ease of entry to farming — In the US. It can be kind of hard for young farmers or people who want to get into a culture to get the land and the equipment and and kind of get into farming. Is it easier in other countries? Is there a an easier point of entry and what’s that process like off for ew farmers outside of the US?
• Different locations — Is it that former will run two farms in different locations?
• Ever been to Spain — One of my favorite drives agricultural area was one late January in Spain. The oranges were still on the tree and the almonds were in bloom. It was amazing. You ever been to that part of the world Janice?

What Janice Has to Say

You’ll need to listen to the podcast episode to hear all of Janice’s thoughts on these questions. However, for those of you who wondered about a bit more of the story, we do have a few photos and links to share.

• Lots of travel talk on Janice’s blog JPlovesLIFE, including points on her big trips abroad and completing visits to all 50 states.
• Who’s been to a raisin farm? (Hand raised here.)
• A few posts from a trip to The Phillipines. Overview of agnerd highlights, learning about rice, seeing a vegetable field day & eating sweet corn and seeing how public plant breeding works there.
• Meeting a female farmer in Turkey
• Janice also has a site focused on cotton — HundredPercentCotton.com — so she gives a few examples from the natural fiber.

Other episodes of Grounded by the Farm we mention:

• Talking rice with Matthew Sligar of RiceFarmingTV
• German pig farmer Marcus has done some exchange trips (the photo below is from a group of American farmers Janice traveled with in Germany visiting farms like this pork operation — that red coat doesn’t exactly blend)

Thank You!

We love connecting with listeners and getting questions and comments are a favorite! Appreciate all the people who asked questions this week and look forward to being back with a farmer interview in two weeks! We’re talking with a Ugandan fish farmer. There are a few audio distractions but the information he shares was so good, you’ll want to listen, just maybe not on headphones.