In This Podcast: Greg interviews Michael Olson, a returning guest and influential figure in the food system. Michael shares his background as a Montana farm boy, Vietnam veteran, and author of Metro Farm. Then they jump into Michael’s 'Three Laws of the Food Chain,' which include: 1) Agriculture is the foundation upon which we build all our sandcastles, 2) The farther we go from the source of our food, the less control we have over what’s in our food, and 3) Cheap food isn't cheap. They discuss the evolution of local food movements, the impact of farmer's markets, and the importance of understanding where our food comes from. Michael emphasizes the value of local, nutrient-rich foods and the historical precedent for sustainable, small-scale farming seen in Asian cultures. The episode concludes with a call to action for consumers to seek out food with its farmer’s face on it, underscoring the profound impact of food on human well-being.

Our Guest: Michael Olson is a Montana farm boy and Vietnam veteran with a University of California degree in English & Chinese Literature. Earlier in life he participated in the commercial production of a wide variety of crops in California, Montana and Oregon. He has consulted on farm projects throughout the world, from the island of Cyprus, to the jungles of the Amazon, and the streets of Watts. As a journalist he authored three non-fiction books, including MetroFarm a Book of the Year award-winner, has produced documentaries for NBC Magazine with David Brinkley, and hosted over 1,380 episodes of his syndicated Food Chain Radio show.

Visit UrbanFarm.org/FoodChain for the show notes and links on this episode!

Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?

The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges.

You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.

Click HERE to learn more!

Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 900 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.

*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

885: Michael Olson on the Three Laws of the Food Chain

The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

885: Michael Olson on the Three Laws of the Food Chain