One Bite is Everything

Farmer Meg Despres of Biscuitwood Farm in Esperance, New York had a For Farmers Wish List that nobody had ever shopped. Not one item. So she left a comment on our Instagram asking a simple question: what can I do to make this list work for me?Here's what happened next. A few DMs, one small fix, a Tuesday morning letter, and a farm transformed almost overnight.Meg farms 50 acres in Schoharie County with a culinary focus: chef-quality vegetables, pastured eggs, black currant jam, and pierogi made from her own potatoes, a nod to her Polish roots. Her farm stand runs on the honor system with a free food pantry at its heart. She and her husband put everything they had into owning their land, and she tells us what it means to bootstrap a farm debt free, and why small farms can try things big farms never could.We recorded this conversation during a meeting of our For Farmers interns, so you'll also hear questions from Andrea and Raeesah on how to be a better farmers market customer and how a farm's challenges change over time.In this episode:Why a wish list is a story about a farm and what it needsThe nomination that made Meg weep (we have more than 1,900 of them)Imposter syndrome, 15 years inFarming debt free as a deliberate choiceSmall farms as the experimenters of agricultureHere's Meg's Wish List for Biscuitwood Farm if you'd like to contribute.One Bite is EverythingFrom your plate to the rest of the world, One Bite is Everything explores the connections between food, health, community, the environment, and the economy. Through conversations with farmers, chefs, researchers, advocates, and food system leaders, host Dana DiPrima examines how food touches every aspect of our lives and why understanding our food system has never mattered more.OBIE FactsTop 3% of all podcasts globallyTop 100 food podcasts (22)Top 100 agriculture podcasts (87)More engagement than more than 88% of all podcasts on SpotifyFive-star rating averagePart of Heritage Radio Network, home of the top voices in foodConnectFollow Dana at @xoxofarmgirl and learn more about the For Farmers Movement at forfarmersmovement.com.Co-production by Sonia Dhillon. Sound design and original music by Russell Chapa.

What happens when a farm grows to the point where the farmers can no longer do everything themselves?Maria Zordan and Max Morningstar own MX Morningstar Farm in Claverack, New York, where they grow about 40 acres of certified organic vegetables and operate a year-round farm store. Their business also reaches far beyond the farm through wholesale accounts, restaurants, distributors, other farms and CSA customers.In this episode, Maria and Max take us inside the less visible work of building a farm that can last.We talk about the transition from farmer to business owner and how they knew it was time to step away from some of the day-to-day production. Max explains how he thinks about delegation and why an owner's time should be spent solving the problems that don't have obvious answers. Maria talks about the growing complexity of managing employees, regulations, wholesale accounts and retail while still keeping a hand in production.We also get into the realities of selling local food. Restaurants may want to buy directly from farms, but consistency, volume and delivery can make those relationships difficult for both sides. Maria and Max explain how distributors, wholesale buyers, other farms and their own farm store help create a system that actually works.It's a practical conversation about growth, efficiency, hiring, infrastructure and what it takes to turn a farm into a durable business that can employ people, raise wages and keep moving forward.In this episode:How MX Morningstar Farm grew from leased land into a 40-acre vegetable operationWhen farmers need to start thinking like business ownersHow Maria and Max decide what to delegateWhy efficiency matters as a farm growsThe complicated reality of selling directly to restaurantsWhere distributors fit into a strong local food systemHow their farm store changed the businessGrowing a farm in a way that creates jobs and supports higher wagesWhy, as Max says, running the business “never ends”About Maria Zordan & Max MorningstarMaria Zordan and Max Morningstar are the owners of MX Morningstar Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm in Claverack, New York. The farm grows approximately 40 acres of vegetables and sells through wholesale channels, restaurants, distributors, CSA and its year-round farm store in New York's Hudson Valley.https://www.mxmorningstarfarm.comOne Bite is EverythingFrom your plate to the rest of the world, One Bite is Everything explores the connections between food, health, community, the environment, and the economy. Through conversations with farmers, chefs, researchers, advocates, and food system leaders, host Dana DiPrima examines how food touches every aspect of our lives and why understanding our food system has never mattered more.OBIE FactsTop 3% of all podcasts globallyTop 100 food podcasts (22)Top 100 agriculture podcasts (87)More engagement than more than 88% of all podcasts on SpotifyFive-star rating averagePart of Heritage Radio Network, home of the top voices in foodConnectFollow Dana at @xoxofarmgirl and learn more about the For Farmers Movement at forfarmersmovement.com.Co-production by Sonia Dhillon. Sound design and original music by Russell Chapa.

What if the future of food depends less on winning arguments and more on rebuilding trust?Maria Rodale has spent a lifetime at the heart of the organic movement, carrying forward the work of one of agriculture's most influential families. But in this conversation, she looks beyond labels and certifications to something deeper: the relationships, compassion, and storytelling that create lasting change.Together we explore why facts alone rarely change minds, how trust has become one of the most valuable ingredients in our food system, what regenerative and organic mean in today's landscape, and why movements only succeed when people choose to move forward together.From the future of farming to the power of sharing a meal, this conversation offers a hopeful vision for how farmers, eaters, and communities can build something better together.In this episode:Why Maria believes the future isn't organic versus conventional, but finding ways to move forward together.The surprising role that storytelling plays in changing hearts and minds.Why trust has become one of the most important currencies in our food system.How the organic movement can inspire without relying on fear.The challenges and opportunities surrounding regenerative agriculture.What consumers can do every day to support healthier farms, healthier communities, and healthier food.Why compassion may be the missing ingredient we've been overlooking all along.One Bite is EverythingFrom your plate to the rest of the world, One Bite is Everything explores the connections between food, health, community, the environment, and the economy. Through conversations with farmers, chefs, researchers, advocates, and food system leaders, host Dana DiPrima examines how food touches every aspect of our lives and why understanding our food system has never mattered more.OBIE FactsTop 3% of all podcasts globallyTop 100 food podcasts (22)Top 100 agriculture podcasts (87)More engagement than more than 88% of all podcasts on SpotifyFive-star rating averagePart of Heritage Radio Network, home of the top voices in foodConnectFollow Dana at @xoxofarmgirl and learn more about the For Farmers Movement at forfarmersmovement.com.Co-production by Sonia Dhillon. Sound design and original music by Russell Chapa.