What Did the Tastiest Pork Have for Dinner?

About this episode

Dana speaks with farmer Jo Douglas about her innovative food system on Martha's Vineyard that reduces food waste and promotes sustainable farming.

On Martha’s Vineyard, farmer Jo Douglas is quietly building one of the most creative small-scale food systems in the country. Her farm, Fork to Pork , begins with a problem that defines the modern food system: nearly 40 percent of food produced is never eaten . Instead of letting that food become waste (and greenhouse gas emissions), Jo collects hundreds of gallons of surplus ingredients each day from restaurants, bakeries, hospitals, and dining halls across the island. Those scraps become feed for her pigs. The result is a remarkable loop. Restaurants help feed the animals. The animals grow on real food instead of commodity grain. And the pork returns to those same kitchens, where chefs cook it nose-to-tail. But Jo’s work does not stop with pigs. Through a second operation she calls Leaf to Beef , Jo raises cattle across a patchwork of leased pastureland on the island. Using rotational grazing, she moves her herd through multiple properties, turning underused grasslands into productive ecosystems while producing high-quality grass-fed beef for local customers. In a place where farmland is scarce and land prices can reach millions of dollars, Jo has built a working farm by…

People in this episode

Host: Dana DiPrima

Guest: Jo Douglas

Topics covered

• sustainable farming
• food waste
• local food systems
• pork production
• community agriculture

Keywords

• sustainable farming
• food waste
• pork
• Martha's Vineyard
• local food

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fork to Pork, Leaf to Beef

Places: Martha’s Vineyard, island

More episodes of One Bite is Everything

• Getting Closer to the Source with Chef Gary Podesto · June 11, 2026 · 39 min
• What $200 Billion in Cuts Means for Hungry Kids · June 4, 2026 · 42 min
• The Invisible Work Behind Great Food | Chef Chris Stam of Alchemy · May 28, 2026 · 45 min
• The Surprise of What Small Farmers Really Need · May 21, 2026 · 12 min
• Land Isn’t Enough: How a Goat Farmer Built a Farm From Scratch · May 14, 2026 · 34 min
• Farmers Markets Aren’t as Simple as You Think · May 7, 2026 · 1h 5m