Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast

Did you know China and India, with populations in the billions, are just discovering coffee? And independent coffee companies, charging $9 for a coffee drink, are barely breaking even. And Gen Z is trading coffee for energy drinks, matcha and dirty sodas. So what does that mean for the future of our coffee?

Toni talks with Lee Safar, global coffee expert and creator of the coffee podcast, Map It Forward, again to see what the future of coffee – especially the cost for consumers – has in store.

Toni talks to the world's leading coffee expert, Lee Safar, about a very important matter: will we still have coffee in 20 years?

There are many factors contributing to the instability around the coffee industry – El Nino, conflict, climate change – and Lee regularly does deep dives into every aspect on her podcast, Map It Forward. So Toni talks with her about what we can expect for the coffee industry, and if we can save it.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every other Wednesday.

Toni continues her conversation with regenerative ranchers Jenni and Justin Bajema from Rebel Pastures. This week, they talk about the future of regenerative agriculture and if it's possible to feed the country with quality meat.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every other Wednesday.

With an executive order signed to allow 300,000 metric tons of beef to enter the U.S. duty-free for the next 90 days, President Trump has caused an uproar in the cattle ranch industry.

So Toni caught up with two regenerative ranchers – Jenni and Justin Bajema of Rebel Pastures – to hear their take on the decision and the state of the farm industry.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every other Wednesday.

Toni talks food as medicine, regenerative agriculture and misinformation around organic farming with Jeff Tkach, CEO of Rodale Institute. They also discuss his new book, The Farm is Here.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast every other Wednesday!

A lot goes into making a granola bar...like where should I source my oats? And what kind of fruit should I add?

Food companies consider everything from flavor and nutrition to tariffs and climate change when it comes to creating their products – and you might not even realize when one of those factors prompts the company to alter their recipe.

This week, Toni sat down with Don Leonard to put his 30 years of food experience to work as they go through the steps of how Don would help Toni develop a hypothetical granola bar considering all of the factors that food companies encounter every day.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast every other Wednesday.

Do our snacks taste the way they used to? Not really.

Toni talks to Don Leonard – who has 30 years' experience developing recipes for big brands like PepsiCo. and Kraft – about how big brands have altered recipes through the years to keep profits growing at the risk of leaving flavor behind.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are available every other Wednesday.

Food industry insider, Melissa Musiker, is back to talk about how we can change our food system by voting with our plate.

Toni and Melissa talk McDonald's apple slices, complaining to your local grocer and the latest buzzword: fiber.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are available every other Wednesday.

Adding fish (fertilizer) to your garden? That's the family business.

Toni talks to Ann Molloy about her family's business: Neptune's Harvest. When Ann's father wanted to stop wasting fish that he was selling (only 30% of fish can be eaten), he discovered a new kind of fertilizer that's a miracle in the garden.

Learn more about Ann's educational program at https://www.gloucestersalt.org/.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every other Wednesday.

An average U.S. household loses $3,000 in food waste each year. Jonathan Deutsch, founder of the Drexel University Food Lab, works every day to help cut down on that food waste with more creative recipes, product development for university dining halls and food pantry strategy.

Toni talks with him about how we can use his strategies in our own day to day lives.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every other Wednesday.

There's more to your garden center than packets of seeds. Toni gets the inside scoop from Val Nalls – owner of her family's garden center, Nalls Produce & Garden Center, in Alexandria, VA.

From the best days to visit and how not to ask for a discount to saying hi to your garden center cat (or even your garden center pigs!), Val filled us in on everything there is to know about your local garden center.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are available every other Wednesday!

If you feel like your home garden is becoming an uphill battle, you're not alone. A few years ago, Toni thought her garden had hit its peak. But then she focused on her soil's microbiome (don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds), and everything changed.

Today, ag-tech companies are jumping onto the soil microbiome trend and slowly but surely, new fertilizer products are hitting the shelves to help your gardens be stronger, not weaker. Toni sat down with Omar Al-Shafie, CEO of Teregen Ag, to talk about their new product.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every other Wednesday.

As farmers age into retirement, the industry finds the younger generations – especially people in their 20's and 30's – stepping up to the field. Just like Bryce and Anna Kulik, owners of Folks Farm and Market.

Toni chats with the Kuliks about the dirty details of running a farm, including the couple's real jobs and what it's like picking peaches while pregnant.

When Michelle Obama launched her Let's Move! campaign, Melissa Musiker was in the room helping the big food companies navigate the initiative (she was working for the Grocery Manufacturers Association).

And the great thing about food industry insiders is that they're happy to share their knowledge. So Toni chatted with Melissa to get the inside scoop on what's landing on your kids' plates during lunch time.

If you're dreading the conversations that will crop up at the Thanksgiving dinner table – SNAP, climate change, tariffs, MAHA – listen up!

Toni and Klein are doing a little exercise. Klein (reluctantly) plays the role of your Uncle who has very different views than you when it comes to our food system. And Toni gives her tips for how to respond while still keeping the temperature cool for the holidays. Let's talk about it.

Have questions you'd like Toni to answer on the podcast? Send them to tonifarmersgarden@gmail.com.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast available every Wednesday.

Do you have to work on a farm to be exposed to – and affected by – pesticides? Toni dives into the science behind these questions with Dr. Elisa Jazan, who just got her PhD from Tufts University in Environmental Health, and spent years studying exactly that.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are live each Wednesday!

Somewhere, in a lab, there are scientists trying to make food taste sweeter. Or saltier. Or more bitter. These scientists are hired by food companies to perfect their recipes and keep their products flying off the shelf.

So this week, Toni sits down with food scientist Mark Hines to dig into how it happens.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are available every Wednesday!

As food prices rise and SNAP benefits are cut, Toni's conversation with UPenn professor Domenic Vitiello about how people living in cities can access food feels more relevant than ever.

The two chat about gardening with limited space, sharing fridges with your neighbors and much more to help anyone, living anywhere, find food.

New episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast are available every Wednesday!

The second half of Toni's conversation with Maria Rodale (of the Rodale Institute) covers everything you need to know about eating organic...like why it's better for you, how to know if a product is actually organic (those labels can be tricky!) and what foods are carrying the most pesticides.

Tune in every Wednesday for new episodes of Toni Farmer's Garden: The Podcast!

Toni talks with Maria Rodale, granddaughter of the founder of the Rodale Institute, about why our farming system is broken – and how we can fix it.

Plus, did you know it takes 5 years for a farmer to switch to organic farming? And we talk why farmers don't change their votes even when it hurts them.