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How Much Do You Know About Where Your Food Comes From?

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Iowa Nice Guy Scott Siepker

How much do you really know about where you food comes from? Could you grow enough food to sustain yourself and your family in a garden?

Iowa Nice Guy Scott Siepker says he asked himself that very same question before starting on the script to his newest video “Farmer Nice.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPCLBLgEaHs

If there were a zombie apocalypse and all the farmers were taken away, could I hop in a tractor and plant all 100 acres? - Iowa Nice Guy Scott Siepker

“I grew up in Mt. Caramel, which is a town of 101 people and 26 pets in a house surrounded by corn. I realized a little while ago, ‘if there were a zombie apocalypse and all the farmers were taken away, could I hope in a tractor and plant all 100 acres?’ I don’t think I could. It’s not like tomorrow I could pick up farming. Until I started working on this script, I had no idea how many products are made with agricultural by products.”

During this Talk of Iowa program, host Charity Nebbe talks with Siepker about his new video. Then, Kiera Butler, author of the book Raise: What 4-H Teaches 7 Million Kids and How it’s Lessons Could Change Food and Farming Forever”and John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas, State 4-H Youth Development Leader for the state of Iowajoin the conversation.

Credit University of California Press
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University of California Press
Kiera Butler's new book follows 4-H clubs in Oakland, California and describes the history and future of 4-H.

Chaisson-Cardenas says that 4-H in Iowa has a long history of educating kids about agriculture, but that the program is also constantly evolving.

New Pioneer Food Co-op’s Scott Koepke, who runs a garden education program called Soilmates also joins the show. He’s been working with schools and teachers to partner on projects that teach kids about how and where food is grown.

“The first thing we talk about is to be thankful for our food,” says Koepke. “Not everybody has food, so that’s always where we start.”   

Editors note: This show originally aired on February 12, 2015.

Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer
Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa